scholarly journals Main actors in the Cephalopod Global Trade Network: a graph theory analysis

Author(s):  
Andres Ospina-Alvarez ◽  
Silvia de Juan Mohan ◽  
Pablo Pita ◽  
Gillian Ainsworth ◽  
Fabio Matos ◽  
...  

Abstract The global cephalopod trade is a multi-billion-dollar industry that involves fishing and captive breeding of a dozen species of high commercial value. It also contributes wholly or partly to the income and subsistence of thousands of families around the world. Despite its broad ecological, social, and economic importance, limited research has been conducted to describe the scope and scale of the global cephalopod trade. To date, there is no specific regulation, nor have tracking systems been implemented, to study the traceability of the global cephalopod trade at an international level. We provide, for the first time, a comprehensive description of the legal trade in cephalopods to understand who the key world players in the cephalopod seafood markets are. We analysed 20 years of records compiled by the United Nations COMTRADE database. The database contained 115,108 entries for squid and cuttlefish and 71,659 entries for octopus, including the product flow between traders (countries or territories) weighted by volume (kg) and monetary value (USD). Graph theoretic analysis was used to explore the emergent properties of this database through the analysis of different measures of centrality that provide insights on the key role of the traders in the network. Our findings show that most of the market movements between ca. 250 traders are led by three countries (China, Spain, and Japan), involving 11 clusters of traders based on the volume and value of cephalopod trade and number of transactions. The most important cluster, that dominates the cephalopod seafood market, is composed by 5 Asian countries (China, India, Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam), 2 European countries (the Netherlands and Spain) and the USA. This work identifies the traders that act as major exporters and/or importers, the modulators, intermediaries or accumulators, the best-connected traders, the principal flow routes and the weaknesses of the global cephalopod trade network. This network information is essential to advance towards a transparent and sustainable cephalopods world trade.

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andres Ospina-Alvarez ◽  
Silvia de Juan ◽  
Pablo Pita ◽  
Gillian Barbara Ainsworth ◽  
Fábio L. Matos ◽  
...  

AbstractThe global trade in cephalopods is a multi-billion dollar business involving the fishing and production of more than ten commercially valuable species. It also contributes, in whole or in part, to the subsistence and economic livelihoods of thousands of coastal communities around the world. The importance of cephalopods as a major cultural, social, economic, and ecological resource has been widely recognised, but research efforts to describe the extent and scope of the global cephalopod trade are limited. So far, there are no specific regulatory and monitoring systems in place to analyse the traceability of the global trade in cephalopods at the international level. To understand who are the main global players in cephalopod seafood markets, this paper provides, for the first time, a global overview of the legal trade in cephalopods. Twenty years of records compiled in the UN COMTRADE database were analysed. The database contained 115,108 records for squid and cuttlefish and 71,659 records for octopus, including commodity flows between traders (territories or countries) weighted by monetary value (USD) and volume (kg). A theoretical network analysis was used to identify the emergent properties of this large trade network by analysing centrality measures that revealed key insights into the role of traders. The results illustrate that three countries (China, Spain, and Japan) led the majority of global market movements between 2000 and 2019. Based on volume and value, as well as the number of transactions, 11 groups of traders were identified. The leading cluster consisted of only eight traders, who dominated the cephalopod market in Asia (China, India, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam), Europe (the Netherlands, and Spain), and the USA. This paper identifies the countries and territories that acted as major importers or exporters, the best-connected traders, the hubs or accumulators, the modulators, the main flow routes, and the weak points of the global cephalopod trade network over the last 20 years. This knowledge of the network is crucial to move towards an environmentally sustainable, transparent, and food-secure global cephalopod trade.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. N. Paskalev ◽  
B. T. Galunska ◽  
D. Petkova-Valkova

