scholarly journals Tracking the COVID-19 crisis with high-resolution transaction data

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 210218
Author(s):  
Vasco M. Carvalho ◽  
Juan R. Garcia ◽  
Stephen Hansen ◽  
Álvaro Ortiz ◽  
Tomasa Rodrigo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Large Bank ◽  
National Accounts ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Transaction Data ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Payments Systems ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Source Of Information

Payments systems generate vast amounts of naturally occurring transaction data rarely used for constructing official statistics. We consider billions of transactions from card data from a large bank, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, as an alternative source of information for measuring consumption. We show, via validation against official consumption measures, that transaction data complements national accounts and consumption surveys. We then analyse the impact of COVID-19 in Spain, and document: (i) strong consumption responses to business closures, but smaller effects for capacity restrictions; (ii) a steeper decline in spending in rich neighbourhoods; (iii) higher mobility for residents of lower-income neighbourhoods, correlating with increased disease incidence.

scholarly journals Impact of Sclerotinia Stem Rot on Yield of Canola

Plant Disease ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. E. del Río ◽  
C. A. Bradley ◽  
R. A. Henson ◽  
G. J. Endres ◽  
B. K. Hanson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Dakota ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
The United States ◽  
Stem Rot ◽  
Sclerotinia Stem Rot ◽  
Potential Yield ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is the causal agent of Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) of canola (Brassica napus). In North Dakota, the leading canola producer in the United States, SSR is an endemic disease. In order to estimate the impact of this disease on canola yield, field experiments were conducted from 2000 to 2004 at several locations in North Dakota and Minnesota. Experimental plots were either inoculated with laboratory-produced ascospores or infected by naturally occurring inoculum in commercial fields. Applying fungicides at different concentrations and timings during the flowering period created epiphytotics of diverse intensities. Disease incidence was measured once prior to harvesting the crop on 50 to 100 plants per plot. Results of the study indicated that 0.5% of the potential yield (equivalent to 12.75 kg/ha) was lost for every unit percentage of SSR incidence (range of 0.18 to 0.96%). Considering the current cost of fungicide applications and the market value of this commodity, a 17% SSR incidence could cause losses similar to the cost of a fungicide application. Additional efforts are required to improve current levels of tolerance of canola plants to this pathogen.

scholarly journals 187 Effect of Nutrient Source on Quality and Yield of Strawberry Grown in Verticillium-infested Soil

HortScience ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 474D-474
Author(s):  
V. Mitchell ◽  
C. Brooks ◽  
M. Morant
Keyword(s):  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Titratable Acidity ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Soluble Solids ◽  
Organic N ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Infested Soil ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Solids Content ◽  
The Impact

Verticillium albo-atrum, a cosmopolitan pathogen that causes wilt of strawberry, can cause economic losses for growers and increased prices for consumers. This study was conducted in 1998 to assess the impact of organically and inorganically supplied N on fruit yield and quality. `Allstar' (resistant) and `Raritan' (susceptible) varieties of strawberry were planted in V. albo-atrum-infested soil that was amended with poultry compost (organic N) or ammonium nitrate (inorganic N). Fruit quality was assessed as titratable acidity (TA), soluble solids content (SSC) using a refractometer, and reducing sugars concentration using a gas chromatography. Disease incidence was below threshold level and did not affect the results of this study. Plants grown in compost amended plots produced an average of 41 fruit, weighing 354 g, compared to the 34.5 fruit weighing 487 g that were harvested from the inorganically amended plots. TA was not affected by the treatments. Overall, yield of `Raritan' was 40% greater than that of `Allstar'. The SSC of `Allstar' was highest in fruit that were produced in compost-amended soil in contrast to that of `Raritan', which was greatest for plants that were grown in the inorganically amended plots. Fruit grown in the inorganically amended plots generally had a higher concentration of glucose and fructose, but sucrose was found only in fruit from the control plots. Poultry compost may be an alternative source of N for producing strawberries but this needs to be further evaluated because of the slower release of nutrients over time.

