Effect of curative and protective pre-harvest fungicide and postharvest hot water applications on decay of papaya

This project investigated control and management options for growers to reduce postharvest decay of papaya caused by fungal diseases. This was critical research given the industry reports annual yield losses to postharvest decay of 20 to 40 per cent. The project evaluated the effectiveness of pre-harvest applications of difenoconazole in spray programs with protectant fungicides; the impact of regularly removing senescent leaves and disease infected fruit; as well as postharvest hot water treatment. The trials were conducted with growers in the Mareeba and Innisfail area, and researchers found that while current fungicide spray schedules for the control of foliar diseases during the warm and wet summer months provided a level of control of many of the postharvest rots of papaya, there was no benefit in including the curative fungicide difenoconazole in the spray program. Removal of dead leaf proved an effective method of reducing disease inoculum levels in the crop and also had the benefit of providing clear access to the fruit column during spraying of fungicide. In the postharvest trials, results from disease assessments showed that hot water temperature treatments between 50° and 52°C provided the optimal treatment for controlling disease. Benefits included… Reduced need for postharvest chemical fungicides Increased profit through reduced spoilage in supply chains The potential for fruit to be valued more highly because it had been produced with less impact on the environment. The researchers determined that growers can achieve adequate control of postharvest diseases of papaya by combining field sprays and postharvest hot water

Effect of curative and protective pre-harvest fungicide and postharvest hot water applications on decay of papaya

This project investigated control and management options for growers to reduce postharvest decay of papaya caused by fungal diseases. This was critical research given the industry reports annual yield losses to postharvest decay of 20 to 40 per cent. The project evaluated the effectiveness of pre-harvest applications of difenoconazole in spray programs with protectant fungicides; the impact of regularly removing senescent leaves and disease infected fruit; as well as postharvest hot water treatment. The trials were conducted with growers in the Mareeba and Innisfail area, and researchers found that while current fungicide spray schedules for the control of foliar diseases during the warm and wet summer months provided a level of control of many of the postharvest rots of papaya, there was no benefit in including the curative fungicide difenoconazole in the spray program. Removal of dead leaf proved an effective method of reducing disease inoculum levels in the crop and also had the benefit of providing clear access to the fruit column during spraying of fungicide. In the postharvest trials, results from disease assessments showed that hot water temperature treatments between 50° and 52°C provided the optimal treatment for controlling disease. Benefits included… Reduced need for postharvest chemical fungicides Increased profit through reduced spoilage in supply chains The potential for fruit to be valued more highly because it had been produced with less impact on the environment. The researchers determined that growers can achieve adequate control of postharvest diseases of papaya by combining field sprays and postharvest hot water

The cause, distribution and economic importance of fruit speckle of banana in north Queensland

A fruit blemish problem commonly referred to as ‘fruit speckle’ has caused serious losses for many banana growers during the past few seasons. The aim of this research is to determine the cause, distribution and economic importance of fruit speckle of banana

Field and laboratory evaluation of fungicides for the control of Phytophthora fruit rot of papaya in far north Queensland, Australia

Results from the first of two artificially inoculated field experiments showed foliar applications of copper hydroxide (Blue Shield Copper) at 600 g a.i./100 L−1 (0% infected fruit), copper hydroxide + metalaxyl-M (Ridomil Gold Plus.) at 877.5 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.27%), metiram + pyraclostrobin (Aero) at 720 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.51%), chlorothalonil (Bravo WeatherStik) at 994 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.63%) and cuprous oxide (Nordox 750 WG) at 990 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.8%) of water significantly reduced the percentage of infected fruit compared to potassium phosphonate (Agri-Fos 600) at 1200 g a.i./100 L−1 (8.22%), dimethomorph (Acrobat) at 108 g a.i./100 L−1 (11.18%) and the untreated control (16%). Results from the second experiment showed fruit sprayed with copper hydroxide (Champ Dry Prill) at 300 (2.0% infected fruit), 375 (0.4%) and 450 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.6%) and metiram + pyraclostrobin (Aero) at 360 (2.8%), 480 (0.6%) and 600 g a.i./100 L−1 of water (1.0%) significantly reduced the percentage of infected fruit compared to the untreated control (19.4%). Foliar sprays of copper hydroxide at 375 g a.i./100 L−1 in rotation with chlorothalonil at 994 g a.i./100 L−1 every two weeks is now recommended to growers for controlling Phytophthora fruit rot of papaya

