294 research outputs found
Fungal plant pathogens on inoculated maize leaves in a simulated soil warming experiment
No full textSubstrate use and survival of fungal plant pathogens on maize residues at winter temperatures around freezing point
No full textClimate scenarios predict increasing temperatures and higher precipitation rates in late autumn to early spring, both of which holding the potential to change the dynamics of plant residue decomposition and overall microbial activity in soil. In company with consequences for nutrient release patterns influences on the survival of fungal plant pathogens and their phytopathogenicity can be expected. Both, litter decomposition and pathogen survival, was analyzed in a 70-day litterbag incubation experiment. Continuous +4 degrees C was compared to permanent frost (-3 degrees C) and different freeze-thaw cycles for the decomposition of maize residues and disease potential of soil-borne plant pathogens Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium graminearum, and Rhizoctonia solani. Frost generally reduced maize residue decomposition. On the lower levels of CO2 production in the permanent or occasionally frost treatments pathogen inoculation had large effects on microbial maize use, indicating high saprotrophic activity of pathogens even in cold winter scenarios. Pathogen inoculation led to higher amino sugar contents of maize residue dwelling microbial organisms. At constant 4 degrees C remarkable high amounts of glucosamine were detected, indicating higher substrate use efficiency without frost. Both, temperature treatments as well as intra- and interspecific competition directed the development of pathogens after inoculation. F. culmorum took large advantage from the non-frost scenario, while no significant increase was found under continuous frost. F. graminearum was also able to increase its abundance at +4 degrees C. But this was strongly reduced when F. graminearum was in competition to the other two pathogens. In summary, E culmorum was found to be highly frost tolerant and competitive against E graminearum, particularly under conditions of freeze-thaw cycles since F. culmorum was able to take a large share of saprotrophic litter residue use under the cold conditions. Biomass of R. solani was strongly decomposed in all treatments. We conclude that constant mild conditions during winter can increase biomass of E culmorum and F. graminearum in crop residues, causing increased infection pressure in the next season. In contrast to that, frost and freeze-thaw events can lower the build-up of Fusarium biomass and thus diminish the risk of crop infection. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.University of Kassel; DFG [1397
Social Media Application as a New Paradigm for Business Communication: The Role of COVID-19 Knowledge, Social Distancing, and Preventive Attitudes
No full textBusiness firms and the public have encountered massive consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has become the most significant challenge and influenced all communities. This research study focuses on exploring the relationship between COVID-19 knowledge, social distancing, individuals' attitudes toward social media use, and practices of using social media amid the COVID-19 crisis. This study examines how attitudes toward social media use mediate the linkage between COVID-19 knowledge, social distancing, and practices for social media use. This survey uses a non-probability convenience sampling approach to collect samples and recruit willing respondents with their consent for data collection. This study recorded the feedback from 348 participants who encountered the indirect/direct effects of nationwide lockdowns, restrictions on social gatherings, and COVID-19 infection. The findings validate the proposed hypotheses for their direct effects and indicate significant β-values, t-statistics, and the p-values at p <0.001. The results validate a relationship between the COVID-19 knowledge of and social distancing practices. Similarly, the results approved a positive link between social distancing and attitudes toward social media use amid COVID-19. The findings validate the relation between social distancing and attitudes toward social media use during COVID-19 challenges (β-value = 0.22 and t-statistics = 3.078). The results show the linkage between attitudes toward social media use and practices of using social media (β-value = 0.41, and t-statistics = 7.175). Individuals' attitude toward social media use during COVID-19 mediates the connection between COVID-19 knowledge and COVID-19 practices of using social media use. The results validate the first mediation at β-value = 0.21 and t-statistic = 5.327. Similarly, the findings approve that attitudes toward social media use in the pandemic have positively mediated the relation between distancing and practices for social media use amid the crisis of COVID-19 (β-value = 0.09 and t-statistic = 2.633). The findings indicate how people have been indulged in social media to pave their business communication needs. The results provide valuable insights for the global business community. This study provides a systematic and holistic research model that helps in exploring the consequences of COVID-19. The generalizability of the findings provides valuable directions for future research related to the current pandemic
THE IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS (SARS-COV2) EPIDEMIC ON INDIVIDUALS MENTAL HEALTH: THE PROTECTIVE MEASURES OF PAKISTAN IN MANAGING AND SUSTAINING TRANSMISSIBLE DISEASE
No full textBackground: This study performed a focalized examination of the global impact of the coronavirus epidemic. This current review is one of the few kinds of research, which has sought to check the effect of the coronavirus on mental health issues and the need for psychological well-being in the standard population and patients in response to the global wake of the epidemic and its effects in Pakistan.
Subjects and methods: This study has utilized the data on coronavirus patients from the Ministry of Health, National Institute of Health Pakistan. The age of the confirmed coronavirus patients ranged from 12 to over 80 years, including international and local transmitters.
Results: Recorded data delivered by the National Institute of Health, Pakistan has quantified that the outbreak of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) entered Pakistan through international travelers. They carried the virus after they visited different countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, the USA, China, and European countries. By April 30, 2020, there were 16,473 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Total deaths are 361, with a mortality rate of 2.20%, and ultimately recovered cases reported 4,105 with a percentage of 24.90%. As of October 24, 2020, there were 327,063 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 in Pakistan, which posed vast social, economic, health, and environmental problems in the society. The epidemic has affected individuals across the country and confirmed patients in the country increased rapidly.
