Approaches for estimating benefits and costs of interventions in plant biosecurity across invasion phases

Nonnative plant pests cause billions of dollars in damages. It is critical to prevent or reduce these losses by intervening at various stages of the invasion process, including pathway risk management (to prevent pest arrival), surveillance and eradication (to counter establishment), and management of established pests (to limit damages). Quantifying benefits and costs of these interventions is important to justify and prioritize investments and to inform biosecurity policy. However, approaches for these estimations differ in (1) the assumed relationship between supply, demand, and prices, and (2) the ability to assess different types of direct and indirect costs at invasion stages, for a given arrival or establishment probability. Here we review economic approaches available to estimate benefits and costs of biosecurity interventions to inform the appropriate selection of approaches. In doing so, we complement previous studies and reviews on estimates of damages from invasive species by considering the influence of economic and methodological assumptions. Cost accounting is suitable for rapid decisions, specific impacts, and simple methodological assumptions but fails to account for feedbacks, such as market adjustments, and may overestimate long-term economic impacts. Partial equilibrium models consider changes in consumer and producer surplus due to pest impacts or interventions and can account for feedbacks in affected sectors but require specialized economic models, comprehensive data sets, and estimates of commodity supply and demand curves. More intensive computable general equilibrium models can account for feedbacks across entire economies, including capital and labor, and linkages among these. The two major considerations in choosing an approach are (1) the goals of the analysis (e.g., consideration of a single pest or intervention with a limited range of impacts vs. multiple interventions, pests or sectors), and (2) the resources available for analysis such as knowledge, budget and time

HIV/AIDS Stigma and Refusal of HIV Testing Among Pregnant Women in Rural Kenya: Results from the MAMAS Study

HIV/AIDS stigma is a common thread in the narratives of pregnant women affected by HIV/AIDS globally and may be associated with refusal of HIV testing. We conducted a cross-sectional study of women attending antenatal clinics in Kenya (N = 1525). Women completed an interview with measures of HIV/AIDS stigma and subsequently information on their acceptance of HIV testing was obtained from medical records. Associations of stigma measures with HIV testing refusal were examined using multivariate logistic regression. Rates of anticipated HIV/AIDS stigma were high—32% anticipated break-up of their relationship, and 45% anticipated losing their friends. Women who anticipated male partner stigma were more than twice as likely to refuse HIV testing, after adjusting for other individual-level predictors (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.15–3.85). This study demonstrated quantitatively that anticipations of HIV/AIDS stigma can be barriers to acceptance of HIV testing by pregnant women and highlights the need to develop interventions that address pregnant women’s fears of HIV/AIDS stigma and violence from male partners

Underestimated Effect Sizes in GWAS: Fundamental Limitations of Single SNP Analysis for Dichotomous Phenotypes

Complex diseases are often highly heritable. However, for many complex traits only a small proportion of the heritability can be explained by observed genetic variants in traditional genome-wide association (GWA) studies. Moreover, for some of those traits few significant SNPs have been identified. Single SNP association methods test for association at a single SNP, ignoring the effect of other SNPs. We show using a simple multi-locus odds model of complex disease that moderate to large effect sizes of causal variants may be estimated as relatively small effect sizes in single SNP association testing. This underestimation effect is most severe for diseases influenced by numerous risk variants. We relate the underestimation effect to the concept of non-collapsibility found in the statistics literature. As described, continuous phenotypes generated with linear genetic models are not affected by this underestimation effect. Since many GWA studies apply single SNP analysis to dichotomous phenotypes, previously reported results potentially underestimate true effect sizes, thereby impeding identification of true effect SNPs. Therefore, when a multi-locus model of disease risk is assumed, a multi SNP analysis may be more appropriate

