Effect of Planting Coleus blumei on Insect Populations in Taro (Colocasia esculenta) Fields in American Samoa

In a Rapid Rural Appraisal Survey, conducted in American Samoa in November, 1990, farmers reported that planting Coleus blumei (pate in Samoan) with taro (Colocasia esculenta) kept armyworms (Spodoptera litura) and/or planthoppers (Tarophagus proserpina) from their taro fields. Two experiments were conducted at the Land Grant Station in American Samoa from May to November, 1991 and February to August 1992, respectively, to test this hypothesis. In the first study, semi-monthly insect counts were made on two fields, one planted with Coleus blumei in the center and one without the Coleus. Insect data were collected from each of eight quadrates surrounding the Coleus and at three distances away from the center of the field. There were no significant differences in pest incidence between Coleus and non-Coleus fields. Results indicated a slight trend toward fewer armyworms and planthoppers in the field planted with Coleus. A second study compared insect incidence in eight taro plots, four with and four without a border of Coleus. Insect counts were collected semi-monthly. No statistical differences were found between insect incidence in the two types of plots. There was a trend toward more armyworms in the non-Coleus plot. Future studies will focus on examining other environmental factors that might influence taro pest and/or parasite incidence, as well as modifications in experimental design

Exploiting Macrofauna Diadromy for Assessing Anthropogenic Impact in American Samoa Streams.

v. ill. 23 cm.QuarterlyStream biomonitoring is increasingly used to identify and monitor changes in water quality, stream habitat, and even the surrounding watershed. An effective biomonitoring protocol must comprise attributes able to discriminate human-caused changes from natural variation. We attempted to identify such attributes for streams of American Samoa, which, in turn, might also have widespread applicability to other oceanic islands. Owing to the diadromous nature of the macrofauna, we assessed species richness, diversity, composition, dominance, and biomass of freshwater fishes, crustaceans, and mollusks in 50 m sections in midreaches of five streams with and five streams without anthropogenic influences at the estuarine reach. We electrofished for fishes and crustaceans, and we picked mollusks from stream substrates. We discovered that two species of neritid snails of the pan-Pacific genus Clithon were significantly more abundant in the midreach of streams undisturbed by human impacts at the estuarine reach, making them potentially useful bioindicators throughout the South Pacific

Use of SMS texts for facilitating access to online alcohol interventions: a feasibility study

A41 Use of SMS texts for facilitating access to online alcohol interventions: a feasibility study In: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 2017, 12(Suppl 1): A4

Customer emotions in service failure and recovery encounters

Emotions play a significant role in the workplace, and considerable attention has been given to the study of employee emotions. Customers also play a central function in organizations, but much less is known about customer emotions. This chapter reviews the growing literature on customer emotions in employee–customer interfaces with a focus on service failure and recovery encounters, where emotions are heightened. It highlights emerging themes and key findings, addresses the measurement, modeling, and management of customer emotions, and identifies future research streams. Attention is given to emotional contagion, relationships between affective and cognitive processes, customer anger, customer rage, and individual differences