Field and laboratory evaluation of fungicides for the control of Phytophthora fruit rot of papaya in far north Queensland, Australia

Results from the first of two artificially inoculated field experiments showed foliar applications of copper hydroxide (Blue Shield Copper) at 600 g a.i./100 L−1 (0% infected fruit), copper hydroxide + metalaxyl-M (Ridomil Gold Plus.) at 877.5 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.27%), metiram + pyraclostrobin (Aero) at 720 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.51%), chlorothalonil (Bravo WeatherStik) at 994 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.63%) and cuprous oxide (Nordox 750 WG) at 990 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.8%) of water significantly reduced the percentage of infected fruit compared to potassium phosphonate (Agri-Fos 600) at 1200 g a.i./100 L−1 (8.22%), dimethomorph (Acrobat) at 108 g a.i./100 L−1 (11.18%) and the untreated control (16%). Results from the second experiment showed fruit sprayed with copper hydroxide (Champ Dry Prill) at 300 (2.0% infected fruit), 375 (0.4%) and 450 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.6%) and metiram + pyraclostrobin (Aero) at 360 (2.8%), 480 (0.6%) and 600 g a.i./100 L−1 of water (1.0%) significantly reduced the percentage of infected fruit compared to the untreated control (19.4%). Foliar sprays of copper hydroxide at 375 g a.i./100 L−1 in rotation with chlorothalonil at 994 g a.i./100 L−1 every two weeks is now recommended to growers for controlling Phytophthora fruit rot of papaya

Electrochemical studies of organic compounds in zinc electrowinning circuits

Most of Australia's zinc production is by the electrolytic zinc process, in which zinc is electrowon from an acid sulphate solution. The process is known to be exceptionally sensitive to the presence of trace impurities. At the Electrolytic Zinc plant (Risdon, Tasmania), isobenzofuranone (pthalide) has been detected in the electrowinning circuit, and found in higher concentrations during efficiency slumps. It was found that di-2-ethylhexyphthalate, (present in the liners and plastics used in the electrowinning circuit), is reduced to isobenzofuranone under the electrolysis conditions employed. In addition, an investigation involved a constant current electrolysis of a synthetic zinc electrolyte, as identified an additional pathway for the productionof isobenzofuranone. 2-Naphthol, added to the electrolysis circuit for current efficiency purposes, is also a major precursor of isobenzofuranone. 2-Napthol and possibly 1-nitroso-2-napthol can be oxidized to pthalic acid, either at a lead anode or via anode oxidation productions, and the phthalic acid produced can be reduced to isobenzofuranone at a zinc cathode. In addition, it was found that isobenzofurane is further reduced at the potential of zinc deposition to ultimately yield 2-methylbenzaldehyde. This compound, which has also been detected in Risdon plant electrolytes, is also toxic in the zince electrowinning circuit. The compound 2-methylabenzyl alcohol has also been detected via GLC examination of Risdon plant liquors. However, this compound was not detected in the present investigation, and thus no explanation can be offered for its presence in plant electrolytes. The toxicity of zinc electrolyte impurities on current efficiency was determined by a cyclic voltammetric technique. The results of this investigation indicate that the presence of isobenzofuranone and 2-methylbenzaldehyde can significantly lower current effciency, and the compounds phthalic acid and 2-methylbenzyl alcohol also lower efficiency.Masters Degree in Applied Scienc

Characterizing non-heroin opioid overdoses using electronic health records.

