End Of June Research Articles

The dynamics of wild populations of Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata Motch. (<i>Coleoptera:Coccinellidae</i>) in Primorsky Krai

Relevance. Population dynamics (population waves) is an intrinsic quality of population systems. These fluctuations can be induced by various factors, e.g. environmental conditions and resource availability, elements of a food chain from the same or a higher level (competitors, parasites, predators), and diseases. Few researchers have addressed the issue of the population dynamics of Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata in the Russian Far East. This paper investigates the reasons why the potato ladybird beetle became a pest of introduced cultivated plants.Materials and methods. To collect data on imagines, all research sites were examined at intervals of eight days during the entire period of the study. The examination of the research sites was conducted within one day. All the imagines taken from host plants were marked at the first encounter by puncturing their elytra with a sewing needle (0.4 mm in diameter) according to Hirano. The next generation of beetles was marked with nail polish (in two-three days after emergence) to avoid traumatizing the insects. At the second encounter, these beetles were also marked by puncturing their elytra with a needle. The methods implemented did not have an adverse effect on the survivability of the studied imagines. The beetles were released to the same plants where they had been taken from. The research data were analyzed by Jolly’s method.Results. Overwintered imagines appeared in the fields and began ovipositing at the end of May. The first generation of imagines appeared at the end of June – the begging of July. The second generation of imagines could be observed at the end of July – the beginning of August. A part of the imagines migrated to overwintering sites without ovipositing approximately at the end of August. The overwintered beetles were observed to emerge on the Mongolian oak Q uercus mongolica, the greater celandine Chelidonium majus, and the bird cherry Prunus padus. A typical primary biotope of the potato ladybird beetle was a potato field at the stage of vegetative growth (5-7 leaves) surrounded by the couch grass Elymus repens, the common dandelion Taraxacum officinale, and the perennial sow-thistle Sonchus arvensis. Marking the overwintered and new generations of imagines showed that the presence of the potato ladybird beetle in an ecosystem depended on agricultural and agrometeorological conditions.

Biomass yield potential of Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum L.) in European conditions

Ocimum sanctum L., commonly known as holy basil, tulsi or tulasi, is a medicinal plant that offers many industrial uses in medicine, cosmetics and the food industry. Recently, the interest has risen in good-quality biomass from this plant. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine an optimum density of O. sanctum vegetation when grown in Central Europe in order to achieve the highest possible yield of the above-ground biomass. The following were assessed as criteria of quality of the obtained biomass: the content and composition of the essential oil for O. sanctum vegetation with the highest yield, and the content of rosmarinic acid as an important representative of polyphenolic compounds providing a high industrial potential. The yield characteristics were studied in two localities and in two years for three spacing values, from the most dense (10 ×15 cm) to an intermediate (15 ×25 cm) and sparse (20 ×35 cm) spacing. It was found that two good-quality harvests could be obtained in the temperate zone (the first one at the end of June and the second one in the middle of August). As we found out, a dense spacing of 10 × 15 cm provides a significantly higher yield compared to spacings of 15 × 25 cm or 20 × 35 cm, i.e. the average yield was 1.67 kg.m-2 of fresh biomass for the first harvest and 3.72 kg.m-2 of fresh biomass for the second harvest. The dense spacing can thus be expected to provide a potential annual average yield of 54,057 kg.ha-1 of fresh biomass or 5963 kg.ha-1 of dry biomass. As for the dense spacing, the harvested biomass was also of good quality. It contained about 1% essential oil with a major proportion of linalool (34–39%) and estragole (22–26%), as well as rosmarinic acid, whose average content ranged from 1.05 mg.g-1 to 6.34 mg.g-1. Therefore, a dense spacing of 10 × 15 cm can be recommended for O. sanctum growing in the temperate zone.

News in Astronomy & Geophysics – February 2023

... Preparations are well under way for the National Astronomy Meeting 2023, to be hosted by Cardiff University, Wales. The meeting, from 3–7 July, will cover all areas of astronomy and astrophysics, together with the UK Solar Physics (UKSP) and Magnetosphere Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial (MIST) communities. Attendees can expect the full NAM range of activities, with specialist sessions – to be announced and open for submissions in mid-March – and a range of career development and outreach activities. The organising team also plans to include longer keynote sessions around the theme of Origins. Check out the website for more information. If you're hoping to present your work at NAM, then abstract submission will open in March, and close in April. General registration should open by the end of April, and those presenting either a talk or a poster will need to register by early June. Those attending can register until the end of June, but there will be no registration on site.

