Comparison of Experimental Strategies to Control Torpedograss

Studies were conducted to evaluate whether the herbicide imazapyr or a combination of imazapyr and fluridone could be used effectively to control torpedograss ( Panicum repens L.), an exotic perennial plant that has replaced more than 6,000 ha of native vegetation and degraded quality wildlife habitat in Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Torpedograss was controlled for more than one year in some areas following a single aerial treatment using 0.56, 0.84, or 1.12 kg acid equivalents (ae) imazapyr/ha. Combining imazapyr and fluridone did not increase the level of torpedograss control. In areas where plant biomass was reduced by fire prior to being treated with 0.84 or 1.12 kg ae imazapyr/ha, torpedograss was controlled for more than two years and native plant species, including duck potato ( Sagittaria lancifolia L.) and pickerelweed ( Pontederia cordata L.) became the dominant vegetation in less than one year. Although torpedograss was controlled in some areas, little or no long-term control was observed at 16 of the 26 treatment locations. To reduce the uncertainty associated with predicting long-term treatment affects, additional studies are needed to determine whether environmental factors such as periphyton mats, plant thatch, hydroperiod and water depth affect treatment efficacy. , h

Mapping and Distribution of Torpedograss and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Torpedograss Management Activities in Lake Okeechobee, Florida

Thousands of hectares of native plants and shallow open water habitat have been displaced in Lake Okeechobee’s marsh by the invasive exotic species torpedograss ( Panicum repens L.). The rate of torpedograss expansion, it’s areal distribution and the efficacy of herbicide treatments used to control torpedograss in the lake’s marsh were quantified using aerial color infra red (IR) photography.(PDF has 6 pages.

Experience of cardiac rehabilitation after coronary artery surgery: effects on health and risk factors

Objective:Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs are provided to support the recovery process following acute myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Attendance varies. We related attendance following CABG to severity of cardiac symptoms, general health status (Short Form-36) and prevalence of modifiable coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors. METHODS: 209 patients due to undergo CABG were recruited and assessed preoperatively as well as at a mean of 16.4 months postoperatively. General health status was measured using the Short Form-36 questionnaire. Severity of cardiac symptoms was assessed on a visual analogue scale. Modifiable coronary artery disease risk factors (smoking, body mass index, hypertension and elevated cholesterol) and social deprivation index were noted

Oil and Gas

Natural rubber is one of mainstay commodities in Indonesia. Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia are world's major natural rubber producers. One of the rubber-based products is tire that can absorb 70% to 80% of total world natural rubber production. Currently, Indonesia can produce tire in domestic. Indonesia tire product mostly for export market. It makes tire as the largest contributor to get foreign exchange reserve in the rubber-based sector. The main countries for Indonesia to export tire products are United States, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Australia, Europe and Middle East Countries. In the global market, Indonesia contributes only 2.28% of world tire export. The growth of Indonesia tire export share is relatively stagnant, compared to China and Thailand. China tire export development is quite rapid, and become the largest tire exporter in the world. Thailand export share also increase significantly. Based on these conditions, the aims of this stury are to analyze the development of Indonesia tire product competitiveness compared to other main competitor countries, to analyze the competitiveness of Indonesia tire product in destination countries, and to analyze factors that affect tire competitiveness, and to determine the best strategy in enhancing and developing competitiveness of Indonesian tire. Methods that used in this study are Normalized Revealed Comparative Advantage (NRCA), Export Product Dynamics (EPD), panel data regression, and Analytic Hierarchal Process (AHP). Compared to the main exporter countries, the competitiveness of Indonesian tire product is still positive. Indonesia has 0.42 NRCA index, better than the United States (-0.82). Germany has the strongest tire competitiveness with 5.96 NRCA index, followed by Japan (5.54), China (2.34), and France (0.82). Meanwhile, in destination countries, generally Indonesia tire has a good competitiveness index, but in recent years, show downward trend in most countries especially in Japan and Middle East countries. EPD results show that Indonesian tire product categorized as rising star in 7 countries, falling star in 2 countries, retreat in 2 countries, and lost opportunity in 4 countries. Panel data analysis indicates that factors significantly affect the competitiveness of tire industry are crude oil price, interest rate, tire export volume, and competitiveness index in previous year (sig. level below 5%). FTA factor has significant level below 10%. In improving and developing the competitiveness of the tire industry, the priority strategies that selected are increase product promotion, enhance international cooperation, and strengthen structure of the domestic raw material industry. The main goals to achieve are increase corporate profit, increase export to gain foreign exchange reserve, and increase tire production. The most important actors are government, tire industry, and suppliers of raw and auxiliary materials

