Courtship and mating behaviour of the Mediterranean corn borer, Sesamia nonagrioides (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Se describe la secuencia de cortejo y apareamiento de machos y hembras de Sesamia nonagrioides (Lefèbvre) en el laboratorio. Esta secuencia no varió en presencia o ausencia de plantas de maíz. Se estudió la capacidad de atracción de un sexo sobre el otro atando el individuo de un sexo y dejando libre al complementario. La secuencia de cortejo y apareo de las hembras atadas fue la misma que la de las no atadas, pero los machos atados permanecieron absolutamente inactivos. La edad de los adultos (1 día versus 2 días) no afectó al porcentaje de apareamiento. Se encontraron diferencias en la hora del inicio de la llamada de las hembras y en la edad de las hembras en la primera llamada entre la población estudiada y lo descrito para una población griega, diferencias que podrían estar relacionadas con el origen geográfico. Se discute el papel de los penachos abdominales de los machos en el vuelo de cortejo, rechazándose que estimulen el comportamiento de llamada de las hembras o que las atraigan. Cuando no se aplicaron feromonas, el porcentaje de apareamiento en el laboratorio o en el campo no varió cuando aumentó la densidad de la población. Sin embargo, en los campos en que se aplicó confusión sexual, el porcentaje de apareamiento aumentó al aumentar la densidad de adultos. En la discusión se aportan algunas consecuencias para la investigación de la composición de las feromonas y su uso para el seguimiento de plagas y el control mediante confusión sexual.

Regional determinants of firm entry in a developing country

We analyse the determinants of firm entry in developing countries using Argentina as an illustrative case. Our main finding is that although most of the regional determinants used in previous studies analysing developed countries are also relevant here, there is a need for additional explanatory variables that proxy for the specificities of developing economies (e.g., poverty, informal economy and idle capacity).We also find evidence of a core-periphery pattern in the spatial structure of entry that seems to be mostly driven by differences in agglomeration economies. Since regional policies aiming to attract new firms are largely based on evidence from developed countries, our results raise doubts about the usefulness of such policies when applied to developing economies. JEL classification: R12, R30, C33. Key words: Firm entry, Argentina, count data models.

Why Mathematics is essential in Biomedical Sciences degree?

Improvement of mathematical education and motivation of students in the mathematics" area is needed. What can be done? We introduce some ideas to generate the student"s interest for mathematics, because they often present difficulties in appreciating the relevance of mathematics and its role in the health sciences. We consider that a cornerstone in the strategy to attract the students" interest is linking the mathematics with real biomedical situations. We proceed in the following manner: We first present a real biomedical situation to produce interest and to generate curiosity. Second, we ask thought-provoking questions to students as: Which is the biomedical problem presented? Which is my knowledge on this situation? What could I do to solve this biomedical situation? Do I need some new mathematical concepts and procedures? Thereupon, the teacher explains the mathematical concepts necessary to solve the case presented, providing definitions, properties and tools for graphical display and/or mathematical calculations. In this learning methodology, ICTs were cornerstones for reaching the proposed competences. Furthermore, ICTs can also be used in the evaluative task in its two possible aspects: formative and for obtaining a qualification. Comments from students about this new mathematics teaching method indicate that the use of real biomedical case studies kept the lessons in mathematics interesting.

Commercialization of Biopharmaceuticals

Biotekniikkaa pidetään yhtenä lupaavimmista nykyään tunnetuista teknologioista. Biotekniikan alalta erityisesti uusien lääkeaineiden kehittely on saavuttanut huomiota julkisuudessa. Biotekniikkaa lääkeaineiden kehittämiseen soveltavien yritysten määrä on kasvanut nopeasti viimeisen vuosikymmenen aikana, mutta tämänhetkiset tulokset osoittavat, että yritykset voisivat hyötyä riskien hallintaan ja kaupallistamiseen liittyvien prosessien kehittämisestä. Tutkielma keskittyy biolääkkeiden kaupallistamiseen, erityisesti suomalaisten uusien biolääkeyritysten kannalta. Tutkielma jakaantuu kahteen osaan: ensimmäinen osa tutkii kaupallistamista käsitteenä ja biolääkeliiketoiminnan erityispiirteitä. Toinen osa keskittyy kaupallistamisen empiiriseen tutkimukseen, joka kattaa viisi suomalaista uutta biolääkeyritystä. Empiirisen osan tavoitteena oli tunnistaa ne keinot, jotka auttavat menestyksekkään kaupallistamisprosessin luomisessa tuotekehitysvaiheen läpäisseelle lääkeaineelle. Saavutetut tulokset voidaan tiivistää neljän kriittisen menestystekijän ympärille, jotka ovat 1) tuote, 2) viestintä, 3) uskottavuus ja 4) yhteistyökumppanin valinta. Ensimmäinen menestystekijä on ainutlaatuinen biolääke, joka parantaa kansantaloudellisesti merkittäviä tauteja. Toisen menestystekijän avulla yritys viestittää uudesta ainutlaatuisesta tuotteestaan mahdollisille yhteistyökumppaneilleen. Kolmas menestystekijä kohdistuu yrityksen uskottavuuteen uutena korkean teknologian biolääkeaineiden kehittäjänä. Uskottavuustekijä on erityisen tärkeä suhteiden luomisessa kansainvälisiin lääkeyrityksiin. Neljäs tekijä keskittyy yhteistyökumppanin valintaan, joka alan erityisluonteesta johtuen on tärkeä uudelle biolääkeyritykselle. Viimeiseksi havaittiin, että uusi biolääkeyritys virtuaalisen rakenteensa vuoksi tarvitsee hyvät johdon suhdemarkkinointikyvyt.