Temporal Relationships Between Saharan Dust Proxies, Climate, and Meningitis in Senegal.

The Harmattan, a dry, northeasterly trade wind, transports large quantities of Saharan dust over the Sahelian region during the dry season (December-March). Studies have shown that bacterial meningitis outbreaks in Sahelian regions show hyper-endemic to endemic levels during high-dust months. We examine the (a) seasonality and intraseasonal variability of dust, climate, and meningitis and the (b) quantitative relationships between various dust proxies with meningitis lags of 0-10weeks in Senegal from 2012 to 2017. The results show that the onset of the meningitis season occurs in February, roughly 2months after the dusty season has begun. The meningitis season peaks at the beginning of April, when northeasterly wind speeds and particulate matter (PM) are relatively high, and the meningitis season ends near the end of June, when temperature and humidity rise and northeasterly wind speeds decline. Furthermore, we find that Senegal's relatively high humidity year-round may help slow the transmission of the infection, contributing to a lower disease incidence than landlocked countries in the meningitis belt. Lastly, our results suggest the desert dust may have a significant impact on the onset to the peak of the meningitis season in Senegal, particularly at the 0-2 and 10-week lag, whether that be directly through biological processes or indirectly through changes in human behavior. PM and visibility, however, are not in phase with aerosol optical depth throughout the year and consequently show different relationships with meningitis. This study further exemplifies the critical need for more PM, meteorological, and meningitis measurements in West Africa to further resolve these relationships.

Fallow Time and Managing Aerosol Generation in Dental Clinics–Current Evidence and Financial Investment Implications

Recently, the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) was tasked to perform a rapid review on the guidelines related to factors mitigating the effect of aerosol generation during dental procedures and reduction in fallow-time. Review1, reflecting the tireless work by the SDCEP review board can be truly considered as a report that the profession has been looking for. The SDCEP’s review comes at a time when the science has not been comprehensive and doesn’t outline how to best ensure public and staff safety in the dental clinic.2 He hopes that the government policy and any new instructions will now reflect the recommendations made in this review.Considering the issues of continued frustration of the dental profession, towards the end of June, the Office of the Chief Dental Officers (CDOs) in the UK tasked the SDCEP to get to grips with the matter. It is worth-noting that SDECP3 has been held in high regard for its outstanding work on antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic prophylaxis, dental amalgam, and periodontal care, and has been praised by all the CDOs in the UK four countries including England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In response, the SDCEP immediately convened a multidisciplinary working group to identify and appraise all the available evidence concerning the generation and mitigation of aerosol dentistry and the associated risk of COVID-19 transmission. The aim was to reach a number of agreed position statements informing policy and clinical guidance.The review members’ dedication, commitment, and clinical and academic expertise have been hugely impressive.2 All worked for almost three months and there were; remarkable academics, virologists, physicists, public health officials, and other wet-fingered dentists. The process required hours of virtual meetings piled on top of intensive review work. To complete the review, everyone almost felt like being a student again waking up to spend hours on physics of relevance to aerosol and epidemiology of airborne viral diseases.

STUDYING THE FEATURES OF ACCUMULATION OF FLAVONOIDS IN WORMWOOD HERB OF BITTER SYNANTROPIC FLORA OF THE ROSTOV REGION

Anthropogenic impact on medicinal plants is an important factor that affects the synthesis of secondary metabolites. With an increase in anthropogen-ic load, additional synthesis of secondary metabolites increases, primarily flavonoids, which play an important and obvious role in protecting plants from stress. The aim of the study was to study the features of the accumulation of flavonoids in the herb wormwood synanthropic flora of the Rostov region. Material and methods. Samples of medicinal plant material of wormwood herb collected in Morozovsky district of Rostov region were studied. Wormwood herb was collected and dried during the beginning of flowering (end of June - beginning of July 2021). The content of the sum of flavonoids in terms of rutin in selected samples of wormwood herb was determined three times by the standard pharmacopoeial method on a spectrophotometer SF-2000. Results. The study of vegetable raw materials harvested in the roadside zone of a slow road (IV category) with slow traffic and a railway showed a di-rect dependence on a decrease in the content of flavonoids with an increase in the distance from highways. Conclusion. According to the studies, it can be concluded that moderate anthropogenic impact, which is characterized by the release of various eco-toxicants into the environment, can induce the biosynthesis of flavonol compounds. However, under conditions of complex toxic stress (near the cate-gory IA highway with high transport traffic), the plant antioxidant system may be inhibited, which is expressed by the suppression of the production of polyphenols.

