Economic Analysis of Southern Highbush Blueberry Production Using Drip Irrigation and Frost Protection in Georgia, USA

A partial enterprise budget simply evaluates the costs and returns profile of the agricultural firm. The simplicity in the partial enterprise budget comes with a cost that it lacks accuracy as it uses fixed single estimates and ignores potential variation in the components of the agricultural production processes. We study risk-rated returns from southern highbush blueberry production using a drip irrigation system under 5 scenarios of the blueberry prices and yields. The risk-rated return analysis gauges the returns over total costs under different specified situations addressing possible uncertainty. We show the chance of profit from southern highbush blueberry in Georgia is 69% in any full production year with the expected returns over costs of $952 per acre. This approach is helpful to minimize risk at the farmer’s production level and policy formation level

Methods for Automated Identification of Roadway Drainage-Related Features from Mobile LiDAR Data

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) systems have been increasingly used in project planning, project development, construction, operations, maintenance, and asset management. Typical data collected by a LiDAR system include slant distance, incidence angle, and reflectivity measurements. This research focuses on mobile LiDAR systems (MLSs). Processing of large amounts of data collected by MLSs remains tedious and time-consuming. For MLSs to be used efficiently in roadway drainage inventory and condition assessment, automated methods are needed to identify key features that affect drainage. The aim of this research is to develop computational methods for automated identification of such features from data collected through MLSs. The specific objectives of this research are to a) detect pavement surface type, b) detect the presence of driveways and underlying pipes and extract count, width, elevation difference and material cover and c) detect roadside features such as grass-cover area, curb location, and curb height based on the data collected using a SICK LMS-5XX series LiDAR scanner and hardware and software by Road Doctor. Reflectivity, measured as a logarithmic index of power level called received signal strength indicator (RSSI), is used to develop an algorithm to detect surface type based on statistical analysis of RSSI. Cross-sectional geometry, along with material identification, is used to identify driveways and underlying pipes. RSSI distribution and material identification techniques are used to detect roadside grass areas. Elevation distribution and filter template technique are used to detect curbs. Each method was tested and validated using data from actual road sections in Texas. The ability to detect aforementioned features reliably using automated means is an initial step to further the cause of MLS acceptance and implementation. Generally, the accuracies of pavement and grass detection methods were at least 83%. The effect of reflectivity attenuation is pronounced for roadside. Therefore, in order to develop a reliable grass detection method, attenuation correction is required. It is possible to detect driveways and distinguish them from topographical features using a combination of elevation cross sections, material detection, and surface smoothness. It is possible to identify curbs using filter template technique

Price behavior, marketing and consumption pattern of tomato in selected region of western Nepal

Tomato is an important marketable vegetable commodity of Nepal; but, due to involvement of middlemen farmers are receiving low price margin, meanwhile, consumer are compelled to pay higher. Keeping these points in view, an attempt has been made to study price behavior, marketing and consumption pattern of tomato in Western Nepal. Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was administered among randomly selected 90 tomato producers and 10 retailers during march-April 2018. Reports from ministry of agricultural development and journal articles were sources of secondary data. The empirical evidences revealed that, farm gate price, retailers’ price, and price spread was higher for off-seasonal tomato production while producers share was higher for seasonal production; in addition, price of tomato, for both seasons, was increasing. Market analysis depicted, producer-wholesaler-retailer-consumer was the major market channel involved. Low market price, dominancy of wholesaler in price determination, storage problems (mainly in off-season), and malpractices during post-harvest handling were the major problems of marketing. Overall, our study point out that, addressing the mentioned problems, accessing new markets, checking unscrupulous middlemen, and value addition are crucial for sustainable market development

Self-Assessed Time Span of Focused Attention During a Breath Focus Test Task as a Measure of Mindfulness: A Preliminary Evaluation

Introduction: An easy task-based measure of mindfulness that can be self-administered in a daily life setting is still not available. We aimed to perform a preliminary evaluation of the Breath Focus Test Task to measure mindfulness. Methods: A quantitative observational study was performed among medical students. Each participant was instructed to focus attention to the participant’s own breath and count each breath with awareness until the participant noticed mind wandering. The last breath count attended before losing awareness of the task (breath count with awareness) was recalled and self-reported by each participant. Three such breath focus sessions were planned for each participant. The mean ‘breath count with awareness’ of each participant was then converted to time span of focused attention using the rate of breathing. This time span of focused attention was reported as the proposed measure of mindfulness. Each participant also completed the 'Mindful Attention Awareness Scale questionnaire'. Results: Out of 101 participants, 76 completed at least one breath focus session satisfactorily. The median time span of focused attention was three minutes (first quartile = 1.9 minutes and third quartile = 4.5 minutes). The Mindful Attention Awareness Score was 3.9 (SD = 0.6). The results did not show a significant correlation between the time span of focused attention and the Mindful Attention Awareness Score (r s = 0.04, p = 0.74). Conclusion: This study shows the feasibility of the proposed test task. However, the measure obtained from the current form did not correlate with the Mindful Attention Awareness Score

Unveiling vaccine safety: a narrative review of pharmacovigilance in India's COVID-19 vaccination

In India, a robust vaccine pharmacovigilance system is essential to the effective implementation of COVID-19 immunization programs, ensuring the safety and efficacy of the administered vaccines. The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 and the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India have played vital roles in monitoring and analyzing adverse events following immunization (AEFI). These tools have made it easier to gather, assess, and report information about different adverse drug reactions connected to COVID-19 vaccines. However, there are several issues with India's vaccination pharmacovigilance, including underreporting and sluggish data gathering. To improve the efficiency of the pharmacovigilance system, it is crucial to address these issues and encourage active reporting by healthcare professionals and the general public. This insightful review article serves as a critical resource for shedding light on India's vaccine pharmacovigilance efforts throughout the COVID-19 vaccination drive. It also elucidates how these efforts are pivotal in bolstering public confidence in vaccines. The comprehensive coverage of reported AEFI not only showcases the commitment to vaccine safety but also helps healthcare professionals and policymakers make informed decisions to enhance the overall vaccination program