Introduction: The opioid epidemic is a modern public health emergency. Common interventions to alleviate the opioid epidemic aim to discourage excessive prescription of opioids. However, these methods often take place over large municipal areas (state-level) and may fail to address the diversity that exists within each opioid case (individual-level). An intervention to combat the opioid epidemic that takes place at the individual-level would be preferable. Methods: This research leverages computational tools and methods to characterize the opioid epidemic at the individual-level using the electronic health record data from a large, academic medical center. To better understand the characteristics of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) we leveraged a self-controlled analysis to compare the healthcare encounters before and after an individual\u27s first overdose event recorded within the data. We further contrast these patients with matched, non-OUD controls to demonstrate the unique qualities of the OUD cohort. Results: Our research confirms that the rate of opioid overdoses in our hospital significantly increased between 2006 and 2015 (P \u3c 0.001), at an average rate of 9% per year. We further found that the period just prior to the first overdose is marked by conditions of pain or malignancy, which may suggest that overdose stems from pharmaceutical opioids prescribed for these conditions. Conclusions: Informatics-based methodologies, like those presented here, may play a role in better understanding those individuals who suffer from opioid dependency and overdose, and may lead to future research and interventions that could successfully prevent morbidity and mortality associated with this epidemic

Αξιολόγηση εξωτερικοτήτων εγκαταστάσεων βιοαερίου

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (TR4) is reported for the first time in northern Queensland, the centre of Australia’s commercial banana production. The identity of the pathogen was confirmed by vegetative compatibility group testing, TR4 specific PCR tests and sequencing. Although presently confined to a single property, the disease poses a serious threat to Australia’s banana industry

Clostridium Difficile Infection in Acute Care Hospitals: Systematic Review and Best Practices for Prevention

Prevention of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in acute-care hospitals is a priority for hospitals and clinicians. We performed a qualitative systematic review to update the evidence on interventions to prevent CDI published since 2009. We searched Ovid, MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, the ISI Web of Knowledge, and grey literature databases from January 1, 2009 to August 1, 2015. We included studies performed in acute-care hospitals. We included studies conducted on hospitalized patients that investigated the impact of specific interventions on CDI rates. We used the QI-Minimum Quality Criteria Set (QI-MQCS) to assess the quality of included studies. Interventions were grouped thematically: environmental disinfection, antimicrobial stewardship, hand hygiene, chlorhexidine bathing, probiotics, bundled approaches, and others. A meta-analysis was performed when possible. Of 3,236 articles screened, 261 met the criteria for full-text review and 46 studies were ultimately included. The average quality rating was 82% according to the QI-MQCS. The most effective interventions, resulting in a 45% to 85% reduction in CDI, included daily to twice daily disinfection of high-touch surfaces (including bed rails) and terminal cleaning of patient rooms with chlorine-based products. Bundled interventions and antimicrobial stewardship showed promise for reducing CDI rates. Chlorhexidine bathing and intensified hand-hygiene practices were not effective for reducing CDI rates. Daily and terminal cleaning of patient rooms using chlorine-based products were most effective in reducing CDI rates in hospitals. Further studies are needed to identify the components of bundled interventions that reduce CDI rates

Publication and related biases in health services research: a systematic review of empirical evidence

Background: Publication and related biases (including publication bias, time-lag bias, outcome reporting bias and p-hacking) have been well documented in clinical research, but relatively little is known about their presence and extent in health services research (HSR). This paper aims to systematically review evidence concerning publication and related bias in quantitative HSR. Methods: Databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, HMIC, CINAHL, Web of Science, Health Systems Evidence, Cochrane EPOC Review Group and several websites were searched to July 2018. Information was obtained from: (1) Methodological studies that set out to investigate publication and related biases in HSR; (2) Systematic reviews of HSR topics which examined such biases as part of the review process. Relevant information was extracted from included studies by one reviewer and checked by another. Studies were appraised according to commonly accepted scientific principles due to lack of suitable checklists. Data were synthesised narratively. Results: After screening 6155 citations, four methodological studies investigating publication bias in HSR and 184 systematic reviews of HSR topics (including three comparing published with unpublished evidence) were examined. Evidence suggestive of publication bias was reported in some of the methodological studies, but evidence presented was very weak, limited in both quality and scope. Reliable data on outcome reporting bias and p-hacking were scant. HSR systematic reviews in which published literature was compared with unpublished evidence found significant differences in the estimated intervention effects or association in some but not all cases. Conclusions: Methodological research on publication and related biases in HSR is sparse. Evidence from available literature suggests that such biases may exist in HSR but their scale and impact are difficult to estimate for various reasons discussed in this paper. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO 2016 CRD42016052333