Experimental study of factors influencing the risk of drift from field sprayers Part 2: Spray application technique.

Recently, spray drift and its effects have become an important aspect of risk assessment in the registration process of pesticides in Belgium. In this regulation, drift reducing spray application techniques can be used to reduce buffer zones. The purpose of this research is to measure and compare the amount of drift sediment for different spray application techniques under field conditions. A drift prediction equation for the reference spraying was used to compare other spraying techniques with the reference spraying, under different weather conditions. Drift measurements were performed for several combinations of nozzle type (flat fan, low-drift, air injection) and size (ISO 02, 03, 04 and 06), spray pressure (2, 3 and 4 bar), driving speed (4, 6, 8 and 10 km.h-1) and spray boom height (0.3, 0.5 and 0.75 m). Nozzle type as well as spray pressure, driving speed and spray boom height, have an important effect on the amount of spray drift. Larger nozzle sizes, lower spray pressures and driving speeds and lower spray boom heights generally reduce spray drift. Concerning nozzle types, air injection nozzles have the highest drift reduction potential followed by the low-drift nozzles and the standard flat fan nozzles

Le Paléogène de la coupe de la route Gan-Rébénacq (Aquitaine, France): stratigraphie intégrée, foraminifères et nannofossiles calcaires

The revision of the Gan-Rébénacq road section reveals that the succession between the base of the Selandian up to the middle of the Ypresian (60.0 Ma - 50.7 Ma) is rather complete in the Gan area, despite the presence of a series of faults. The age of the different members of the Pont-Labau Formation and of the Gan Marls has been accurately established in terms of calcareous nannofossil (NP zones) and planktonic foraminiferal (P zones) analyses. The Selandian depositional sequence P6 (NP 4-NP 5 ; P 3b-P 4a), the Thanetian sequences P7 to P9 (NP 6 to NP 9 ; P 4a-P 4c) and the earliest Eocene sequences PIO and P11 (NP 9- ?NP 10 ; P 5), composing the main part of the Pont-Labau Formation, have been identified in the outcrops. The sequence stratigraphical significance of the Artigueloutan Member (NP 11, P 6b) remains to be clarified in the Gan area. The sandy base of the Gan Marls as observed in the « Las Hiès» river section at Gan, has been assigned to the lowermost upper NP 12. Integration of all available data has led to the reconstruction of the depositional history of the Gan area. This history is marked by a series of sea-level changes, which are controlled by the Pyrenean tectonism

Stratigraphie, nannofossiles calcaires et foraminifères de la coupe du Ruisseau de Lespontes à Saint-Lon-Les-Mines (Eocène moyen et supérieur d'Aquitaine, France)

Detailed analysis of a series of outcrop sections along the Lespontes River and its tributaries at Saint-Lon-Les-Mines has led to the identification of three predominantly marly units within the Middle and Upper Eocene of the Bassecq Syncline. The lowermost unit consists of bathyal marls, attributable to the Miretrain Marl Formation, and is of Late Lutetian - Early Bartonian age (NP 15b, NP 15c, NP 16 and base NP 17 ; EPA 9 to EPA 11 (? EPA12) and middle P 11 to top P 12). It is overlain by circalittoral, glauconitic indurate marls unknown up to now. This marly, intensely fractured unit, called the Bagats Marl Member, is defined to represent a new member within the Cote des Basques Marl Formation. It encompasses the Bartonian/Priabonian boundary sensu Berggren et al., 1995 (top NP 17 and base NP 18 ; EPA 13 and middle P 14). The uppermost unit is made up of fine sandy marls, containing several limestone intercalations towards the top. These Brihande Marls are included in the lower part of the Priabonian (NP 18, prohably up to the top of the section; EPA 13, EPA 14 and part of EPA 15, top P 14 and in part PIS). The succession of the Lespontes River is interpreted in terms of sequence stratigraphy, allowing refining its relationship within the Adour Basin. The integration of the data indicates that in Aquitaine the appearance of Chiasmolithus oamaruensis (base of zone NP 18) is prior to the appearance of Globigerinatheka semiinvoluta (base of zone PIS) and that nannofossil interval NP 19 - NP 20 is very difficult to identify in this area, due to the scarcity of the marker species lsthmolithus recurvus

Experimental study of factors influencing the risk of drift from field sprayers, Part 1: Meteorological conditions

