The Biology of Invasive Alien Plants in Canada. 7. Cabomba caroliniana A. Gray

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 615-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire E Wilson ◽  
Stephen J Darbyshire ◽  
Rosita Jones

The freshwater aquatic plant Cabomba caroliniana, or fanwort, was recently reported in a lake northeast of Peterborough, Ontario, where it has successfully established and survived winter conditions since at least 1991. This is the first documented occurrence of fanwort becoming naturalized in Canada. Fanwort is a popular aquarium plant that is native to South America and possibly the southeastern United States and has been introduced in several Asian, Pacific and European countries through the discarding or deliberate planting of aquarium plants in natural waterways. It is particularly invasive in China, Japan and Australia, and in parts of the United States, where its range is spreading. Fanwort grows rapidly and forms dense stands that clog waterways, impeding flow, obstructing navigation, altering fish habitat and excluding other vegetation. It does not produce mature seed in the northern parts of its North American range, but can multiply clonally and spread quickly by stem fragmentation. It produces turion-like stems at the end of the growing season, which assist in over-wintering under adverse conditions. Fanwort is difficult to control with herbicides and is resistant to mechanical management techniques as populations can quickly re-establish from plant fragments. Populations near the Trent-Severn Waterway in Canada are extensively established and management tools are not available to attempt eradication. An integrated management plan that focuses on early detection and rapid response in surrounding water bodies may succeed in mitigating the economic and environmental impacts and limiting the spread of fanwort. Key words: Cabomba caroliniana, fanwort, cabomba de Caroline, CABCA, aquatic plant, weed biology, invasive alien

Author(s):  
Patricia J. Zettler ◽  
Erika Lietzan

This chapter assesses the regulation of medical devices in the United States. The goal of the US regulatory framework governing medical devices is the same as the goal of the framework governing medicines. US law aims to ensure that medical devices are safe and effective for their intended uses; that they become available for patients promptly; and that manufacturers provide truthful, non-misleading, and complete information about the products. US medical device law is different from US medicines law in many ways, however, perhaps most notably because most marketed devices do not require pre-market approval. The chapter explores how the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeks to accomplish its mission with respect to medical devicecough its implementation of its medical device authorities. It starts by explaining what constitutes a medical device and how the FDA classifies medical devices by risk level. The chapter then discusses how medical devices reach the market, the FDA's risk management tools, and the rules and incentives for innovation and competition. It concludes by exploring case studies of innovative medical technologies that challenge the traditional US regulatory scheme to consider the future of medical device regulation.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
SeaPlan

As more ocean plans are developed and adopted around the world, the importance of accessible, up-to-date spatial data in the planning process has become increasingly apparent. Many ocean planning efforts in the United States and Canada rely on a companion data portal–a curated catalog of spatial datasets characterizing the ocean uses and natural resources considered as part of ocean planning and management decision-making.Data portals designed to meet ocean planning needs tend to share three basic characteris- tics. They are: ocean-focused, map-based, and publicly-accessible. This enables planners, managers, and stakeholders to access common sets of sector-speci c, place-based information that help to visualize spatial relationships (e.g., overlap) among various uses and the marine environment and analyze potential interactions (e.g., synergies or con icts) among those uses and natural resources. This data accessibility also enhances the transparency of the planning process, arguably an essential factor for its overall success.This paper explores key challenges, considerations, and best practices for developing and maintaining a data portal. By observing the relationship between data portals and key principles of ocean planning, we posit three overarching themes for data portal best practices: accommodation of diverse users, data vetting and review by stakeholders, and integration with the planning process. The discussion draws primarily from the use of the Northeast Ocean Data Portal to support development of the Northeast Ocean Management Plan, with additional examples from other portals in the U.S. and Canada.


