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A new synthetic lure for management of the invasive giant African snail, Lissachatina fulica
Authors: Amy Roda aff001; Jocelyn G. Millar aff002; Chris Jacobsen aff003; Robin Veasey aff002; Lenny Fujimoto aff003; Arnold Hara aff003; Rory J. McDonnell aff004
Authors place of work: Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, United States Department of Agriculture, Miami, Florida, United States of America aff001; Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California United States of America aff002; Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Services, University of Hawaii, Hilo, Hawaii, United States of America aff003; Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America aff004
Synthetic chemical lures mimicking pheromones or food attractants are essential tools in eradication programs for invasive species. However, their uses in programs aiming to control or eradicate terrestrial gastropods are largely unexplored. The goal of this study was to find a synthetic attractant that could aid in the eradication or management of the giant African snail (Lissachatina fulica). Field studies in Hawaii showed that a commercial papaya-flavored oil attracted snails. Analysis of the odor profile of the oil identified a total of 22 chemicals, which comprised > 98% of the volatile compounds emitted by the oil. A synthetic blend was reconstructed that mirrored the release rates of the papaya oil odors. In laboratory and field bioassays, the reconstructed blend, applied to cotton wicks as water and canola oil or water and mineral emulsions, attracted more snails than the water and oil emulsion control wicks. Field studies in Hawaii and Florida showed that the reconstructed blend in an oil emulsion was not attractive to non-target species such as butterflies or bees. The snails were attracted from distances > 1 m and entered traps baited with the attractant emulsion. When tested in the South Florida giant African snail eradication program, direct ground application of the reconstructed papaya-flavored oil emulsion increased the number of snails killed by over 87% compared to water emulsion controls. Integrating tactics using the synthetic papaya oil attractant into control measures should increase the effectiveness of eradication and management programs.
Emulsions – Foraging – Insects – Oils – Snails – Vegetable oils – Gastropods – Slugs
Semiochemically-based lures are widely used in insect detection, management, and eradication programs worldwide [1, 2]. Some are based on pheromones, which generally impart a high degree of species-specificity, whereas others are based on food- or host-plant attractants, and may be somewhat less species-specific. However, by manipulation of components and blend ratios, preferential attraction of a given target insect species is usually possible. In contrast, analogous lures targeting pest slug and snail species have not yet been developed, although a number of food-based baits have been commercialized for management of terrestrial gastropod species [3].
Gastropod management programs typically employ chemical (molluscicides) and cultural (hand collection and debris removal) tactics [3]. However, slug and snail control programs can be hampered by the biological characteristics of the target species. For example, gastropods have a limited foraging range [4], and they may shelter in protected areas that might not receive sufficient rates of pesticide to kill the target animals. In addition, molluscicides such as metaldehyde are toxic to vertebrates [5], and are water soluble and so dissipate rapidly in humid climates [6]. The effectiveness of control strategies could be enhanced if an activator and/or attractant were used to increase snail movement, and to draw them to traps (mass trapping) or to a killing agent (attract and kill), or to exposed areas so that they could be killed or removed. Attractant-based methods would also help to draw pests away from areas where pesticides cannot be used, such as organic farms, and areas where children, pets, or farm animals could come in contact with toxicants.
Gastropods feed on a wide range of plant and animal materials, and a variety of substrates have been tested as components of baits [7–13]. However, using such materials as gastropod attractants in management programs is not without problems. For example, attraction to a food source may change with the age, ripeness, or stage of decay of the plant material [14] and must compete effectively with the odors from crops or other sources of attractants [7]. Additionally, rotting plant material may attract maggots, rodents, or other vermin [15]. For these and other reasons, the development of gastropod attractants based on reconstructions of food-based odors from synthetic chemicals would have a number of advantages. For example, the formulation and release rates of synthetic lures could be easily standardized, they could be made in any desired quantities, and release devices could be readily stored and shipped, analogous to the numerous semiochemically-based lures that are in routine use for insect pests. Furthermore, it may be possible to develop synthetic formulations that are more target-specific than crude attractants based on fresh or fermenting food-based materials.
Giant African snails (Lissachatina fulica (Férussac, 1821)), herein referred to as GAS, are considered among the world's worst invasive pests, because they feed on a wide variety of agricultural crops and native plants [16]. The snails have been widely dispersed outside their native range by international commerce, including deliberate human-mediated movement in order to exploit GAS as a food source [17]. They have also been introduced accidently or illegally into new areas of the world, resulting in costly eradication or containment programs [18]. GAS also represent a significant threat to human health by acting as intermediate hosts of the rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) [19]. Humans become infected by ingesting raw produce contaminated with gastropod slime containing A. cantonensis larvae, or by eating infected raw or undercooked gastropods. The immature worms migrate to the human brain, causing the often fatal disease eosinophilic meningoencephalitis [20, 21].
We report here the results of our studies on developing a synthetic attractant for GAS, based on a commercially available papaya-flavored oil. During the course of the project, we discovered that the test formulations also attracted another invasive gastropod, the semi-slug Parmarion martensi, which is also an important vector of the rat lungworm nematode [22].
In Florida, properties were located within quarantine zones established by the United States Department of Agriculture and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Giant African Land Snail joint eradication program. Property owners within the cores signed release forms granting full permission for accessing and conducting control efforts. In Hawaii, the study was conducted at the Komohana Research and Extension Center (KREC) and permission was granted by the University of Hawaii at Hilo. In Trinidad, the field location was within giant African snail control area and permission was granted by The Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources. There were no endangered or protected gastropod species present in any of the field study sites.
Field bioassays with fruit-flavored oils
Papaya and banana fruit [15, 23, 24] and food extracts [25] have been shown to draw GAS into traps, suggesting that the odors from these substrates attracted the snails. Commercially available papaya- and banana- flavored oils (Cat. # NF-3763/NAT and NF-3763/NAT respectively; Natures Flavors, Orange, CA, USA) were tested to determine whether GAS moving toward daytime refuges would orient towards and feed on lures dosed with one of the flavored oils. Lures were made by saturating standard sized cotton dental wicks (Patterson Dental Supply, St. Paul MN, USA) with 4 ml of an emulsion prepared from a 1:1:0.2 mixture of tap water, mineral oil, and Tween®80 surfactant. The flavored oil (200 ul) was then pipetted onto each emulsion-saturated wick (4200 ul total volume). The wicks were positioned in the center of 60 mm diameter polystyrene Petri dishes (FisherbrandTM) and then were placed near (25–50 cm) from foraging snails at KREC (19.696029N, 155.089564W). The site had established populations of invasive gastropods and no management efforts were undertaken during the periods of experimentation. Ten replicates were placed 2–5 m apart, each with 1–6 GAS (ca.30-70 mm) in the vicinity. Each replicate consisted of three wicks, each dosed as above with one of three treatments: 1) papaya-flavored oil emulsion 2) banana-flavored oil emulsion, and 3) oil emulsion alone as a control. Within a replicate, the three treated dishes were randomly spaced 50 cm apart. The treatments were observed continuously for 2 h, recording the number and size of GAS that changed direction towards a given treatment, and the number that fed on each wick.
Analysis and reconstruction of the odor of the papaya-flavored oil
A sample of 2 ml of the papaya-flavored oil described above was pipetted into a 20 ml glass vial, which was then sealed with aluminum foil. The headspace odors were sampled by inserting a solid phase microextraction fiber (SPME, polydimethylsiloxane film, 100 μ film; Supelco, Bellefonte PA, USA) through the foil for 20 sec. The fiber was then thermally desorbed directly into an Agilent (Santa Clara CA, USA) 6890N gas chromatograph coupled to an Agilent 5975C mass selective detector. Fibers were desorbed in split-less injection mode. The injection port temperature was 250°C, and the fiber was desorbed for 20 sec before starting the temperature program. The GC was fitted with a 30 m x 0.25 mm ID DB-5 column (J&W Scientific, Folsom CA, USA), which was programmed from 40°C for 1 min, then 5°C per min to 250°C, hold at 250°C for 10 min. Helium was used as carrier gas with a linear flow of 37 cm/sec. Mass spectra were obtained in electron impact ionization mode (70 eV), with a scanning range of 30–450 daltons. Compounds were tentatively identified by matches with database spectra (NIST database) and/or interpretation of their spectra. Identifications were confirmed by matching their retention times and mass spectra with those of authentic standards, obtained from the sources shown in Table 1.
Tab. 1. Compounds identified from commercial papaya-flavored oil by solid phase microextraction followed by analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
Amounts are normalized to the most abundant compound, 3-methylbutyl acetate, in the oil.
To reconstruct the odor profile, 0.1 ml aliquots of each of the 22 compounds listed in Table 1 were combined, and 0.1 ml of the resulting mixture was diluted in 10 ml of canola oil as a carrier. The headspace odors of a 100 μl aliquot were analyzed by SPME and GC-MS as described above, with the resulting ratios of peak areas providing the relative volatilities of the compounds, using the most abundant compound in the original analysis (3-methylbutyl acetate) as a standard. Thus, dividing the peak area of 3-methylbutyl acetate by the peak area of compound X provided the relative volatility. This value, multiplied by the relative amount of compound X compared to 3-methylbutyl acetate, which was arbitrarily set to 100, provided the corrected amount of each compound. These amounts were used to obtain a headspace profile approximately mimicking that of the original papaya-flavored oil (Fig 1). With these relative ratios determined, batches of the reconstituted odor blend were made up as needed, by mixing the appropriate volumes of the various components in the ratios shown in Table 1.
Fig. 1. Top trace: Total ion chromatogram of reconstructed odor blend of the papaya-flavored oil in canola oil carrier; Inverted bottom trace: Total ion chromatogram of papaya-flavored oil as received from the supplier.
Peak numbers correspond to the compounds listed in Table 1.
