scholarly journals The Competitive Mating of Irradiated Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, Halyomorpha halys, for the Sterile Insect Technique

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 411 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Suckling ◽  
Massimo Cristofaro ◽  
Gerardo Roselli ◽  
Mary Levy ◽  
Alessia Cemmi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sterile Insect Technique ◽  
Adult Emergence ◽  
Halyomorpha Halys ◽  
Stink Bugs ◽  
Delivery Method ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Gamma Irradiated ◽  
Very High

The sterility of eggs and nymphs from gamma-irradiated male Halyomorpha halys was investigated to determine the potential for the sterile insect technique (SIT). Males irradiated at 0, 16, 24 and 32 Gy were placed with untreated virgin females, and egg sterility was determined, showing 54.3% at 16 Gy. The percentage of sterility from irradiation was 26 percent lower than previous results from the USA and the variance was very high. Competitive overflooding ratio trials between irradiated virgin males and fertile virgin males at a 5:1 ratio resulted in the expected egg sterility, indicating competitive performance by irradiated males. By July and August, older, irradiated overwintered males were significantly less competitive than similar, non-irradiated males. There is a need to revisit the irradiation delivery method to achieve proper precision around the paternal dose required for an expected >80% egg sterility and subsequent ~99% endpoint sterility estimated at adult emergence in the F1 phase. These results suggest that the mating competitiveness and competency of males after irradiation at 16 Gy is not limiting to the sterile insect technique for suppression. A wild harvest of overwintering males using the aggregation pheromone, followed by irradiation and male release, might replace rearing. Mass-collected, sterilized bugs could be transported from an area of high H. halys density and shipped for release to enable suppression or eradication elsewhere. This concept is under development but further work is needed now to understand the difference in results between the US and Italian irradiators and increase the reliability of dosimetry.

scholarly journals Has the Propensity to Pay Dividends Declined? Evidence from the US Banking Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Shaojie Lai ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
Jiangze Du ◽  
Shuwen Pi
Keyword(s):  
Banking Sector ◽  
Logit Models ◽  
Sample Period ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Difference ◽  
High Level ◽  
Propensity To Pay ◽  
Financial Firm ◽  
Very High

This article examines the propensity to pay dividends in the U.S banking sector during 1973–2014. Although the propensity to pay dividends has been declining over the 52 years of our sample period, banks are consistently more likely to pay dividends than non-financial firms. Using the coefficients from logit models estimated early in the sample period to forecast the percentage of dividend payers in each subsequent year, we conclude that there has been a decline in the likelihood of paying dividends in the banking sector. However, the decline started from a very high level as compared to that of the non-banking sectors. In addition, the variables taken from the non-financial firm literature do not explain the difference between the actual and expected percentage of dividend payers in the banking sector. We also conduct exploratory analyses with bank-specific variables. Although newly included variables are significantly related to the likelihood of paying dividends, they do not explain the declining propensity to pay dividends in the banking sector.

FDA’s reduced exposure marketing order for IQOS: why it is not a reliable global model

2021 ◽  
pp. tobaccocontrol-2020-056316
Author(s):  
Lauren Kass Lempert ◽  
Stella Bialous ◽  
Stanton Glantz
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Tobacco Product ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Sales And Marketing ◽  
Philip Morris ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Difference

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued orders in July 2020 authorising Philip Morris Products S.A. to market its heated tobacco product (HTP) IQOS inside the USA with claims that it reduces exposure to some dangerous substances. FDA’s ‘reduced-exposure’ orders explicitly prohibit the marketing of IQOS with claims that IQOS will reduce harm or the risk of tobacco-related diseases. Under US law, FDA’s IQOS orders are problematic because FDA disregarded valid scientific evidence that IQOS increases exposure to other dangerous toxins and that Philip Morris Products S.A. failed to demonstrate that consumers understand the difference between reduced-exposure and reduced-harm claims. Unfortunately, both ‘reduced-exposure’ and ‘reduced-harm’ are classified as ‘modified risk tobacco products’ under US law. Exploiting this confusion, Philip Morris International used the FDA decision as the basis for marketing and public relations campaigns outside the USA to press governments to reverse policies that ban or regulate the sales and marketing of HTPs, including IQOS. Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control should reject tobacco companies’ unsubstantiated explicit or implied claims of reduced harm associated with HTPs and resist Philip Morris International’s and other companies’ calls to relax HTP regulations based on the FDA’s actions. Instead, parties should adopt policies aligned with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control when dealing with HTPs and other novel tobacco products.

scholarly journals Covid-19: Comparisons by Country and Implications for Future Pandemics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lewis E. Mehl-Madrona ◽  
Francois Bricaire ◽  
Adrian Cuyugan ◽  
J. Barac ◽  
Asadullah Parvaiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Lower Mortality ◽  
Vitamin D Status ◽  
Northern European ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Very High ◽  
Better Than