ROBOTTIHITSAUKSEN KÄYTTÖÖNOTON EDELLYTYKSET ASIAKASOHJAUTUVASSA YKSITTÄIS- JA PIENSARJATUOTANNOSSA

Diplomityö koostuu teoria- ja tutkimusosasta. Teoriaosassa on käsitelty robottihitsaus-järjestelmän hankinnan edellytyksiä asiakasohjautuvan yksittäis- ja piensarjatuotannon lähtökohdista. Tarkastelun osa-alueita ovat asiakasohjautuva tuotanto, robottihitsaus yksittäis- ja piensarjatuotannossa, robottien ohjelmointimenetelmät, robottihitsauksen laatu ja laadunvarmistus, tehokkuus, tuottavuus, kannattavuus, robottihitsattavan tuotteen ja robottihitsausjärjestelmän suunnittelu, robottihitsausaseman turvallisuus sekä robotti-järjestelmän toteutus ja käyttöönotto. Teoriaosa on koottu siten, että sitä voidaan käyttää myös oppimateriaalina. Siinä esitetään myös sovellusesimerkki Imatran ammattikoululla toteutetusta robottihitsausaseman turvallisuusrakenneratkaisusta, jonka on suunnitellut ja toteuttanut diplomityön laatija. Diplomityön tutkimusosassa selvitetään kyselytutkimuksen avulla robottihitsauksen käyt-töönoton edellytyksiä asiakasohjautuvassa yksittäis- ja piensarjatuotannossa eteläkarjalai-sissa konepaja- ja metallialan yrityksissä. Tutkimukseen mukaan valituille 25 yritykselle ja yrityksistä valituille vastuuhenkilöille lähetettiin kirjallinen kyselytutkimus, johon vastaus saatiin 17 yritykseltä. Diplomityön tavoitteena oli selvittää robottihitsauksen käyttöönoton edellytyksiä. Tutkimuksella haettiin tietoja myös muusta yritysten suunnittelemasta hitsaus-tuotannon kehittämisestä kuten mekanisoinnista ja sen nykytilasta sekä muista mahdollisista hitsaukseen liittyvistä hankkeista. Tutkimustulosten perusteella on todettavissa, että Etelä-Karjalassa toimivista asiakas-ohjautuvista yksittäis- ja piensarjatuotantoa harjoittavista konepaja- ja metallialan yri-tyksistä löytyy yrityksiä, jotka ovat kiinnostuneita robottihitsausjärjestelmän hankinnasta, mutta saatujen tulosten perusteella voidaan todeta, että edellytyksiä siihen ei vielä näyttäisi olevan. Syiksi robottihitsausjärjestelmän hankinnan edellytysten puuttumiseen voidaan mainita muun muassa sopimaton tuoterakenne, liian yksilölliset tuotteet ja pienet sarjat, joilla ei ole toistuvuutta. Lisäksi yritykset toimivat pelkästään alihankintayrityksinä eikä niillä ole omaa tuotetta. Robottihitsausjärjestelmän hankinta voisi olla mahdollista niissä yrityksissä, jotka ovat verkottuneet, toimivat vakaavaraisesti ja joiden viennistä osa suuntautuu välillisesti tai välittömästi ulkomaille. Yhteistyöverkkojen voidaan olettaa parantavan robottihitsaus-järjestelmän hankinnan mahdollisuuksia. Tällöin kustannuksia voidaan jakaa usealle eri yritykselle ja siten voidaan tehostaa myös järjestelmän käyttöastetta sekä hankkia uusia asiakkaita. Kaksi yrityksistä on harkinnut joko oman tai leasing-robottihitsausjärjestelmän hankintaa. Ongelmina robottihitsausjärjestelmän yhteishankinnalle pidettiin esim. kenen tiloihin järjestelmä hankitaan, kuka huolehtii kunnossapidosta, miten palkat maksetaan työntekijöille ja miten käytössä oleva työaika jaetaan eri yrityksille. Diplomityön johtopäätökset ja suositukset osassa esitetään muutamia jatkotoimenpide-ehdotuksia siitä, kuinka tiettyjen yritysten osalta voitaisiin robottihitsauksen käyttöönottoa edistää. Tutkimuksen tuloksena saatua tietoa hyödynnetään muun muassa Lappeenrannan teknillisen yliopiston tutkimus- ja koulutushankkeissa sekä toisen asteen kone- ja metallitekniikan koulutuksen suunnittelussa ja toteutuksessa.