Gaining insights into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation through emerging biomarkers and the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test score

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a leading cause of mortality and morbidity, presents significant challenges, particularly with exacerbations, which drastically impact patients' health and healthcare costs. The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease guidelines recommend comprehensive assessments beyond spirometry, with the COPD assessment test (CAT) emerging as a pivotal tool. Despite its utility, the relationship between CAT scores and specific biomarkers during exacerbations remains unclear. Hence, this study aims to assess the correlation between the CAT score and specific circulating biomarkers. A cross-sectional study from August 2023 to January 2024 included 59 COPD patients with exacerbations who underwent pulmonary function tests and completed the CAT score assessment. The CAT score cut-off point was set at 20, where a CAT score <20 indicated a low impact on health status and a CAT score ≥20 indicated a high impact on health status. On the same day, measurements of neutrophils, leukocytes, eosinophils, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin were conducted. Patients with CAT scores ≥20 had significantly higher levels of neutrophils (p=0.001), leukocytes (p=0.006), procalcitonin (p=0.010), and forced expiratory volume in the first second/forced vital capacity (p=0.002), but lower eosinophil levels (p=0.025). A positive correlation existed between total CAT score and neutrophils (p=0.001), leukocytes (p=0.000), and procalcitonin (p=0.010), while eosinophil levels showed a negative correlation (p=0.025). The spirometry parameters showed no correlation with the total CAT score. This study highlights the link between CAT and key inflammatory biomarkers, supporting the use of blood biomarkers to identify COPD patients at risk of exacerbations

Shellac as a multifunctional biopolymer: A review on properties, applications and future potential

Not AvailableShellac is a physically refined form of lac resin, a natural biopolymer of animal origin obtained from tiny insects feeding on the sap of specific host trees. Shellac, in its basic form, is a polyester macromolecule composed of inter and intra esters of polyhydroxy aliphatic and sesquiterpene acids. It has been used in several industries for ages due to its exceptional properties such as film-forming, adhering, bonding, thermoplasticity, water-resistance and easy solubility in spirit and aqueous alkali solvents. From the beginning of the 21st century, due to increasing demand for natural products, a paradigm shift in the scope and applications of shellac has been witnessed, especially in green electronics, 3D printing, stealth technology, intelligent sensors, food and pharmaceutical industries. Shellac offers enormous potential for greener technologies as a natural and environmentally friendly material. This review provides an insight into the lac in detail, covering various forms of the lac, structure, properties, different applications of shellac and its future potential. This article would benefit the researchers involved in shellac research and others looking for natural and greener alternatives to synthetic polymers in various applications.Not Availabl

Graphene‐Like Conjugated Molecule as Hole‐Selective Contact for Operationally Stable Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules

Further enhancing the operational lifetime of inverted-structure perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is crucial for their commercialization, and the design of hole-selective contacts at the illumination side plays a key role in operational stability. In this work, the self-anchoring benzo[rst]pentaphene (SA-BPP) is developed as a new type of hole-selective contact toward long-term operationally stable inverted PSCs. The SA-BPP molecule with a graphene-like conjugated structure shows a higher photostability and mobility than that of the frequently-used triphenylamine and carbazole-based hole-selective molecules. Besides, the anchoring groups of SA-BPP promote the formation of a large-scale uniform hole contact on ITO substrate and efficiently passivate the perovskite absorbers. Benefiting from these merits, the champion efficiencies of 22.03% for the small-sized cells and 17.08% for 5 × 5 cm2 solar modules on an aperture area of 22.4 cm2 are achieved based on this SA-BPP contact. Also, the SA-BPP-based device exhibits promising operational stability, with an efficiency retention of 87.4% after 2000 h continuous operation at the maximum power point under simulated 1-sun illumination, which indicates an estimated T80 lifetime of 3175 h. This novel design concept of hole-selective contacts provides a promising strategy for further improving the PSC stability.journal articl

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Increasing frailty is associated with higher prevalence and reduced recognition of delirium in older hospitalised inpatients: results of a multi-centre study

Purpose: Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder delineated by an acute change in cognition, attention, and consciousness. It is common, particularly in older adults, but poorly recognised. Frailty is the accumulation of deficits conferring an increased risk of adverse outcomes. We set out to determine how severity of frailty, as measured using the CFS, affected delirium rates, and recognition in hospitalised older people in the United Kingdom. Methods: Adults over 65 years were included in an observational multi-centre audit across UK hospitals, two prospective rounds, and one retrospective note review. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), delirium status, and 30-day outcomes were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of delirium was 16.3% (483). Patients with delirium were more frail than patients without delirium (median CFS 6 vs 4). The risk of delirium was greater with increasing frailty [OR 2.9 (1.8–4.6) in CFS 4 vs 1–3; OR 12.4 (6.2–24.5) in CFS 8 vs 1–3]. Higher CFS was associated with reduced recognition of delirium (OR of 0.7 (0.3–1.9) in CFS 4 compared to 0.2 (0.1–0.7) in CFS 8). These risks were both independent of age and dementia. Conclusion: We have demonstrated an incremental increase in risk of delirium with increasing frailty. This has important clinical implications, suggesting that frailty may provide a more nuanced measure of vulnerability to delirium and poor outcomes. However, the most frail patients are least likely to have their delirium diagnosed and there is a significant lack of research into the underlying pathophysiology of both of these common geriatric syndromes