Plant Disease ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 91 (7) ◽  
pp. 905-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Mitkowski

In the fall of 2006, a golf course in Snoqualmie, WA renovated five putting greens with commercially produced Poa annua L. sod from British Columbia, Canada. Prior to the renovation, the greens had been planted with Agrostis stolonifera L. cv. Providence, which was removed during the renovation. In February of 2007, chlorotic patches were observed on the newly established P. annua greens. When the roots were examined, extensive galling was observed throughout plant roots. Galls were slender and twisted in appearance and less than one millimeter long. Upon dissection of washed galls, hundreds of eggs were exuded into the surrounding water droplet and both mature male and female nematodes were observed. Further morphometric examination of males, females, and juvenile nematodes demonstrated that they were Subanguina radicicola (Greef 1872) Paramanov 1967 (1). Amplification of nematode 18S, ITS1, and 5.8S regions, using previously published primers (2), resulted in a 100% sequence match with the publicly available sequence for S. radicicola, GenBank Accession No. AF396366. Each P. annua plant had an average of six galls (with a range of 1 to 8), primarily located within the top 2 cm of the soil. All five new P. annua putting greens at the golf course were infested with the nematode. Additionally, P. annua from two A. stolonifera cv. Providence greens that had not been renovated was infected, suggesting that the population occurred onsite and was not imported from the Canadian sod. S. radicicola has been identified as causing severe damage in New Brunswick, Canada on P. annua putting greens and in wild P. annua in the northwestern United States, but to our knowledge, this is the first report of the nematode affecting P. annua on a golf course in the United States. References: (1) E. L. Krall. Wheat and grass nematodes: Anguina, Subanguina, and related genera. Pages 721–760 in: Manual of Agricultural Nematology. Marcel Dekker, New York, 1991. (2) N. A. Mitkowski et al. Plant Dis. 86:840, 2002.


Author(s):  
Laura Alice Watt ◽  
David Lowenthal

This epilogue tracks the more recent developments in the land use versus land preservation debate, including further controversies surrounding Point Reyes. A new lawsuit was filed against the NPS in Point Reyes, with demands that the ongoing ranch management planning process be suspended until the thirty-six-year-old PRNS General Management Plan can finally be updated with studies of the environmental impacts of grazing. Elsewhere in the United States, the chapter covers the aftermath of an armed standoff at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. However, the chapter goes on to outline more hopeful changes across the country, such as the fact that more and more people are beginning to compromise on “what a park is for.”


This chapter highlights the importance of risk management and the need for a risk management plan to have in place in case disaster strikes. From opening a foodservice business to operating it with the possibility of expansion, the risks involved are enormous. It discusses the importance of respecting the laws when dealing with business and carefully taking all necessary steps to avoid legal pitfalls, leading to severe negative consequences. The chapter provides useful information and references about obtaining proper licenses, dealing with government agencies, and developing and implementing a “preventive risk management” plan. Finally, the chapter highlights the current business laws of the United States and should not be considered applicable internationally. The reader should refer to the governing laws of the country where the business operates.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1387-1390
Author(s):  
Tyler Bradley-Hewitt ◽  
Chris T. Longenecker ◽  
Vuyisile Nkomo ◽  
Whitney Osborne ◽  
Craig Sable ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective:Rheumatic fever, an immune sequela of untreated streptococcal infections, is an important contributor to global cardiovascular disease. The goal of this study was to describe trends, characteristics, and cost burden of children discharged from hospitals with a diagnosis of RF from 2000 to 2012 within the United States.Methods:Using the Kids’ Inpatient Database, we examined characteristics of children discharged from hospitals with the diagnosis of rheumatic fever over time including: overall hospitalisation rates, age, gender, race/ethnicity, regional differences, payer type, length of stay, and charges.Results:The estimated national cumulative incidence of rheumatic fever in the United States between 2000 and 2012 was 0.61 cases per 100,000 children. The median age was 10 years, with hospitalisations significantly more common among children aged 6–11 years. Rheumatic fever hospitalisations among Asian/Pacific Islanders were significantly over-represented. The proportion of rheumatic fever hospitalisations was greater in the Northeast and less in the South, although the highest number of rheumatic fever admissions occurred in the South. Expected payer type was more likely to be private insurance, and the median total hospital charges (adjusted for inflation to 2012 dollars) were $16,000 (interquartile range: $8900–31,200). Median length of stay was 3 days, and the case fatality ratio for RF in the United States was 0.4%.Conclusions:Rheumatic fever persists in the United States with an overall downwards trend between 2003 and 2012. Rheumatic fever admissions varied considerably based on age group, region, and origin.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-76
Author(s):  
Shambhu Paudel ◽  
Prabhat Pal ◽  
Harish Singh Dhami