Evolutionary steps in the reproductive biology of Annonaceae

Flowers of Annonaceae are characterized by fleshy petals, many stamens with hard connective shields and numerous carpels with sessile stigmas often covered by sticky secretions. The petals of many representatives during anthesis form a closed pollination chamber. Protogynous dichogamy with strong scent emissions especially during the pistillate stage is a character of nearly all species. Scent emissions can be enhanced by thermogenesis. The prevailing reproductive system in the family seems to be self-compatibility. The basal genus Anaxagorea besides exhibiting several ancestral morphological characters has also many characters which reappear in other genera. Strong fruit-like scents consisting of fruit-esters and alcohols mainly attract small fruit-beetles (genus Colopterus, Nitidulidae) as pollinators, as well as several other beetles (Curculionidae, Chrysomelidae) and fruit-flies (Drosophilidae), which themselves gnaw on the thick petals or their larvae are petal or ovule predators. The flowers and the thick petals are thus a floral brood substrate for the visitors and the thick petals of Anaxagorea have to be interpreted as an antipredator structure. Another function of the closed thick petals is the production of heat by accumulated starch, which enhances scent emission and provides a warm shelter for the attracted beetles. Insight into floral characters and floral ecology of Anaxagorea, the sister group of the rest of the Annonaceae, is particularly important for understanding functional evolution and diversification of the family as a whole. As beetle pollination (cantharophily) is plesiomorphic in Anaxagorea and in Annonaceae, characters associated with beetle pollination appear imprinted in members of the whole family. Pollination by beetles (cantharophily) is the predominant mode of the majority of species worldwide. Examples are given of diurnal representatives (e.g., Guatteria, Duguetia, Annona) which function on the basis of fruit-imitating flowers attracting mainly fruit-inhabiting nitidulid beetles, as well as nocturnal species (e.g., large-flowered Annona and Duguetia species), which additionally to most of the diurnal species exhibit strong flower warming and provide very thick petal tissues for the voracious dynastid scarab beetles (Dynastinae, Scarabaeidae). Further examples will show that a few Annonaceae have adapted in their pollination also to thrips, flies, cockroaches and even bees. Although this non-beetle pollinated species have adapted in flower structure and scent compounds to their respective insects, they still retain some of the specialized cantharophilous characters of their ancestors.

STRATEGISEN YKSIKÖN ULKOISTAMINEN Tapaustutkimus: Asko Kodinkone Oyj:n työkaluyksikön ulkoistaminen

Työn tavoitteena on ollut selvittää strategisen ulkoistamisen suunnittelu- ja toteutusvaiheen kriittiset tekijät. Tutkimuksen teoreettinen tausta perustuu ulkoistamista käsittelevään kirjallisuuteen ja lehtiartikkeleihin. Työn empiirisessä osassa tarkastellaan Asko Kodinkone Oyj:n strategisesti tärkeän työkaluyksikön ulkoistamisprosessia. Tutkimuksen empiirinen aineis-to koottiin haastattelemalla ulkoistajayrityksen edustajia, ulkoistetun yksikön ostajia ja kahta prosessissa mukana ollutta toimijaa. Tutkimuksessa nousi esiin viisi tapaustutkimuksen kohteessa vaikuttanutta kriittistä tekijää. Kriittiset tekijät olivat tarve löytää kyvykäs yrittäjä, kyky määri-tellä ulkoistettavan yksikön strateginen luonne, yksikön ostajan kyky hankkia uusia asiakkaita, suunnittelun ja toteutuksen avoimuus ja erilaisten tukiorga-nisaatioiden rooli prosessin toteutuksessa.

