In situ transmissiometer measurements for real-time monitoring of dust discharge during orchard nut harvesting

Rapid assessments of operating conditions and field preparation on dust discharge from nut harvesters are needed to guide improved equipment design and grower practices for dust reduction. An industrial opacity sensor, typically used for industrial stack monitoring, was adapted for use on a nut harvester to measure relative dust intensity during nut pick-up operations in almond orchards. Due to the high volume of discharge air and the presence of large debris such as leaves, additional components were coupled with the sensor to enable subsampling of the air. Pre-harvest windrow preparation conditions were evaluated. Results indicated that relative dust intensity decreased by 32% during harvest activities after windrow preparation with proper nut sweeper adjustment. Conventional harvesting results indicated that under typical operating conditions, reducing the separation fan speed could reduce relative dust intensity by 54%. Ground speed also had a strong effect; reducing speed from 4.8 to 2.4 km h(-1) reduced opacity of discharged air by 50%. The measurement system was also mounted on a separate vehicle and used as a tool for comparing modifications in harvest machine designs where direct measurement of discharge may not be feasible due to mechanical constraints. A comparison between a conventional harvester and one modification in the harvester design found that the machine modification decreased relative dust intensity by 73%. The measurement tools described in this work can be used to provide rapid feedback on harvester operating conditions, orchard cultural practices, and machine design modifications.

Design and evaluation of a grapevine pruner for biofungicide application

Eutypa lata is a significant grapevine pathogen with limited means of prevention and control. The biological control agent Fusarium lateritium can prevent E. lata infection if applied directly onto a vine pruning wound. F. lateritium was suspended and stored in an invert emulsion formulation. A commercially available pruning shear was modified to dispense the formulated F. lateritium onto the cutting blade for direct application onto the pruning wound simultaneously with grapevine cutting. The modified pruner was tested for its ability to cover grapevine pruning wounds using the emulsion formulation. Efficacy of formulated F. lateritium on pruned grapevine canes was also studied using the pruner for application. Addition of grooves in the pruning blade significantly improved wound coverage. Biological efficacy testing determined that applying formulated F. lateritium with the modified pruner was as effective as pipetting formulation directly onto the pruning wound.

Physician-ordered respiratory care vs physician-ordered use of a respiratory therapy consult service. Results of a prospective observational study

OBJECTIVE

To assess the impact of a respiratory therapy consult service (RTCS) on practices and appropriateness of ordering respiratory care services.

DESIGN

Nonrandomized prospective observational cohort study with concurrent controls.

SETTING

Adult non-ICU inpatient wards of an academic medical center.

PATIENTS

A convenience sample of 98 adult non-ICU inpatients at the Cleveland Clinic Hospital, representing 20 inpatient clinical services. Patients whose respiratory care plans were determined by respiratory care practitioners using sign and symptom-based algorithms to specify treatment comprised the treatment group (n = 51, respiratory therapy consult group). The nonconsult group (n = 47) were patients whose respiratory care plans were specified by their own physicians.

INTERVENTION

Specification of the respiratory care plan by the RTCS vs by the physicians themselves. Use of the RTCS was at the discretion of the managing physician.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Types and number of respiratory care treatments, length of hospital stay, costs of the respiratory therapy provided, appropriateness of respiratory care orders (based on comparison of the actual respiratory care orders with a reference respiratory care plan generated by a study investigator who was kept blind to the actual respiratory care plan), and adverse respiratory events.

RESULTS

Patients for whom the RTCS was requested by their physicians had a greater severity of respiratory illness based on having a lower triage score, but were otherwise similar at baseline. Fewer initial orders for respiratory care were discordant with the reference algorithms in RTCS patients (15% +/- 26% [SD]) than in nonconsult patients (43% +/- 36%; p < 0.001), and a smaller fraction of RTCS patients received at least one discordant initial respiratory care order (37% vs 72%; p < 0.001). Though provided to sicker patients with longer lengths of hospital stay, RTCS-directed care incurred similar respiratory care costs per patient ($335.63 +/- $272.69 [RTCS] vs $349.06 +/- $273.27; p = 0.72).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that the RTCS can be an effective strategy to allocate respiratory care strategies appropriately while conserving the costs of providing respiratory care.

Assessment instruments in respiratory care

The basis for using therapist-driven protocols effectively is an accurate assessment of the patient's respiratory status. Patients must be assessed to initiate indicated therapy and reassessed so that therapy can be modified or discontinued if no longer needed. This article addresses the role of respiratory therapists in patient assessment for the selection of appropriate and effective protocols. It also describes the use of a systematic and consistent process for patient assessment.