Development of Transgenic North American White Ash (Fraxinus americana) Expressing a Bacillus thuringiensis Protein for Management of the Emerald Ash Borer

White ash (WA), Fraxinus americana, is an integral part of the hardwood forest ecosystem. Economically, WA provides wood for important products such as baseball bats, tool handles, and hardwood flooring. Ecologically WA provides cover and mast to support wildlife. The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a significant threat to all ash species because of a lack of native resistance in North American ash trees, its rapid spread, and the ineffectiveness and expense of control measures. EAB is a non-native beetle that consumes tree vascular tissue while in the larval stage. The development of an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol may impart systemic resistance to EAB via the Cry8Da toxic protein, which is lethal to EAB larvae and naturally found in Bacillus thuringiensis SDS-502. Development of a transformation system for WA will allow this gene or others imparting resistance to be successfully incorporated into the WA genome. Embryos were extracted, transformed, and cultured on a selection-regeneration medium, killing any non-transgenic tissues while allowing for transgenic shoot formation. Transformed hypocotyls will be further cultured on a selection-elongation medium to allow for shoot development, after which shoots will be rooted and acclimatized to greenhouse conditions. Additional confirmation of transgenic plants will be conducted through quantitative measurements of the FLAG protein, polymerase chain reaction, and finally a feeding assay performed with EAB larvae. WA hypocotyls regenerated shoots after transformation at a 27.8% efficiency rate. The transformed hypocotyls received 6 weeks of exposure to kanamycin in the selection medium, allowing for positive results within the scope of this project. This protocol can be used to further genetically modify F. americana, allowing for preservation of this ecologically and economically important species

Atom trapping with a thin magnetic film

We have created a $^{87}$Rb Bose-Einstein condensate in a magnetic trapping potential produced by a hard disk platter written with a periodic pattern. Cold atoms were loaded from an optical dipole trap and then cooled to BEC on the surface with radiofrequency evaporation. Fragmentation of the atomic cloud due to imperfections in the magnetic structure was observed at distances closer than 40 $\mu$m from the surface. Attempts to use the disk as an atom mirror showed dispersive effects after reflection.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Global investments in pandemic preparedness and COVID-19: development assistance and domestic spending on health between 1990 and 2026

Background The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted gaps in health surveillance systems, disease prevention, and treatment globally. Among the many factors that might have led to these gaps is the issue of the financing of national health systems, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), as well as a robust global system for pandemic preparedness. We aimed to provide a comparative assessment of global health spending at the onset of the pandemic; characterise the amount of development assistance for pandemic preparedness and response disbursed in the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic; and examine expectations for future health spending and put into context the expected need for investment in pandemic preparedness. Methods In this analysis of global health spending between 1990 and 2021, and prediction from 2021 to 2026, we estimated four sources of health spending: development assistance for health (DAH), government spending, out-of-pocket spending, and prepaid private spending across 204 countries and territories. We used the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Creditor Reporting System (CRS) and the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED) to estimate spending. We estimated development assistance for general health, COVID-19 response, and pandemic preparedness and response using a keyword search. Health spending estimates were combined with estimates of resources needed for pandemic prevention and preparedness to analyse future health spending patterns, relative to need. Findings In 2019, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, USD 9·2 trillion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 9·1–9·3) was spent on health worldwide. We found great disparities in the amount of resources devoted to health, with high-income countries spending USD 7·3 trillion (95% UI 7·2–7·4) in 2019; 293·7 times the USD 24·8 billion (95% UI 24·3–25·3) spent by low-income countries in 2019. That same year, USD 43·1 billion in development assistance was provided to maintain or improve health. The pandemic led to an unprecedented increase in development assistance targeted towards health; in 2020 and 2021, USD 1·8 billion in DAH contributions was provided towards pandemic preparedness in LMICs, and USD 37·8 billion was provided for the health-related COVID-19 response. Although the support for pandemic preparedness is 12·2% of the recommended target by the High-Level Independent Panel (HLIP), the support provided for the health-related COVID-19 response is 252·2% of the recommended target. Additionally, projected spending estimates suggest that between 2022 and 2026, governments in 17 (95% UI 11–21) of the 137 LMICs will observe an increase in national government health spending equivalent to an addition of 1% of GDP, as recommended by the HLIP. Interpretation There was an unprecedented scale-up in DAH in 2020 and 2021. We have a unique opportunity at this time to sustain funding for crucial global health functions, including pandemic preparedness. However, historical patterns of underfunding of pandemic preparedness suggest that deliberate effort must be made to ensure funding is maintained. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

A decade of monitoring Atlantic cod Gadus morhua spawning aggregations in Massachusetts Bay using passive acoustics