Spray drift can be defined as the quantity of plant protection product that is carried out of the sprayed (treated) area by the action of air currents during the application process. This continues to be a major problem in applying agricultural pesticides. The purpose of this research is to measure and compare the amount of drift for different climatological conditions under field conditions. Sedimenting spray drift was determined by sampling in a defined downwind area at different positions in a flat meadow using horizontal drift collectors for a reference spraying. Meteorological conditions were monitored during each experiment. A drift prediction equation for the reference spraying was set up to predict the expected magnitude of sedimenting at various drift distances and atmospheric conditions. The measurements proved the important effect of weather conditions (temperature, relative humidity and wind speed) on the amount of spray drift. A lower wind speed or a higher relative humidity decreases the amount of spray drift. Taking into account the correlation between temperature and relative humidity, a lower temperature will also result in lower drift values due to the cumulative effect of relative humidity. This equation can be used to quantify the effect of meteorological conditions, to compare measurements using other spraying techniques under different weather conditions to the reference spraying and to perform spray drift risk assessments

Towards computerizing intensive care sedation guidelines: design of a rule-based architecture for automated execution of clinical guidelines

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Computerized ICUs rely on software services to convey the medical condition of their patients as well as assisting the staff in taking treatment decisions. Such services are useful for following clinical guidelines quickly and accurately. However, the development of services is often time-consuming and error-prone. Consequently, many care-related activities are still conducted based on manually constructed guidelines. These are often ambiguous, which leads to unnecessary variations in treatments and costs.</p> <p>The goal of this paper is to present a semi-automatic verification and translation framework capable of turning manually constructed diagrams into ready-to-use programs. This framework combines the strengths of the manual and service-oriented approaches while decreasing their disadvantages. The aim is to close the gap in communication between the IT and the medical domain. This leads to a less time-consuming and error-prone development phase and a shorter clinical evaluation phase.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A framework is proposed that semi-automatically translates a clinical guideline, expressed as an XML-based flow chart, into a Drools Rule Flow by employing semantic technologies such as ontologies and SWRL. An overview of the architecture is given and all the technology choices are thoroughly motivated. Finally, it is shown how this framework can be integrated into a service-oriented architecture (SOA).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The applicability of the Drools Rule language to express clinical guidelines is evaluated by translating an example guideline, namely the sedation protocol used for the anaesthetization of patients, to a Drools Rule Flow and executing and deploying this Rule-based application as a part of a SOA. The results show that the performance of Drools is comparable to other technologies such as Web Services and increases with the number of decision nodes present in the Rule Flow. Most delays are introduced by loading the Rule Flows.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The framework is an effective solution for computerizing clinical guidelines as it allows for quick development, evaluation and human-readable visualization of the Rules and has a good performance. By monitoring the parameters of the patient to automatically detect exceptional situations and problems and by notifying the medical staff of tasks that need to be performed, the computerized sedation guideline improves the execution of the guideline.</p

Multiple Insecticide Resistance: An Impediment to Insecticide-Based Malaria Vector Control Program

BACKGROUND: Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS), insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are key components in malaria prevention and control strategy. However, the development of resistance by mosquitoes to insecticides recommended for IRS and/or ITNs/LLINs would affect insecticide-based malaria vector control. We assessed the susceptibility levels of Anopheles arabiensis to insecticides used in malaria control, characterized basic mechanisms underlying resistance, and evaluated the role of public health use of insecticides in resistance selection. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Susceptibility status of An. arabiensis was assessed using WHO bioassay tests to DDT, permethrin, deltamethrin, malathion and propoxur in Ethiopia from August to September 2009. Mosquito specimens were screened for knockdown resistance (kdr) and insensitive acetylcholinesterase (ace-1(R)) mutations using AS-PCR and PCR-RFLP, respectively. DDT residues level in soil from human dwellings and the surrounding environment were determined by Gas Chromatography with Electron Capture Detector. An. arabiensis was resistant to DDT, permethrin, deltamethrin and malathion, but susceptible to propoxur. The West African kdr allele was found in 280 specimens out of 284 with a frequency ranged from 95% to 100%. Ace-1(R) mutation was not detected in all specimens scored for the allele. Moreover, DDT residues were found in soil samples from human dwellings but not in the surrounding environment. CONCLUSION: The observed multiple-resistance coupled with the occurrence of high kdr frequency in populations of An. arabiensis could profoundly affect the malaria vector control programme in Ethiopia. This needs an urgent call for implementing rational resistance management strategies and integrated vector control intervention

A New Omomyid Primate from the Earliest Eocene of Southern England: First Phase of Microchoerine Evolution

Hooker, J.J. 2012. A new omomyid primate from the earliest Eocene of southern England: First phase of microchoerin