Remittances, Economic Growth and Poverty: A Case of African OIC Member Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-143
Author(s):  
Nasim Shah Shirazi ◽  
Sajid Amin Javed ◽  
Dawood Ashraf
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Financial Development ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Simultaneous Equation ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Simultaneous Equation Model ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
The Impact

This paper investigates the impact of remittance inflows on economic growth and poverty reduction for seven African countries using annual data from 1992-2010. By using the depth of hunger as a proxy for poverty in a Simultaneous Equation Model (SEM), we find that remittances have statistically significant growth enhancing and poverty reducing impact. Drawing on our estimates, we conclude that financial development level significantly increases the remittances inflows and strengthens poverty alleviating impact of remittances. Results of our study further show a signficant interactive imapct of remittances and finacial develpment on economic growth, suggesting the substitutability between remittance inflows and financial development. We further find that 3 percentage point increase in credit provision to the private sector (financial development) can help eliminate the severe depth of hunger in the region. Remittances, serving an alternative source of private credit, can be effective in this regard. Keywords: Remittance Inflow, Poverty Alleviation, Financial Development, Simultaneous Equation Model

scholarly journals Reproduction in Trypanosomatids: Past and Present

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 471
Author(s):  
Camino Gutiérrez-Corbo ◽  
Bárbara Domínguez-Asenjo ◽  
María Martínez-Valladares ◽  
Yolanda Pérez-Pertejo ◽  
Carlos García-Estrada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Genetic Exchange ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Experimental Works ◽  
Genomic Recombination ◽  
The Impact

Diseases caused by trypanosomatids (Sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis) are a serious public health concern in low-income endemic countries. These diseases are produced by single-celled parasites with a diploid genome (although aneuploidy is frequent) organized in pairs of non-condensable chromosomes. To explain the way they reproduce through the analysis of natural populations, the theory of strict clonal propagation of these microorganisms was taken as a rule at the beginning of the studies, since it partially justified their genomic stability. However, numerous experimental works provide evidence of sexual reproduction, thus explaining certain naturally occurring events that link the number of meiosis per mitosis and the frequency of mating. Recent techniques have demonstrated genetic exchange between individuals of the same species under laboratory conditions, as well as the expression of meiosis specific genes. The current debate focuses on the frequency of genomic recombination events and its impact on the natural parasite population structure. This paper reviews the results and techniques used to demonstrate the existence of sex in trypanosomatids, the inheritance of kinetoplast DNA (maxi- and minicircles), the impact of genetic exchange in these parasites, and how it can contribute to the phenotypic diversity of natural populations.

scholarly journals Exploitation of Marine-Derived Robust Biological Molecules to Manage Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Muhammad Bilal ◽  
Leonardo Vieira Nunes ◽  
Marco Thúlio Saviatto Duarte ◽  
Luiz Fernando Romanholo Ferreira ◽  
Renato Nery Soriano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Bowel Disease ◽  
Clinical Translation ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel ◽  
Functional Features ◽  
Biological Entities ◽  
The Impact

Naturally occurring biological entities with extractable and tunable structural and functional characteristics, along with therapeutic attributes, are of supreme interest for strengthening the twenty-first-century biomedical settings. Irrespective of ongoing technological and clinical advancement, traditional medicinal practices to address and manage inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are inefficient and the effect of the administered therapeutic cues is limited. The reasonable immune response or invasion should also be circumvented for successful clinical translation of engineered cues as highly efficient and robust bioactive entities. In this context, research is underway worldwide, and researchers have redirected or regained their interests in valorizing the naturally occurring biological entities/resources, for example, algal biome so-called “treasure of untouched or underexploited sources”. Algal biome from the marine environment is an immense source of excellence that has also been demonstrated as a source of bioactive compounds with unique chemical, structural, and functional features. Moreover, the molecular modeling and synthesis of new drugs based on marine-derived therapeutic and biological cues can show greater efficacy and specificity for the therapeutics. Herein, an effort has been made to cover the existing literature gap on the exploitation of naturally occurring biological entities/resources to address and efficiently manage IBD. Following a brief background study, a focus was given to design characteristics, performance evaluation of engineered cues, and point-of-care IBD therapeutics of diverse bioactive compounds from the algal biome. Noteworthy potentialities of marine-derived biologically active compounds have also been spotlighted to underlying the impact role of bio-active elements with the related pathways. The current review is also focused on the applied standpoint and clinical translation of marine-derived bioactive compounds. Furthermore, a detailed overview of clinical applications and future perspectives are also given in this review.