Influence of vegetation on the composition of essential oil from(Melissa officinalisL.)

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalisL.) is a perennial plant of the family Lamiaceae, which is used in folk medicine and the food industry, as well as being processed to obtain essential oil. The aim of the special work is to monitor the influence of vegetation on the composition of the essential oil. The chemical composition of essential oils, obtained by steam distillation from lemon balm cultivated in North-eastern Bulgaria, has been determined. The plants were harvested in two periods of vegetation - the first at the end of June and second - at the end of August 2020. The main components in the oil from the first cut are geranial (26.41%), neral (19.55%), (E)-β-caryophyllene (17.46%), germacrene D (7.86%) andβ-citronellal (3.24%). In the oil from the second cut, the main components are geranial (37.26%), neral (28.46%), (E)-β- caryophyllene (6.65%), geraniol (4.72%), andβ-citronellal (3.04%). The oil from the second harvest has a high content of the main components of geranial, neral and geraniol and a lower content of (E)-β- caryophyllene and germacrene D. Variations in the amounts are also present in other compounds.

Incidence of portal vein thrombosis in patients with β-thalassemia

BACKGROUND: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is one of the important complication postsplenectomies which is considered part of treatment if hypersplenism developed. It can be diagnosed clearly with advance in the quality of X-ray. It is usually associated with prolonged prothrombin time and increased level of D-dimer and alkaline phosphatase. The treatment includes regular blood transfusion and antithrombotic agentsObjectives: The aim was to evaluate incidence of PVT in β-thalassemia patients and its association with splenectomy and nonsplenectomy patientsPATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Babylon hereditary blood disease center, for 12 months beginning from the first of June 2020, and ending in June 2021. It includes 150 patients with β-thalassemia, they classified 70 patients with splenectomy as the first group and 80 patients without splenectomy as the second group, their age ranged between 3 and 18 years. Doppler ultrasound was done for all patients by a single radiologist to confirm the presence or absence of thrombosis in the portal vein.RESULTS: The results showed that 4.6% of patients had PVT and its incidence increased with age older than 10 years, history of splenectomy, high platelets count, high serum ferritin, low Hb, high white blood count. Abdominal pain was the most common symptoms.CONCLUSION: PVT occurred in 4.6% and the major risk are splenectomy and older 10 years of age. The Doppler ultrasound is considered as simple, noninvasive technique for the detection of thrombus.

Identification of upper thermal thresholds during development in the endangered Nechako white sturgeon with management implications for a regulated river.

Climate change-induced warming effects are already evident in river ecosystems, and projected increases in temperature will continue to amplify stress on fish communities. In addition, many rivers globally are impacted by dams, which have many negative effects on fishes by altering flow, blocking fish passage, and changing sediment composition. However, in some systems, dams present an opportunity to manage river temperature through regulated releases of cooler water. For example, there is a government mandate for Kenney dam operators in the Nechako river, British Columbia, Canada, to maintain river temperature <20°C in July and August to protect migrating sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). However, there is another endangered fish species inhabiting the same river, Nechako white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), and it is unclear if these current temperature regulations, or timing of the regulations, are suitable for spawning and developing sturgeon. In this study, we aimed to identify upper thermal thresholds in white sturgeon embryos and larvae to investigate if exposure to current river temperatures are playing a role in recruitment failure. We incubated embryos and yolk-sac larvae in three environmentally relevant temperatures (14, 18 and 21°C) throughout development to identify thermal thresholds across different levels of biological organization. Our results demonstrate upper thermal thresholds at 21°C across physiological measurements in embryo and yolk-sac larvae white sturgeon. Before hatch, both embryo survival and metabolic rate were reduced at 21°C. After hatch, sublethal consequences continued at 21°C because larval sturgeon had decreased thermal plasticity and a dampened transcriptional response during development. In recent years, the Nechako river has reached 21°C by the end of June, and at this temperature, a decrease in sturgeon performance is evident in most of the traits measured. As such, the thermal thresholds identified here suggest current temperature regulations may not be suitable for developing white sturgeon and future recruitment.

