USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: The Invasion of the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle

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By Miller Zou

Marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Indo-West Pacific are among the most biologically diverse regions in the world. Unfortunately, these areas are often ill prepared to combat non-native intruders, which, in many cases, can easily prey upon and out-compete their neighbors. These so-called ?alien? and ?introduced? species can quickly become invasive if environmental conditions are favorable (e.g., predators absent, nutrients abundant, etc.). Accordingly, the prevention and management of invasive species is a top priority for many geographically isolated ecosystems, including the Island of Guam.

Guam has a less than pleasant history with introduced organisms. During World War II the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) was unintentionally introduced while aboard a U.S. cargo ship, and have since caused the extinction of 10 of the 13 native bird species. Around the same time, Cane toads (Bufo marinus) were introduced to control sugarcane pests. Regrettably, the toads didn?t have their desired effect, as they spread to other areas and poisoned native predators with the toxin covering their skin (Fritts and Rodda 1998). Several frog species from Central America also have been detected that could pose a threat to crops. Guam?s biodiversity has been under siege for quite some time.

Adult Oryctes rhinoceros. Photo by Brent Tibbatts

Adult Oryctes rhinoceros. Photo by Brent Tibbatts

Currently, one of the biggest threats facing Guam?s native ecosystems is the invasion of the coconut rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros). Discovered in the Tumon Bay area in September of 2007, these organisms are notorious for their ability to decimate coconut palms. Adult beetles chew down into the folded, emerging fronds of coconut palm trees to feed on sap (Ridgell 2011). This boring behavior can be fatal to the tree if the meristematic tissue (i.e., where growth takes place) is jeopardized.

In other cases, the tree is left susceptible to secondary infection by pathogens (Hochberg 1991). Coconut rhinoceros beetles favor downed trees as breeding sites, so the mortality of young trees may be the first stage of a developing positive feedback cycle that would be essentially impossible to contain once initiated. To prevent this from happening young trees must be protected and dead ones must be cleared in areas of infestation.

The threat posed by these invasive beetles cannot be overstated. Guam?s native ecosystems lack the various biological factors (e.g., predation, disease) that control coconut rhinoceros beetle populations in their native range. With an abundance of palm trees and nothing to slow their growth, beetle populations are sure to explode if left unchecked.

Feeding damage from adult coconut rhinoceros beetle. Photo by Ernie Nelson (Courtesy of Greenscapes, Inc.)

Feeding damage from adult coconut rhinoceros beetle. Photo by Ernie Nelson (Courtesy of Greenscapes, Inc.)

If this invasive species is not controlled, massive mortalities of both cultivated and wild palms is expected. The coconut rhinoceros beetle has invaded other Micronesian islands before, with devastating results. Palau fell victim to the species in 1942 and on some islands coconut palms were completely eradicated, with overall mortality reaching 50% (Berringer 2007). Although managed by a few introduced infectious pathogens, in some areas the rhinoceros beetle has become permanently established and moved on to banana and sugarcane crops in areas cleared of coconut palms (Hochberg 1991).

Since the presence of O. rhinoceros was discovered in 2007, many methods of eradication and control have been implemented. The primary eradication program is a cooperative effort between the USDA, Guam Department of Agriculture, and the University of Guam.

The integrated eradication program uses pheromone-baited traps to capture adults, various methods to destroy infested and potential host material, and pesticides that can be applied to larvae, adults, or even uninfested trees as a preventative measure (Berringer 2007). Biological control has also been applied, using both green muscardine fungus (Metarhizium majus) and a baculovirus. While the beetles on Guam appear resistant to the baculovirus, the muscardine fungus showed a lot of promise when released in late 2011.

As of April 2011 the beetles are still spreading (Ridgell 2011), but newer methods give reason for hope. In addition to the green muscardine fungus, development is underway for the application of coconut beetle-detecting dogs and audio equipment that can quickly detect the presence of the species within trees (Mankin 2009). Guam?s battle against the foreign coconut rhino beetle is far from over, but at least now it has an arsenal of management tools to use.

Author.

Author.

About the author: Miller Zou is a junior working towards a bachelor?s degree in environmental studies at USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. He is enrolling in a progressive master?s degree program in environmental studies and plans to take the scientific knowledge he has gained to law school to study environmental law and policy.

