College of Agriculture & Natural Resources

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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.

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Subject: search.filters.subject.COVID-19

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Newcastle Disease Virus as a Vaccine Vector for SARS-CoV-2
    (MDPI, 2020-07-29) Shirvani, Edris; Samal, Siba K.
    The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in more than 16 million infections and more than 600,000 deaths worldwide. There is an urgent need to develop a safe and effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Currently, several strategies are being pursued to develop a safe and effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. However, each vaccine strategy has distinct advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is important to evaluate multiple vaccine platforms to select the most efficient vaccine platform for SARS-CoV-2. In this regard, Newcastle disease virus (NDV), an avian virus, has several well-suited properties for development of a vector vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Here, we elaborate on the idea of considering NDV as a vaccine vector for SARS-CoV-2.
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    Sewage Systems Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2: Identification of Knowledge Gaps, Emerging Threats, and Future Research Needs
    (MDPI, 2021-07-28) Amereh, Fatemeh; Negahban-Azar, Masoud; Isazadeh, Siavash; Dabiri, Hossein; Masihi, Najmeh; Jahangiri-rad, Mahsa; Rafiee, Mohammad
    The etiological agent for novel coronavirus (COVID-19, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), not only affects the human respiratory system, but also the gastrointestinal tract resulting in gastrointestinal manifestations. The high rate of asymptomatic infected individuals has challenged the estimation of infection spread based on patients’ surveillance, and thus alternative approaches such as wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) have been proposed. Accordingly, the number of publications on this topic has increased substantially. The present systematic review thus aimed at providing state-of-the-knowledge on the occurrence and existing methods for sampling procedures, detection/quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage samples, as well as anticipating challenges and providing future research direction to improve the current scientific knowledge. Articles were collected from three scientific databases. Only studies reporting measurements of virus in stool, urine, and wastewater samples were included. Results showed that improving the scientific community’s understanding in these avenues is essential if we are to develop appropriate policy and management tools to address this pandemic pointing particularly towards WBE as a new paradigm in public health. It was also evident that standardized protocols are needed to ensure reproducibility and comparability of outcomes. Areas that require the most improvements are sampling procedures, concentration/enrichment, detection, and quantification of virus in wastewater, as well as positive controls. Results also showed that selecting the most accurate population estimation method for WBE studies is still a challenge. While the number of people infected in an area could be approximately estimated based on quantities of virus found in wastewater, these estimates should be cross-checked by other sources of information to draw a more comprehensive conclusion. Finally, wastewater surveillance can be useful as an early warning tool, a management tool, and/or a way for investigating vaccination efficacy and spread of new variants.
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    New Coronavirus Food Assistance Program May Provide Relief to Maryland Growers Due to COVID-19 Losses
    (2020-05) Goeringer, Paul
    USDA recently announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), a program of financial assistance for growers impacted by disruptions due to COVID-19, specifically for commodities which have seen a 5 percent loss or greater in price decline or losses due to supply chain disruptions. Eligible growers will receive a one-time payment from two possible funding sources, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act. Signup begins May 26, 2020, and runs through August 28, 2020.
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    Force Majeure Clauses: What Are They and Do They Apply in Issues Caused by COVID19?
    (2020-04-10) Goeringer, Paul; Thilmany, Elizabeth; Suri, Mayhah
    2020 has been a challenging year with the global economic shutdown from COVID-19 leading to disruptions in many industries. Agriculture has had its fair share of disruptions from this global pandemic. Such disruptions have raised questions for many of you about your contracts to supply farm products to businesses, such as restaurants or schools, that no longer need those products due to shutdowns. You may also have issues finding labor to help move products to customers. Contracts between suppliers and customers often include provisions called force majeure clauses. These clauses allow one or both parties in a contract to excuse the performance, in this case, the fulfillment, of the contract in certain situations.