Carbon emission by soil respiration in a deciduous forest on the southern border of the taiga (Tatarstan, Russia)

Soil respiration contributes to the carbon emission losses of terrestrial ecosystems, so its accurate assessment is prerequisite to predict environmental risks resulting from Earth’s climate change. Seasonal dynamics of carbon dioxide fluxes from the soil surface of broad-leaved forest of the Middle Volga region, located on the southern border of the southern taiga subzone, were measured during the growing season. The forest belongs to the polygon Karbon-Povolzhye (Zelenodolsky district, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia). Seven measurements were taken from May to October 2022 in five replicates. The average monthly carbon emission during the growing season and pre-winter period was 0.19±0.01 g C h/m2. The largest emissions were observed at the end of June, the smallest – in September under the decreasing air and soil temperatures. Robust linear regressions were built to predict carbon emission depending on air temperature (n = 35, p &lt; 0.001, r2 = 0.37), temperature of soil at a depth of 1 cm (n = 35, p &lt; 0.001, r2 = 0.30), temperature of soil at a depth of 5 cm (n = 35, p-value &lt; 0.01, r2 = 0.18). The data on carbon flux by soil are presented for the first time for the forest ecosystems of the Middle Volga region. The resulting emission estimates can be used to calculate the total carbon balance for the forest ecosystems of the Middle Volga region.

Patient profiles, treatment patterns, and outcomes among persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer patients under routine care in the United States

ObjectivePatients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer have poor prognosis. While recent advances have expanded treatment options, real-world data on treatment patterns and outcomes in this population are lacking. MethodsThis retrospective study identified adult females with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer from the ConcertAI Oncology Dataset who received systemic therapy on or after August 15, 2014. Patients were followed from persistent, recurrent, or metastatic diagnosis through third-line (3 L) therapy, death, end of record, or study end (June 2021). Data collection included patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes. Kaplan-Meier methods were used for the three most common first-line (1 L) regimens to analyze real-world time on treatment (rwToT), real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS), and real-world overall survival (rwOS). Analyses were stratified by bevacizumab receipt by treatment line. Results307 patients were included (mean [standard deviation] age 51.5 [13.2] years, 70.7% White). 91.2% of patients had metastatic disease, 8.5% had persistent disease, and <1% had recurrent disease. The most common 1 L regimen was carboplatin+paclitaxel+bevacizumab (40.7%) with median (95% confidence interval [CI]) rwToT of 3.5 (2.9–4.4) months. 57.0% of patients proceeded to second line (2 L), and 25.7% went to 3 L. Median (95% CI) rwPFS was 7.2 (6.4–8.1) months, and median (95% CI) rwOS was 16.5 (14.2–19.9) months, from initiation of 1 L. Conclusions1 L regimens received in patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer generally followed clinical guidelines, and the rwOS agrees with clinical trials. This study highlights the burden of disease and unmet need for specific treatments in these patients.

3D DBSCAN detection and parameter sensitivity of the 2022 Yangtze river summertime heatwave and drought

Spatially and temporally accurate event detection is a precondition for exploring the mechanisms of climate extremes. To achieve this, a classical unsupervised machine learning method, the DBSCAN (Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise) clustering algorithm, was employed in the present study. Furthermore, the authors developed a 3D (longitude–latitude–time) DBSCAN-based workflow for event detection of targeted climate extremes and associated analysis of parameter sensitivity. The authors applied this 3D DBSCAN-based workflow in the detection of the 2022 summertime Yangtze extreme heatwave and drought based on the ERA5 reanalysis dataset. The heatwave and drought were found to have different development and migration patterns. Synoptic-scale heatwave extremes appeared over the northern Pacific Ocean at the end of June, extended southwestwards, and covered almost the entire Yangtze River Basin in mid-August. By contrast, a seasonal-scale drought occurred in mid-July over the continental area adjacent to the Bay of Bengal, moved northeastwards, and occupied the entire Yangtze River Basin in mid-September. Event detection can provide new insight into climate mechanisms while considering patterns of occurrence, development, and migration. In addition, the authors also performed a detailed parameter sensitivity analysis for better understanding of the algorithm application and result uncertainties.摘要极端气候事件的精准识别是机理分析的重要前提. 本研究借助无监督机器学习中经典的DBSCAN密度聚类算法, 发展了在三维 (经度-纬度-时间) 空间内进行目标事件识别和参数敏感性分析的研究方案. 在2022年长江全域高温伏秋旱事件识别中的应用表明, 本次天气尺度极端热浪和季节尺度重旱事件的产生发展, 空间传播模式不同. 天气尺度热浪信号自6月底从北太平洋向西南方向延伸, 直至8月中旬覆盖长江全域; 季节重旱信号于7月中旬从孟加拉湾陆面区域向东北向延伸, 直至9月中旬覆盖长江全域. 同时, 本研究中亦进行了相关参数敏感性的详细分析, 对算法应用, 结果理解亦有帮助.