For laboratory and field trials, the odor blend was mixed into an oil and water emulsion which served as a slow-release formulation. For all subsequent laboratory and field trials, except stated otherwise, 44 μl (0.2% concentration) or 440 μl (2% concentration) of the reconstructed odor blend or commercial oil was added to 10 ml water, 2 ml Tween®80 surfactant and 10 ml of either canola oil (herein canola oil emulsion) or mineral oil (herein mineral oil emulsion). The resulting mixture was shaken vigorously to form an emulsion. Cotton dental wicks were soaked in the emulsion until saturated (approximately 4 ml per wick) with the exception of the laboratory bioassay done in Riverside California where 1 ml of the resulting emulsion was used.
Laboratory bioassays
A colony of GAS was established in the Biosecurity Level II quarantine facility at the University of California Riverside, from wild snails collected in Miami, Florida (USDA Permit P526P-12-02858). Snails were held at 24°C and 50% RH, and were fed organic carrots. A piece of oyster shell cake (Down to EarthTM Oyster Shell) mixed with water, was provided as a calcium source. This diet was supplemented weekly with dry cat food (WhiskasTM brand) and bimonthly with organic cucumbers. The day before a bioassay, six snails were randomly selected and held in containers (5.5 l) and starved for 18 h. In a separate room (24°C, 50% RH, fluorescent lighting), bioassays were carried out in open-topped plastic box arenas (56 x 41 x14 cm). The bottom of each box was covered with a moistened paper towel. Cotton dental wicks dosed with 1 ml of treatment or control were placed on glass Petri dishes (10 cm) spaced 15 cm apart, 13 cm from the back wall of the box. The treatments used were prepared as described above. Six replicates (~55 cm apart) were run simultaneously with treatments and controls alternated between sides in neighboring arenas.
An individual snail was released in the center of the box between the 2 dishes, spritzed with deionized water, and allowed to move freely for up to 1 h. A choice was scored when they touched a dish. Any snail that failed to touch one of the dishes within 1 h, or that left the arena floor was recorded as a non-responder. After each bioassay, arenas were cleaned and rinsed with deionized water, the paper towel flooring was replaced, and the positions of treatments and controls were switched from the previous assay, with fresh dishes and wicks. Snails were used only once. Four two-choice experiments were conducted: 1) commercial papaya-flavored oil at 2% concentration in a 1:1:0.2 water, canola oil emulsion, and Tween®80 vs untreated emulsion (n = 12), 2) the synthetic reconstruction of the papaya-flavored oil at 2% concentration in the canola oil emulsion vs untreated emulsion (n = 24), 3) the synthetic reconstruction of papaya-flavored oil at 2% concentration in the emulsion vs the commercial papaya-flavored oil at 2% concentration in the canola oil emulsion (n = 24) and 4) a blank canola oil and water emulsion vs a blank mineral oil and water emulsion (n = 48). For the blank emulsion choice test, both adult (>40 mm shell length, n = 24) and immature (6–13 mm, n = 24) snails were used.
Field studies with the synthetic lure
Comparison of the synthetic lure and commercial papaya-flavored oil attraction
The synthetic lure and commercial papaya-flavored oil were tested at KREC in Hilo, HI from May 21–25, 2016. Preliminary experiments showed that a 2% and 0.2% concentration of the neat reconstructed odor blend in the emulsions were equally attractive to GAS but 0.2% appeared to be more attractive to the invasive semi-slug, Parmarion martensi (McDonnell and Jacobsen, pers. obs.). Thus, lures were tested at 0.2% concentration mixed in a 1:1:0.2 canola oil, water, and Tween®80 emulsion. At dusk, an emulsion-soaked wick (4 ml/wick) was placed on a plastic Petri dish (9cm), which was then enclosed in a 3.75 oz (111 ml) net pot, which in turn was placed just inside a 19.7 x 19.7 x 31.8cm horticultural production container (Stuewe & Sons TP812; Tangent OR, USA). Metaldehyde (Deadline® 4%) was sprinkled inside and immediately adjacent to the production container at the recommended application rate (9 kg/4047 m2). The pot protected the lure from heavy rains and potential removal by non-target mammals while allowing the odor to disperse. The pots were placed 50 cm apart from each other and at ~1 m from a known population of GAS. One of three treatments (n = 10) were randomly assigned to each pot: 1) commercial papaya-flavored oil emulsion lure, 2) reconstructed papaya-flavored odor emulsion lure or 3) untreated emulsion as a control. After 12 h, all gastropods found in the pot and within 15 cm of the pot were collected, identified, and counted. The bioassay was run for four consecutive nights with a fresh wick and additional metaldehyde bait reapplied after heavy rain as needed. The cumulative number of each species of gastropods collected per treatment over the four nights was analyzed.
Attractant deployment methodologies
To test whether the synthetic lure could be directly combined with liquid metaldehyde (Slug-Fest, OR-CAL, Inc. Junction City, OR, USA), one of two spray treatments (250 ml) were applied to 50 x 50 cm plots: 1) liquid metaldehyde diluted with water (2.9 ml Slug-Fest/ 250 ml tap water) or 2) 0.2% synthetic lure emulsion (0.5 ml) mixed with the liquid metaldehyde. Plots (n = 50) were established at least 50 cm apart and at ~1 m from a known population of GAS at KREC. The species and number of gastropods were recorded and left in the plots 2 h after treatment application. After 18 and 48 h, all gastropods found in the plots were counted and removed.
To test whether the oil base used affected how long the lure remained attractive to GAS, we tested wicks treated with the synthetic blend formulated in either mineral oil or canola oil emulsions. In the same experiment, we tested fresh formulations versus formulations that had been aged outdoors for 48 h. As above, each oil was tested as a 0.2% synthetic lure emulsion. The wicks were aged outdoors under an overhang to shelter the wicks from rain but allow for sun and air exposure. After 48 h, 4 ml of liquid metaldehyde (1.15 ml Slug-Fest /100 ml tap water) was added to the aged wicks, to freshly prepared wicks treated with the 0.2% synthetic lure in the oil emulsions, and to dry wicks. The wicks of each of the 5 treatments: 1) 48 h aged synthetic lure in mineral oil emulsion 2) 48 h aged synthetic lure in a canola oil emulsion, 3) fresh synthetic lure in mineral oil emulsion, 4) fresh synthetic lure in a canola oil emulsion and 5) untreated control, were placed at dusk 75 cm apart in plastic Petri dishes, 1 m from areas where foraging snails were observed 12 h earlier (n = 50) at KREC. After 12 h, all gastropods found within 15 cm of the test treatments or controls were counted, identified, and collected.
To determine if the synthetic lure drew GAS into traps, Snailer Snail and Slug TrapsTM (American Organic Products, Ventura CA, USA) were baited with cotton wicks dosed with one of three treatments: 1) liquid metaldehyde (1.15 ml Slug-Fest /100 ml tap water) alone, 2) liquid metaldehyde and synthetic lure (0.2%) in canola oil emulsion, and 3) liquid metaldehyde and synthetic lure (0.2%) in mineral oil emulsion. Three replicates of the baited traps were placed at dusk in areas at KREC where foraging GAS were observed 12 h earlier. After 12 h, the traps were inspected and all gastropods counted and removed. The traps were cleaned and the lures replaced. The traps were moved daily to three other locations where GAS had been observed, and the collection, cleaning, re-baiting and moving of traps procedure was repeated, to provide a total of 12 spatial and temporal replicates
Snail behavioral observations
Behavioral studies to determine the draw distance and the length of time that GAS fed on the lures were conducted at a second study site in Hilo, Hawaii (19.71666N, 155.07838W), adjacent to an infested hibiscus hedge. The site had a large mixed age population of GAS and no control measures had been conducted. Petri dishes (n = 15) were baited with one of 4 treatments: 1) 48 h aged synthetic lure in mineral oil emulsion 2) 48 h aged synthetic lure in canola oil emulsion, 3) fresh synthetic lure in mineral oil emulsion and 4) fresh synthetic lure in canola oil emulsion. The baited dishes were placed at 20:20 h in groups of four, 50 cm apart and 50 cm from the hedge. The 0.2% synthetic lure and oil emulsions were as described above. The wicks were continuously monitored for 2 hr. All snails touching the wicks were counted, measured, and marked with fluorescent nail polish. The time when the snails first touched and when the snails left the wicks were recorded. When movement toward the lure was observed with snails >25 cm from the dish, the original position of the snail was marked and the distance to the Petri dish was measured once the snail touched the dish.
Non-target studies
To determine if the synthetic lure attracted beneficial insects and other non-target animals, studies were conducted on a residential property in Miami, FL (25.405852N, 80.526497W) and Hawaii, HI at two locations, Umauma (19.915911, -155.140856) and Mountain View (19.643813, -155.079941). In Miami, cotton wicks saturated with 4 ml of the 0.2% synthetic lure in mineral oil emulsion were placed in the center of white sticky trap liners designed for catching insects (Great Lakes IPM, Inc., Vestaburg MI, USA). Controls consisted of wicks treated with emulsion only, and dry wicks. The traps (n = 6) were placed on the ground at 14:00 h during peak insect activity near areas where bees and butterflies were seen foraging. The traps were observed continuously for 1 h after placement and then every hour until dusk. Any insect or other non-target activity such as hovering or landing on or near the wick was recorded. In Hawaii, cotton wicks saturated with 0.2% synthetic lure in canola oil emulsion or untreated emulsion were placed atop 12.7 x 17.8 cm sticky cards inside Delta Traps (Great Lakes IPM). At sunset, the traps (n = 4 at each of the two sites) were placed horizontally at ground level or hung 1.5 m above ground level. After 24 h, the traps were collected in both locations and examined primarily for honey bees, native bees, and butterflies, but other insect taxa were also recorded.
