ALLOCATING BIOSECURITY RESOURCES IN SPACE AND TIME

Invasive species can cause significant damage to natural environments, agricultural systems, human populations and the economy as a whole. Biological invasions are complex dynamic systems which are inherently uncertain and their control involves allocation of surveillance and treatment resources in space and time. A complicating factor is that there are at least two types of surveillance: active and passive. Active surveillance, undertaken by pest control agencies, has high sensitivity but generally low coverage because of its high cost. Passive surveillance, undertaken by the public, has low sensitivity and may have high coverage depending on human population density. Its effectiveness depends on the extent to which information campaigns succeed in engaging the public to help locate and report pests. Here we use a spatio-temporal model to study the efficient allocation of search and treatment resources in space and time. In particular we look for complementarities between passive and active surveillance. We identify strategies that increase the probability of eradication and/or decrease the cost of managing an invasion. We also explore ways in which the public can be engaged to achieve cost-effective improvements in the probability of detecting and eradicating a pest.search theory, invasive species, dispersal, passive surveillance., Environmental Economics and Policy,

Business Plan for a Non-Profit Pediatric IV Pole Wagon Distribution Program

Problem: Children have reported that pain and anxiety were the most difficult part of hospitalization, and under treatment of pain and anxiety can have short and long term effects on health outcomes. Most healthcare professionals recognize a link between emotional health and physical health, but this may be especially true for pediatric patients who may not be able to marshal adequate coping skills due to their developmental age. Providing age appropriate alternatives, such as distraction therapy, may result in less invasive treatments for pediatric patients. Distraction therapy is an effective nonpharmacological intervention that is often under-utilized in the acute care setting. Providing an additional distraction intervention could help ameliorate the negative effects of hospitalization, enabling pediatric patients to decrease pain and anxiety while increasing coping and joy. Purpose: The purpose of the project was to spread awareness and to increase the use of a new, innovative distraction intervention in the form of an IV pole wagon. The wagons were developed in 2015 and were being used in a small, but rapidly increasing, group of pediatric hospitals. Background: Unfortunately, drug therapy, which should be second line treatment, is often the first line treatment despite evidence that non-pharmacological therapeutic interventions are similarly effective for the management of mild to moderate pain and anxiety. Distraction interventions, such as music therapy, pet interactions, video games, etc., have been shown to be successful therapies for mild to moderate pain and anxiety in children, but are under-utilized, resulting in unnecessary invasive amelioration therapies. v Project Implementation: The cardinal goal for this DNP project was writing a business plan to provide a model for other pediatric organizations to start and maintain a nonprofit program to supply IV pole wagons to children in medical need. Secondary objectives included supportive measures to augment the business plan including marketing initiatives to inform the public/healthcare workers of the project, grant writing for funding, information dissemination by presenting at a nursing conference, and providing the IV pole wagons to facilities and individual families. The purpose of these interventions were to provide a developmentally appropriate distraction to lessen the pain and distress that can be associated with hospitalization while increasing pediatric coping and joy. The pilot program, called the Whee Wagon Program, was developed through Western Carolina University\u27s (WCU) School of Nursing, in Cullowhee, NC, in August 2015. The project goal was to influence other pediatric organizations and/or advocacy groups to develop similar, but unique, programs to distribute these wagons to as many pediatric facilities as possible. Outcome: This project resulted in a comprehensive business plan to provide pediatric organizations with a blueprint for the development of their own program to provide IV pole wagons to children in medical need. The business plan, written in standard business plan format, was distributed to 14 pediatric organizations for their use. It was also published on the Western Carolina University Whee Wagon website and a proprietary Whee Wagon website for public use. This author presented the Whee Wagon concept at a pediatric nursing conference, and applied for, and was awarded, a $1,000 grant to disseminate the Whee Wagons to children in medical need. Finally, since the beginning of this project in January 2016, 22 wagons have been distributed to facilities or families

Applying search theory to determine the feasibility of eradicating an invasive population in natural environments

The detectability of invasive organisms influences the feasibility of eradicating an infestation. Search theory offers a framework for defining and measuring detectability, taking account of searcher ability, biological factors and the search environment. In this paper, search theory concepts are incorporated into a population model, and the costs of search and control are calculated as functions of the amount of search effort (the decision variable). Simulations are performed on a set of weed scenarios in a natural environment, involving different combinations of plant longevity, seed longevity and plant fecundity. Results provide preliminary estimates of the cost and duration of eradication programs to assist in prioritising weeds for control. The analysis shows that the success of an eradication program depends critically on the detectability of the target plant, the effectiveness of the control method, the labour requirements for search and control, and the germination rate of the plant.bioeconomics, invasive species, operations research, population dynamics, weed control, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Weed Search and Control: Theory and Application

The detectability of invasive organisms influences the costs and benefits of alternative control strategies, and the feasibility of eradicating an infestation. Search theory offers a mathematically rigorous framework for defining and measuring detectability, taking account of searcher ability, biological factors and the search environment. To demonstrate the application of search theory to invasive species control, invasive species detectability is incorporated into a population simulation model. The model is applied to a base set of parameter values that represent reasonable values for a hypothetical weed. The analysis shows the effects of detectability and search time on the duration of an eradication program. Furthermore, for a given level of detectability and search time, the analysis shows that the variables with the greatest influence on the duration of the eradication effort are search speed, kill efficiency and seed longevity. A series of Monte Carlo simulations are performed on a set of five scenarios, involving different combinations of plant longevity, seed longevity and plant fecundity. Results of these simulations are presented as probability distributions and allow us to calculate how the probability of eradication will be affected by search strategy.search and control, search theory, weed control, stage matrix, impedance factors, population dynamics, stochastic model, Farm Management,