Rediscovering the original recipe for the “empanada sampedrana”

This paper points out the rediscovery of a traditional preparation such as the empanada sampedrana, a native dish of the municipality of Sogamoso in the department of Boyacá, based on the knowledge of each of the sogamoseños households that prepare it during the festivities of San Pedro at the end of June. Within the exercise, the reason for its origin and the origin of each one of the ingredients that make it up, as well as the festivity that represents it, are evidenced. Due to its complexity when preparing it and the replacement of its ingredients, there has been a limited transmission of its knowledge and a decline in its commercialization, generating a disfigurement of the original recipe, even so, the new dynamics that its preparation acquires with the new generations are shown, but without losing sight of its essence.

Hemp Sowing Seed Production: Assessment of New Approaches in North-Italy

Bottlenecks occur as the cultivated area increases and the inappropriate mechanization methods hinder the stable supply of seeds for hemp multiplication. Moreover, the seeds ripen scalarly, and a timely stabilization is required to impede a germinability reduction. The study coupled the delayed sowing of a non-specific hemp variety to a harvesting system allowing for the collection of seeds with other threshing fractions. The final goal was the identification of an innovative route integrating agronomic and mechanical aspects for the improvement of the supply chain of seed production. To this aim, harvesting trials were carried out on the variety Futura sowed at the end of June in North Italy and were collected with a combine equipped with a separator developed for the recovery of threshing residues. The shortening of the growth cycle did not affect the plant height (173 cm on average). The effective working time of the combine was 57% of the total working time and the field efficiency was 1.14 ha h−1, a good performance considering that in our work the seeds was threshed simultaneously to the harvest operation. Seed losses were found to be mostly at the expense of the mowing and threshing system (sector B) but remained below 5%. The separation system allowed for the rescue of 492.20 kg ha−1 (DW basis) of high-value threshing residues.

Influence of the North Kazakhstan Plains Weather on the Productivity of the Spring Soft Wheat

Spring soft wheat is a primary agricultural crop of North Kazakhstan, the growing process of which is done in harsh weather conditions due to the fact, that early spring drought and the biggest rainfalls at the end of June and beginning of July, are normal in the region. Due to this fact, scientists and producers have mistakenly believed that in the Northern region, spring wheat should be sown later, adjusting the main phase of plant development “tillering – stem elongation” under the maximum summer rainfalls. The research aims to establish the dependence of spring wheat yield on the amount of spring-summer rainfall at different sowing periods. The following methods were used in the research: field method, methods of clustering, variation, correlation and dispersion analysis. Analysis of observations from 2012-2021 showed that years with an early-spring drought and mid-summer maximum rainfalls were less than one-third of ten and about 60% were years with no spring drought, although the maximum rainfall period was shifted to the June month. However, only one year (10%) was characterized by a severe spring drought and a shift of summer rainfalls to August. The highest yield (26.9 c/ha) of the studied wheat species was observed in years with an atmospheric precipitation shift at the beginning of the summer period and early sowing date. During years of early spring drought with the biggest rainfall in mid-summer, relatively high yields (20.5 cwt/ha) are observed in the later sowing dates. The practical value of the research is determined by the fact, that in Northern Kazakhstan the sowing dates of spring wheat are not closely tied to the calendar dates and depend significantly on the climatic conditions of the region and the weather conditions that prevailed in the spring and summer period of a specific year

Population dynamics of two-spotted mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) in relation to weather parameters on strawberry