scholarly journals 545. The Impact of COVID-19 on African Americans’ Health Attitudes and Information Seeking Behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S338-S339
Author(s):  
Katherine Kricorian ◽  
Ozlem Equils ◽  
Karin Kricorian ◽  
Brianna Rochebrun
Keyword(s):  
African Americans ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Family Members ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Health Attitudes ◽  
Health News ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Science And Government ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background African-Americans suffer a disproportionate impact from COVID-19, comprising about 24% of deaths while representing 13% of the US population. We conducted a study to understand COVID-19’s impact on African-Americans’ health attitudes. Methods In April 2020, we surveyed online a national sample of US adults on their health attitudes and behaviors before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Comparisons were analyzed using chi-squared tests. Results A total of 2,544 individuals completed the survey: 473 African-Americans, 282 Hispanics and 1,799 Caucasians responded. The mean ages of each group were 41.4 ± 11 years, 38.0 ± 11 years and 45.7 ± 13 years, respectively. Before COVID-19, African-Americans were least likely to report they had trust in science (53% vs. 68% for Hispanics and 77% for Caucasians; p< .01) and government (16% vs. 27% and 28%; p< .01). After COVID-19, the percentage of African-Americans who had trust in science and government fell further to 44% (p< .01) and 9% (p< .01), respectively, and remained significantly lower than the other two groups. Twice as many African-Americans vs. Caucasians stopped following science and health news after COVID-19 (9% vs. 4%, p< .01). The percentage of African-Americans who reported anxiety about their health rose from 30% pre-COVID to 53% after the outbreak (p< .01), and the percentage who reported anxiety about their family members’ health rose from 35% to 61% (p< .01). Only 25% of African-Americans surveyed agreed that if they contracted COVID-19, they were confident they would get the healthcare needed. Conclusion After COVID-19, African-Americans’ trust in science and government fell and a meaningful percentage stopped following science and health news, possibly reducing access to important health information. The percentage of African-Americans reporting anxiety about the future, about their health and about their family members’ health all increased significantly after COVID-19. Only a minority of African-Americans agreed they would get the needed healthcare if they contracted COVID-19. These findings have implications for the mental health and behavioral impacts of COVID-19 on African-Americans and for the development of health communications to high-disease-incidence populations. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals Evaluating the impact of exposure to environmental contaminants on human health

1996 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
pp. 1345-1349 ◽  
Author(s):  
J B Silkworth ◽  
J F Brown
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Substances ◽  
The Public ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbon Receptor ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Synthetic Chemicals ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Coplanar Polychlorinated Biphenyls ◽  
Proportional Contribution ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Humans are exposed daily to low concentrations of many different chemical substances, natural and some man-made. Although many of these substances can be toxic at high levels, typical exposures are far below the effect levels. The responses produced by man-made aromatic hydrocarbon receptor agonists, such as dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are also produced, often to greater extents [corrected], by naturally occurring constituents of fried meat, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, cocoa, and curry. Our society seems to be concerned about the health risks associated only with the synthetic chemicals, regardless of their proportional contribution to the total agonist activity, and regulates on the basis of such concerns. It would be more protective of the public health to determine acceptable concentrations for each type of response, regardless of the origin of the inducing agent, and issue advisories or regulations accordingly.

scholarly journals Cost-Effectiveness of Black Soldier Fly Larvae Meal as Substitute of Fishmeal in Diets for Layer Chicks and Growers

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6074
Author(s):  
Esther Khayanga Sumbule ◽  
Mary Kivali Ambula ◽  
Isaac Maina Osuga ◽  
Janice Ghemoh Changeh ◽  
David Miano Mwangi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Daily Weight Gain ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Black Soldier Fly ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Black Soldier Fly Larvae ◽  
Fly Larvae ◽  
The Impact

