Nighttime applications of germicidal ultraviolet were evaluated as a means to suppress three diseases of grapevine. In laboratory studies, UV-C light (peak 254 nm, FWHM 5 nm) applied during darkness ...strongly inhibited the germination of conidia of
, and at a dose of 200 J/m
, germination was zero. Reciprocity of irradiance and duration of exposure with respect to conidial germination was confirmed for UV-C doses between 0 and 200 J/m
applied at 4 or 400 s. When detached grapevine leaves were exposed during darkness to UV-C at 100 J/m
up to 7 days before they were inoculated with zoospores of
, infection and subsequent sporulation was reduced by over 70% compared to untreated control leaves, indicating an indirect suppression of the pathogen exerted through the host. A hemicylindrical array of low-pressure discharge UV-C lamps configured for trellised grapevines was designed and fitted to both a tractor-drawn carriage and a fully autonomous robotic carriage for vineyard applications. In 2019, in a Chardonnay research vineyard with a history of high inoculum and severe disease, weekly nighttime applications of UV-C suppressed
on leaves and fruit at doses of 100 and 200 J/m
. In the same vineyard in 2020, UV-C was applied once or twice weekly at doses of 70, 100, or 200 J/m
, and severity of
on both leaves and fruit was significantly reduced compared to untreated controls; twice-weekly applications at 200 J/m
provided suppression equivalent to a standard fungicide program. None of the foregoing UV-C treatments significantly reduced the severity of
on Chardonnay vines compared to the untreated control in 2020. However, twice-weekly applications of UV-C at 200 J/m
to the more downy mildew-resistant
interspecific hybrid cultivar Vignoles in 2021 significantly suppressed foliar disease severity. In commercial Chardonnay vineyards with histories of excellent disease control in Dresden, NY,
remained at trace levels on foliage and was zero on fruit following weekly nighttime applications of UV-C at 200 J/m
in 2020 and after weekly or twice-weekly application of UV-C at 100 or 200 J/m
in 2021. In 2019, weekly nighttime applications of UV-C at 200 J/m
also significantly reduced the severity of sour rot, a decay syndrome of complex etiology, on fruit of 'Vignoles' but not the severity of bunch rot caused by
. A similar level of suppression of sour rot was observed on 'Vignoles' vines treated twice-weekly with UV-C at 200 J/m
in 2021. Nighttime UV-C applications did not produce detectable indications of metabolic abnormalities, phytotoxicity, growth reduction, or reductions of fruit yield or quality parameters, even at the highest doses and most frequent intervals employed.
The overall goal of this work is to produce a set of recommendations (SoNHR-Social Networks in Health Research) that will improve the reporting and dissemination of social network concepts, methods, ...data, and analytic results within health sciences research.
This study used a modified-Delphi approach for recommendation development consistent with best practices suggested by the EQUATOR health sciences reporting guidelines network. An initial set of 28 reporting recommendations was developed by the author team. A group of 67 (of 147 surveyed) experienced network and health scientists participated in an online feedback survey. They rated the clarity and importance of the individual recommendations, and provided qualitative feedback on the coverage, usability, and dissemination opportunities of the full set of recommendations. After examining the feedback, a final set of 18 recommendations was produced.
The final SoNHR reporting guidelines are comprised of 18 recommendations organized within five domains: conceptualization (how study research questions are linked to network conceptions or theories), operationalization (how network science portions of the study are defined and operationalized), data collection & management (how network data are collected and managed), analyses & results (how network results are analyzed, visualized, and reported), and ethics & equity (how network-specific human subjects, equity, and social justice concerns are reported). We also present a set of exemplar published network studies which can be helpful for seeing how to apply the SoNHR recommendations in research papers. Finally, we discuss how different audiences can use these reporting guidelines.
These are the first set of formal reporting recommendations of network methods in the health sciences. Consistent with EQUATOR goals, these network reporting recommendations may in time improve the quality, consistency, and replicability of network science across a wide variety of important health research areas.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Use of reproducible research practices improves the quality of science and the speed of scientific development. We sought to understand use of reproducible research practices in public health and ...associated barriers and facilitators.
In late 2017, we surveyed members of the American Public Health Association Applied Public Health Statistics section and others; 247 of 278 who screened eligible answered the survey, and 209 answered every applicable question. The survey included questions about file management, code annotation and documentation, reproducibility of analyses, and facilitators and barriers of using reproducible practices.
Just 14.4% of participants had shared code, data, or both. Many participants reported their data (33%) and code (43.2%) would be difficult for colleagues to find if they left their institution. Top reported barriers to using reproducible practices were data privacy (49.8%) and lack of time (41.7%). Participants suggested training (50.9%) and requirements by journals (44.4%) and funders (40.2%) to increase use of reproducible research practices.