Testing the synthetic lure in GAS eradication programs
In Trinidad, a study was conducted in a combined residential and small farm community (10.644002N, 61.437157W) in a roadside area (100 m x 25 m) that contained a large number of GAS. Fifty plastic Petri dishes with a metaldehyde-soaked wick (1.15 ml Slug-Fest/100 ml of tap water) were placed 1 m apart and 1 m from foraging snails seen along the road at sunset. A second cotton wick soaked with 0.2% synthetic lure in canola oil emulsion was added to half the dishes (n = 25). After 12 h, all snails found within 25 cm of the dishes were measured and counted.
In Florida, a field bioassay was conducted to determine whether the synthetic odor lures might draw snails to the metaldehyde applied as part of the Florida GAS eradication program standard operating procedures. The study took place on a residential property in Miami (25.78252N, 80.23563W) 12 h after GAS were initially detected. The property was located in a quarantine zone established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) GAS joint eradication program. Upon discovery of GAS, the property underwent the standard eradication program procedures of debris removal followed by labeled rate (30 ml/3.8 l) application of liquid metaldehyde (Slug-Fest) in areas where snails were collected. Metaldehyde granular bait (DeadlineTM) was broadcast in the remaining lawn areas of the property. Four ml of 0.2% lure in mineral oil emulsion or emulsion alone were pipetted directly on the ground as spot treatments in pairs (n = 110) within the liquid metaldehyde-treated areas on the infested property. Ground applications of the lure were made rather than dispersing wicks because debris removal conducted as part of normal eradication procedures would have removed most of the wicks. Lure applications were made at dusk near areas that had debris or dense vegetation or were hard to access (e.g. under porches), with the purpose of activating and attracting hidden snails to the pesticide-treated areas. The spot treatments were made 75 cm apart and marked with a flag, and all snails found within 15 cm of a treatment were measured and counted 12 h after application of the lure or control.
Count data were tested for normality (Shapiro-Wilk test) and homoscedasticity (Bartlett test) using software from SAS Institute (Cary NC, USA [26]). The data that did not meet the assumptions for parametric analysis after transformation were analyzed with non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney test and Kruskal-Wallis test [27]). Kruskal–Wallis tests were followed by a post-hoc test of multiple comparisons of all treatments [28]. The choice study data were analyzed using a binomial test [29]. P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Wicks treated with the papaya- and banana-flavored oil emulsions caused GAS to stop movement toward daytime refuge areas and return to the open. A total of 14 snails were observed changing direction and moving towards the lures. Of the 14 snails observed, more fed on wicks treated with the papaya-flavored oil (10 snails) than the banana-flavored oil (3 snails) or the mineral oil emulsion alone (1 snail). All snails observed were adult size class (50–80 mm).
A total of 22 compounds were identified in the headspace odors of the commercial papaya-flavored oil (Table 1), comprising >98% of the total odor blend. The compounds included esters, ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, and terpenoids. Compounds were tentatively identified by matches of their mass spectra with database spectra (NIST 11 database) and/or interpretation of their spectra. Identifications were then confirmed by matching the retention times and mass spectra of the compounds with those of authentic standards. The 22-component odor blend was reconstructed from synthetic flavor and fragrance compounds (Fig 1), and the neat blend of compounds was diluted in either mineral or canola oil emulsions for laboratory and field testing.
Snails that did not make a choice were discarded from the analyses. In two-choice arena bioassays, significantly more snails selected the commercial papaya-flavored oil emulsion over the untreated emulsion control (Table 2, Binomial test: P = 0.021). Similarly, more snails were attracted to the emulsion blended with the synthetic reconstruction of the papaya-flavored oil odors than to the control emulsion (Binomial test: P = 0.001). Although twice as many test snails selected the synthetic lure compared to the commercial oil lure (Table 2), this difference was not statistically different (Binomial test: P = 0.302). With the latter, a large number of snails made no choice, perhaps due to the competing odors of the two attractants. Both adult (> 40 mm) and immature (6–13 mm) snails showed no difference in attraction to the canola oil or mineral oil emulsions (Binomial test: P = 0.839). The same applied when the two age groups were lumped (Binomial test: P = 0.665).
Tab. 2. The percentage of Lissachatina fulica that selected various test treatments and controls, or made no choice, in two-choice laboratory bioassays testing emulsions of commercial papaya-flavored oil, synthetic reconstructions of the papaya oil odor in canola oil or mineral oil, or water emulsion controls.
Comparison of synthetic lure and commercial papaya-flavored oil
Adding the commercial papaya flavored oil lure or the synthetic lure increased the number of GAS found in metaldehyde bait treated plots by 34 and 50% respectively compared to the number found in the control plots 12 h after application (Kruskal-Wallis test: X2 = 5.97 (2), P = 0.051; Fig 2). The numbers of black slugs (Laevicaulis alte) and semislugs (P. martensi) found in treatment and control plots were not significantly different (X2 = 0.34 (2), P = 0.82 and X2 = 3.26 (2), P = 0.20 respectively). There were no differences in the mean number of GAS collected from plots with the commercial papaya-flavored oil or the synthetic lure (z = 0.98, P = 0.33).
Fig. 2. The mean numbers of giant African snails (Lissachatina fulica), semi-slugs (Parmarion martensi), and black slugs (Laevicaulis alte) found inside and adjacent to horticultural containers (n = 10) baited with metaldehyde (Deadline® 4% metaldehyde) and a canola oil emulsion containing 0.2% papaya-flavored oil (Nature's Flavors®), or untreated emulsion.
Bars represent one standard error.
The attractiveness of the synthetic lure dissipated rapidly when mixed directly with liquid metaldehyde (Fig 3). Two h after application, significantly more GAS were found in with synthetic lure compared to the control plots (Unequal Variance (Welch) t test: t = 1.76 (65), p>t = 0.034; Fig 3A), but by 18 h after application there were no differences between the treatment and control plots (t = 0.12 (92), p>t = 0.44; Fig 3B). However, more P. martensi were found in plots with synthetic lure both 2 h (t = 2.32 (58), p>t = 0.01; Fig 3A) and 18 h (t = 2.66 (64), p>t = 0.005; Fig 3B) after application. After 48 h, only 5 additional GAS were found in the plots (2 in metaldehyde alone and 3 in synthetic lure/metaldehyde treatment). Nine additional semi-slugs were found in plots (2 in metaldehyde alone and 7 in synthetic lure/metaldehyde treatment). Adding the synthetic lure directly to liquid metaldehyde did not increase the number of V. cubensis or L. alte at any time period.
The mean number of giant African snails (Lissachatina fulica), semi-slugs (Parmarion martensi), Cuban slug (Veronicella cubensis) and black slugs (Laevicaulis alte) found in 50 cm2 plots (n = 50) 2 h (a) and 12 h (b) after application of liquid metaldehyde alone or liquid metaldehyde combined with 0.2% synthetic lure emulsion.
When the synthetic lure emulsions were added to cotton wicks dosed with metaldehyde, the effects of random movement of gastropods into the plots was largely eliminated because the snails needed to contact the wick in order to receive a lethal dose of metaldehyde and a significant treatment effect was seen (X2 = 13.13 (4), P = 0.011). Significantly more GAS were found on or near wicks with synthetic lure mineral oil emulsion (z = 2.04, P = 0.04) or canola oil emulsion (z = 2.25, P = 0.02) compared to metaldehyde alone (Fig 4). There were no differences in the type of base oil (mineral or canola) used (z = 0.18, P = 0.86). For GAS, the attractive effect dissipated with time, as there were no differences between the number of GAS collected from the 48 h aged mineral oil (z = 0.31, P = 0.76) and canola oil (z = 0.63, P = 0.53) treated emulsions compared to metaldehyde alone. A number of wicks were removed during the experiment, likely by rodents seen in the area. Although wicks were lost from all treatments more were missing from the fresh lure in a mineral oil emulsion (8) than fresh lure in a canola oil emulsion (3), aged lure in a mineral oil emulsion (1), and aged lure in a canola oil emulsion (3).
Fig. 4. The mean number of giant African snails (Lissachatina fulica) and semi-slugs (Parmarion martensi) found in or near (15 cm) Petri dishes baited with wicks saturated with fresh or 48 h aged synthetic papaya odor lure (0.2%) combined with either mineral or canola oil and fresh liquid metaldehyde emulsion or liquid metaldehyde alone.
Bars represent one standard error of the mean. Emulsions were 1:1:0.2 water/oil/ Tween®80.
Snailer traps baited with the synthetic emulsion lures with metaldehyde caught significantly more GAS (Fig 5; X2 = 5.87 (2), P = 0.05) than the traps baited with metaldehyde alone, which caught no snails. There were no significant differences between the numbers of GAS found in traps when the lure was formulated in either the mineral oil or the canola oil emulsions (z = 1.4, P = 0.15). The traps with the lure emulsions had 74–81% more P. martensi than traps containing only metaldehyde but the difference was not significant (X2 = 4.19 (2), P = 0.123, Fig 5). No V. cubensis or L. alte were found in any of the traps.
Fig. 5. The mean number of giant African snails (Lissachatina fulica) and semi-slugs (Parmarion martensi) caught in Snailer Snail and Slug TrapsTM (n = 12) baited with liquid metaldehyde (1.15 ml in 100 ml of water) saturated cotton wicks, liquid metaldehyde combined with 0.2% synthetic lure + canola oil emulsion, or liquid metaldehyde combined with 0.2% synthetic lure + mineral oil emulsion.
Bars indicate one standard error. Emulsions were 1:1:0.2 water/oil/ Tween®80.
