Quantification of Juniperus Ashei Pollen Production for the Development of Forecasting Models

Juniperus ashei pollen is considered one of the most allergenic species of Cupressaceae in North America. Juniperus ashei is distributed throughout central Texas, Northern Mexico, the Arbuckle Mountains of south central Oklahoma, and the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas and southwestern Missouri. The large amount of airborne pollen that J. ashei produces affects inhabitants of cities and towns adjacent to juniper woodland areas and because juniper pollen can be transported over long distances, it affects populations that are far away. In order to create a dynamic forecast system for allergy and asthma sufferers, pollen production must be estimated. Estimation of pollen production requires the estimation of male cone production. Two locations in the Arbuckle Mountains of Oklahoma and 4 locations in the Edwards Plateau region of Texas were chosen as sampling sites. Trees were measured to determine approximate size. Male to female ratio was determined and pollen cone production was estimated using a qualitative scale from 0 to 2. Cones were counted from harvested 1/8 sections of representative trees. The representative trees were measured and approximate surface area of the tree was calculated. Using the representative tree data, the number of cones per square meter was calculated for medium production (1) and high production (2) trees. These numbers were extrapolated to calculate cone production in other trees sampled. Calibration was achieved within each location's sub-plot by counting cones on 5 branches collected from 5 sides of both high production and medium production trees. The total area sampled in each location was 0.06 hectare and total cone production varied greatly from location to location. The highest production area produced 5.8 million cones while the lowest production area produced 72,000 cones. A single representative high production tree in the Arbuckle Mountains produced 1.38 million cones. The number of trees per location was relatively uniform, but the number of high cone production trees varied greatly. Although there is great diversity in the locations making it difficult to determine which factors are most important, cone production was well correlated with certain stand characteristics including trunk diameter

Case Study: Sick Building Syndrome in a Humid Climate

An indepth environmental investigation was conducted at a four-story building officing 1200 employees in Oklahoma. A preassessment and walkthrough of the facility revealed extensive ongoing renovations throughout the building. Renovations consisted of installations of new partitions, carpeting, ceiling tiles, and repainting. Management was receiving numerous complaints related to the indoor air quality from all parts of the building, particularly the unrenovated areas. The majority of employee complaints originated from the unrenovated second floor; in contrast, few complaints had been submitted from the finished fourth floor area. Due to the disparity in employee complaints from these two floors, the investigation focused on a comparison of the air quality on the second and fourth floors. The initial walkthrough revealed inordinate amounts of dust in the occupied space of the second floor. High humidity levels were measured throughout the building. Other potential problems -- i.e., poor lighting, job stress, poor air circulation, stuffy air, thermal discomfort. smokers in the area --were also noted at this point. Questionnaires were made available to occupants on both floors to attain a better understanding of employee problems and assist in formulating an investigation plan. Collectively the nonspecificity of the responses tended to indicate building-related problems often described by the term ''Sick Building Syndrome" (SBS). Based on the questionnaire responses, the walkthrough observations, and the lack of specific illnesses, the investigation focused on identification of and testing for sources of chemical and particulate emissions and possible inadequacies of the mechanical ventilation system in providing the necessary amount of outside air. Although the building investigation revealed few signs of biological contamination, problems of this nature are not uncommon in climates with high humidity. The potential for biological proliferation in buildings with excessive humidity are discussed in the paper. The SBS causation was multifactorial and thus could not be attributed to a single etiologic factor. Temperature and humidity problems were partially attributed to the inadequate provision of chilled water (at a low enough temperature) to ensure proper tempering and dehumidification of the supply air. These periodic excursions in temperature and relative humidity were compounded by an associated reduction in outside air which exacerbated the situation. Other recommendations had to do with improving the filtration system, balancing of the air handling system, improving the ventilation efficiency, separation of smokers and nonsmokers, and the infusion of a fastidious cleaning and maintenance program combined with an adequate supply of fresh air per ASHRAE 62-89 specifications

High dissimilarity within a multiyear annual record of pollen assemblages from a North American tallgrass prairie

