The Role of Local Leaders in Environmental Concerns in Master Plans: An Empirical Study of China’s Eighty Large Municipalities

Limited research has explored the reasons behind the level of environmental concerns in master plans in China, where serious environmental degradation has caught the world’s attention and the planning regime is significantly different from those based on representative democracy. Analyzing eighty master plans of China’s large municipalities, we find that the education and age of local leaders have a significant effect on environmental concerns in master plans, while their work experience and state mandate do not. We conclude that that well-educated local leaders and a more collaborative planning approach could deal more efficiently with environmental problems in China

Impact of floral feeding on adult Drosophila suzukii survival and nutrient status

Drosophila suzukii, spotted wing drosophila, is a serious pest of small fruits and cherries in many regions of the world. While host usage has been well studied at the ovipositional and larval feeding stages, little is known about the feeding ecology and nutrient requirements of adults. This study addressed the impact of feeding on the survival and nutrient reserves of adult D. suzukii in laboratory assays. First, access to cherry blossoms increased survival rates of both adult males and females compared to water only. This suggests that these early spring blossoms may provide a food source for D. suzukii in fields that may be devoid of other food sources. Second, D. suzukii reared on a standard laboratory diet as larvae emerged as adults with minimal glycogen and sugar levels. Adults with continued access to a carbohydrate–protein diet showed rapidly elevated carbohydrate reserves, and adults with continued access to only water showed a decline in total sugars. Third, females with access to cherry or blueberry blossoms showed elevated carbohydrate reserves when compared to those with access to water only. These results illustrate the importance of adult feeding in enhancing survival and carbohydrate reserves among D. suzukii.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by Springer Verlag and can be found at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10340-016-0762-7Keywords: Sugar, Lipid, Nectar, Glycoge

Формування кадрової політики підприємства

Науковий керівник — к.е.н., доц. Білявський В.М.Одним з головних досягнень нинішнього етапу науково-технічної революції стало перетворення людей в рушійну силу виробництва, тому сьогодні для організації її персонал є основним багатством. Раніше він розглядався лише, як один із чинників виробництва, який, по суті, нічим не відрізняється від машин та обладнання, то сьогодні він являє собою стратегічний ресурс, найважливіший чинник успіху у конкурентній боротьбі.Східноєвропейський університет економіки і менеджмент

Renal neuroendocrine control of desiccation and cold tolerance by Drosophila suzukii

Background: Neuropeptides are central to the regulation of physiological, and behavioural processes in insects, directly impacting cold and desiccation survival. However, little is known about the control mechanisms governing these responses in D. suzukii. The close phylogenetic relationship of D. suzukii with D. melanogaster allows, through genomic and functional studies, an insight into the mechanisms directing stress tolerance in D. suzukii. Results: Capa, Leucokinin, DH44 and DH31 neuropeptides demonstrate a high level of conservation between D. suzukii and D. melanogaster with respect to peptide sequences, neuronal expression, receptor localisation, and diuretic function in the Malpighian tubules. Despite D. suzukii’s ability to populate cold environments, they proved sensitive to both cold and desiccation. Furthermore, in D. suzukii, Capa acts as a desiccation-and cold stress-responsive gene, while DH44 gene expression is increased only after desiccation exposure, and the LK gene after nonlethal cold stress recovery. Conclusion: This study provides a comparative investigation into stress tolerance mediation by neuroendocrine signalling in two Drosophila species, providing evidence that similar signalling pathways control fluid secretion in the Malpighian tubules. Identifying processes governing specific environmental stresses affecting D. suzukii could lead to the development of targeted integrated management strategies to control insect pest populations

Humidity affects populations of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in blueberry