Recent political envision has redesigned the administrative units of Nepal into federal states with the aim of decentralizing the power to ensure the process of rapid sustainable development. As a consequence, all the public service agencies need to restructure their delivery units for achieving goals targeted by the newly adopted administrative regime plan. With the aim of recommending the best watershed management models for this changing context, this paper aims to review existing watershed management models applied in different continents like European union, African union and the United States where they have already adopted this watershed management plans into their federal states or countries union successfully. Although they are geographically distinct and economically advanced, the major approach adopted is a river basin approach with the clear legislative framework. This approach is highly succeeded between interstate (or between member countries) because of political or interstate commitments for the common pool resource water. Clear policies and commitments between member countries or interstate greatly improved the function of this mechanism. With the light of those experiences in the field of watershed management plan adopted in federal or union countries, river based integrated management plan balancing efforts between interstates seems best models in the world, and is also proposed for the new federal republic of Nepal.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 249-249
Author(s):  
Michael Ross Kaufman ◽  
David J. Delgado ◽  
Stephanie Costa ◽  
Brandon George ◽  
Edith P. Mitchell

249 Background: Insufficient evidence exists regarding the presentation and management of elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The purpose of this study was to describe racial differences in cancer staging of elderly (65+) patients with HCC diagnosed in the United States. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the 1973-2014 Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER) database of the National Cancer Institute. Patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma, diagnosed between 2004 and 2014, and with complete information on race, gender, year of diagnosis, age, marital status, region and stage at diagnosis (Derived SEER Summary Stage 2000, and Derived American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Stage Group, 6th Edition) were included. Descriptive statistics were used to compare sociodemographic and clinical variables with race. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were preformed to describe the association of race with the diagnosis of late stage HCC (Regional/Distant vs Localized Stage for SEER Summary Stage, and Stage III/IV vs Stage I/II for AJCC Stage Group). Results: The sample consisted of 19,902 HCC patients: 69.7% White, 9.2% Black, 20.2% API, 1.0% AI; 69.1% male; 45.1% diagnosed in 2004-2009; 56.2% age 65-74, 35.6% 75-84, and 8.2% 85 and older; 58.3% married; 7.4% Midwest, 12.4% Northeast, 17.0% Southeast, 63.2% Pacific West; 44.9% Regional/Distant Stage (SEER Summary Stage) and 41.2% Stage III/IV (AJCC Stage Group). After controlling for confounding variables, Asian/Pacific Islanders had a decreased odds of presenting with late stage disease relative to whites in both the SEER Summary Stage (OR: 0.867, CI:0.805-0.934) and AJCC Stage Group (OR: 0.904, CI:0.838-0.975). Conclusions: Racial disparities exist at the presentation of HCC in the 65+ population. Asian/Pacific Islanders are less likely to be diagnosed with late stage HCC compared to whites. There is a need to study further these relationships in subpopulations.


2009 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Govoni ◽  
J. A. Hare ◽  
E. D. Davenport ◽  
M. H. Chen ◽  
K. E. Marancik

Abstract Govoni, J. J., Hare, J. A., Davenport, E. D., Chen, M. H., and Marancik, K. E. 2010. Mesoscale, cyclonic eddies as larval fish habitat along the southeast United States shelf: a Lagrangian description of the zooplankton community. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 403–411. The Charleston Gyre region is characterized by continuous series of cyclonic eddies that propagate northeastwards before decaying or coalescing with the Gulf Stream south of Cape Hatteras, NC, USA. Over 5 d, chlorophyll-a concentration, zooplankton displacement volume, and zooplankton composition and abundance changed as the eddy moved to the northeast. Surface chlorophyll-a concentration decreased, and zooplankton displacement remained unchanged as the eddy propagated. Zooplankton taxa known to be important dietary constituents of larval fish increased in concentration as the eddy propagated. The concurrent decrease in chlorophyll-a concentration and static zooplankton displacement volume can be explained by initial stimulation of chlorophyll-a concentration by upwelling and nutrient enrichment near the eddy core and to possible grazing as zooplankton with short generation times and large clutch sizes increased in concentration. The zooplankton community did not change significantly within the 5 d that the eddy was tracked, and there was no indication of succession. Mesoscale eddies of the region are dynamic habitats as eddies propagate northeastwards at varying speeds within monthly periods. The abundance of zooplankton important to the diets of larval fish indicates that the region can provide important pelagic nursery habitat for larval fish off the southeast coast of the United States. A month of feeding and growth is more than half the larval duration of most fish spawned over the continental shelf of the southeastern United States in winter.


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