Effect of atmospheric boundary layer conditions on agricultural spray drift

Drift of pesticides can be a significant health hazard, particularly in areas where agricultural land is adjacent to a school, retirement home, or other populated area. Off-target drift of pesticides depends on many atmospheric variables, both mechanical and thermal. While non-atmospheric variables, such as applicator nozzle size, height of application, and particle size, can be controlled by the applicator to reduce drift potential, understanding how atmospheric conditions set a framework for drift potential enables applicators to choose to spray when the weather conditions would minimize drift. Specifically, atmospheric stability plays an important role in the near-ground concentration of sprays downwind of the spray site; stable conditions confine spray near the surface if the application occurs near the surface. This project investigates the efficacy of using Pasquill stability classes as a simple way to estimate surface boundary layer stability conditions in the field. Wind speed and a qualitative insolation estimate (strong, moderate, or slight) are used to determine the Pasquill stability class. A series of case studies conducted under varying Pasquill stability classes near Winnsboro, Louisiana, provides data to test the efficacy of Pasquill stability classes as drift predictors. Results suggest that the Pasquill stability estimates give applicators a useful method for estimating downwind dispersion and drift under a wide range of atmospheric conditions, thereby improving their ability to make informed decisions to reduce the risk of off-target drift

Emergence of COVID-19 and Patterns of Early Transmission in an Appalachian Sub-Region

Background: In mid-March 2020, very few cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in the Central Blue Ridge Region, an area in Appalachia that includes 47 jurisdictions across northeast Tennessee, western North Carolina, and southwest Virginia. Authors described the emergence of cases and outbreaks in the region between March 18 and June 11, 2020. Methods: Data were collected from the health department websites of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia beginning in mid-March for an ongoing set of COVID-19 monitoring projects, including a newsletter for local healthcare providers and a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) dashboard. In Fall 2020, using these databases, authors conducted descriptive and geospatial cluster analyses to examine case incidence and fatalities over space and time. Results: In the Central Blue Ridge Region, there were 4432 cases on June 11, or 163.22 cases per 100,000 residents in the region. Multiple days during which a particularly high number of cases were identified in the region were connected to outbreaks reported by local news outlets and health departments. Most of these outbreaks were linked to congregate settings such as schools, long-term care facilities, and food processing facilities. Implications: By examining data available in a largely rural region that includes jurisdictions across three states, authors were able to describe and disseminate information about COVID-19 case incidence and fatalities and identify acute and prolonged local outbreaks. Continuing to follow, interpret, and report accurate and timely COVID-19 case data in regions like this one is vital to residents, businesses, healthcare providers, and policymakers

Valganciclovir inhibits human adenovirus replication and pathology in permissive immunosuppressed female and male Syrian hamsters

Adenovirus infections of immunocompromised pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients can develop into serious and often deadly multi-organ disease. There are no drugs approved for adenovirus infections. Cidofovir (an analog of 2-deoxycytidine monophosphate) is used at times but it can be nephrotoxic and its efficacy has not been proven in clinical trials. Brincidofovir, a promising lipid-linked derivative of cidofovir, is in clinical trials. Ganciclovir, an analog of 2-deoxyguanosine, has been employed occasionally but with unknown efficacy in the clinic. In this study, we evaluated valganciclovir against disseminated adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) infection in our permissive immunosuppressed Syrian hamster model. We administered valganciclovir prophylactically, beginning 12 h pre-infection or therapeutically starting at Day 1, 2, 3, or 4 post-infection. Valganciclovir significantly increased survival, reduced viral replication in the liver, and mitigated the pathology associated with Ad5 infection. In cultured cells, valganciclovir inhibited Ad5 DNA replication and blocked the transition from early to late stage of infection. Valganciclovir directly inhibited Ad5 DNA polymerase in vitro, which may explain, at least in part, its mechanism of action. Ganciclovir and valganciclovir are approved to treat infections by certain herpesviruses. Our results support the use of valganciclovir to treat disseminated adenovirus infections in immunosuppressed patients

A hybrid technique to address exposure keratopathy secondary to facial nerve paresis: A combination of a lateral tarsorrhaphy and lateral wedge resection

Purpose To present the results of treating combined lower eyelid laxity, retraction and midface descent secondary to facial nerve weakness with a hybrid surgical procedure. Materials and methods A retrospective analysis of patients from January 2015 to January 2017 who underwent a hybrid surgical technique for the treatment of corneal exposure secondary to facial nerve paresis with a single surgeon was performed. Age, gender, and presence of exposure symptoms were recorded pre-operatively. Outcomes assessed included improvement of lower eyelid laxity and position, operative complications, and post-operative symptomatic relief. Results A total of 11 patients underwent unilateral eyelid surgery. All patients had symptomatic relief and good functional outcomes defined as improvement in eyelid laxity, lower eyelid position, and objective corneal exposure. No cases required reoperation during an average follow up of 174.5 days. Conclusions Combining portions of a tarsorrhaphy and lateral wedge resection technique is a simple and effective procedure to improve lower eyelid position and limit corneal exposure secondary to facial nerve paresis