From the Olympic dream to a down to earth approach: Lausanne's sports events hosting strategy

In the context of globalized competition among territories, cities, regions and countries have to find new ways to be attractive to companies, investors, tourists and residents. In that perspective, major sports events (such as the Olympic Games or the FIFA World Cup) are often seen as a lever for territorial development. Based on that idea, many sports events hosting strategies have emerged in the 1980s and 1990s. However, the growing competition in the sports events' market and the gigantism of those major events, forced some territories to turn to smaller events. This necessary resize of their strategy raises the question of their capacity to meet the initial objectives, which aim usually at developing the economy and promoting the image of the host destination. This essay sketches out the evolution of a sports events hosting strategy in a city that does not have the resources (either financial, human or in terms of infrastructures) to attract major international sports events. The challenges they have to face and a possible solution based on the event portfolio perspective are discussed through the article.

Moths behaving like butterflies. Evolutionary loss of long range attractant pheromones in Castniid Moths: A Paysandisia archon model

Background: In the course of evolution butterflies and moths developed two different reproductive behaviors. Whereas butterflies rely on visual stimuli for mate location, moths use the"female calling plus male seduction" system, in which females release long-range sex pheromones to attract conspecific males. There are few exceptions from this pattern but in all cases known female moths possess sex pheromone glands which apparently have been lost in female butterflies. In the day-flying moth family Castniidae ("butterfly-moths"), which includes some important crop pests, no pheromones have been found so far. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using a multidisciplinary approach we described the steps involved in the courtship of P. archon, showing that visual cues are the only ones used for mate location; showed that the morphology and fine structure of the antennae of this moth are strikingly similar to those of butterflies, with male sensilla apparently not suited to detect female-released long range pheromones; showed that its females lack pheromone-producing glands, and identified three compounds as putative male sex pheromone (MSP) components of P. archon, released from the proximal halves of male forewings and hindwings. Conclusions/Significance: This study provides evidence for the first time in Lepidoptera that females of a moth do not produce any pheromone to attract males, and that mate location is achieved only visually by patrolling males, which may release a pheromone at short distance, putatively a mixture of Z,E-farnesal, E,E-farnesal, and (E,Z)-2,13-octadecadienol. The outlined behavior, long thought to be unique to butterflies, is likely to be widespread in Castniidae implying a novel, unparalleled butterfly-like reproductive behavior in moths. This will also have practical implications in applied entomology since it signifies that the monitoring/control of castniid pests should not be based on the use of female-produced pheromones, as it is usually done in many moths.

Educational resources offered by the European Board of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (EBPRM)

Background .- Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) is a very demanding medical speciality. To ensure high standard of research and care in PRM all across Europe, it is crucial to attract gifted trainees and offer them high quality education. At undergraduate level, many medical schools in Europe omit to offer teaching on disabled persons and on basic PRM knowledge. Thus PRM is hardly known to medical students. For postgraduate trainees access to evidence-based knowledge as well as teaching of research methodology specific to PRM, rehabilitation methodology, disability management and team building also need to be strengthened to increase the visibility of PRM. Action .- To address these issues the EBPRM proposes presently a specific undergraduate curriculum in PRM including the issues of disability, participation and handicap as a basis for general medical practice and postgraduate rehabilitation training. For PRM trainees many educational documents are now available on the EBPRM website. A growing number of educational sessions for PRM trainees take place during international and national PRM Congresses which can be accessed at low cost. Educational papers published regularly in European rehabilitation journals and European PRM Schools are offered free or at very low cost to trainees.

Estratègies psicològiques de màrqueting : Supermercat Mercadona i l'estratègia de posicionament

Aquest treball presenta una investigació realitzada sobre les estratègies psicològiques de màrqueting que utilitzen les grans empreses que gestionen els supermercats per atraure als consumidors i augmentar les seves vendes. L’objectiu de la investigació es centra en conèixer més a fons com es dóna, en particular, una estratègia de màrqueting - l’estratègia de posicionament- a la cadena de supermercats Mercadona, i esbrinar el comportament i el grau de consciència dels consumidors davant aquesta estratègia. L’estudi s’ha realitzat al Mercadona de Montcada i Reixac al mes de Gener del 2014. Per tal de realitzar aquesta investigació, s’ha enquestat a 180 consumidors de Mercadona i s’ha realitzat una entrevista en profunditat al responsable de màrqueting d’aquest supermercat. Els resultats obtinguts un cop realitzat l’estudi indiquen que les estratègies de màrqueting que empra Mercadona – concretament l’estratègia de posicionament- condicionen la compra dels consumidors i les seves actituds, no obstant, els consumidors coneixen l’estratègia i els missatges que emet Mercadona per modificar el comportament dels clients i augmentar les seves ventes.