Evaluation of macrophyte control in 38 Florida lakes using triploid grass carp

Florida’s large number of shallow lakes, warm climate and long growing season have contributed to the development of excessive growths of aquatic macrophytes that have seriously interfered with many water use activities. The introduction of exotic aquatic macrophyte species such as hydrilla ( Hydrilla verticillata ) have added significantly to aquatic plant problems in Florida lakes. The use of grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ) can be an effective and economical control for aquatic vegetation such as hydrilla. Early stocking rates (24 to 74 grass carp per hectare of lake area) resulted in grass carp consumption rates that vastly exceeded the growth rates of the aquatic plants and often resulted in the total loss of all submersed vegetation. This study looked at 38 Florida lakes that had been stocked with grass carp for 3 to 10 years with stocking rates ranging from < 1 to 59 grass carp per hectare of lake and 1 to 207 grass carp per hectare of vegetation to determine the long term effects of grass carp on aquatic macrophyte communities. The median PAC (percent area coverage) value of aquatic macrophytes for the study lakes after they were stocked with grass carp was 14% and the median PVI (percent volume infested) value of aquatic macrophytes was 2%. Only lakes stocked with less than 25 to 30 fish per hectare of vegetation tended to have higher than median PAC and PVI values. When grass carp are stocked at levels of > 25 to 30 fish per hectare of vegetation the complete control of aquatic vegetation can be achieved, with the exception of a few species of plants that grass carp have extreme difficulty consuming. If the management goal for a lake is to control some of the problem aquatic plants while maintaining a small population of predominately unpalatable aquatic plants, grass carp can be stocked at approximately 25 to 30 fish per hectare of vegetation

Peak oil: will it be public health's greatest challenge?

The health of populations is determined more by the social and economic determinants of health than by changes in technology, health services or short-term policy interventions. In the near future, there is likely to be a significant shortfall in energy supply, resulting in high energy prices and a reversal of many of the aspects of globalization that are currently taken for granted. If this happens, economic recession and restructuring could have a negative impact on health, not dissimilar to that experienced by the former Soviet Union when it attempted a rapid change in its economy. There is, however, the potential, through economic planning and sustainable development, to reduce the adverse effects of this change and use this opportunity to impact on a range of diseases which are, at least in part, caused by overconsumption, inequality and loss of community

Emotional Labour in Harm-Reduction Practice in Ireland: An exploratory study

Arlie Russell Hochschild’s concept of emotional labour has been applied extensively in the analysis of the emotional, relational and identity processes in a wide variety of service occupations, and to a lesser extent to caring occupations where the central goal is nurturing. It has featured infrequently in social care in general and has not featured significantly in academic debates in Ireland. The paper is based on a small qualitative study of social care workers in harm reduction [HR] day services in the Dublin region. The aim of the research study was to explore how emotional labour impacts on workers employed in day harm reduction services. The paper highlights the centrality of emotional labour in negotiating and managing a sense of professionalism and personal space within a highly stressful area of social care. The workers’ emotional labour involved a process of embodying professionalism, an empathic alertness in their relations with service users, emotional distancing from traumatic experiences, and developing caring spaces in personal and professional life. By considering the emotional labour of care workers, we can better understand the construction of identity within particular contexts. The research raises questions about the status of Harm Reduction and other emotional workers, the sufficiency of the knowledge base for practitioners, and important issues about how to develop and organise caring workplaces