Citation: Commerford, J. L., McLauchlan, K. K., & Minckley, T. A. (2016). High dissimilarity within a multiyear annual record of pollen assemblages from a North American tallgrass prairie. Ecology and Evolution, 6(15), 5273-5289. doi:10.1002/ece3.2259Grassland vegetation varies in composition across North America and has been historically influenced by multiple biotic and abiotic drivers, including fire, herbivory, and topography. Yet, the amount of temporal and spatial variability exhibited among grassland pollen assemblages, and the influence of these biotic and abiotic drivers on pollen assemblage composition and diversity has been relatively understudied. Here, we examine 4 years of modern pollen assemblages collected from a series of 28 traps at the Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research Area in the Flint Hills of Kansas, with the aim of evaluating the influence of these drivers, as well as quantifying the amount of spatial and temporal variability in the pollen signatures of the tallgrass prairie biome. We include all terrestrial pollen taxa in our analyses while calculating four summative metrics of pollen diversity and composition -beta-diversity, Shannon index, nonarboreal pollen percentage, and Ambrosia: Artemisia -and find different roles of fire, herbivory, and topography variables in relation to these pollen metrics. In addition, we find significant annual differences in the means of three of these metrics, particularly the year 2013 which experienced high precipitation relative to the other 3 years of data. To quantify spatial and temporal dissimilarity among the samples over the 4-year study, we calculate pairwise squared-chord distances (SCD). The SCD values indicate higher compositional dissimilarity across the traps (0.38 mean) among all years than within a single trap from year to year (0.31 mean), suggesting that grassland vegetation can have different pollen signatures across finely sampled space and time, and emphasizing the need for additional long-term annual monitoring of grassland pollen

Nature's Notebook Provides Phenology Observations for NASA Juniper Phenology and Pollen Transport Project

Phenology Network has been established to provide national wide observations of vegetation phenology. However, as the Network is still in the early phases of establishment and growth, the density of observers is not yet adequate to sufficiently document the phenology variability over large regions. Hence a combination of satellite data and ground observations can provide optimal information regarding juniperus spp. pollen phenology. MODIS data was to observe Juniperus supp. pollen phenology. The MODIS surface reflectance product provided information on the Juniper supp. cone formation and cone density. Ground based observational records of pollen release timing and quantities were used as verification. Approximately 10, 818 records of juniper phenology for male cone formation Juniperus ashei., J. monosperma, J. scopulorum, and J. pinchotti were reported by Nature's Notebook observers in 2013 These observations provided valuable information for the analysis of satellite images for developing the pollen concentration masks for input into the PREAM (Pollen REgional Atmospheric Model) pollen transport model. The combination of satellite data and ground observations allowed us to improve our confidence in predicting pollen release and spread, thereby improving asthma and allergy alerts

The effects of meteorological factors on the occurrence of Ganoderma sp. spores in the air

Ganoderma sp. is an airborne fungal spore type known to trigger respiratory allergy symptoms in sensitive patients. Aiming to reduce the risk for allergic individuals, we analysed fungal spore circulation in Szczecin, Poland, and its dependence on meteorological conditions. Statistical models for the airborne spore concentrations of Ganoderma sp.—one of the most abundant fungal taxa in the area—were developed. Aerobiological sampling was conducted over 2004–2008 using a volumetric Lanzoni trap. Simultaneously, the following meteorological parameters were recorded: daily level of precipitation, maximum and average wind speed, relative humidity and maximum, minimum, average and dew point temperatures. These data were used as the explaining variables. Due to the non-linearity and non-normality of the data set, the applied modelling techniques were artificial neural networks (ANN) and mutlivariate regression trees (MRT). The obtained classification and MRT models predicted threshold conditions above which Ganoderma sp. appeared in the air. It turned out that dew point temperature was the main factor influencing the presence or absence of Ganoderma sp. spores. Further analysis of spore seasons revealed that the airborne fungal spore concentration depended only slightly on meteorological factors

Recommended Terminology for Aerobiological Studies

Aerobiology is an interdisciplinary science where researchers with different backgrounds are involved in different topics related to microorganism, airborne biological particles, e.g. pollen and spores, and phenology. Some concepts, words or expressions used in aerobiology have a clear definition, but are however frequently misused. Therefore, the working group “Quality Control” of the European Aerobiology Society (EAS) and the International Association of Aerobiology (IAA) would like to clarify some of them, their use and presentation

Climate Change and Our Environment: The Effect on Respiratory and Allergic Disease