Managing induced tourism image : relational patterns and the life cycle

The tourism image is an element that conditions the competitiveness of tourism destinations by making them stand out in the minds of tourists. In this context, marketers of tourism destinations endeavour to create an induced image based on their identity and distinctive characteristics.A number of authors have also recognized the complexity of tourism destinations and the need for coordination and cooperation among all tourism agents, in order to supply a satisfactory tourist product and be competitive in the tourism market. Therefore, tourism agents at the destination need to develop and integrate strategic marketing plans.The aim of this paper is to determine how cities of similar cultures use their resources with the purpose of developing a distinctive induced tourism image to attract tourists and the extent of coordination and cooperation among the various tourism agents of a destination in the process of induced image creation.In order to accomplish these aims, a comparative analysis of the induced image of two cultural cities is presented, Girona (Spain) and Perpignan (France). The induced image is assessed through the content analysis of promotional brochures and the extent of cooperation with in-depth interviews of the main tourism agents of these destinations.Despite the similarities of both cities in terms of tourism resources, results show the use of different attributes to configure the induced image of each destination, as well as a different configuration of the network of tourism agents that participate in the process of induced image creation

Platform pricing and consumer foresight: The case of airports

Airports have become platforms that derive revenues from both aeronautical and commercial activities. The demand for these services is characterized by a one-way complementarity in that only air travelers can purchase retail goods at the airport terminals. We analyze a model of optimal airport behavior in which this one-way complementarity is subject to consumer foresight, i.e., consumers may not anticipate in full the ex post retail surplus when purchasing a flight ticket. An airport sets landing fees, and, in addition, also chooses the retail market structure by selecting the number of retail concessions to be awarded. We find that, with perfectly myopic consumers, the airport chooses to attract more passengers via low landing fees, and also sets the minimum possible number of retailers in order to increase the concessions’ revenues, from which it obtains the largest share of profits. However, even a very small amount of anticipation of the consumer surplus from retail activities changes significantly the airport’s choices: the optimal airport policy is dependent on the degree of differentiation in the retail market. When consumers instead have perfect foresight, the airport establishes a very competitive retail market, where consumers enjoy a large surplus. This attracts passengers and it is exploited by the airport by charging higher landing fees, which then constitute the largest share of its profits. Overall, the airport’s profits are maximal when consumers have perfect foresight. Keywords: two-sided markets, platform pricing, one-way demand complementarity, consumer foresight. JEL classification: L1, L2, L93.

The First Privatization Policy in a Democracy: Selling State-Owned Enterprises in 1948-1950, Puerto Rico

In the 1940s, when the Governor of Puerto Rico was appointed by the US President and the Puerto Rican government was answerable only to the US Federal government, a large state-owned enterprise (SOE) sector was established on the island. Public services such as water, transportation and energy were nationalized, and several new manufacturing SOEs were created to produce cement, glass, shoes, paper and chalkboard, and clay products. These enterprises were created and managed by government-owned corporations. Later on, between 1948 and 1950, under the island’s first elected Governor, the government sold these SOEs to private groups. This paper documents both the creation and the privatization of the SOE sector in Puerto Rico, and analyzes the role played by ideology, political interests, and economic concerns in the decision to privatize them. Whereas ideological factors might have played a significant role in the building of the SOE sector, we find that privatization was driven basically by economic factors, such as the superior efficiency of private firms in the sectors where the SOEs operated, and by the desire to attract private industrial investment to the Puerto Rican economy.

Aspectos práticos relacionados ao uso do Rincoforol, o feromônio de agregação da Broca-do-olho-do-coqueiro Rhynchophorus palmarum L. (Coleopterate: Curculionidae) no controle de pragas do coqueiro: análise de sua eficiência em campo

Rhynchophorol (6-Methyl-2-hepten-4-ol) is the major constituent of the aggregation pheromone of Rhynchophorus palmarum L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), which is released by males of this species. The racemic mixture has been produced in one step-simplified preparation. The pheromone is placed into ampoules and furnished to coconut farmers. In the field, traps baited with Rhynchophorol and pieces of sugarcane attract both males and females, reducing the population of R. palmarum. The best conditions for field application are showed.