Works Cited:

Berringer, Dallas. (2007) Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Eradication Program: Guam. USDA Environmental Assessment.

Fritts, Thomas H. and Rodda, Gordon H. (1998) The Role of Introduced Species in the Degradation of Island Ecosystems: A Case History of Guam. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 29:1.

Hochberg, M.E. et al. (1991) A Model for the Biological Control of Oryctes Rhinoceros by Means of Pathogens. Journal of Applied Ecology 28:2.

Mankin, R.W. et al. (2009) Acoustic Characteristics of Dynastid Beetle Stridulations. The Florida Entomologist 92:1

Ridgell, Clynt (2011) Guam Losing Battle Against Coconut Rhino Beetle. Pacific News Center: Guam. April 6, 2011.

Editor?s note: Scientific Research Diving at USC Dornsife is offered as part of an experiential summer program offered to undergraduate students of the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. This course takes place on location at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island and throughout Micronesia. Students investigate important environmental issues such as ecologically sustainable development, fisheries management, protected-area planning and assessment, and human health issues. During the course of the program, the student team will dive and collect data to support conservation and management strategies to protect the fragile coral reefs of Guam and Palau in Micronesia.

Instructors for the course include Jim Haw, Director of the Environmental Studies Program in USC Dornsife, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies David Ginsburg,, SCUBA instructor and volunteer in the USC Scientific Diving Program Tom Carr and USC Dive Safety Officer Gerry Smith of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies

Previously in this series:

Catching Up with Scientific Diving at USC Dornsife: Surfgrass Monitoring at Catalina
Catching up with Scientific Diving at USC Dornsife: The Robot Submarine
Catching up with Scientific Diving at USC Dornsife: Diving into the Aquarium of the Pacific
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: Moving Forward to Guam and Palau 2012
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: Finding My Career Through This Course
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: The Devaluation of Ecosystem Services
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: Why USC Dornsife was the Right Decision For Me
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: Why Experiential Learning is Vital to Academic Life
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: My Walden South of Los Angeles
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: Crown-of-Thorns Outbreaks and Anthropogenic Pollution
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: The International Policy Rationale for the Military Buildup on Guam and Some Environmental Drivers
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: Marine Ecology from Antarctica to Micronesia
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: Palau Water Supply
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: The Contributions of J. S. Haldane to Dive Safety
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: Human Impacts on Mangrove Forests
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: Global Sea Cucumber Fisheries
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: Palauan Mermaids
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: The California Spiny Lobster

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Veeva Systems Announces Dramatic Growth in Europe – Business …

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BARCELONA, Spain and PHILADELPHIA, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –

Cloud-based Veeva CRM Now Deployed in Over 20 European Countries

With its 4th Annual Global Customer Summit kicking off this morning in Philadelphia, Veeva Systems announced dramatic growth of cloud-based Veeva CRM throughout the continent. Since Veeva’s official expansion into Europe in April 2010, the company has delivered the advantages of cloud computing to more than 35 life sciences companies across 20+ different European markets. When all current deployments are complete, there will be over 30,000 European pharmaceutical representatives using Veeva CRM to better manage their relationships with customers. To support its large user base, Veeva has opened major offices in Barcelona, Budapest and Paris and, along with a network of strategic partners, currently has more than 200 certified Veeva Administrators to implement and support the cloud-based CRM solution in Europe.

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Veeva’s European customers include dozens of emerging biotechs and specialty companies as well as ten of the Top 20 global pharmaceutical companies. Key global customers include Astellas Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly, and Novartis; key specialty leaders include Actelion, Gr?nenthal, LEO Pharma, and Stallergenes; and small and medium-sized customers include Human Genome Sciences, Iroko Cardio, Mundipharma, and Pharco Pharma.

“Winning in today’s challenging European pharmaceutical environment requires a fundamentally different commercial approach. To support our new commercial model, we wanted a CRM solution that was truly pan-European, future-proof and agile enough to grow with our organisational needs. Veeva CRM was the only solution to meet all these business requirements,” said Wim Kockelkoren, senior vice president EMEA Commercial Effectiveness and CEE Region, Astellas Pharma Europe.