Tamm–Horsfall Protein (uromodulin) is named after Igor Tamm and Franc Horsfall Jr who described it for the first time in 1952. It is a glycoprotein, secreted by the cells in the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle. This protein will perform a number of important pathophysiological functions, including protection against uroinfections, especially caused by E. Сoli, and protection against formation of calcium concernments in the kidney. Igor Tamm (1922-1995) is an outstanding cytologist, virologist and biochemist. He is one of the pioneers in the study of viral replication. He was born in Estonia and died in the USA. In 1964 he was elected for a professorship in Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, where has been working continuously. Since 1959, he became a head of the virology lab established by his mentor and co-author Franc Horsfall. In the course of studies on the natural inhibitor of viral replication, Tamm and Horsfall isolated and characterized biochemically a new protein named after their names. Franc Lappin Horsfall Jr (1906-1971) was a well-known clinician and virologist with remarkable achievements in internal medicine. He was born and died in the USA. He worked in the Rockefeller Hospital from 1934 to 1960, then in the Center for Cancer Research at the Sloan-Kettering Institute. Here he was a leader of a research team studying the molecular mechanisms of immunity, the effects of chemotherapy with benzimidazole compounds (together with I. Tamm), coxsackie viruses, herpes simplex virus, etc. 


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Scott III ◽  
Steven Bloom

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between student loan debt and first-time home buying among college graduates aged 23 to 40 years old in the USA. Design/methodology/approach The authors use the Federal Reserve’s 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances data on American households to present descriptive statistics and run logistic regressions that measure the effects of student loan debt on first-time home buying. The authors also present original survey data of mortgage lenders that provides an industry-level perspective. Findings The authors find that having student loan debt does not by itself prohibit first-time home buyers. On the contrary, having student loan debt increases the likelihood of homeownership by 15.1%. People with student loan debt, however, buy homes that are 39.2% less expensive and have 58% less home equity compared to first-time home buyers without student loans. In addition, it is found that the amount of student loan debt is important. People with student loan debt above the median amount among people with student loan debt ($35,000) are 27% less likely to be first-time home buyers. Practical implications This paper provides public policy analysts and other researchers a different perspective on the correlation between student loan debt and home buying. This study focuses narrowly on first-time home buyers who are college graduates between 23 and 40 years. Thus, capturing the youngest cohort of first-time home buyers and examine the primary factors that influence their home buying decisions. Originality/value First-time homebuyers are historically the largest segment of home buyers making them an important subcategory to study. The rise in student loan debt is posited to explain declining homeownership among younger people. The current literature on student loan debt and home buying often studies samples that are too heterogeneous resulting in mixed findings. This paper adds to the existing literature by filtering the sample to study the effects of student loan debt and first-time home buying among people with at least a college degree who are between 23 and 40 years.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4941 (4) ◽  
pp. 511-541
Author(s):  
GAVIN R. BROAD

The following new synonymies are established: Acrodactyla iliensis Sheng & Bian 1996 = Acrodactyla lachryma Pham, Broad, Matsumoto & Böhme 2012, syn. nov.; Euceros Gravenhorst 1829 = Lentocerus Dong & Naito 1999, syn. nov.; Euceros pruinosus (Gravenhorst 1829) = Lentocerus dentatus Dong & Naito 1999, syn. nov.; Euceros sensibus Uchida 1930 = Lentocerus lijiangensis Dong & Naito 1999, syn. nov.; Gyroneuron Kokujev 1901 = Cyclophatnus Cameron 1910, syn. nov.; Gyroneuron flavum (Cameron 1910) = Gyroneuron testaceator Watanabe 1934, syn. nov.; Liotryphon strobilellae (Linnaeus 1758) = Townesia qinghaiensis He 1996, syn. nov. The following are new combinations: Aleiodes insignis (Brues 1926), Aleiodes lateralis (Cameron 1905), Aleiodes maculicornis (Brues 1926), Aleiodes siccitesta (Morley 1937), Cyclophatnus flavum (Cameron 1910), Rhaconotus striatulus (Cameron 1909), Tolonus cingulatorius (Morley 1912), Zatypota tropica (Morley 1912). Netelia morleyi Townes, Townes & Gupta 1961 is transferred from the subgenus Netelia Gray 1860 to the subgenus Paropheltes Cameron 1907. One new replacement name is proposed: Aleiodes philippinensis nom. nov. for Rhogas lateralis Baker 1917, nec Troporhogas lateralis Cameron 1905. Lectotypes are designated for Antrusa persimilis Nixon 1954, Rhyssalus striatulus Cameron 1909, Troporhogas trimaculata Cameron 1905, Hemiteles cingulatorius Morley 1912, Paniscus ferrugineus Cameron 1889 and for Xanthojoppa inermis Morley 1917. Some previously overlooked type specimens are interpreted and illustrated and some errors in the literature corrected. Hosts are recorded for two genera of Ichneumoninae for the first time: Catadelphops nasutus (Heinrich 1962) was reared from Proserpinus terlooii (Edwards 1875) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in the USA, and Aethianoplis excavata (Roman 1910) was reared from Precis octavia (Cramer 1777) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Uganda. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-94
Author(s):  
Gerasimos Rompotis