Background. We set out in this paper to compare Covid-19 results by country to better understand the factors leading to the differing results found internationally. Methods. We used publicly available large datasets to explore differences by the country for Covid-19 mortality statistics. We continuously challenged our projections with reality and numbers from countries around the world, allowing us to refine our models and better understand the progression of the epidemic. All our predictions and findings were discussed and validated from a clinical viewpoint. Results. While no lockdown resulted in higher mortality, the difference between strict lock-down and a lax lockdown was not terribly different and favored lax lockdown. Only one of the top 44 countries had long and strict restrictions. Strict restrictions were more common in the worst-performing countries in terms of Covid mortality. The United States had the largest economic growth coupled with the largest rate of mortality. Those who did well economically had lower mortality and less pressure on their population. Yet they had less mortality than average and less than their neighbors. Conclusions. Countries with the least restrictions fared best economically. Some of them fared well in terms of mortality, even better than neighboring countries with similar social structures and more severe restrictions. The mortality rates in the USA, however, appeared to suffer from very high obesity rates. Norway and the northern European countries have less strict restrictions from the rest of Europe and had lower mortality rates. COVID-19 mortality was associated with vitamin D status.

scholarly journals Improving Nuclear Power Plant's Operational Efficiencies in the U.S.A.

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (01) ◽  
pp. 47-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph S. Miller ◽  
Bob Stakenborghs ◽  
Robert Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Capacity Factor ◽  
Fuel Cycles ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Average Operating ◽  
High Level ◽  
Very High ◽  
Operating Plant

This article discusses improvement in nuclear power plant’s operational efficiencies in the USA in the past 40 years. The increase in nuclear generation has been achieved by a substantial increase in the overall capacity factor of the US plants from about 60% in 1980 to over 90% today. This large increase in capacity factor was achieved by reducing outages, having longer fuel cycles, using higher burnup fuel, and reducing unplanned outages and fuel failures. Combined with increases in power in various plants, this allowed nuclear power to maintain and increase its share of electricity generation. Such an increase in nuclear generation is the equivalent of having built 25–30 nuclear power plants during that period. The length of the planned outages has reduced from 106 days for an average operating plant in 1991 to 38 days in 2008. The fuel performance has also improved to a very high level over the last 20–30 years.

scholarly journals Characteristics of the meconia of European egg parasitoids of Halyomorpha halys

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 ◽  
pp. 187-201
Author(s):  
Giuseppino Sabbatini-Peverieri ◽  
Lucrezia Giovannini ◽  
Claudia Benvenuti ◽  
Luca Madonni ◽  
Kim Hoelmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Adult Emergence ◽  
Classical Biological Control ◽  
Egg Parasitoid ◽  
Egg Parasitoids ◽  
Halyomorpha Halys ◽  
Parasitoid Species ◽  
The Usa

Halyomorpha halys is a severe invasive Asian pest worldwide and classical biological control is foreseen as the most promising control method. Egg parasitoids appear to be the most important natural enemies of this pest, especially the Asian hymenopteran Trissolcus japonicus. In the invaded areas, only a few egg parasitoid species have been able to adopt H. halys as a host. Anastatus bifasciatus is the most common native egg parasitoid of H. halys in Europe, but reaches only low levels of parasitization, while several other native species are only occasionally found. Recently, adventive populations have been found both in the USA and in Europe of T. japonicus, and in Italy of a second Asian species, Trissolcus mitsukurii. Species identification based on morphological traits by specialists or by molecular analysis is a crucial step in the management of biological control programs. The ability to identify the genus or species within a narrow guild of egg parasitoids based on adult emergence holes and meconium features can be a simple and useful method to support management efforts. We present here detailed descriptions of the meconium of the most frequent parasitoid species attacking H. halys in Europe and the characteristics of their emergence holes of the adult wasps.

Strategic-Maritime Triangle in the Indian Ocean: An Emerging Indo-US Naval Entente?

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-325
Author(s):  
Avinandan Choudhury ◽  
P. Moorthy
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Global Commons ◽  
Naval Power ◽  
The Us ◽  
Ocean Region ◽  
Potential Formation ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Strategic Autonomy

The increasing Chinese naval presence in and around Indian ocean, coupled with the rise of the home-grown Indian Navy and the US naval dominance over the global commons, has brought about a strategic maritime triangle in the Indian Ocean. This article looks into the evolving role, capacity and objectives of the Indian, Chinese and US Navy vis-à-vis their strategic interests in the Indian Ocean region. The article argues that the ascendency of China’s naval prowess in Indian Ocean will prod India to opt for a tactical naval entente with the USA. Few impediments to the potential formation of a close-knit Indo-US partnership like India’s fear of losing strategic autonomy, its aversion in being an east Asian naval power, US–Pakistan ties and the difference in the Indian and USA’s interpretation of the concept of ‘Freedom of Navigation’ have been discussed. The article contends that an effective Indo-US naval cooperation will depend on how these impediments are taken into considerations within the make-up of their partnership.