A total of 56 GAS were observed feeding on the wicks deployed near the hibiscus hedge from 20:40–22:40 (Table 3). No other gastropods were seen in the area. More wicks with fresh lure in canola oil emulsion attracted snails (60%), compared to the fresh lures in mineral oil emulsion or the 48 h aged lures in canola and mineral oil emulsions (40%, 20%, and 20% respectively). Although snails fed on the aged wicks, the number of snails observed decreased by 90% for the aged synthetic lure in canola oil and by 43% for the aged lure formulated in mineral oil. All treatments had GAS feeding on the wick within 20–30 min after placement. Feeding bouts lasted from ~1 min to > 1.25 h. All age classes fed on fresh lure emulsions and adult and juvenile snails fed on the aged lure emulsions. The initial locations of 5 snails that crawled > 25 cm directly to a fresh lure were recorded. A fresh synthetic lure in canola oil drew a snail > 105 cm from its original foraging location, which was the longest observed distance. Three additional snails were observed crawling towards fresh canola oil emulsion lures 35, 50, and 55 cm from the dish, and one snail was observed 50 cm from a fresh lure in a mineral oil emulsion before the snails were seen feeding on the lure. All other snails were first observed when they were ≤ 25 cm (43 snails) from the dish or feeding on the wick (8 snails).
Tab. 3. The number of individual giant African snails (Lissachatina fulica) observed feeding on wicks saturated with fresh and aged (48h) synthetic lure (0.2%) in a canola or mineral oil emulsion. Emulsions were 1:1:0.2 water/oil/Tween®80.
In the Miami non-target study, no bees or butterflies approached the wicks with the synthetic lure emulsion or the control emulsion despite numerous bees (Apis mellifera) and butterflies (Lycaenidae, Hesperiidae, Heliconiidae, and Nymphalidae) foraging in nearby flowers. Dogs present on the site did not approach the wicks or traps during the 24 h study. No differences were found in the insect composition on the sticky traps (Table 4). Insects trapped by random movement included flies, ants, leafhoppers, and thrips. No lures were removed by nontarget vertebrates, including reptiles (Anolis sagrei, Basiliscus vittatus, and Coluber constrictor paludicola) and amphibians (Rhinella marina) seen during the study. In Hilo, HI, the traps were not disturbed by vertebrate animals during the evaluation, foraging bees were not observed approaching the lures or the controls, and no bees were trapped. No differences were found in the number of insects on traps with the synthetic lure versus the controls. (Table 5).
Tab. 4. The mean number (SE) of insects arthropods found on sticky traps (n = 6) baited with a dry cotton wick (dry wick), a saturated wick with synthetic papaya oil lure in mineral oil emulsion (synthetic papaya lure emulsion) or a wick saturated with mineral oil and water emulsion (water emulsion) collected over 24 h in Miami, Florida, USA.
Emulsions were 1:1:0.2 water/oil/ Tween®80.
Tab. 5. The pooled mean numbers (SE) and types of insects captured (indicated by '+') on sticky cards (n = 8) baited with cotton wicks saturated with water, canola oil emulsion, synthetic papaya oil lure (0.2%) in water or synthetic papaya oil lure (0.2%) in a canola oil emulsion collected over 24 h in Hilo, HI, USA. Sticky card were suspended 1m (elevated) or placed on the ground (ground).
In Mt. Lambert, Trinidad, significantly more GAS (all size classes combined) were killed in plots treated with the synthetic lure and metaldehyde than in control plots (X2 = 11.46 (1), P<0.001; Table 6). In Miami, significantly more GAS (all size classes combined) were found near the spot treatments of the synthetic lure in mineral oil emulsion compared to the mineral oil emulsion control (X2 = 14.53 (1), P<0.0001; Table 6). Furthermore, as part of the eradication protocol, hand collection of snails and debris removal conducted prior to the application of the lure had removed all visible snails in the study area. Thus, the snails found 12 h after application of the spot treatments had been drawn from the soil and other concealed locations. In addition, only 21% of the 110 plots had snails, indicating a clumped distributions of the snails. In both studies, all size classes of snails were attracted to the lure.
Tab. 6. The total number and size range of giant African snails (Lissachatina fulic) found 25 cm from Petri dishes with a cotton wick saturated with liquid metaldehyde or a wick with 0.2% synthetic papaya lure in a 1:1:0.2 emulsion of water, canola oil, and Tween in a field bioassay at Mt. Lambert, Trinidad (n = 25), or 15 cm from 4 ml ground applications of the same blend and a water emulsion control 12 h after application of liquid metaldehyde in Miami, FL, U.S.A. (n = 110).
Attractant lures that draw target species in to traps or toxic baits are important monitoring tools in integrated pest management, and are crucial tools for eradication programs for defining the geographic range that has been infested, to identify habitat preferences, to track the efficacy of control measures, and to assess the outcome of the eradication program [29, 30]. However, their use in gastropod management programs remains relatively unexplored. In this study we showed that a synthetic lure based on the odor of commercial papaya-flavored oil increased the efficacy of pesticide-based methods for controlling GAS by 50–87% compared to controls. The chemicals used to reconstruct the lure were non-toxic and commercially available, often in food grade, making it possible to produce the lure blend with consistent quality, and in any desired amounts required to meet GAS management and eradication program needs.
The synthetic lure drew snails from distances of 35 to 105 cm. In terms of gastropod movement, this is substantial because land snail mobility is generally considered fairly poor [4]. GAS has a limited foraging range, reported to be a few meters [31], and snails may find refuge from management practices in protected areas such as between fences, amongst piles of debris, or under sheds [15]. By using the lure, snails could be drawn to the pesticide-treated areas or into the open where they could be collected. Additionally, this study showed that the snails responded rapidly to the presence of the attractant (< 30 min); thus, the synthetic lure can increase the likelihood that pest gastropods will encounter the pesticide while the pesticide bait is most effective. However, the longevity of the lure was short under field conditions (< 18 h) despite being formulated in an oil emulsion as a means to modulate the release rate of the volatile odors. Further work needs to be done to develop slow-release formulations with longer effective field lifetimes.
One goal of the study was to test different application methods for ease of integration into an eradication program. The lure and oil emulsion applied to a cotton wick was consistently selected over control treatments in laboratory studies as well as in field studies in all 3 geographic locations (Trinidad, Florida, and Hawaii). Snails were also seen to feed for extended periods of time on the wicks (> 60 min) including the 48 h aged wicks, which could increase the duration they would be exposed to pesticides or to surveys conducted by program staff. The effectiveness of adding the lure directly to the metaldehyde spray remains inconclusive. Twice as many snails were found in plots with the lure during the first collection, but a significant difference was not seen in the subsequent collections. This may be due in part to the experimental design. Snails may have crossed control plots inadvertently as they moved toward plots with the lure or they may have entered plots as they returned to daytime refuges. Direct application of the lure emulsion to the ground, as tested in the Florida eradication program, was found to be effective, and provided several advantages. Because the lure formulation was applied directly to the ground as spot treatments, the lures were unaffected by the removal of plant and other debris as part of the eradication protocol, and there were no release devices that needed to be retrieved later. In addition, our results showed that the synthetic lure drew snails into traps, which may be a useful tool, particularly for removing snails from areas that are difficult to access and/or where the presence of pets and farm animals precludes pesticide applications.
The synthetic lure did not attract pets, bees and other protected non-target species. This was an important consideration for use in the Florida GAS eradication program. Metaldehyde-based pesticides that are essential tools for managing GAS [32] are also toxic to wildlife, pets, and livestock [33]. The bran or molasses that is commonly added to the metaldehyde baits to increase its attractiveness to snails and slugs is also attractive and palatable to dogs [5]. As a result, some countries regulate the bait size and application rate as well as requiring that these baits include ingredients to make the bait unpalatable to dogs [34].
Even within gastropods, the synthetic lure showed considerable specificity because it did not attract all slug and snail species present at the study sites. For example, the invasive Cuban slug (Veronicella cubensis) and black slug (Laevicaulis alte) were not significantly attracted to the lure in any of our studies, nor were they caught in baited Snailer traps. This specificity may prove beneficial in excluding non-target species, and particularly, threatened or endangered gastropods, which may be present in areas where GAS eradication is being attempted. However, the synthetic lure was found to attract another important gastropod pest, Parmarion martensi. This species is widely established in Hawaii and is a vector of the nematode A. cantonensis, the causal agent of angiostrongyliasis [22]. Thus, the synthetic lure may prove to be a useful tool in helping to manage this species.
Food, agricultural waste products, and food grade essences have been tested with varying levels of effectiveness as attractants for GAS [10, 13, 15, 23–25]. Unlike food products, the chemical composition of synthetic lures remains consistent and does not rot, in contrast to aging food baits, which can attract ovipositing flies and vermin. For example, food-based baits have not been used as trap baits in the Florida eradication program because of the high number of empty traps, and the fast, unpleasant decay of the bait [15]. This would not be an issue with the synthetic papaya oil formulation. Additionally, the lure had the combined advantages of significantly enhancing the kill rate of metaldehyde baited plots, of being produced with non-toxic components in defined, controllable, and reproducible ratios, and of having minimal effects on non-target or protected species. When new populations of GAS are discovered, the program now deploys the lure in conjunction with their other control strategies. To our knowledge, this represents the first application of synthetic lures for the management or eradication of any terrestrial gastropod species.
S1 File [xlsx]
Synthetic giant African snail lure laboratory and field evaluation data.
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9. Godan D. Pest slugs and snails. Biology and control. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 1983.
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14. Ogbu CC, Ani AO, Emeh M. Preferencias y comportamiento alimentario de dos especies de caracoles terrestres gigantes africanos. Arch Zootec. 2014; 63: 337–347.