Valuing the biodiversity gains from protecting native plant communities from bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp rotundata (DC.) T.Norl.) in New South Wales: application of the defensive expenditure method

Valuation of the gains from protection of biodiversity is difficult because the services that provide the benefits do not normally pass through markets where prices can form. But the services sometimes pass through markets where consumers or producers behave in a market-oriented manner, and so the values implicit in this behaviour can be identified and derived. Estimates of the benefits of biodiversity protection are derived from the costs of protecting native plant communities from a major weed in Australia, by following this approach. In 1999, invasion of coastal areas of New South Wales by bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. rotundata (DC.) T. Norl.) was listed as a key process threatening native plants under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. In accordance with the Act, the Department of Environment and Climate Change prepared a Threat Abatement Plan (TAP) to reduce the impacts of bitou bush on biodiversity at each threatened site. The costs of protecting sites vary closely with the number of priority native species and communities at each site. Following standard economic assumptions about market transactions, these costs are interpreted to provide values the benefits of protecting extra species, communities, and sites. Key words: Bitou bush, Chrysanthemoides monilifera, threat abatement plan, valuation of biodiversity, benefit-cost analysis, weed control, defensive-expenditure method.Bitou bush, Chrysanthemoides monilifera, threat abatement plan, valuation of biodiversity, benefit-cost analysis, weed control, defensive-expenditure method, Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Eradication of Exotic Weeds in Australia: Comparing Effort and Expenditure

Weeds have many adverse impacts on agriculture and the environment and therefore are often targets of eradication attempts. Eradication attempts involve large commitments of labour and financial resources over significant periods of time. Using data from 12 Australian weed eradication attempts the authors compare work hours and expenditure on each attempt for various initial-infestation sizes. Analysis of a limited data set shows: (1) that while the eradication effort increases with the initial area of infestation, the effort applied per hectare actually decreases; (2) that application of a greater work effort was not the reason why completed eradications were successful; and (3) that the larger the initial infestation size, the smaller the amount of resources applied per hectare for eradication.weeds, eradication, work effort, expenditure, infestation size, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Quantitation of intracellular NAD(P)H can monitor an imbalance of DNA single strand break repair in base excision repair deficient cells in real time

DNA single strand breaks (SSBs) are one of the most frequent DNA lesions in genomic DNA generated either by oxidative stress or during the base excision repair pathways. Here we established a new real-time assay to assess an imbalance of DNA SSB repair by indirectly measuring PARP-1 activation through the depletion of intracellular NAD(P)H. A water-soluble tetrazolium salt is used to monitor the amount of NAD(P)H in living cells through its reduction to a yellow colored water-soluble formazan dye. While this assay is not a direct method, it does not require DNA extraction or alkaline treatment, both of which could potentially cause an artifactual induction of SSBs. In addition, it takes only 4 h and requires less than a half million cells to perform this measurement. Using this assay, we demonstrated that the dose- and time-dependent depletion of NAD(P)H in XRCC1-deficient CHO cells exposed to methyl methanesulfonate. This decrease was almost completely blocked by a PARP inhibitor. Furthermore, methyl methanesulfonate reduced NAD(P)H in PARP-1+/+cells, whereas PARP-1¿/¿ cells were more resistant to the decrease in NAD(P)H. These results indicate that the analysis of intracellular NAD(P)H level using water-soluble tetrazolium salt can assess an imbalance of SSB repair in living cells in real time

GPS Position and Heading Circuitry for Ships

Circuit boards that contain radio-frequency (RF) and digital circuitry have been developed by NASA to satisfy a requirement of the Port of Houston Authority for relatively inexpensive Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers that indicate the azimuthal headings as well as the positions of ships. The receiver design utilizes the unique architecture of the Mitel commercial chip-set, which provides for an accurate GPS-based heading-determination device. The major components include two RF front ends (each connected to a separate antenna), a surface-acoustic-wave intermediate-frequency filter between second- and third-stage mixers, a correlator, and a reduced-instruction- set computer. One of the RF front ends operates as a master, the other as a slave. Both RF front ends share a 10-MHz sinusoidal clock oscillator, which provides for more accurate carrier phase measurements between the two antennas. The outputs of the RF front ends are subjected to conventional GPS processing. The commercial-based chip-set design approach provides an inexpensive open architecture GPS platform, which can be used in developing and implementing unique GPS-heading and attitude-determination algorithms for specific applications. The heading is estimated from the GPS position solutions of the two antennas by an algorithm developed specifically for this application. If a third (and preferably a fourth) antenna were added, it would be possible to estimate the attitude of the GPS receiver in three dimensions instead of only its heading in a horizontal plane

Modelling biocontrol of invasive insects: An application to European Wasp (Vespula germanica) in Australia

Established pests are often overlooked as candidates for eradication or containment programmes because the use of traditional control techniques over very large areas usually becomes uneconomic. In such cases, classical biological control can be an attractive option. If biocontrol agents become established in equilibrium with the invasive species, there are no ongoing costs of control. Arriving at the point of biocontrol release, however, requires significant time and investment in research and testing, and success of biocontrol agents is not guaranteed. It is therefore advisable to undertake preliminary analysis of the likelihood of success. Simulation modelling using population dynamics models can be very useful in this regard. Here we develop a model for biocontrol of an invasive social insect, the European wasp (Vespula germanica) and derive the conditions for success of a biocontrol program