The acceptance of eco-friendly black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) as sustainable alternative protein ingredient in poultry feeds continues to gain momentum worldwide. This study evaluates the impact of BSFLM in layer chick and grower diets on the growth, carcass quality and economic returns. Mean weekly weight gain and total live weight per chick and grower varied significantly. The highest final weight gain was achieved when birds were provided diet with 25.6% BSFLM. Average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily weight gain (ADG) and overall weight gain of the chick varied significantly, except for the feed conversion ratio (FCR). For grower birds, ADFI, ADG, FCR and overall weight gain did not vary significantly across the various feeding regimes. The weight of the wings and drumsticks had a quadratic response with a maximum weight obtained at 33% inclusion of BSFLM. The weight of the internal organs were not significantly affected by dietary types. Positive cost–benefit ratio and return on investment was recorded for diet types with higher BSFLM inclusion levels (>75%). Diets with 25% and 100% BSFLM inclusion were the most suitable and cost-effective, respectively. Thus, BSFLM represents a promising alternative source of protein that could be sustainably used in the poultry industries.

scholarly journals Conceptualizing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with opioid use disorder: an application of the social ecological model

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan Cowan ◽  
Maria R. Khan ◽  
Siri Shastry ◽  
E. Jennifer Edelman
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Opioid Use Disorder ◽  
Social Ecological Model ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unparalleled societal disruption with wide ranging effects on individual liberties, the economy, and physical and mental health. While no social strata or population has been spared, the pandemic has posed unique and poorly characterized challenges for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). Given the pandemic’s broad effects, it is helpful to organize the risks posed to specific populations using theoretical models. These models can guide scientific inquiry, interventions, and public policy. Models also provide a visual image of the interplay of individual-, network-, community-, structural-, and pandemic-level factors that can lead to increased risks of infection and associated morbidity and mortality for individuals and populations. Such models are not unidirectional, in that actions of individuals, networks, communities and structural changes can also affect overall disease incidence and prevalence. In this commentary, we describe how the social ecological model (SEM) may be applied to describe the theoretical effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). This model can provide a necessary framework to systematically guide time-sensitive research and implementation of individual-, community-, and policy-level interventions to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with OUD.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Impact of Two Generalist Predators on the Leafhopper Erasmoneura vulnerata Population Density

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 321
Author(s):  
Stefan Cristian Prazaru ◽  
Giulia Zanettin ◽  
Alberto Pozzebon ◽  
Paola Tirello ◽  
Francesco Toffoletto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Generalist Predators ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Potted Plants ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Orius Majusculus ◽  
Limited Effectiveness ◽  
Pest Outbreaks ◽  
The Impact

Outbreaks of the Nearctic leafhopper Erasmoneura vulnerata represent a threat to vinegrowers in Southern Europe, in particular in North-eastern Italy. The pest outbreaks are frequent in organic vineyards because insecticides labeled for organic viticulture show limited effectiveness towards leafhoppers. On the other hand, the naturally occurring predators and parasitoids of E. vulnerata in vineyards are often not able to keep leafhopper densities at acceptable levels for vine-growers. In this study, we evaluated the potential of two generalist, commercially available predators, Chrysoperla carnea and Orius majusculus, in suppressing E. vulnerata. Laboratory and semi-field experiments were carried out to evaluate both species’ predation capacity on E. vulnerata nymphs. The experiments were conducted on grapevine leaves inside Petri dishes (laboratory) and on potted and caged grapevines (semi-field); in both experiments, the leaves or potted plants were infested with E. vulnerata nymphs prior to predator releases. Both predator species exhibited a remarkable voracity and significantly reduced leafhopper densities in laboratory and semi-field experiments. Therefore, field studies were carried out over two growing seasons in two vineyards. We released 4 O. majusculus adults and 30 C. carnea larvae per m2 of canopy. Predator releases in vineyards reduced leafhopper densities by about 30% compared to the control plots. Results obtained in this study showed that the two predators have a potential to suppress the pest density, but more research is required to define appropriate predator–prey release ratios and release timing. Studies on intraguild interactions and competition with naturally occurring predators are also suggested.

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