15. Roda A, Yong Cong M, Donner B, Dickens K, Howe A, Sharma S, Smith T. Designing a trapping strategy to aid Giant African Snail (Lissachatina fulica) eradication programs. PLoS One. 2018 Sep 7. 13(9):e0203572. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203572 30192843
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Článek Elevated serum alpha-1 antitrypsin is a major component of GlycA-associated risk for future morbidity and mortality
Temperature sensitivity patterns of carbon and nitrogen processes in decomposition of boreal organic soils – Quantification in different compounds and molecule sizes based on a multifactorial experiment
Cows painted with zebra-like striping can avoid biting fly attack
The intriguing effect of ethanol and nicotine on acetylcholine-sensitive potassium current IKAch: Insight from a quantitative model
The accumulation of deficits approach to describe frailty
Botulinum toxin A injection into the entopeduncular nucleus improves dynamic locomotory parameters in hemiparkinsonian rats
Turing complete neural computation based on synaptic plasticity
Influence of mydriasis on optical coherence tomography angiography imaging in patients with age-related macular degeneration
Specialized care improves outcomes for patients with cirrhosis who require general surgical operations
Association between plural legal systems and sexual and reproductive health outcomes for women and girls in Nigeria: A state-level ecological study
3D analysis of human islet amyloid polypeptide crystalline structures in Drosophila melanogaster
Utility of qSOFA and modified SOFA in severe malaria presenting as sepsis
Correction: Perspectives of general dental practitioners on preventive, patient-centred, and evidence-based oral healthcare—A Q-methodology study
Early detection and differential serodiagnosis of Mycoplasma hyorhinis and Mycoplasma hyosynoviae infections under experimental conditions
No evidence of associations between ADHD and event-related brain potentials from a continuous performance task in a population-based sample of adolescent twins
Antibiotic resistance of blood cultures in regional and tertiary hospital settings of Tyrol, Austria (2006-2015): Impacts & trends
Simultaneous cardiac and respiratory inhibition during seizure precedes death in the DBA/1 audiogenic mouse model of SUDEP
Dopamine receptor antagonists effects on low-dimensional attractors of local field potentials in optogenetic mice
Cell-free DNA levels of twins and sibling pairs indicate individuality and possible use as a personalized biomarker
Dinosaur ichnology and sedimentology of the Chignik Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Aniakchak National Monument, southwestern Alaska; Further insights on habitat preferences of high-latitude hadrosaurs
Mechanical effects of MitraClip on leaflet stress and myocardial strain in functional mitral regurgitation – A finite element modeling study
Catastrophic factors involved in road accidents: Underlying causes and descriptive analysis
Seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in wild boars (Sus scrofa), hunting dogs, and hunters of Brazil
Detection and determination of stability of the antibiotic residues in cow's milk
Neural minimization methods (NMM) for solving variable order fractional delay differential equations (FDDEs) with simulated annealing (SA)
Maternal and perinatal outcomes among women with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy in Kumasi, Ghana
Characteristics and costs in adults with acute poisoning admitted to the emergency department of a university hospital in Belgium
War pact model of shrinking networks
Treatment outcomes based on radiation therapy fields for bifocal


If a book or piece is not listed below, it is not available for sale through the Chinese Fine Arts Society and can be found through other outlets. Please check your instrument division for specific repertoire requirements.
Shipped orders will be received within 7-10 days via USPS Priority Mail. Local pick-up is from our Lakeview office at the Athenaeum Theater, 2936 N. Southport Ave. Suite 225, Chicago, IL 60657. Should you choose "local pick-up," you will be contacted to make pick-up arrangements.


text:
'Pulled Apart' is an engineering fascination
All Featured Front Page Scene
Namratha Kethineni
Cynthia Hooper's oil painting, "East Mojave: Seismic Device," which is a part of the gallery's latest exhibition. IMAGE COURTESY OF THACHER GALLERY
Another of Hooper's oil paintings, "Landfills: Landfill apparatus. IMAGE COURTESY OF THACHER GALLERY
A still image of Terry Berlier's installation piece, "Waiting for the Other Shoe to…" PHOTO COURTESY OF THACHER GALLERY
Editor's Note: This article has been updated from its original version to include a correction to Terry Berlier's quote in paragraph 6.
The intersection of science and the arts is an interesting point of discussion. While these fields are not often featured together, when they are, a magical exhibition is brought to life.
The newest exhibit at USF's Thacher Gallery, "Pulled Apart," achieves this through a display of various projects which are artistically and engineeringly unique to the creators involved. It is available to be experienced online via photos, videos, and text summaries from March 1 – April 25, and is accompanied by virtual conversations with the artists throughout the month of April.
The interdisciplinary exhibition includes pieces from the collections of Terry Berlier, Adam Chin, Cynthia Hooper, Carrie Hott, and Gail Wight. Each piece was hand-selected and curated by Glori Simmons, the director and organizer of exhibits at the Thacher Gallery.
Although each artist brought a piece to the cohesive exhibit, their artistic focuses are vastly different. Berlier is a sculptor who brings attention to queer and LGBTQ+ rights through her art. One of her pieces in the exhibit is titled "Waiting For The Other Shoe To…" She said in a Zoom interview, "It captures a lot of the work that I'm interested in. It tries to take a saying that is common and tries [to] probe deeper into what's happening in society."
The piece is made up of a pulley and rope system which causes a set of shoes to drop together at certain time intervals.
"I'm really interested in inequalities around BIPOC, queer, and trans folks, and as a queer person living under the Trump era, [it] definitely felt like everytime you opened the news another shoe dropped," Berlier said. This "shoe drop" refers to a sense of impending doom or bad news. Berlier said she was able to channel this emotion into her work.
Hooper is an interdisciplinary artist with a focus on environmental issues, engineering, and infrastructure. She contributed oil and watercolor paintings displaying subjects which showed economic development and engineering. She also created a video titled "Jefferson's Monuments," which she described as "a meditative inventory of the four monumental dams on the Klamath River." These dams are significant because after twenty years of activism on the part of tribal groups in Oregon, they are finally going to come down, Hooper said.
Hooper explained how artists collaborated with the Thacher Gallery to formulate the exhibit. "We had preliminary discussions about this [exhibit] back in November," she said. "Glori [Simmons] paired each artist with an engineer from USF's department." Hooper was paired with engineering professor Julia Thompson, who wrote an essay that accompanied the exhibition catalog.
The professors who participated in the curation of these pieces will also be involved in the upcoming virtual conversations. The exhibition is officially co-presented by USF's engineering program.
Online registration for the virtual discussions are available now.
Vol. 118, Issue 15 — Mar 3, 2021
Vol. 118, Issue 16 — Mar 11, 2021

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Dwight Yorke has hailed the impact of Romelu Lukaku at Old Trafford and says the Manchester United striker is 'more of a threat' than Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Lukaku has made a stunning start to his career at United following his £75million move from Everton, scoring five goals in his first five Premier League games for his new club.
Yorke, who won three titles during his spell at United, insists he is not surprised by the impact Lukaku has made under Jose Mourinho.
'He was the one [signing] I've always called for,' Yorke, 45, told talkSPORT.
'He has been very consistent in the last three years, he has got hunger and desire to play football and he is always a threat whenever he plays.
'I felt going to Man United would make him a better player, just like it did for me. I felt like we got the right man and for the first five games he has proven that.
'He has made a fantastic contribution to the team and what he has brought is a goalscoring threat that we have been missing.
Lukaku was one of three summer arrivals at the Theatre of Dreams along with Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof.
And Yorke believes Mourinho has moulded a 'very balanced' team capable of challenging for the Premier League title this season.
'United in the past has always been able to score from all angles and it seems like this team we are assembling now has the capability,' the legendary forward added.
Ibrahimovic was influential in United's Europa League and EFL Cup success last season but has been sidelined since April with an ACL knee injury.
The Swedish striker, who was handed a new contract before the summer window closed, hopes to return to action in January.


It was a wild day at the IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships that included big upsets, last second submissions and set the stage for an epic absolute final. Check out the vlog from day three of the tournament to catch highlights from black belt absolute and the craziest moment of the entire tournament!
Check Out Garry Tonon's Most Recent MMA Fight Right Here!
Next PostNext Blind Purple Belt Clinton Terry Takes Home Silver At PANS 2019!


text:
Women's Soccer Heads to Hartford for America East Matchup on Thursday
UMBC (4-7-0, 0-2-0) 1 0 1
Hartford (8-3-0, 2-0-0) 1 2 3
1st - 15:02 - Saad, Nikki (UMBC)
1st - 24:59 - Aaliyah Ingram (Hartford)
2nd - 61:20 - Bridgette Alexander (Hartford)
2nd - 71:56 - Aaliyah Ingram (Hartford)
G: Nikki Saad - 1
A: N/A
Sh: Nikki Saad - 2
Sv: Leah Roth - 8
G: Aaliyah Ingram - 2
A: Julia Carr - 2
Sh: Aaliyah Ingram - 5
Sv: Jessica Jurg - 2
Live Stats | Video | Game Notes
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - After dropping the opening game of America East play to New Hampshire, 4-0 on Sunday, Sept. 25, the UMBC women's soccer will travel to conference-leaders Hartford for a Thursday night matchup. Kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium in West Hartford, Conn.
Scouting the Retrievers:
-UMBC opened conference play with a 4-0 loss to New Hampshire on Sunday, Sept. 25. It was the team's largest America East opening loss since a 7-0 defeat at Maine in 2007.
-Redshirt-senior Alexa Quaranta is tied for third among America East players in points with 10. Freshman Nikki Saad and junior Gabby Boehmer are both tied at ninth with seven.
-The Retrievers are ranked second among conference teams in goals scored (14) and points (45). UMBC is also second in assists (17); Saad is tied for third among conference players with three this season.
-CAREER WATCH: Redshirt-senior Alexa Quaranta is now tenth in career shots taken with 115. She needs one more assists to tie for eighth overall (9) and is two goals away from tying for ninth (18).
UP NEXT: 10/2 vs. Maine 1 p.m.
Scouting the Hawks:
-Hartford sits atop the America East conference after posting a 5-0 shutout over Binghamton on Sept. 25 to open league play.