scholarly journals Egg Sterilisation of Irradiated Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 564
Author(s):  
Kiran Jonathan Horrocks ◽  
Taylor Welsh ◽  
Jim E Carpenter ◽  
David Maxwell Suckling
Keyword(s):  
Dose Response ◽  
Sterile Insect Technique ◽  
Irradiation Dose ◽  
Nezara Viridula ◽  
Future Application ◽  
Halyomorpha Halys ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Ongoing Development ◽  
Gamma Irradiated

Nezara viridula Linnaeus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a polyphagous pest of a wide range of economically important crops. Because the control of this species and other pentatomids relies primarily on insecticide application, investigation into the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is warranted. We aimed to investigate the irradiation biology of N. viridula for the potential application of SIT against this pest. Male and female N. viridula were gamma-irradiated at doses between 4 and 28 Gy and mated with both irradiated and nonirradiated conspecifics. Sterility of the resulting eggs followed a dose-response in each case. Irradiated males crossed with untreated females showed higher F1 egg sterility than crosses where the female was irradiated. The greatest F1 egg sterility was observed when both parents were irradiated. There was no obvious dose-response for the longevity of irradiated males, and for the fecundity of nonirradiated females mated with irradiated males. The fecundity of irradiated females appeared to decrease with irradiation dose. These results can be applied to a potential future application of SIT against N. viridula, but predominantly supports the ongoing development of SIT for Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and hemipteran pests in general.

scholarly journals The contribution of drug-related deaths to the US disadvantage in mortality

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 945-953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magali Barbieri
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
High Income ◽  
World Health ◽  
Drug Deaths ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Us ◽  
Working Age ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Background The USA ranks last in life expectancy among high-income countries. Since 2000, excess US mortality has been particularly concentrated in the working ages, which are also the ages hardest hit by the increase in drug deaths. This study measures the effect of drug-related mortality on the gap in life expectancy between the USA and other countries. Methods Data from the Human Mortality Database and the World Health Organization were combined to construct age-standardized mortality rates for 2000–14 in 12 high-income countries and the USA for seven broad causes of death, including drug use. The contribution of each cause to the difference in life expectancy between the USA and the other 12 countries was estimated. Results In 2014, the increase in drug-related deaths accounted for 10–15% of the US disadvantage in mortality, but with marked differences by age group. For working-age men, the increase in drug-related deaths accounted for up to 38% of the difference. Overall, American mortality is higher than the comparison countries across a wide range of causes. Conclusions The severity of the drug epidemic appears to be specific to the USA, but it only partly contributes to the American shortfall in mortality.

Rural Entrepreneurship in Wintergreen Oil

2021 ◽  
pp. 231971452110072
Author(s):  
Dipesh Karki ◽  
Hari Gopal Risal
Keyword(s):  
Bargaining Power ◽  
Foreign Currency ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Rural Entrepreneurship ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Very High ◽  
Local Farmers

Wintergreen is a wild herb that grows in the hills of Nepal that can be used for extracting oil which has several medicinal values. It is being sold into premium-value markets in the USA by doTERRA Inc. doTERRA has a co-impact sourcing partnership with the NGO Choice Humanitarian, scouts the local farmers or entrepreneurs and helps them set up the production business. The difference between the price of the final product and the price that local entrepreneurs get is very high. Despite this, the venture has created a new opportunity for local farmers to make large profit as the cost of production is low. However, the business itself has several challenges from scalability and sustainability aspects. Further, the price is set by the single buyer and the market has monopsonist characteristics; hence, the producer has less bargaining power. Despite these challenges, creating a better business environment enables the export of essential oil and that can be a potential foreign currency source for country like Nepal.

Measurement Invariance of a Universal Behavioral Screener Across Samples From the USA and Germany

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gino Casale ◽  
Robert J. Volpe ◽  
Brian Daniels ◽  
Thomas Hennemann ◽  
Amy M. Briesch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Student Behavior ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cross Cultural Comparison ◽  
School Based ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Universal Screener ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa

Abstract. The current study examines the item and scalar equivalence of an abbreviated school-based universal screener that was cross-culturally translated and adapted from English into German. The instrument was designed to assess student behavior problems that impact classroom learning. Participants were 1,346 K-6 grade students from the US (n = 390, Mage = 9.23, 38.5% female) and Germany (n = 956, Mage = 8.04, 40.1% female). Measurement invariance was tested by multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) across students from the US and Germany. Results support full scalar invariance between students from the US and Germany (df = 266, χ2 = 790.141, Δχ2 = 6.9, p < .001, CFI = 0.976, ΔCFI = 0.000, RMSEA = 0.052, ΔRMSEA = −0.003) indicating that the factor structure, the factor loadings, and the item thresholds are comparable across samples. This finding implies that a full cross-cultural comparison including latent factor means and structural coefficients between the US and the German version of the abbreviated screener is possible. Therefore, the tool can be used in German schools as well as for cross-cultural research purposes between the US and Germany.

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