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Caiger, P. E., Dean, M. J., DeAngelis, A. I., Hatch, L. T., Rice, A. N., Stanley, J. A., Tholke, C., Zemeckis, D. R., & Van Parijs, S. M. A decade of monitoring Atlantic cod Gadus morhua spawning aggregations in Massachusetts Bay using passive acoustics. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 635, (2020): 89-103, doi:10.3354/meps13219.Atlantic cod Gadus morhua populations in the northeast USA have failed to recover since major declines in the 1970s and 1990s. To rebuild these stocks, managers need reliable information on spawning dynamics in order to design and implement control measures; discovering cost-effective and non-invasive monitoring techniques is also favorable. Atlantic cod form dense, site-fidelic spawning aggregations during which they vocalize, permitting acoustic detection of their presence at such times. The objective of this study was to detect spawning activity of Atlantic cod using multiple fixed-station passive acoustic recorders to sample across Massachusetts Bay during the winter spawning period. A generalized linear modeling approach was used to investigate spatio-temporal trends of cod vocalizing over 10 consecutive winter spawning seasons (2007-2016), the longest such timeline of any passive acoustic monitoring of a fish species. The vocal activity of Atlantic cod was associated with diel, lunar, and seasonal cycles, with a higher probability of occurrence at night, during the full moon, and near the end of November. Following 2009 and 2010, there was a general decline in acoustic activity. Furthermore, the northwest corner of Stellwagen Bank was identified as an important spawning location. This project demonstrated the utility of passive acoustic monitoring in determining the presence of an acoustically active fish species, and provides valuable data for informing the management of this commercially, culturally, and ecologically important species.Thanks to Eli Bonnell, Genevieve Davis, Julianne Bonell, Samara Haver, and Eric Matzen for assistance in MARU deployments, Dana Gerlach and Heather Heenehan for help in passive acoustic data analysis, and the NEFSC passive acoustics group for useful discussions. Funding for 2007−2012 passive acoustic surveys was provided by Excelerate Energy and Neptune LNG to Cornell University. Fieldwork for 2013−2015 was funded through the 2013−2014 NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy grant program (Award No. NA14NMF4270027), and jointly funded by The Nature Conservancy, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, and the Cabot Family Charitable Foundation. Funding for 2016 SoundTrap data was provided by NOAA’s Ocean Acoustics Program (4 Sanctuaries Project)

Electric-field driven insulating to conducting transition in a mesoscopic quantum dot lattice

We investigate electron transport through a finite two dimensional mesoscopic periodic potential, consisting of an array of lateral quantum dots with electron density controlled by a global top gate. We observe a transition from an insulating state at low bias voltages to a conducting state at high bias voltages. The insulating state shows simply activated temperature dependence, with strongly gate voltage dependent activation energy. At low temperatures the transition between the insulating and conducting states becomes very abrupt and shows strong hysteresis. The high-bias behavior suggests underdamped transport through a periodic washboard potential resulting from collective motion.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

The influence of encounter service quality on patient satisfaction : an empirical study in Chinese public hospitals

Purpose: This paper examined the association between perceived service quality and patient satisfaction of Chinese out-patients in the patronage of medical services. Design/Methodology/Approach: Utilizing by novelty specific departments in the hospital’s and logistics multiple regression investigation, the researchers tested and estimated the statistical effects of the department’s services (perceived service quality) as a predictor for out-patients satisfaction. Findings: The analysis shows that patients who exhibited content from the services of selected departments reported greater satisfaction, with it impacts suggesting a measurably noteworthy effect, even in a total medical seller market like China. Practical Implication: The study brings forth implications both for professionals and academics. It encourages more studies, and its findings and application can provide value as a management tool to consider and identify sources as linking the relationship between potential improvements in perceived service quality from as low as departmental levels and patient’s satisfaction to achieve advantage. Originality/Value: It encourages more studies, and its findings and application can provide value as a management tool to consider and identify sources as linking the relationship between potential improvements in perceived service quality.peer-reviewe

Consumers’ Preferences for Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Product Features: A Structured Content Analysis

To inform potential governmental regulations, we aimed to develop a list of electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) product features important to U.S. consumers by age and gender. We employed qualitative data methods. Participants were eligible if they had used an ENDS at least once. Groups were selected by age and gender (young adult group aged 18–25, n = 11; middle-age group aged 26–64, n = 9; and women’s group aged 26–64, n = 9). We conducted five individual older adult interviews (aged 68–80). Participants discussed important ENDS features. We conducted a structured content analysis of the group and interview responses. Of 34 participants, 68% were white and 56% were female. Participants mentioned 12 important ENDS features, including: (1) user experience; (2) social acceptability; (3) cost; (4) health risks/benefits; (5) ease of use; (6) flavors; (7) smoking cessation aid; (8) nicotine content; (9) modifiability; (10) ENDS regulation; (11) bridge between tobacco cigarettes; (12) collectability. The most frequently mentioned ENDS feature was modifiability for young adults, user experience for middle-age and older adults, and flavor for the women’s group. This study identified multiple features important to ENDS consumers. Groups differed in how they viewed various features by age and gender. These results can inform ongoing regulatory efforts

Gas-permeable ethylene bags for the small scale cultivation of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 and other viruses in embryonated chicken eggs

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Embryonated chicken eggs (ECE) are sometimes used for the primary isolation or passage of influenza viruses, other viruses, and certain bacteria. For small-scale experiments with pathogens that must be studied in biosafety level three (BSL3) facilities, inoculated ECE are sometimes manipulated and maintained in small egg incubators within a biosafety cabinet (BSC). To simplify the clean up and decontamination of an egg incubator in case of egg breakage, we explored whether ethylene breather bags could be used to encase ECE inoculated with pathogens. This concept was tested by determining embryo survival and examining virus yields in bagged ECE.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Virus yields acceptable for many applications were attained when influenza-, alpha-, flavi-, canine distemper-, and mousepox viruses were propagated in ECE sealed within ethylene breather bags.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>For many small-scale applications, ethylene breather bags can be used to encase ECE inoculated with various viruses.</p