-The Hawks scored three times in a 10-minute span, led by five points from reigning America East Player of the Week Tori Tripp. Tripp helped feed the ball to Aaliyah Ingram in the 79th minute before blasting two goals of her own in the 87th and 89th. Tripp was named America East Player of the Week for her efforts.
-In America East conference standings only, Tripp ranks first among all players in points and goals scored. Ingram, Sierra Stone, and Julia Carr are ranked second in both categories after each netting a score against Binghamton. Stone also ranks first in assists with two.
-Goalkeeper Jessica Jurg ranks 36th in the nation and first in the conference in shutouts this season with four. Jurg has allowed just ten goals this season, which is ranked second among America East goalies.
UP NEXT: 10/2 at New Hampshire 2 p.m.
SERIES INFORMATION:
-Hartford and UMBC will be meeting for the 16th time, with the Hawks holding a 9-5-1 advantage. Last season, the Hawks and Retrievers end their contest in a 1-1 draw.


text:
Q: Reading a text file in android studio I am currently developing android keyboard. I want to make word dictionary for the keyboard to suggest the words with respect to the user inputs. But dictionary is not an activity so, I cannot use getAssets() method to read text file if I put the text file in asset folder. Is there a way to read text document in Android Studio?

A: This is a list which should be stored in SharedPreferences or Database and should be loaded into memory(RAM) whenever the keyboard pops up. Getting from assets is an IO operation and its usages should be minimal.
If you want to read data from your .txt file,
then you can prepare a JSON or XML and use getAssets() to read that JSON during initial startup of the "Application" and after that.
[UPDATE]
As requested in the answer
Here's how you can read JSON data from the text file.
and how to parse JSON.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
The world-renowned composer, the author of the most popular soundtracks, the remarkable musician but also the master of ceremonies who is not afraid of public performance. In two words – a musical genius!
FOR FILM MUSIC LOVERS
Hans Zimmer is a brilliant German composer. Even if someone doesn't know his name, he or she knows his pieces. I won't believe that it's not the truth. His a genius in his field. His music changes from a very moving and terrify to the energetic and joyful. Obviously, there are themes which are repeatable in his compositions but that's why I admire him. He created his own style which suits different emotions and moods so that's why we can hear his music in dramas, action films or animated films. He's got a lot of folks who want to compose and play concerts with him. For example, a violoncellist Tina Guo, a vocalist Lisa Gerrard or even Polish bassist – Aleksander Milwiw-Baron. Whether anyone likes it or not, Hans Zimmer is a brand himself, especially in film music industry where he's very esteemed. The Krakow Film Music Festival earned recognition throughout the world due to Hans Zimmer's support.
"Krakovians, you have the best film music festival in the world!"
(Hans Zimmer's quote during his own concert in Tauron Arena Krakow)
MUSIC FLOWING AS WAVES
I had a chance to observe Zimmer during his concerts twice and he's incredible! He often stands on the scene in his purple jacket and he looks very humble, however he's able to make the audience take to him. He's perfect as an MC – he moves smoothly among his pieces and he brings the appropriate mood. Sometimes he jokes and tells funny anecdotes which happened in his life to perform after a while, for example the suit from "The Pirates of the Caribbean". Then, he's very moved and he tells a story of people who were shot to death. After that, he plays the suit from "Dark Knight". One thing is sure, when you listen to his music performed by a huge orchestra and accompanied by an incredible trick of the light in the Arena hall with other fans of film music, you experience wonderful moments which will be printed in your memory for ever. At home, listening to his music won't be the same because it will be enriched by emotions and feelings you had during the concert.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DOESN"T KNOW YET
For me, Hans Zimmer is an enormous inspiration. His music has a calming effect on me and I love dwelling on his world of sounds. In my opinion, this artists has a strong musical sensibility which he's able to show. "Gladiator" is a film which everyone should know. Who composed the music? Guess… Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard made it – two musicians who created a masterpiece. What about "The Lion King"? Music, which on the one hand promises joy and happiness, on the other hand makes us cry… That's Hans Zimmer's work.
HANS ZIMMER ON THE INTERNET:
Gladiator Live in Concert
TITANIC Live in Concert


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An Elected Mayor for Liverpool?
A new campaign has been launched by local figure Liam Fogarty today for an Elected Mayor in Liverpool. If nothing else, such a move will perhaps encourage a healthy debate about the democratic process and accountability, and perhaps more.
Today has seen the emergence of a campaign for Liverpool to have an Elected Mayor. The first step if this campaign is to succeed is to obtain enough signatures to trigger a referendum on the matter – no small challenge in itself.
The campaign, headed by ex-BBC presenter Liam Fogarty, claims that in Liverpool 'too many decisions are taken by invisible committees and un-elected officials. Important projects fail to materialise, yet no-one takes responsibility.'
'Only an Elected Mayor can provide the vision and leadership needs at this crucial time in the City's history,' we are told. This, of course, is a reference to the much-trumpeted events in Liverpool of 2007 and 2008, which certainly require great cultural leadership, skill and planning if they are to succeed.
The democratic deficit
But it is also claimed that an Elected Mayor would re-involve people in democratic process. They would be more likely to vote and become engaged in local decision-making if there were such a person. Perhaps this is true.
Whatever, there is a serious case for any sort of initiative which takes local political involvement more into the community. It would probably be worth a try – though interestingly, so far only 12 towns and cities of those which have considered having an Elected Mayor have actually gone along that option in the end.
Previous mayoral campaigns
This is not however the first time that there has been a campaign for an Elected Mayor. In 2000 the media group Aurora took up the cudgels, publishing with other organisations a book entitled Manifesto for a New Liverpool [see also 'cultural leadership', above], in which the case was made for such a civic leader.
Only time will tell whether this is an enduring and positive initiative. This time as far as I can see there is a strong pro-cities but anti-regional sentiment there too, and that second position (pro-cities is fine, anti-region in my books isn't) convinces me less than does the case for democracy at grass roots.
But for the time being I suppose it's enough to feel heartened that people are energised to do what they believe is best for Liverpool, putting heads above parapets and saying what they think. Now that really is democarcy in action.
Posted on December 15, 2005, in Equality, Diversity And Inclusion, Liverpool And Merseyside, Politics, Policies And Process, Regeneration, Renewal And Resilience. Bookmark the permalink.	1 Comment.
Tony Siebenthaler | December 17, 2005 at 4:49 pm
Having long been a passionate advocate of fundamental change in the nature and structure of governance for Liverpool and the metropolitan region, I feel that there is real merit in considering a system that is led by a directly elected (and by dint of this, accountable) leader/ mayor.
Most cities around the globe (especially the more successful ones) have some form of mayor/ mayoral system, or at least an arrangement where the leader is selected by the citizens of the metropolis. It is efficient, clear and more democratically appropriate. Vitally, it is also clear who is responsible for the direction the city is going in.
Some of the reaction to the proposal by Liam Fogarty that we should explore such a system for Liverpool have not only been hysterical, but so obviously self serving and basically incorrect.
Sadly, it is my experience that many politicians, especially local councillors do not aspire to this type of structure for those very reasons. Right now any mediocre scuzbag can craft quite a successful political career under the cloak of anonymity provided by a 'party' system. As well as this anonymity for career progression, it also makes it impossible for an individual to be dislodged by voters when their ineptness, sleaziness or downright corruption becomes obvious…so if you don't like the member for housing, or social services… tough, you have to vote out the whole party they represent… with all the attendent considerations and consequences that this implies.
A mayoral candicacy in my view would also help to redefine upwards, the quality of leader we could get in the city, as it is extremely easy to identify and eliminate those whose only skills are in obfuscation, hyperbole and winging it by making unfounded assertions (brazen, shameless lying I think this is called in political circles!).
The wool can't be pulled over the whole electorates' eyes when the keen light of in depth analysis is undertaken. The voracity of spurious claims to 'devotion', say, or a knowledge in a certain area would also be explored and tested, rather than simply reported when made as part of some P.R buff. So its benefits outway any potential for corruption, which is inherent in the current, and any other system we may chose anyway.
The potential for us to develop a city focus rather that a 'regional' construct is also extremely attractive, much more so than the potential benefits of having a mayor, as it gives Liverpool far greater potential for revival and growth. This is particularly aposite for Liverpool, given the city's negative experiences under the 'North West', which, we must remember, has been in place since the end of WWII, and has been growing every decade.
The whole intelectual mindset behind the proposals for 'regionalism' in England has been crafted in an ideological environment that sees value in 'command and control' and sees no value in enterprise and civic identity.
Proposals for the 'North West' are a perfect example. If they would have progressed in the manner envisioned, then it would have been the death knell for Liverpool. One only has to look at the natural bias and presumptions in media broadcasting to see how damaging having our 'services' provided by another city…we still have the 'service' but we get no value, to say nothing about being able to craft our own sector, strengthen our cultural industry and market our culture and city.
The whole basis of the 'North West' is essentially the proposition that our city should be 'managed' from down the road. Imagine that being taken across the board!
So Hilary, if I may be so rude as to disagree with you on your own site, I don't sympathise with your point about being 'pro-city' whilst being anti 'anti-regionalist', the two propositions are fundamentally incompatible. Manchester is a competitor city to Livcerpool just as any other city around the world is. One must remember that when the cities where at their most competitive (i.e. when they were both globally significant) their economies where virtually symbiotic.
The organisational mindset that sees value in diktat, of 'Manchester can do this' and 'Liverpool can do that' (usually meaning Liverpool playing second fiddle, relegated to provincial no-mark) is mired in approaches that are obsolete in a 21st century world…and politically, have never had a basis in reality. So please, as much 'anti regionalism' as possible from everyone?