Conclusion: The government officials had initially estimated over 50,000 corona patents by April 30, which would be a great challenge; however, the situation remained under control because of suppression and smart-lockdown strategies by the Government. This study's findings reported that superior health facilities are required to treat the patients. This research review incorporated data generated by NIH, and respondents are from all the regions of Pakistan, subsequently restricting its generalizability to experimental results
Crisis management, transnational healthcare challenges and opportunities: The intersection of COVID-19 pandemic and global mental health
No full textThe existing literature has paid insufficient attention to crisis management of global health challenges in the advent of epidemics and pandemics. This study articulates resilience importance and opportunities in the COVID-19 from crisis management challenges in essential ways. The second wave of the COVID-19 infectious disease's rapid global spread has developed a severe threat to global peace, which has posed global mental health and crisis management issues worldwide. Public health implementations' aggressive actions recommended a series of precautionary safety measures by the health specialists to suppress, sustain, and manage the local transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores adverse consequences of the COVID-19 on communities' behavioral and interventional changes that might specify transmission dynamics. This present study recommends two model strategies that help sustain the rapid transmission and COVID-19's adverse impacts on mental health in the general population and patients needing treatment. This study proposes mitigation and suppression models in the absence of a vaccine to decrease and manage the healthcare systems' burdens of treating patients. This global health emergency has challenged the global healthcare systems worldwide, and Governments are struggling to upgrade the healthcare systems to provide the best possible healthcare facilities to the patients. The healthcare systems in Pakistan are undeveloped to manage this global health emergency efficiently. Scientists' have already initiated experimental trials worldwide to develop vaccines to treat this infectious disease; however, the proposed two models are useful in managing the health emergency in the present situation. This study discusses global healthcare challenges, crisis management, and two model interventional strategies that help minimize the COVID-19's rapid spread with practical crisis management preventive measures to reduce burden on healthcare systems
TRA8/05 Variations on U-shaped Learning
No full texttutorial article, which has been submitted for publication in a journal or for consideration by the commissioning organization. The report represents the ideas of its author, and should not be taken as the official views of the School or the University. Any discussion of the content of the report should be sent to the author, at the address shown on the cover. JAFFAR, Joxa
Elements of museum mobile augmented reality for engaging hearing impaired visitors
No full textNowadays, designers are more concern with the issue of engagement and informal learning at museum and gallery sites.This has made studies to focus more on the use of Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) at museum and gallery sites. However, most of the MAR applications for museum visitors are largely tailored to normal hearing visitors while the hearing-impaired (HI) visitors are not supported.The hearing impaired (HI) community account for over 5% of the world's populace which is about 360 million people.Thus, this paper explores the design elements of mobile augmented reality for engaging hearing impaired visitors at the museum site.The findings of this paper argues that there are eleven major elements of engagement of MAR needed for the design of an efficient museum MAR app for hearing impaired visitors. These eleven elements include Aesthetics, Curiosity, Usability, Interaction, Motivation, Satisfaction, Self-Efficacy, Perceived Control, Enjoyment, Focused Attention and Interest. This study pointed out that for an efficient and engaged MAR app for the HI community especially HI visitors to museum sites, these eleven elements are critical.This finding will help MAR designers and developers on how to design an efficient and engaged MAR app for the HI community at large and museum HI visitors specifically. © 2017 Author(s)
Spatial Analysis of Research & Development and Environmental Taxation Impacts on Air Pollution in Europe
No full textAir pollution poses significant health and environmental challenges. This study estimates the determinants of PM2.5 air pollution across 31 European countries using a range of econometric techniques, including fixed effects, random effects, system GMM, SAR, SDM, SAR-GMM, and SDM-GMM models. Understanding how various socio-economic and environmental factors interact to influence PM2.5 levels is crucial for effective policymaking. The findings indicate that economic growth, renewable energy, environmental taxes, and research and development expenditures contribute to reducing PM2.5 levels. Conversely, urban population growth is associated with increased PM2.5, highlighting the need for improved urban planning. Spatial econometric models reveal a positive spillover effect, where pollution in one region can significantly impact neighboring areas. Additionally, the regressors exhibit important spatial effects on PM2.5 levels. Univariate analysis of Moran’s I reveals positive spatial autocorrelation in air pollution, while bivariate Moran’s I shows a clear spatial linkage between regressors and PM2.5 levels. Policy recommendations include promoting sustainable economic growth, investing in renewable energy, implementing environmental taxes, enhancing urban planning, increasing research and development, fostering international cooperation, and strengthening regulation
A PIN Diode-Enabled Compact Size Antenna for Transition Between UWB and Notched UWB Modes
No full textThis article presents a miniaturized antenna operating on ultra-wideband (UWB) spectrum having two reconfigurable notch bands. Initially, an antenna is designed for UWB applications, offering a 3.3–14.5 GHz impedance bandwidth. Subsequently, a semicircular stub and an arc-shaped slot are etched to achieve two distinguish notch bands at 3.7 and 8.1 GHz. PIN diodes are loaded onto the antenna to enable on-demand switching between notch bands. The final geometry of the antenna offers compact size of 15 mm × 20 mm × 1.6 mm and is designed using commercially available substrate material FR-4. The structure of antenna consists of a rectangular stub loaded into a circular patch, while an additional semicircular stub and arc-shaped slot are utilized to achieve notch bands. The antenna provides a moderate value of gain surpassing 2.5 dBi in the operational region. The antenna has the capability to operate between the UWB mode or the UWB mode having single or dual notch bands using two PIN diodes. To validate the simulated results, a hardware prototype of the design is fabricated and tested, yielding similar results obtained from software-based antenna. Finally, the antenna performance is compared with recently reported similar work in literature, demonstrating advantages such as miniaturization, wideband, moderate gain, and high efficiency along with on-demand switching characteristics while maintaining simple geometrical configuration. These characteristics highlight the scientific contribution of the proposed work along with making it a potential candidate for targeted applications.Full Tex
- …