Temperature and humidity affect insect physiology, survival, fecundity, reproductive status and behaviour. Complementing previous work investigating the effects of temperature on adult survival and fecundity of the invasive frugivorous pest, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), this study was conducted to determine the effect of humidity on D. suzukii larval development, adult survival, fecundity and reproductive status using blueberry as a host substrate. The five constant humidity levels in laboratory bioassays were 20, 33, 71, 82 and 94% RH at 20.6 ± 0.2°C. As RH increased, fecundity and longevity increased. At the higher humidity levels, RH had limited impact on mean generation times (T), larval development and eclosion times. The highest net reproductive rate (R[subcript]o = 68) and highest intrinsic rate of population increase (r[subscript]m = 0.17) were both recorded at 94% RH. The reproductive status of females, as indicated by the number of mature oocytes per female, was significantly greater at 82 and 94% RH, compared to 71% RH. In addition to the laboratory procedures, we correlated field trap captures over an 81-day summer period to relative humidity (RH) levels in close proximity to those traps. In the field, low ambient humidity levels resulted in decreased trap captures. A humidity-dependent population model predicted lower densities of D. suzukii relative to populations at higher humidity. This study supports the hypothesis that cultural practices that minimize lower humidity levels in crops can contribute to the management of D. suzukii. Such methods may include open pruning, drip irrigation and field floor management.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The article is copyrighted by Blackwell Verlag and published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. It can be found at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291439-0418Keywords: ovarian maturation, longevity, relative humidity, fecundity, spotted wing drosophilaKeywords: ovarian maturation, longevity, relative humidity, fecundity, spotted wing drosophil

Drosophila suzukii population estimation

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae: Drosophilini) is a global pest attacking ripening small and stone fruits. Laboratory studies were conducted to determine temperature-dependent survival and fecundity of SWD. A temperature-dependent matrix model using these data was applied to determine if population pressure of D. suzukii could be predicted based upon environmental conditions. As an example, different pressure levels were found in two distinctly different seasons in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. The model was also applied to determine the effects of population factors such as regional climatic differences, microclimates, bacterial infection and parasitism. The population model is an additional tool for SWD risk-prediction. Pest management practitioners can make timely management decisions as the crop ripens using this model. The limitations and benefits of using this model are discusse

Integrating Temperature-Dependent Life Table Data into a Matrix Projection Model for Drosophila suzukii Population Estimation

Temperature-dependent fecundity and survival data was integrated into a matrix population model to describe relative Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) population increase and age structure based on environmental conditions. This novel modification of the classic Leslie matrix population model is presented as a way to examine how insect populations interact with the environment, and has application as a predictor of population density. For D. suzukii, we examined model implications for pest pressure on crops. As case studies, we examined model predictions in three small fruit production regions in the United States (US) and one in Italy. These production regions have distinctly different climates. In general, patterns of adult D. suzukii trap activity broadly mimicked seasonal population levels predicted by the model using only temperature data. Age structure of estimated populations suggest that trap and fruit infestation data are of limited value and are insufficient for model validation. Thus, we suggest alternative experiments for validation. The model is advantageous in that it provides stage-specific population estimation, which can potentially guide management strategies and provide unique opportunities to simulate stage-specific management effects such as insecticide applications or the effect of biological control on a specific life-stage. The two factors that drive initiation of the model are suitable temperatures (biofix) and availability of a suitable host medium (fruit). Although there are many factors affecting population dynamics of D. suzukii in the field, temperature-dependent survival and reproduction are believed to be the main drivers for D. suzukii populations

Active case finding for rheumatic fever in an endemic country

Background: Despite the high burden of rheumatic heart disease in sub‐Saharan Africa, diagnosis with acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is exceedingly rare. Here, we report the results of the first prospective epidemiologic survey to diagnose and characterize ARF at the community level in Africa. Methods and Results: A cross‐sectional study was conducted in Lira, Uganda, to inform the design of a broader epidemiologic survey. Key messages were distributed in the community, and children aged 3 to 17 years were included if they had either (1) fever and joint pain, (2) suspicion of carditis, or (3) suspicion of chorea, with ARF diagnoses made by the 2015 Jones Criteria. Over 6 months, 201 children met criteria for participation, with a median age of 11 years (interquartile range, 6.5) and 103 (51%) female. At final diagnosis, 51 children (25%) had definite ARF, 11 (6%) had possible ARF, 2 (1%) had rheumatic heart disease without evidence of ARF, 78 (39%) had a known alternative diagnosis (10 influenza, 62 malaria, 2 sickle cell crises, 2 typhoid fever, 2 congenital heart disease), and 59 (30%) had an unknown alternative diagnosis. Conclusions: ARF persists within rheumatic heart disease–endemic communities in Africa, despite the low rates reported in the literature. Early data collection has enabled refinement of our study design to best capture the incidence of ARF and to answer important questions on community sensitization, healthcare worker and teacher education, and simplified diagnostics for low‐resource areas. This study also generated data to support further exploration of the relationship between malaria and ARF diagnosis in rheumatic heart disease/malaria‐endemic countries