On the composition of any metropolitan focus that should be developed (topped by a mayor or not) then it would have to constitute more than that provided by simply returning to the old Merseyside County Council arrangments, say. The old metropolitan county never did properly accommodate Liverpool proper, leaving out the likes of Halton and Elesmere Port, always vital parts of the metropolis, whilst throwing in St Helens and Southport…two proud and distinct..and INDEPENDENT Lancashire towns. Those two towns had never had any symbiosis with the city… all suffered as a result of the forced marraige.
'Liverpool, the metropolis' has an easily identifiable logic, for the purposes of building a unified unit for governance and strategic urban development and it is this that must form the basis for any focus that transcends current council juristiction. it is especially important to go 'metro', rather than 'regional' with regards to where devolved powers that currently reside in Westminster and Whitehall should return; same goes for wresting back the control currently assumed by all those corrupting NGOs, whose powers should sit with those who are democratically elected.
We also have a much wider, 'natural region' of cultural / community affiliation encompassing North Wales that we should regalvinise for some things. It provides an extra advantage for us. The Liverpool Bay Area is an excellent tool, in addition to the tight, metropolitan region.
Being shoehorned into the anonymity of 'northwest' is a nonsense for our proud and internationally known metropolis.
A last point in this short response; the importance of identity.
For goodness sake, we have to use the name that we are all proud of for branding and international identity, Liverpool. What the hell is 'Merseyside'… and more importantly with regards to global potential, where the hell is it?
So a proud, city focused arrangement of governance that caters for and encompasses 'Liverpool proper', just as in London and New York… and, maybe, headed by a directly elected and accountable mayor. Compete with Manchester and the rest of the North West in exactly the same way in which we expect to 'compete' with Birmingham, Leeds and Cincinatti. If we can look at these issues and opportunities, if the city can control its own potential destiny, then we may be able to move on up, indeed we may even 'be somewhere' once again.
Excellent website by the way Hilary.


The St. Paul Saints added a quality left-handed reliever to their bullpen. Chandler Hawkins, who was pitching at Double-A this season, signed with the Saints on Friday.
The 24-year-old Hawkins began this season at the St. Louis Cardinals Double-A affiliate in Springfield and was 0-1 with a 3.92 ERA in nine relief appearances. In 20.2 innings pitched he walked 13 and struck out 13 while opponents hit .211 against him. On June 9 he was assigned to High-A Palm Beach and was 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA in nine relief appearances. In 14.0 innings pitched he walked four and struck out 13 while opponents hit .288 against him. Hawkins did not allow a run in eight of his nine appearances, including his first five outings (6.2 IP).
Hawkins was a 33rd round pick by the Cardinals in 2015 out of Arkansas State University. He started his career at the Rookie Level in Johnson City and was 4-0 with a 1.84 ERA in 16 relief appearances. In 29.1 innings pitched he walked 11 and struck out 32 while opponents hit a miniscule .206 against him. He began his career by not allowing a run in his first four outings (7.0 IP) and finished his time in Johnson City by not allowing a run over his final five appearances (9.1 IP). He struck out at least one batter in 14 of 16 appearances. He was promoted to High-A Jupiter on September 3 and pitched in one game allowing one run in 2.1 innings of relief.
In 2016 Chandler split time between Single-A Peoria, Jupiter and Springfield. He was once again solid to start the season and in eight games at Peoria went 0-0 with a 2.38 ERA. In 11.1 innings pitched he walked three and struck out 14 while opponents hit .238 against him. Hawkins did not allow a run over his final four relief appearances (5.0 IP) and struck out at least one in every appearance and multiple hitters in five of nine appearances. On May 9 Hawkins was promoted to Palm Beach where he was 0-1 with a 4.73 ERA in 20 appearances. In 26.2 innings pitched he walked nine and struck out 15 while opponents hit .248 against him. Hawkins had the longest scoreless streak of his career spanning seven appearances (11.2 IP) from June 13-July 8. He was promoted to Springfield on July 20 and went 0-0 with a 4.13 ERA in 14 appearances. In 24.0 innings pitched he walked 10 and struck out 17 while opponents hit just .226 against him. Hawkins didn't allow an earned run in five straight relief appearances (8.2 IP) from July 25-August 5.
In his career Hawkins is 7-3 with a 3.30 ERA over 84 appearances. In 128.1 innings pitched he has only allowed 11 home runs, struck out 107 and opponents are hitting just .233 against him.
The Saints also released right-handed pitcher Robert Coe. He was 0-1 with an 11.74 ERA in four appearances (two starts).
The Saints roster stands at 22, one shy of the league maximum of 23, 10 pitchers and 12 position players.


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Ruth Cremer
Fun with Balls/Lymb.io: The Corona Crisis Factor in Valuation #DHDL
The anti-Corona measures have also often hit start-ups especially hard. Those that were able to survive the months-long closures of entire sectors by adapting quickly then often needed the next round of financing sooner than planned. But most of them are worse off at that point. So how does one deal with such a collapse in turnover through no fault of one's own when it comes to valuation?
Fun with Balls, now Lymb.io, was absolutely transparent with its own situation when they came to "Die Höhle der Löwen". The system, which makes it possible to combine computer games with real sports and thus wants to finally get even the laziest off the couch, used to address mainly establishments like hotels and gyms because of its size and a price starting at €5,000. But it was precisely these that were hit hardest by the pan-dem measures. After a strong start in 2019, the startup experienced an almost unimaginable slump in demand. From a turnover of 1.4 million euros, it went down to 810,000 euros, even though at the end of 2019 everything was pointing to strong growth.
Now they came into "the cave" and wanted 1.6 million euros – at a valuation of a whopping 16 million. It was clear that this made the lions swallow at first. And it was also clear that the valuation would definitely become a topic of discussion.
And the founders also brought their latest product with them: Lymb.io is practically the variant for the home, a kind of game console that, combined with a projector, enables a similar gaming experience on any free wall. From now on, it is primarily private customers who are to be addressed until the original business segment is up and running again.
Many viewers will now have prepared themselves for a tough valuation discussion – because if you take the pre-Corona turnover, you still end up with a good 10-fold multiple in the proposed valuation. But since the founders only offered 10% of their shares in the initial offer, an investor could easily halve or triple the valuation in a counter-offer. And the founders could counter with various arguments. Previous investments with avoidance of a downround, current sales pipelines and larger distribution partnerships could certainly play a role here.
But this does not seem to play a role, at least the viewer learns nothing about this. Because although all the lions praise the system itself and Judith Williams in particular seemed very enthusiastic about her test, the rating seems so high that it doesn't even come to a negotiation. Carsten Maschmeyer calls the company a "Corona loser", which the founders don't even contradict. He also says that their valuation is that of Corona winners. Of course, this can be interpreted to mean that Corona winners are those whose business has not been greatly affected by the measures. Because as we saw in the Porthy case, for example, investors often don't like it when a start-up jumps completely on the pandemic bandwagon. Because here you have to reckon with sales plummeting as soon as the situation changes again.
But "normal" continued to be the case for almost no start-up. Many in the field of e-commerce and delivery services saw enormous growth, but this cannot last. Others saw a significant decline in turnover. For those who were able to reorient themselves in time, it was ultimately just a bend. But how does one then evaluate this kink? It would not be fair to include only the new business model in the evaluation, as long as the old one still exists and can pick up speed again at any time. Most start-ups would be very happy if the effects of the Corona measures were simply "factored out", i.e. if the curve were practically continued and the valuation applied that would probably have been reached under normal circumstances at the current time. But it is not only in "Die Höhle der Löwen" that investors are very rarely prepared to do this. And who could blame them, after all, no one can say when and if things will return to "normal", or whether some sectors of the economy will not have changed permanently. Or even consumer behaviour.
Of course, that's not fair somewhere; after all, this is a situation that could not have been prevented by any start-up in the world. And so one could also compare it to other sales slumps that are completely not one's fault and that can only be predicted poorly or not at all. But here, too, investors are rarely willing to completely ignore the kink in turnover. Most, however, settle somewhere in the middle between the actual and the would-be situation. The less recommendable ones, however, take advantage of the resulting financial pressure on the start-ups to further depress the valuation.
Of course, this has never been observed with the lions, and the valuation of Lymb.io could also be understood more on the basis of the continued revenue development, which looked very strong especially at the end of 2019. Unfortunately, we don't learn anything more about the exact calculation, but only see the lions exit with the valuation justification.
Lymb.io has now even completely replaced "Fun with Balls" as the company name and the home systems are already available for pre-order. So let's keep our fingers crossed that they will end up being one of the start-ups that only had a bump in growth and a successful transition. And that they will thus be able to pursue their mission of finally helping people to move more again for a long time to come.
Photo (above): TVNOW / Bernd-Michael Maurer
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Ruth Cremer ist Mathematikerin und Beraterin sowie Hochschuldozentin auf dem Gebiet der Geschäftsmodelle, Kennzahlen und Finanzplanung. Als ehemalige Investmentmanagerin weiß sie, worauf Investoren achten und hilft auch bei der Pitch- und Dokumentenerstellung im Investitions- oder Übernahmeprozess. Seit 2017 ist sie als externe Beraterin an der Auswahl und Vorbereitung der Kandidaten in "Die Höhle der Löwen" beteiligt.
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Morley Bricklayers (LS27): Even though there will be numerous projects in and around your house that you may possibly take on yourself, there are equally projects that will need to be carried out by an expert. Bricklaying could well be considered one of those tasks. Therefore tracking down a qualified Morley bricklayer is extremely important.
If you're thinking of having bricks laid you shouldn't try and get it done on the cheap, since this is definitely something that needs to be carried out correctly. Many a handyman type person in Morley will advertise bricklaying services and for some projects they might do a fair job, but for all more complex bricklaying projects, you must hire a qualified bricklayer who you can depend on.
From the footings, or foundations, up to the various types of coping on a simple wall, an expert bricklayer in Morley will give you suggestions about every element of your job.