Increasing use of reproducible research practices is important for public health and requires action from researchers, training programs, funders, and journals.
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Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite that causes the diarrhoeal disease, cryptosporidiosis. Although many species have been identified, the majority of human disease worldwide is caused by two ...species; Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis. In Australia, data from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) show that cryptosporidiosis outbreaks occur every few years. To better understand the transmission, trends and nature of cryptosporidiosis outbreaks in Western Australia, epidemiological and genomic data from three cryptosporidiosis outbreaks in 2003, 2007 and 2011 were reviewed. The 2007 outbreak was the largest (n = 607) compared with the outbreaks in 2003 (n = 404) and 2011 (n = 355). All three outbreaks appeared to have occurred predominantly in the urban metropolitan area (Perth), which reported the highest number of case notifications; increases in case notifications were also observed in rural and remote areas. Children aged 0–4 years and non-Aboriginal people comprised the majority of notifications in all outbreaks. However, in the 2003 and 2007 outbreaks, a higher proportion of cases from Aboriginal people was observed in the remote areas. Molecular data were only available for the 2007 (n = 126) and 2011 (n = 42) outbreaks, with C. hominis the main species identified in both outbreaks. Subtyping at the glycoprotein 60 (gp60) locus identified subtype IbA10G2 in 46.3% and 89.5% of C. hominis isolates typed, respectively, in the 2007 and 2011 outbreaks, with the IdA15G1 subtype was identified in 33.3% of C. hominis isolates typed in the 2007 outbreak. The clustering of cases with the IdA15G1 subtype in the remote areas suggests the occurrence of a concurrent outbreak in remote areas during the 2007 outbreak, which primarily affected Aboriginal people. Both the C. hominis IbA10G2 and IdA15G1 subtypes have been implicated in cryptosporidiosis outbreaks worldwide; its occurrence indicates that the mode of transmission in both the 2007 and 2011 outbreaks was anthroponotic. To better understand the epidemiology, sources and transmission of cryptosporidiosis in Australia, genotyping data should routinely be incorporated into national surveillance programmes.
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Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford) has caused increasing damage in high-density New York apple orchards since 2013, resulting in tree decline and death. We documented their occurrence and timing in > ...50 orchards using ethanol-baited traps from 2014 to 2016. First captures ranged from 48 to 83 degree days (base 10 °C) from 1 January. Captures were numerically higher at the orchard–woods interface than within the orchard interior, but differences were not significant in locations with lower populations. Control using insecticide trunk sprays was tested in potted, waterlogged apple trees placed in orchards and nurseries, and inside wooded areas adjacent to orchards. A verbenone repellent was used in combination with trunk sprays to improve control. Overall, insecticide sprays were inconsistent and marginal in preventing new infestations. Chlorpyrifos significantly reduced infestations versus lambda-cyhalothrin and untreated trees at one location in the 2015 orchard trials, and versus untreated trees at one location in the 2016 nursery trials, but otherwise performed no better than other treatments. The addition of verbenone to either the check or permethrin treatments resulted in significantly fewer attack sites containing brood at one orchard site in 2016. Chlorpyrifos, lambda-cyhalothrin, and permethrin significantly reduced the number of attack sites containing adults compared with untreated trees at one nursery trial location in 2016, but were otherwise ineffective in reducing numbers of trees in other locations and infestation categories. We found several fungal and bacterial species associated with X. germanus and its infestation of apples. These microbes likely play a minimal role in apple decline.
HIV/HCV prevention among people who inject drugs (PWID) is of key public health importance. We aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 and associated response measures on HIV/HCV prevention services ...and socio-economic status of PWID in high-HIV-risk sites. Sites with recent (2011–2019) HIV outbreaks among PWID in Europe North America and Israel, that had been previously identified, were contacted early May 2020. Out of 17 sites invited to participate, 13 accepted. Semi-structured qualitative site reports were prepared covering data from March to May 2020, analyzed/coded and confirmed with a structured questionnaire, in which all sites explicitly responded to all 103 issues reported in the qualitative reports. Opioid maintenance treatment, needle/syringe programs and antiretroviral treatment /hepatitis C treatment continued, but with important reductions and operational changes. Increases in overdoses, widespread difficulties with food and hygiene needs, disruptions in drug supply, and increased homelessness were reported. Service programs rapidly reformed long established, and politically entrenched, restrictive service delivery policies. Future epidemic control measures should include mitigation of negative side-effects on service provision and socio-economic determinants in PWID.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, VSZLJ, ZAGLJ
Cryptosporidiosis is a gastroenteric disease caused by the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium, which manifests primarily as watery diarrhoea. Transmitted via the faecal–oral route, infection with the ...parasite can occur through ingestion of water, food or other fomites contaminated with its infective oocyst stage. In the months of November and December 2012, there were 18 notified cases of cryptosporidiosis from Broome, Western Australia. The 5-year average for the Kimberley region for this period is <1 case. Interviews conducted by Broome local government staff on the notified cases revealed that 11/18 cases had been swimming at the Broome public swimming pool. Molecular analyses of extracted DNA performed on 8/18 microscopy-positive faecal samples from interviewed cases and three water samples from different locations at the hypervariable glycoprotein 60 (gp60) gene, identified the C. hominis IbA10G2 subtype in all human samples and one water sample.