International Consensus Statement on Rhinology and Allergy: Rhinosinusitis

Background: The 5 years since the publication of the first International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis (ICAR‐RS) has witnessed foundational progress in our understanding and treatment of rhinologic disease. These advances are reflected within the more than 40 new topics covered within the ICAR‐RS‐2021 as well as updates to the original 140 topics. This executive summary consolidates the evidence‐based findings of the document. Methods: ICAR‐RS presents over 180 topics in the forms of evidence‐based reviews with recommendations (EBRRs), evidence‐based reviews, and literature reviews. The highest grade structured recommendations of the EBRR sections are summarized in this executive summary. Results: ICAR‐RS‐2021 covers 22 topics regarding the medical management of RS, which are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Additionally, 4 topics regarding the surgical management of RS are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Finally, a comprehensive evidence‐based management algorithm is provided. Conclusion: This ICAR‐RS‐2021 executive summary provides a compilation of the evidence‐based recommendations for medical and surgical treatment of the most common forms of RS

Harnessing spider biodiversity for sustainable horticulture: A call for research and conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand

The world is facing many pressing issues around food production and environmental sustainability. We are living in the sixth mass extinction event, driven by human activities including agricultural intensification, which has significantly affected invertebrate biodiversity. To address these issues, many scientists, growers, and policy makers are moving towards Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and restoring or creating natural or semi-natural habitats adjacent to or within food production ecosystems to conserve biodiversity whilst maintaining agricultural production. Despite spiders being the dominant, most abundant, and most diverse natural enemies of pests in horticultural ecosystems, their potential contribution to pest management has been understudied in Aotearoa | New Zealand. Internationally, many studies have shown the positive effects that spider abundance and diversity have on economically important food production systems, and many studies have demonstrated that enhancing adjacent habitat can conserve the biological control provided by spiders in these productive ecosystems. We highlight international studies that show positive effects of spider conservation on biological control in agroecosystems and discuss the few studies that have been completed on spiders in agriculture in Aotearoa | New Zealand. To date, only eight studies of spiders in agroecosystems have been published from Aotearoa | New Zealand and only a single study published on spiders in New Zealand horticultural ecosystems despite horticulture being a significant export market to countries that demand low chemical residue practices. All eight of these studies have been surveys of spider abundance and richness found in these systems, with a gap remaining in measuring the ecosystem functions they provide. We call for greater investment into research on spider conservation for biological control in Aotearoa | New Zealand to maximise the potential for ecologically friendly productive system

Communication disruption of light brown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana) using a four-component sex pheromone blend

A new four-component sex pheromone blend for light brown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana) was examined for efficacy of communication disruption in laboratory and field trials. Vineyard trials using SPLAT LBAM™ examined disruption of traps in the presence of: a) the current two-component ((E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate and (E,. E)-9,11-tetradecadienyl acetate, 95:5), b) a new four-component blend ((E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate and (E,. E)-9,11-tetradecadienyl acetate plus (E)-11-tetradecen-1-ol and (E)-11-hexadecenyl acetate (10:0.5:0.1:0.05)), c) higher ratio of the two new compounds (10:0.5:10:10), d) four compounds with an antagonist ((Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate) added, e) three compounds with antagonist minus the most expensive component ((E,. E)-9,11-tetradecadienyl acetate), compared to f) untreated controls. In the laboratory, 69.0% of untreated pairs mated, and communication was suppressed by both attractive blends (41.1% communication (P = 0.024, two-component blend), and 18.4% communication (P = 0.003, four-component blend)). In vineyards, totals of 24,776 and 41,053 male moths were caught in the two trials, respectively, to delta traps baited with four-component lures and virgin females. Communication disruption was achieved at a higher level with a four-component blend for 13/14 weeks in disruption trial one and for 10/10 weeks in disruption trial two, compared with the two-component blend. Disruption was on average improved by 12% with the four-component blend compared to the two-component blend (P = 0.091). Other blends were less effective at communication disruption. The best formulation released from SPLAT™ was only weakly attractive compared to rubber septa, so false trail following to point sources was unlikely to be as important as other mechanisms