Two-spotted mite, Tetranychus urticae (Koch) is the most common and often the most severe pest of strawberries always resulting in considerable yield losses. The present research work aimed to investigate the effect of temperature, humidity, rainfall and sunshine hours on the population dynamics and severity of mite attack. A field experiment was carried out during April 2020 to March 2022 at Regional Horticultural Research &amp; Training Station, Mashobra, Shimla, India. Mite population was determined by counting the number of active stages and eggs on the dorsal as well as on the ventral surface of the leaf under a binocular microscope. Two leaves were selected randomly from each plant and thus a total of 50 leaves per 25 plants were observed. The results of the studies indicated that population of two-spotted mite on strawberry fluctuated during April to June. Due to heavy rainfall (RF=101.0mm) received during 2020 in the first week of June mite count dropped to 3.20 active stages and 6.78 eggs/leaf. Thereafter, the mite population started increasing gradually in the subsequent weeks and it reached 18.60 active stages and 37.15 eggs/leaf by the end of June. During July-August mite population declined drastically due to washing off mites by continuous rainfall and mite count fluctuated between 0.85 to14.85 active stages and 0.83 to 27.80 eggs/leaf (Temp=17.16 to 19.28°C; RH=70.57 to 90.79%; RF=10.80 to 85.10 mm; 1.31 to 6.07 hrs) during 2020 while it reduced to minimum level of 0.30 active stages and 1.20 eggs/leaf during 2021 due to heavy rainfall (RF=143.40 mm). It multiplied with fast rate during dry months and a hike in mite count was seen from the second week of October with a peak in the fourth week of November during 2020 with the highest mean population of 89.45 active stages and 131.80eggs/leaf with mean temperature 13.51°C, 37.50% relative humidity, 0.00 mm rainfall and 8.11 hrs of sunshine. During 2021 a hike in the mite population was recorded in the fourth week of November with the highest mean population of 108.85 active stages and 186.65 eggs/leaf with mean temperature 13.05°C, 46.64% RH, 0.00 mm rainfall and 7.74 hrs of sunshine. Due to rain or snowfall received during January to February a sharp decline in mite population was observed during both seasons and it fluctuated between 1.45 to 8.35 active stages and 8.58 to 24.15 eggs/leaf (T=2.21 to7.65oC; RH=29.71 to 83.21%; RF=0.00 to 58.70 mm; SS=0.66 to 8.34 hrs). A slight hike in mite population was observed during March and mite count reached to 49.28 active stages and 76.89 eggs/leaf by the end of March, 2022 due to rise in mean temperature. The correlation coefficients (r) between mite population and temperature showed positive and significant relationship, whereas a significant but negative correlation existed between mite population and relative humidity and rainfall. The coefficient of determination between active stages and egg with weather parameters during studies ranged between 71% to 74.0% and 58 to 68.0%, respectively. Thus, the present investigations showed that the severity of mite attack on strawberry was the highest in temperature range of 13–18oC, 35–50% RH, zero rainfall, and during bright sunshine hours. These studies will help in forecasting the mite damage in advance for timely application of control measures.&#x0D;

The importance of assessing the population structure and biology of psylla species for pest monitoring and management in pear orchards

The species of pear sucker, also called pear psylla or pear psyllid, which are destructive insects belonging to the genus Cacopsylla (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) cause substantial damage to pear tree plantations. Two consecutive years of research were conducted on the population structure and biological cycle of psylla in a small, elderly, and unmaintained pear orchard in northern Romania. Of the two identified species (C. pyri L. and C. pyricola Forster), C. pyri dominated the psylla population with a percentage of 77.8-80.1%. Adults of both species emerge from hibernation in the first part of March and produce three generations per year. First-generation adults emerge in the first decade of June, the second generation in the last decade of July, and the third generation in the first decade of September as they enter the hibernation phase. Larvae of the first generation appear in the second half of April, the second generation at the end of June - the beginning of July, and the third generation in the second decade of August. There have been reports of up to 11 adults and 27 larvae per leaf, 9 larvae per petiole, and 14 larvae per fruit. The number of adults captured on yellow sticky traps exposed on the southern side of the tree crown was significantly higher compared to the northern side. Following the intense attack, the well-known cv. ‘Williams’ was heavily affected, pear trees were badly defoliated, blackened, and aged prematurely. The climatic conditions of the two years did not influence the phenology of the pests, but the importance of monitoring psyllids is widely argued, considering that it remains the key to integrated protection programs in pear orchards.