PurposeA well-documented pattern in the literature concerns the outperformance of small-cap stocks relative to their larger-cap counterparts. This paper aims to address the “small-cap versus large-cap” issue using for the first time data from the exchange traded funds (ETFs) industry.Design/methodology/approachSeveral raw return and risk-adjusted return metrics are estimated over the period 2012-2016.FindingsResults are partially supportive of the “size effect”. In particular, small-cap ETFs outperform large-cap ETFs in overall raw return terms even though they fail the risk test. However, outperformance is not consistent on an annual basis. When risk-adjusted returns are taken into consideration, small-cap ETFs are inferior to their large-cap counterparts.Research limitations/implicationsThis research only covers the ETF market in the USA. However, given the tremendous growth of ETF markets worldwide, a similar examination of the “small vs large capitalization” issue could be conducted with data from other developed ETF markets in Europe and Asia. In such a case, useful comparisons could be made, so that we could conclude whether the findings of the current study are unique and US-specific or whether they could be generalized across the several international ETF markets.Practical implicationsA possible generalization of the findings would entail that profitable investment strategies could be based on the different performance and risk characteristics of small- and large-cap ETFs.Originality/valueThis is the first study to examine the performance of ETFs investing in large-cap stock indicesvis-à-visthe performance of ETFs tracking indices comprised of small-cap stocks.


2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-111
Author(s):  
Ljupche Kochoski ◽  
Zoran Filipov ◽  
Ilcho Joshevski ◽  
Stevche Ilievski ◽  
Filip Davkov

Abstract Science has been searching for a long time for a reliable method for controlling the sex of mammalian offspring. Recently, the application of specific modern cellular methodologies has led to the development of a flow cytometric system capable of differentiating and separating living X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm cells in amounts suitable for AI and therefore, commercialization of this sexing technology. The aim of this work was to present the first results of heifers that introduce bovine AI with sex sorted semen, for the first time in Macedonia. Insemination with sex sorted cryopreserved semen (2×106 spermatozoa per dose) imported from the USA was done at two dairy farms in ZK Pelagonija. In total, 74 heifers (Holstein Friesian) were inseminated. Inseminations were carried out in a timely manner following a modified OvSynch protocol. During the insemination, the sperm was deposited into the uterine horn ipsi lateral to the ovary where a follicle larger than 1.6 cm was detected by means of transrectal ultrasound examination. Pregnancy was checked by ultrasound on day 30 after the insemination. Overall, the average pregnancy rate in both farms was 43,24% (40,54% and 45,95%, for farm 1 and farm 2, respectively). All pregnant heifers delivered their calves following a normal gestation length (274,3 days in average) and of the 32 born calves, 30 (93,75%) were female. In conclusion, since the first results from inseminations with sex-sorted semen in dairy heifers in Macedonia are very promising, the introduction of this technique may bring much benefit to the local dairy sector. Average pregnancy rate seems similar with results obtained following ‘regular’ inseminations, notwithstanding the relatively low number of spermatozoa per insemination dose. Due to the latter, we however recommend inseminations only to be carried out by experienced technicians followinga TAI protocol and ultrasound examinations of the ovaries prior to insemination.