Anti-adenoviral artificial microRNAs Expressed from AAV9 vectors inhibit human adenovirus infection in immunosuppressed Syrian hamsters

Infections of immunocompromised patients with human adenoviruses (hAd) can develop into life-threatening conditions, whereas drugs with anti-adenoviral efficiency are not clinically approved and have limited efficacy. Small double-stranded RNAs that induce RNAi represent a new class of promising anti-adenoviral therapeutics. However, as yet, their efficiency to treat hAd5 infections has only been investigated in vitro. In this study, we analyzed artificial microRNAs (amiRs) delivered by self-complementary adeno-associated virus (scAAV) vectors for treatment of hAd5 infections in immunosuppressed Syrian hamsters. In vitro evaluation of amiRs targeting the E1A, pTP, IVa2, and hexon genes of hAd5 revealed that two scAAV vectors containing three copies of amiR-pTP and three copies of amiR-E1A, or six copies of amiR-pTP, efficiently inhibited hAd5 replication and improved the viability of hAd5-infected cells. Prophylactic application of amiR-pTP/amiR-E1A- and amiR-pTP-expressing scAAV9 vectors, respectively, to immunosuppressed Syrian hamsters resulted in the reduction of hAd5 levels in the liver of up to two orders of magnitude and in reduction of liver damage. Concomitant application of the vectors also resulted in a decrease of hepatic hAd5 infection. No side effects were observed. These data demonstrate anti-adenoviral RNAi as a promising new approach to combat hAd5 infection

Antioxidant pharmacological therapies for COPD

Increased oxidative stress occurs in the lungs and systemically in COPD, which plays a role in many of the pathogenic mechanisms in COPD. Hence, targeting local lung and systemic oxidative stress with agents that modulate the antioxidants/redox system or boost endogenous antioxidants would be a useful therapeutic approach in COPD. Thiol antioxidants (N-acetyl-L-cysteine and N-acystelyn, carbocysteine, erdosteine, and fudosteine have been used to increase lung thiol content. Modulation of cigarette smoke induced oxidative stress and its consequent cellular changes have also been reported to be effected by synthetic molecules, such as spin traps (α-phenyl-N-tert-butyl nitrone), catalytic antioxidants (superoxide dismutase [ECSOD] mimetics), porphyrins, and lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation blockers/inhibitors (edaravone and lazaroids/tirilazad). Pre-clinical and clinical trials have shown that these antioxidants can reduce oxidative stress, affect redox and glutathione biosynthesis genes, and pro-inflammatory gene expression. In this review the approaches to enhance lung antioxidants in COPD and the potential beneficial effects of antioxidant therapy on the course of the disease are discussed

High-resolution UV/Optical/IR Imaging of Jupiter in 2016–2019

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Multi-messenger searches via IceCube’s high-energy neutrinos and gravitational-wave detections of LIGO/Virgo

We summarize initial results for high-energy neutrino counterpart searches coinciding with gravitational-wave events in LIGO/Virgo\u27s GWTC-2 catalog using IceCube\u27s neutrino triggers. We did not find any statistically significant high-energy neutrino counterpart and derived upper limits on the time-integrated neutrino emission on Earth as well as the isotropic equivalent energy emitted in high-energy neutrinos for each event

In-situ estimation of ice crystal properties at the South Pole using LED calibration data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory instruments about 1 km3 of deep, glacial ice at the geographic South Pole using 5160 photomultipliers to detect Cherenkov light emitted by charged relativistic particles. A unexpected light propagation effect observed by the experiment is an anisotropic attenuation, which is aligned with the local flow direction of the ice. Birefringent light propagation has been examined as a possible explanation for this effect. The predictions of a first-principles birefringence model developed for this purpose, in particular curved light trajectories resulting from asymmetric diffusion, provide a qualitatively good match to the main features of the data. This in turn allows us to deduce ice crystal properties. Since the wavelength of the detected light is short compared to the crystal size, these crystal properties do not only include the crystal orientation fabric, but also the average crystal size and shape, as a function of depth. By adding small empirical corrections to this first-principles model, a quantitatively accurate description of the optical properties of the IceCube glacial ice is obtained. In this paper, we present the experimental signature of ice optical anisotropy observed in IceCube LED calibration data, the theory and parametrization of the birefringence effect, the fitting procedures of these parameterizations to experimental data as well as the inferred crystal properties.</p