Understanding the Shopping Behaviour of Consumers towards FMCG Sector in Shopping Malls and Quick Commerce

The FMCG sector, India's fourth-largest industry, has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past 20 years and has an impact on everyone's daily lives. The FMCG sector has a significant impact on India's GDP. The study of consumer behaviour focuses on how individuals, groups, and organisations select, acquire, use, and discard products and services that satisfy their needs. India's FMCG industry is still recovering as consumers return to their regular routines. According to NielsenIQ's FMCG Snapshot for Q2 2022, the FMCG industry grew by 10.9% in the quarter ending in June 2022, up from 6% the previous quarter. A double-digit rise in FMCG is also anticipated for India in 2022 as a result of the consumer spending rebound and favourable macroeconomic indicators. We evaluated numerous FMCG Sector components as part of our research study's effort to better understand consumer behaviour. We aimed to analyse customer behaviour across a variety of aspects, including discovering cheaper pricing both online and offline, the impact of shopping malls on impulsive purchases, the mall shopping experience &amp; quick commerce, the impact of online purchasing, &amp; others. Key Words: Consumer Behaviour, Quick Commerce, Shopping Mall, FMCG Products and Online Shopping

Codevelopment and evaluation of a multicomponent intervention to improve HPV vaccination in France

Abstract Background HPV vaccine coverage (VC) in France has always been lower than in most high-income countries. The French authorities launched in 2018 the PrevHPV national research program aimed at codeveloping with stakeholders and evaluating the impact of a multicomponent intervention to improve HPV VC among French adolescents. Methods We identified three components to address main barriers to HPV vaccination in France: adolescents’ and parents’ education and motivation (component 1); general practitioners (GPs)’ training (component 2); and access to vaccination at school (component 3). We developed the intervention using the UK Medical Research Council framework for developing complex interventions as a guide. We used (i) findings from published evidence; (ii) primary data on knowledge, attitudes, behavior and preferences collected through a mixed methods approach (quantitative/qualitative studies, discrete choice experiment); (iii) the advice of stakeholders (e.g., adolescents, parents, school nurses, GPs) involved in working groups. We will evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency and implementation of the components (applied alone or in combination) through a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial. The primary endpoint is the HPV VC (≥ 1 dose) among adolescents aged 11-14 years, 2 months after the end of the intervention, at the municipality level. Results Primary data highlighted the need to improve adolescents, parents and school staff knowledge on HPV and to help GPs communicate with patients on this topic. They provided guidance on the most effective communication contents. For each component, we codeveloped tools with a participatory approach (e.g., eHealth tools for adolescents, a decision aid tool for GPs). The trial will end in June 2022; 90 middle schools (i.e., about 40,000 adolescents) and 46 GPs accepted to participate. Conclusions Should the intervention prove effective, results from the implementation evaluation will help us refine it before scaling it up. Key messages • The PrevHPV study is supported by the French health authorities and conducted by a multidisciplinary consortium to tackle a long-lasting public health concern in France. • It will add to the small number of studies that compared the effectiveness of various strategies to promote HPV vaccination and will provide key results on cost-effectiveness and implementation.

Regulation of Jacobaea vulgaris by varied cutting and restoration measures.

The growth of the noxious grassland weed Jacobaea vulgaris Gaertn. in pastures is a threat to grazing animals. This is especially true when it dominates vegetation cover, which often occurs on non-intensively used pastures that are managed for nature-conservation, to maintain and promote biodiversity. Thus, we wanted to find management techniques to reduce J. vulgaris without harming the floral biodiversity on the pastures. We tested six different mechanical and cultural methods to reduce the presence and spread of J. vulgaris. Seven study sites in Northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein) were treated with tilling and seeding (1), tilling and hay transfer (2), mowing twice within bloom (3), mowing before seed set and combinations of mowing and seeding with a slit drill (5) or by hand (6). Our results show that cutting within the bloom of the plant at the end of June and again four weeks later, when the plant is in its second bloom was the only treatment leading to a significant reduction in population growth rate without reducing surrounding plant species richness. The study reveals that management of J. vulgaris in non-intensively used pastures is possible, while preserving species-rich grasslands.