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Sustaining evidence-based interventions (EBIs) is an ongoing challenge for dissemination and implementation science in public health and social services. Characterizing the relationship among human ...resource capacity within an agency and subsequent population outcomes is an important step to improving our understanding of how EBIs are sustained. Although human resource capacity and population outcomes are theoretically related, examining them over time within real-world experiments is difficult. Simulation approaches, especially agent-based models, offer advantages that complement existing methods.
We used an agent-based model to examine the relationships among human resources, EBI delivery, and population outcomes by simulating provision of an EBI through a hypothetical agency and its staff. We used data from existing studies examining a widely implemented HIV prevention intervention to inform simulation design, calibration, and validity. Once we developed a baseline model, we used the model as a simulated laboratory by systematically varying three human resource variables: the number of staff positions, the staff turnover rate, and timing in training. We tracked the subsequent influence on EBI delivery and the level of population risk over time to describe the overall and dynamic relationships among these variables.
Higher overall levels of human resource capacity at an agency (more positions) led to more extensive EBI delivery over time and lowered population risk earlier in time. In simulations representing the typical human resource investments, substantial influences on population risk were visible after approximately 2 years and peaked around 4 years.
Human resources, especially staff positions, have an important impact on EBI sustainability and ultimately population health. A minimum level of human resources based on the context (e.g., size of the initial population and characteristics of the EBI) is likely needed for an EBI to have a meaningful impact on population outcomes. Furthermore, this model demonstrates how ABMs may be leveraged to inform research design and assess the impact of EBI sustainability in practice.
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In 2010, an outbreak of cyclosporiasis affected passengers and crew on two successive voyages of a cruise ship that departed from and returned to Fremantle, Australia. There were 73 ...laboratory-confirmed and 241 suspected cases of Cyclospora infection reported in passengers and crew from the combined cruises. A case-control study performed in crew members found that illness was associated with eating items of fresh produce served onboard the ship, but the study was unable conclusively to identify the responsible food(s). It is likely that one or more of the fresh produce items taken onboard at a south-east Asian port during the first cruise was contaminated. If fresh produce supplied to cruise ships is sourced from countries or regions where Cyclospora is endemic, robust standards of food production and hygiene should be applied to the supply chain.
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As more effective or efficient interventions emerge out of scientific advancement to address a particular public health issue, it may be appropriate to de-implement low-value interventions, or ...interventions that are less effective or efficient. Furthermore, factors that contribute to appropriate de-implementation are not well identified. We examined the extent to which low-value interventions were de-implemented among public health organizations providing HIV prevention services, as well as explored socio-economic, organizational, and intervention characteristics associated with de-implementation.
We conducted an online cross-sectional survey from the fall of 2017 to the spring of 2019 with organizations (
= 188) providing HIV prevention services in the USA. Organizations were recruited from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) website gettested.org from 20 metropolitan statistical areas with the highest HIV incidence. An organization was eligible to participate if the organization had provided at least one of the HIV prevention interventions identified as inefficient by the CDC in the last ten years, and one administrator familiar with HIV prevention programming at the organization was recruited to respond. Complete responses were analyzed to describe intervention de-implementation and identify organizational and intervention characteristics associated with de-implementation using logistic regression.
Organizations reported 359 instances of implementing low-value interventions. Out of the low-value interventions implemented, approximately 57% were group, 34% were individual, and 5% were community interventions. Of interventions implemented, 46% had been de-implemented. Although we examined a number of intervention and organizational factors thought to be associated with de-implementation, the only factor statistically associated with de-implementation was organization size, with larger organizations-those with 50+ FTEs-being 3.1 times more likely to de-implement than smaller organizations (95% CI 1.3-7.5).
While low-value interventions are frequently de-implemented among HIV prevention organizations, many persisted representing substantial inefficiency in HIV prevention service delivery. Further exploration is needed to understand why organizations may opt to continue low-value interventions and the factors that lead to de-implementation.
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