Climate change is a constant and ongoing process. It is postulated that human activities have reached a point at which we are producing global climate change. This article provides suggestions to help the allergist/environmental physician integrate recommendations about improvements in outdoor and indoor air quality and the likely response to predicted alterations in the earth’s environment into their patient’s treatment plan. Many changes that affect respiratory disease are anticipated. Examples of responses to climate change include energy reduction retrofits in homes that could potentially affect exposure to allergens and irritants, more hot sunny days that increase ozone-related difficulties, and rises in sea level or altered rainfall patterns that increase exposure to damp indoor environments. Climate changes can also affect ecosystems, manifested as the appearance of stinging and biting arthropods in new areas. Higher ambient carbon dioxide concentrations, warmer temperatures, and changes in floristic zones could potentially increase exposure to ragweed and other outdoor allergens, whereas green practices such as composting can increase allergen and irritant exposure. Finally, increased energy costs may result in urban crowding and human source pollution, leading to changes in patterns of infectious respiratory illnesses. Improved governmental controls on airborne pollutants could lead to cleaner air and reduced respiratory diseases but will meet strong opposition because of their effect on business productivity. The allergy community must therefore adapt, as physician and research scientists always have, by anticipating the needs of patients and by adopting practices and research methods to meet changing environmental conditions

Researcher-driven Campaigns Engage Nature's Notebook Participants in Scientific Data Collection

One of the many benefits of citizen science projects is the capacity they hold for facilitating data collection on a grand scale and thereby enabling scientists to answer questions they would otherwise not been able to address. Nature's Notebook, the plant and animal phenology observing program of the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) suitable for scientists and non-scientists alike, offers scientifically-vetted data collection protocols and infrastructure and mechanisms to quickly reach out to hundreds to thousands of potential contributors. The USA-NPN has recently partnered with several research teams to engage participants in contributing to specific studies. In one example, a team of scientists from NASA, the New Mexico Department of Health, and universities in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and California are using juniper phenology observations submitted by Nature's Notebookparticipants to improve predictions of pollen release and inform asthma and allergy alerts. In a second effort, researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science are engaging Nature's Notebookparticipants in tracking leafing phenophases of poplars across the U.S. These observations will be compared to information acquired via satellite imagery and used to determine geographic areas where the tree species are most and least adapted to predicted climate change. Results/Conclusions Researchers in these partnerships receive benefits primarily in the form of ground observations. Launched in 2010, the juniper pollen effort has engaged participants in several western states and has yielded thousands of observations that can play a role in model ground validation. Periodic evaluation of these observations has prompted the team to improve and enhance the materials that participants receive, in an effort to boost data quality. The poplar project is formally launching in spring of 2013 and will run for three years; preliminary findings from 2013 will be presented. Participants in these special campaigns benefit through direct engagement in science. This form of researcher partnership has now been successfully pilot-tested and implemented in several instances, and provides a template for future research project campaigns

An alternative allergen risk management approach

Protein components in food can trigger immune-mediated response in susceptible individuals. International law requires risk assessment to be undertaken by competent individuals to minimize food safety risk to consumers. Historically, allergen control legislation has been food focused and on the requirement for on pack labeling, and the need for formal food recalls in the event of misleading or inappropriate labeling. In order to develop a mechanism for decision makers when assessing allergenic risk from plant derived materials, the aim of this research was to consider a more holistic risk assessment method whereby rather than just using the food-based approach, an additive element in terms of considering the families of proteins is included. This approach reflects the need for food professionals to fully understand the role of proteins in triggering an allergic response to plant material and the health risk to individuals who show cross-reactivity to such proteins

Winter Time Concentrations and Size Distribution of Bioaerosols in Different Residential Settings in the UK

The total concentration and size distribution of bioaerosols in three different types of housing (single room in shared accommodation [type I], single bedroom flat in three-storey building [type II] and two- or threebedroom detached houses [type III]) was assessed during the winter. This research was an extension of a previous study carried out in the summer. The measurement campaign was undertaken in winter 2008 and 30 houses were sampled. Samples were taken from kitchens, living rooms, corridors (only in housing type I) and outdoors with an Anderson 6 stage viable impactor. In housing type I, the total geometric mean concentration was highest in the corridor for both bacteria and fungi (3,171 and 1,281 CFU/m3, respectively). In type II residences, both culturable bacteria and fungi were greatest in the living rooms (3,487 and 833 CFU/m3, respectively). The living rooms in type III residences had largest number of culturable bacteria (1,361 CFU/m3) while fungi were highest in kitchens (280 CFU/m3). The concentrations of culturable bacteria and fungi were greater in mouldy houses than non-mouldy houses. A considerable variation was seen in the size distribution of culturable bacteria in type I residences compared to types II and III. For all housing types more than half of culturable bacterial and fungal aerosol were respirable (<4.7 μm) and so have the potential to penetrate into lower respiratory system. Considerable variation in concentration and size distribution within different housing types in the same geographical region highlights the impact of differences in design, construction, use and management of residential built environment on bioaerosols levels and consequent varied risk of population exposure to airborne biological agents. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012