Spray deposition and uniformity assessment of unmanned aerial application systems (UAAS) at varying operational parameters

The use of Unmanned Aerial Application Systems (UAAS) has increased rapidly in agriculture in recent years. Information regarding their spray performance, as influenced by operational parameters, is important to understand for their effective utilization. A study was conducted to assess the spray characteristics of two commercial UAAS platforms (TTA M4E and DJI Agras T30) using three different nozzle types, flight speeds, and application heights. Spray deposition was recorded across the swath to assess and compare spray behavior under these selected varying operational parameters. In-swath deposition uniformity was evaluated using the coefficient of variation (CV) for different theoretical effective swaths computed from single-pass spray patterns. The results indicated a highly variable spray deposition with the majority of coverage concentrated directly below the UAAS flight path. Coarser droplets produced by the AIXR (Air-Induction Extended Range) and TTI (Turbo Teejet Induction) nozzles exhibited greater coverage directly under the UAAS while finer droplets from the XR (Extended Range) nozzle showed improved uniformity across wider swaths. Coverage decreased with an increase in flight speed for both platforms. Application height had no effect on spray coverage for the TTA M4E, but coverage increased with height for the DJI Agras T30 within the tested range. Both increased flight speed (5.0 and 6.7 m s-1 for the TTA M4E and DJI Agras T30, respectively) and height (3.0 m for both the TTA M4E and DJI Agras T30) showed increased uniformity. Among the tested parameters, only a few exhibited an acceptable variability (CV≤25%) within the range of theoretical effective swaths. The TTA M4E had a CV<25% for the flight speeds of 3.4 and 5.0 m s-1, and a height of 3.0 m at an effective swath of 2.0 m. In contrast, the 2.3 and 3.0 m heights, XR and TTI nozzles, and 4.5 and 6.7 m s-1 speeds exhibited acceptable variability for the DJI Agras T30 for an effective swath of 4.0 m. For both UAAS, none of the tested parameters had an acceptable CV (≤25%) at the widest swath (4.0 and 9.0 m for the TTA M4E and DJI Agras T30, respectively) recommended by the manufacturer

Joining in, Blowing the Whistle, or Intervening: Examining the Effects of Severity and Organizational Identification on Fraternity/Sorority Members’ Responses to Hazing

Hazing, a form of organizational wrongdoing endemic to fraternities and sororities, persists on college campuses, often resulting in deleterious outcomes. To better understand organizational members’ responses to hazing, we considered the influence of members’ organizational identification and the severity of the hazing situation on three response options: participating, whistle-blowing, and intervening. Members of fraternities and sororities (N = 243) were randomly assigned to read one scenario in which hazing severity was manipulated and then asked to complete a questionnaire containing measures of organizational identification and hazing response options. Hazing severity influenced two of the three outcomes. As the hazing event became more severe, willingness to participate decreased and motivation to blow the whistle increased. Hazing severity also moderated relationships between organizational identification and the three response options. When severity was low, organizational identification was positively associated with willingness to participate and negatively associated with intentions to whistle-blow and motivation to stop the activity. The results are discussed in terms of reducing hazing through education, training, and culture change

Current state of the evidence on community treatments for people with complex emotional needs:a scoping review

BACKGROUND: Improving the quality of care in community settings for people with 'Complex Emotional Needs' (CEN-our preferred working term for services for people with a "personality disorder" diagnosis or comparable needs) is recognised internationally as a priority. Plans to improve care should be rooted as far as possible in evidence. We aimed to take stock of the current state of such evidence, and identify significant gaps through a scoping review of published investigations of outcomes of community-based psychosocial interventions designed for CEN. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review with systematic searches. We searched six bibliographic databases, including forward and backward citation searching, and reference searching of relevant systematic reviews. We included studies using quantitative methods to test for effects on any clinical, social, and functioning outcomes from community-based interventions for people with CEN. The final search was conducted in November 2020. RESULTS: We included 226 papers in all (210 studies). Little relevant literature was published before 2000. Since then, publications per year and sample sizes have gradually increased, but most studies are relatively small, including many pilot or uncontrolled studies. Most studies focus on symptom and self-harm outcomes of various forms of specialist psychotherapy: most result in outcomes better than from inactive controls and similar to other specialist psychotherapies. We found large evidence gaps. Adaptation and testing of therapies for significant groups (e.g. people with comorbid psychosis, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or substance misuse; older and younger groups; parents) have for the most part only reached a feasibility testing stage. We found little evidence regarding interventions to improve social aspects of people's lives, peer support, or ways of designing effective services. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with other longer term mental health problems that significantly impair functioning, the evidence base on how to provide high quality care for people with CEN is very limited. There is good evidence that people with CEN can be helped when specialist therapies are available and when they are able to engage with them. However, a much more methodologically robust and substantial literature addressing a much wider range of research questions is urgently needed to optimise treatment and support across this group

Impact on mental health care and on mental health service users of the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods survey of UK mental health care staff

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has potential to disrupt and burden the mental health care system, and to magnify inequalities experienced by mental health service users. METHODS: We investigated staff reports regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in its early weeks on mental health care and mental health service users in the UK using a mixed methods online survey. Recruitment channels included professional associations and networks, charities, and social media. Quantitative findings were reported with descriptive statistics, and content analysis conducted for qualitative data. RESULTS: 2,180 staff from a range of sectors, professions, and specialties participated. Immediate infection control concerns were highly salient for inpatient staff, new ways of working for community staff. Multiple rapid adaptations and innovations in response to the crisis were described, especially remote working. This was cautiously welcomed but found successful in only some clinical situations. Staff had specific concerns about many groups of service users, including people whose conditions are exacerbated by pandemic anxieties and social disruptions; people experiencing loneliness, domestic abuse and family conflict; those unable to understand and follow social distancing requirements; and those who cannot engage with remote care. CONCLUSION: This overview of staff concerns and experiences in the early COVID-19 pandemic suggests directions for further research and service development: we suggest that how to combine infection control and a therapeutic environment in hospital, and how to achieve effective and targeted tele-health implementation in the community, should be priorities. The limitations of our convenience sample must be noted

Guilt Appeals in Persuasive Communication: A Meta-Analytic Review

Supplemental Files associated with "Guilt appeals in persuasive communication: A meta-analytic review" Communication Studie