Author(s):  
Serhiy Blavatskyy

It has been attempted to make an empirical study of the framing of the Jewish pogroms upon the Ukrainian terrains in 1919 in the Ukrainian press in the West European languages in Europe (1919―1920s). For the first time, in the communication and media studies discourses, there have been elicited new, previously unknown, findings of specificity of the framing of the Jewish pogroms in the Ukrainian foreignlanguage periodicals. Those were: «Bulletiner fra det Ukrainske Pressburo» (Copenhagen, 1919—1920s), «La Voce dell “Ucraina”» (Roma, 1919—1920s), «The Ukraine» (London, 1919—1920s), «Bureau Ukrai nien de Presse: Bulletin d’Informations» (Paris, 1919—1920s), «France et Ukraine» (Paris, 1920), «L’Europe Orientale» (Paris, 1919—1920s), «Die Ukraine» (Berlin, 1918—1926s). First, it has been elucidated that the «attribution of responsibility» frame was dominant in the content of the Ukrainian foreign-language press in Western Europe. Second, the conclusion about dialectic of the frames of «attribution of responsibility» and «morality» in the coverage of the Jewish pogroms upon the Ukrainian terrains has been made. In this regard, we conclude that the «morality» frame was connected with the internationalization of this problematic in the geopolitical discourse of international relations of the postwar period. On the contrary, the frame of «attribution of responsibility» was linked to localization of the Jewish question in the multilateral conflict on the Ukrainian territories in 1919. The main conclusion of this paper is that the coverage of the Jewish pogroms in the Ukrainian foreign-language press in Europe was made primarily in counterpropaganda purposes. The follow-up studies are to make a comparative study of the stereotypes about Jews’ perception in the Ukrainian-language press both in Ukraine and abroad (in Europe or the USA), as well as in the West European and American press of the Ukrainian Revolution period (1917―1921s). Thus, these future studies will either refute or confirm the validity of the findings and conclusions of this research. Keywords: framing, the Jewish pogroms, the Ukrainian terrains, the foreign-language press, Europe.


Author(s):  
Stephan M. Blank ◽  
Katja Kramp ◽  
David R. Smith ◽  
Yuri N. Sundikov ◽  
Meicai Wei ◽  
...  

Megaxyela Ashmead, 1898 comprises 13 species, four of which are described as new and one is removed from synonymy: Megaxyela euchroma Blank, Shinohara & Wei sp. nov. from China (Zheijang), M. fulvago Blank, Shinohara & Wei sp. nov. from China (Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang), M. inversa Blank & D.R. Smith sp. nov. from the USA (West Virginia), M. langstoni Ross, 1936 sp. rev. from the eastern USA, and M. pulchra Blank, Shinohara & Sundukov sp. nov. from China (Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Tibet), South Korea (Kangwon-do) and Russia (Primorskiy Kray). The male of M. parki Shinohara, 1992 is described for the first time. A lectotype is designated for M. gigantea Mocsáry, 1909. A cladogram, based on COI sequences of seven species, is presented and interpreted in view of selected morphological characters. Records of M. fulvago sp. nov. from Hunan and of M. pulchra sp. nov. from Tibet extend the known distribution of Megaxyela in the Old World 600 kilometers farther south and 2500 kilometers farther west than previous records.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-160
Author(s):  
Alexey V. Antoshin ◽  
Dmitry L. Strovsky

The article analyzes the features of Soviet emigration and repatriation in the second half of the 1960s through the early 1970s, when for the first time after a long period of time, and as a result of political agreements between the USSR and the USA, hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jews were able to leave the Soviet Union for good and settle in the United States and Israel. Our attention is focused not only on the history of this issue and the overall political situation of that time, but mainly on the peculiarities of this issue coverage by the leading American printed media. The reference to the media as the main empirical source of this study allows not only perceiving the topic of emigration and repatriation in more detail, but also seeing the regularities of the political ‘face’ of the American press of that time. This study enables us to expand the usual framework of knowledge of emigration against the background of its historical and cultural development in the 20th century.


10.34690/26 ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 170-189
Author(s):  
А.С. Максимова

Исследовательским материалом статьи послужили письма Н. Слонимского к В. Дукельскому из Коллекции Вернона Дюка Библиотеки Конгресса США. Впервые публикуются фрагменты писем с 1937 по 1969 год, в которых Н. Слонимский высказывался о музыкальной жизни ХХ века. Кратко освещена история знакомства (1918) и общения Н. Слонимского и В. Дукельского. Тема избранной для статьи переписки - судьбы профессии композитора в США, включая взаимоотношения композитора и дирижера, проблему творческого успеха. В статье освещены некоторые подробности визита Слонимского в СССР. The research material of the article comprise Nicolas Slonimskys letters to Vladimir Dukelsky from the Vernon Duke Collection of the Library of Congress (USA). Large fragments from the letters of 1937 to 1969 which contain Slonimskys thoughts on the 20th century music are being quoted for the first time. The author briefly observes the history of the two musicians acquaintance (1918) and contacts. The correspondence selected for the article embraces such topics as: the profession of composer in the USA, arrangements between composers and conductors, and a problem of public success. The article also contains some details on Slonimskys visit to the USSR.


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