The circuit of symbolic violence in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) (I): A preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: How can it be that a disease as serious as CFS affecting such a large number of people could be so unknown to the general population? The answer given to this question is based on Pierre Bourdieu's analyzes of symbolic violence. METHOD: The "letters to the editor" by CFS patients to three national Spanish newspapers were subjected to various qualitative and quantitative analyzes. RESULTS: Based on the qualitative analyzes and their theoretical interpretation, 13 mechanisms of symbolic violence were identified: non-recognition, institutionalized un-care, condescension, authorized imposition of illegitimate verdicts, delegitimization, disintegration, imposition of discourse, euphemization, silencing, invisibilization, isolation, uncommunication, and self-blaming. Multiple Correspondence Analysis made it possible to identify that the structural mechanisms (non-recognition, disintegration) were combined with the most symbolic ones, which came to the forefront producing the observed effects of symbolic violence. The 13 clusters obtained in the Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering confirmed this result.

Determination of spray drift and buffer zones in 3D crops using the ISO standard and new LiDAR methodologies.

Spray drift generated in the application of plant protection products in tree crops (3D crops) is a major source of environmental contamination, with repercussions for human health and the environment. Spray drift contamination acquires greater relevance in the EU Southern Zone due to the crops structure and the weather conditions. Hence, there is a need to evaluate spray drift when treating the most representative 3D crops in this area. For this purpose, 4 spray drift tests, measuring airborne and sedimenting spray drift in accordance with ISO 22866:2005, were carried out for 4 different crops (peach, citrus, apple and grape) in orchards of the EU Southern Zone, using an air-blast sprayer equipped with standard (STN) and spray drift reduction (DRN) nozzle types. A further 3 tests were carried out to test a new methodology for the evaluation of spray drift in real field conditions using a LiDAR system, in which the spray drift generated by different sprayer and nozzle types was contrasted. The airborne spray drift potential reduction (DPRV) values, obtained following the ISO 22866:2005, were higher than those for sedimenting spray drift potential reduction (DPRH) (63.82%-94.42% vs. 39.75%-69.28%, respectively). For each crop and nozzle type combination, a sedimenting spray drift model was also developed and used to determine buffer zone width. The highest buffer width reduction (STN vs DRN) was obtained in peach (˃75%), while in grape, citrus and apple only 50% was reached. These results can be used as the starting point to determine buffer zone width in the countries of the EU Southern Zone depending on different environmental threshold values. Tests carried out using LiDAR system demonstrated high capacity and efficiency of this system and this newly defined methodology, allowing sprayer and nozzle types in real field conditions to be differentiated and classified.

Assessment of spray drift potential reduction for hollow-cone nozzles: Part 2. LiDAR technique.

Pesticide spray drift poses health hazards to humans and causes a significant impact on the environment. In this work the capacity of an ad hoc light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system to differentiate spray nozzles according to their potential drift risk is evaluated for the first time. A total of 23 drift potential tests using 10 hollow-cone nozzles were carried out with the sprayer kept in a static position. Drift potential reduction (DPR) values of between 88.6% and 93.6% were obtained when comparing standard and drift reduction nozzle types. It was also possible to order different standard nozzle sizes according to their DPR. The LiDAR signal was correlated with several droplet size parameters measured by a phase Doppler particle analyzer (PDPA), being V100 the best indicator. In the four field tests that were performed, the LiDAR system was also able to differentiate between standard and drift reduction nozzles under real application conditions, obtaining a DPR of 56.7%. The results of this work demonstrate that the developed LiDAR system is an advantageous alternative for the assessment of drift potential reduction.

Assessment of spray drift potential reduction for hollow-cone nozzles: Part 1. Classification using indirect methods.

Spray drift is one of the main pollution sources identified when pesticides are sprayed on crops. In this work, in order to simplify the evaluation of hollow-cone nozzles according to their drift potential reduction, several models commonly used were tested by three indirect methods: phase Doppler particle analyser (PDPA) and two different wind tunnels. The main aim of this study is then to classify for the first time these hollow-cone nozzle models all of them used in tree crop spraying (3D crops). A comparison between these indirect methods to assess their suitability and to provide guidelines for a spray drift classification of hollow-cone nozzles was carried out. The results show that, in general terms, all methods allow hollow-cone nozzle classifications according to their drift potential reduction (DPR) with a similar trend. Among all the parameters determined with the PDPA, the V100 parameter performed best in differentiating the tested nozzles among drift reduction classes. In the wind tunnel, similar values were obtained for both sedimenting and airborne drift depositions. The V100 parameter displayed a high correlation (up to R2 = 0.948) with the drift potential tested with the wind tunnel. It is concluded that in general, the evaluated indirect methods provide equivalent classification results. Additional studies with a greater variety of nozzle types are required to achieve a proposal of harmonized methodology for testing hollow-cone nozzles.

Measurement of Spray Drift with a Specifically Designed Lidar System.

Field measurements of spray drift are usually carried out by passive collectors and tracers. However, these methods are labour- and time-intensive and only provide point- and time-integrated measurements. Unlike these methods, the light detection and ranging (lidar) technique allows real-time measurements, obtaining information with temporal and spatial resolution. Recently, the authors have developed the first eye-safe lidar system specifically designed for spray drift monitoring. This prototype is based on a 1534 nm erbium-doped glass laser and an 80 mm diameter telescope, has scanning capability, and is easily transportable. This paper presents the results of the first experimental campaign carried out with this instrument. High coefficients of determination (R² > 0.85) were observed by comparing lidar measurements of the spray drift with those obtained by horizontal collectors. Furthermore, the lidar system allowed an assessment of the drift reduction potential (DRP) when comparing low-drift nozzles with standard ones, resulting in a DRP of 57% (preliminary result) for the tested nozzles. The lidar system was also used for monitoring the evolution of the spray flux over the canopy and to generate 2-D images of these plumes. The developed instrument is an advantageous alternative to passive collectors and opens the possibility of new methods for field measurement of spray drift.