Actelion’s Head of Global Commercial Excellence, Christoph Schmidt, PhD added, “Our search for a single, global CRM solution was driven by today’s increasingly challenging business environment. In order to compete, we need the tools that will enable us to gain a better understanding of our customer’s needs and be more responsive. Veeva offered industry-specific functionality for all different user groups – from key opinion leader managers to key account execs and field reps – around the world, all integrated within a single solution.”

Product Enhancements for Region-to-Region Support

Veeva’s success in Europe and elsewhere around the world is due in part to an industry-specific product that is designed to easily meet regional and local needs. Most notably in Europe, Veeva has integrated unique order management and data connector tools into the product. Veeva CRM now includes online and offline order management capabilities such as pricing optimisation engines and other point-of-sale tools to enable European sales reps to place orders directly from pharmacists during the call even without an internet connection. Also, Veeva CRM’s pre-built HCP data connector tool accelerates customers’ ability to integrate with any of the top physician data providers. Thanks to multitenant cloud technology, Veeva CRM’s data connector makes it easy to add new or switch data sources using just straightforward point-and-click design.

Veeva iRep Bolsters Global iPad Growth

Available in 20+ languages, Veeva iRep is the first system to combine CRM with comprehensive Closed Loop Marketing (CLM) on the iPad. Veeva iRep has become the industry’s choice on the iPad with the largest installed base both in Europe and worldwide, according to recent numbers.

“We recognised iRep’s closed-loop marketing functions and the iPad device’s beautiful presentation of multi-media content would support more interactive customer engagements. With iRep, we expect that our account specialists will be more connected, responsive and effective,” said Dr. Simon Clough, managing director for Daiichi Sankyo UK. “We’re all about innovation that leads to enhanced quality and value for our customers. We’ve adopted an aggressive agenda for advancing everything from our science to our interactions with stakeholders, and Veeva CRM supports it perfectly,” he added.

According to Kevin Crowe, associate director of marketing and sales operations at Human Genome Sciences Europe, “There is no other solution like iRep for Pharma. Having our CRM and CLM capabilities integrated on the iPad is extremely powerful. It will remodel how our commercial teams operate by providing them with accurate, rich, timely customer information on the go, and on a display that appeals to physicians.”

Veeva’s dramatic growth in Europe accompanies a record-breaking year for the company on a global scale – Veeva grew customers, deployed users, and employees each by over 100% in 2011. Eric Newmark, program director with IDC Health Insights, which recently published its “Vendor Assessment: 2011 Top 10 Life Science Software Vendors” report concludes, “Veeva is currently the fastest-growing vendor in the sales and marketing space.”

About Veeva Systems

Veeva Systems is the leader in cloud-based business solutions for the global life sciences industry. Committed to innovation, product excellence and customer success, Veeva has over 150 customers, ranging from the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies to emerging biotechs. Founded in 2007, Veeva is a privately held company headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices in Philadelphia, Barcelona, Budapest, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo. For more information, visit http://www.veevasystems.com.

Copyright (c) 2012 Veeva Systems. All rights reserved. Veeva and the Veeva logo are registered trademarks of Veeva Systems. Veeva Systems owns other registered and unregistered trademarks. Other names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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SOURCE Veeva Systems

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Adobe Muse is ready to let you design websites without the coding headaches for $15 a month

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Adobe Muse is ready to let you design websites without the coding headaches for $15 a month

If you’ve been looking to get that web project off the ground but despise the idea of coding it, Adobe’s recently announced web design tool has just landed. Muse, the program that allows you to design websites without having to get your hands dirty with HTML5 is now available. The kit behaves more like a layout program (like InDesign) instead of a web publishing / programming tool, allowing those who are more design-minded to feel right at home. As you might expect, the software is available with an annual $49.99 per month Creative Cloud subscription alongside CS6 heavyweights like Photoshop and Illustrator. If Muse is all you’re after, you can snag it alone for a $24.99 month-to-month fee or $14.99 for a twelve-month commitment. Need to see it in action before you open your wallet? No worries. Hit the coverage link below for a look at what the application can do.

Adobe Muse is ready to let you design websites without the coding headaches for $15 a month originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What does Mitt Romney’s new ad say about his strategy? (+video)

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Don’t look for Mitt Romney in his new ad, ‘Silence.’ It’s all about being jobless and ‘suffering in silence.’ The Romney teamwants to keep the focus on ‘the Obama economy.’

How does Mitt Romney want persuadable voters to think about the upcoming presidential election? Yes, we know he?s emphasizing the economy, and putting voters back to work, and so forth. What we?re getting at here is the sort of emotional context the Romney camp hopes will prevail among the swing electorate in November.

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As it happens, we think Mr. Romney?s latest campaign ad, titled ?Silence,? is a pretty good guide to what might be his overall strategy here. So as the late great Washington sportscaster George Michael used to say, ?Let?s go to the videotape!?

The ad begins with “CBS Evening News” anchor Scott Pelley saying, ?Tonight, new evidence the economic recovery is slowing.” Then it moves swiftly, cutting between clips of reporters bemoaning the state of the job market and short bursts of President Obama giving a speech.

The Obama appearances are so brief as to be mere impressions. At one point you hear him say, ?Ask if you?re better off than you were before…”

Then the montage accelerates, and the kind of rising music featured in horror movie trailers comes up. You hear only phrases ? ?We?re not seeing a ton of sunshine,? and so forth. Just as the tension peaks, we see not a slasher attack but Mr. Obama again, this time saying, ?It?s not just how we?re doing today. It?s how we?ll be doing tomorrow.”

Boom. Halfway through the ad, the music and the clips stop.

?Today, millions of Americans are suffering in silence,? comes on the screen in large white letters.

What follows is a succession of quotes, interposed over shots of people looking very worried, in dead silence.

?Job growth not nearly fast enough to recover from the Great Recession,? says one quote. ?More than 340,000 workers dropped out of the labor force,? says another.

The ad ends with this: ?This is the Obama economy. It isn?t working.?

For those of you who don?t obsess over this sort of thing frame-by-frame, as if it were an ?Avengers? outtake, we?ll make a couple of Politics 101 points.

Where’s Mitt? Challengers generally want elections to be referendums on the incumbent. They themselves are simply the replacement, a relief pitcher out of sight in the bullpen, waiting to be called. That?s why there?s lots of Obama in this ad, but no pictures of a certain former Massachusetts governor. The only Romney reference comes at the end, when his last name appears in small type as having paid for the message.

How are you feeling right now? Romney might be better off if voters cast ballots based on their emotions of the moment. He likely would get more support from folks who are worried about their present circumstances ? after all, the unemployment rate is at a daunting 8.1 percent. Millions of Americans who still have jobs go to bed at night worried about losing them. That?s why this ad ratchets up the anxiety level ? or reminds voters of how high their anxiety level already is.

In contrast, Obama wants voters to think about a longer time frame. His message could be summed up as something along the lines of, ?Remember how bad it was back when I took this job? I inherited a mess, and it?s getting better. Let?s not change horses in the middle of the race.?

Generally speaking, it?s the employment trend line, not the absolute unemployment rate, that matters most in presidential elections. It remains to be seen whether the current ?meh? job growth numbers will generate enough optimism among voters to convince them to give the incumbent another chance.

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How to Find Reviews and Articles Using the Search Box

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I’ve been reading through the entries for our current Gadget Grab Bag contest. To enter the contest you have to suggest a product that you’d like to see in a future review here on The Gadgeteer. I’ve noticed that there are lots of entries suggesting products that we’ve already covered, so I thought this might [...]

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The Weekend Watch: de Grisogono Meccanico dG Watch Hands-On

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de-grisogono-meccanico-watch-2In the watch world the Meccanico dG watch is a bit of a legend. Originally debuted back in 2008, it helped bridge the gap between modern tech toys and high-end mechanical watches. The all-mechanical design features dual time displays. One, a standard analog dial. Second, a digital display that uses countless small parts to indicate a second time zone like the piece’s electronic cousins. Incredibly complicated, the Meccanico dG brought new people into the world of high-horology that previously would not pay attention to what they might have considered stuffy mechanical toys for traditionalists.

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