There are also other reasons why it is not a good idea to hire an untrained or novice bricklayer for your brickwork assignment. It isn't just a case of getting the bricks laid but also of being familiar with all of the variables that go with it. Examples of this could be that an expert will understand the importance of airtightness, ventilation and the thermal abilities of particular components, will be mindful of the available materials, and which of those would be best suited to any job, and will look closely at environmental implications, humidity regulation, and waterproofing.
Knowledgable Morley bricklayers will not only be specially trained to do the job safely and correctly, but will also be armed with the right equipment, the knowledge of modern construction methods and all relevant occupational health and safety conditions to guarantee the safety of your building project.
Given training throughout their working life, qualified bricklayers should have concluded vocational training, NVQ's, City and Guilds and other certificates and qualifications in the construction sector which demonstrate their expertise at the perfecting of this traditional vocation. In advance of starting any kind of project in Morley they will go over your exact needs and expectations to offer an accurate quotation and all work really should be backed by a guarantee to give you peace of mind.
Try looking for membership of trade organizations like the British Standard Institution (BSI), the Guild of Builders and Contractors, the Fair Trade Association, the National Federation of Builders (NFB) and the Federation of Master Builders. If you've got any worries in regards to a particular bricklayer, whether it's in regard to his working standards or his alleged qualifications and experience, then you should consider contacting the Guild of Builders and Contractors and inquire if there are any current grievances against them. Taking all these precautions ought to make certain you end up with the most suitable Morley bricklayer for your project.
Morley bricklayers will likely help you with brick arches in Morley, brick landscaping in Morley, stone cladding in Morley, bricklaying foundations in Morley, brick BBQs in Morley, brick walls in Morley, brickwork restoration in Morley, bricklaying services in Morley, stonemasonry in Morley, brick driveways in Morley, Ashlar walling in Morley, brick retaining walls in Morley, brick steps in Morley, brick raised beds in Morley and other bricklaying tasks in Morley, West Yorkshire.
To Summarize: Bricklaying is one of the key trades within the building and construction industry and is very significant in the area of house building. In general, bricklayers set bricks, blocks and masonry in mortar, for the purpose of repairing or building chimney stacks, walls, foundations, arches, tunnels, partitions and various other decorative and functional structures. They can be found working alongside other tradespeople, alone or in gangs, on extensions, new build housing developments, large commercial construction projects, alterations, and restorations.
Also find: Thorpe on the Hill bricklayers, Howden Clough bricklayers, Woodkirk bricklayers, Tingley bricklayers, New Brighton bricklayers, Gildersome Morley bricklayers, Middleton bricklayers, Daisy Hill bricklayers, Batley bricklayers, Beeston bricklayers, Farnley bricklayers, Hanging Heaton bricklayers, Copley Hill bricklayers, Churwell bricklayers and more.
More West Yorkshire bricklayers: Shipley, Holmfirth, Pudsey, Pontefract, Huddersfield, Ossett, Morley, Halifax, Normanton, Bradford, Keighley, Brighouse, Castleford, Bingley, Wakefield, Leeds, Batley, Yeadon and Dewsbury.
Bricklayers in other UK locations: Fleetwood, Batley, Kilmarnock, Maldon, Rickmansworth, Letchworth, Camborne, Brentwood, Wombwell, Bentley, Belfast, Winkfield, Winchester, West Bridgford, Welwyn Garden City, Fareham, Madeley, Harpenden, Harrogate, Hemel Hempstead, Tamworth, Heywood, Bath, Canterbury, Leatherhead, Kidderminster, Bromsgrove.
A swift look on a business directory produced the following results for "bricklayers Morley": Lux Construction, Design & Build LS27 8AJ, Hargreaves Repointing Services LS27 8AW, A Whiteley Building & Roofing LS27 9EJ.
Some Morley locations served by Morley bricklayers: Bradstock Gardens, Ackroyd Street, Baker Street, Cooperative Road, Barnet Grove, Ashfield Avenue, Arkwright Walk, Baker Road, Brambling Mews, Brunswick Street, Co-operative Street, Church Street, Bridge Street, Cambridge Close, Clifford Place, Bramleigh Drive, Coteroyd Avenue, Church Court, Beacon Grove, Britannia Square, Christiana Terrace, Alden Fold, California Mews, Asquith Close, Alden Close, Ashfield Road.


Let's go back a bit now on what the wallet has been in the past. What we call a wallet today has only been around as such since the 1950s. But men has always had to carry around money. In ancient Greek legend, Perseus carried the head of the Gorgon around in a wallet, but we might consider that only a translation error – that 'wallet' was more like a sack.
The first use of the word 'wallet' in the English language was in the late 1300s, but it seemed to been derived from a Germanic word for a bag a man might use for carrying various articles. Coin purses made of leather were the pre-cursors of the man's wallet; when paper money came into being, the purse was adapted to carry money as folded pieces of paper. Paper currency, which could only exist after the invention of movable-type printing, was invented in China in the 7th century — that idea migrated to Europe and North America much later. In Europe, Italian promissory notes came into being in the 14th century and pouches called budgets or wallets were designed to hold such paper notes flat or folded.
Bank notes appeared for a short time between 1660 and 1664 in Sweden, but were more permanently established in 1696 with bank notes issued by the Bank of Scotland. The first instance of paper money in America was in 1690, when the colony of Massachusetts first issued currency. The same timeline could be said to exist for the other types of printed materials a man might carry around: business cards, calling cards, identity cards, membership cards, etc. All these flat pieces of paper necessitated a growth in holders that encompassed both utility and fashion for men.
The use of the word 'wallet' to mean 'a flat case in which to carry paper currency' dates to 1834, but was only one of several meanings at that time. For example, a Spanish wallet of the 19th century carried those items required for smoking: flint, steel, rolling papers and tobacco. It was considered unfashionable and even gauche at that time to carry a Wallet in a pocket – the proper place for a wallet was in one's belt, perhaps attached by a chain. The modern day ancestor of this type of long wallet that carries unfolded paper money is called the passage wallet, the secretary wallet or the breast wallet, and is intended for the interior pocket of a suit jacket or for a shoulder bag. A long wallet chained to a belt does exist today and is favoured by motorcyclists and by punk and heavy metal fashion; the long-wallet style, sans chain, is also popular in Japan among business executives for carrying flat cheques and cash unfolded.
Modern wallets that fold to fit in a pants pocket did not exist until the 1950s and can be said to be an offshoot of the widespread adoption of plastic credit cards. Secure slots for credit cards necessitated a folded structure for the wallet – some designs, such as wallets made to fit in front pockets, do not even allow room for paper money, a characteristic that could be said to come either from fear of robbery or from creating a public image of not needing to carry cash. One result of that type of design was the resurgence of a separate money clip to carry paper money.
Colours, sizes, shapes and materials have all become variables in the style of the modern wallet. Once we begin talking about variables for an item that originally was made from one type of material and in one style, then we are talking fashion. Leather is still the most fashionable material for a wallet, but wallets do exist that are made of plastic or metal and in minimalist styles that do not even require a material covering. We've seen wallets made to look like rainbows and even like raw bacon. Wrist and shoe wallets that are little more than tiny pouches with elastic bands that stretch the definition of a wallet. Large flat folding containers that might more properly called small purses or carry-alls are sold as travel wallets, but, admittedly, they do hold all the documentation one needs for travel: passports, boarding passes, tickets, foreign currency, printed itineraries and cheques both personal and traveller.
Yet another stretch of the word wallet is the digital form – Google Wallet is a trademarked term for that company's software for storing online details of credit cards, gift cards and store loyalty cards. A mobile phone is the container rather than an article made from leather; in the UK, implementation of the Google Wallet or another similar system is 'coming in the near future' – take that to mean what you will.


3 Must-Have Professionals for Your Estate Planning Team | JAK + CO.
Estate planning is the process of determining what will happen to your funds, assets, and general finances after your death. While it may not be the most pleasant thing to think about, JAK estate planning services helps ensure your wishes are carried out in the future.
A wise first step is to assemble a team of professionals who can help you through the estate planning process. Here are three must-have professionals for your estate planning team.
It's likely your family may already have a relationship with a financial advisor. In the context of estate planning, your financial advisor's role is to recommend and fund your investment, trust, and retirement accounts, as well as to assist in the proper titling of any non-retirement accounts you might own. Your financial advisor will also make sure the beneficiaries and secondary beneficiaries named on your retirement accounts are updated—a critical but often overlooked step. Often, your financial advisor can assist with life insurance, too.
A savvy financial advisor will understand not only how to manage your estate's finances but also the importance of working closely with the following two professionals.
Your estate planning attorney can create and prepare a will and a trust according to your wishes. In addition, this professional can draw up your durable power of attorney for your health care, verify your property titles, and make sure that assets you own in other states are properly titled. If you own a business, your estate planning attorney can create a legal document that ensures a plan for the succession of your business.
Finally, working with an estate planning attorney to create a will or trust can help your family avoid the hassle of probate court, which is a court that deals with the property and debts of the deceased. But if probate were to become necessary, your estate planning attorney can prepare and file all of the necessary court documents, relieving your executor of this often-stressful task.
Needless to say, the U.S. tax system is very complex, especially when it comes to estate taxes. Although the federal estate tax exemption in 2019 is $11.4 million, many states, including Minnesota, have much smaller exemptions, which could trigger the need for your family to file an estate return. A tax professional can assist with this as well as the interpretation of and compliance with tax laws.
A qualified tax professional is able to direct you in a tax efficient manner to accomplish your goals. They also understand that estate planning is about much more than taxes and can use their experience to direct you and your family.
Tax professionals are also one of the critical professionals who will guide the personal representative or executor of an estate with closing responsibilities such as obtaining a federal ID number, setting up an estate account, tax filings and paying the final distributions to beneficiaries.
It's never too early to build your estate planning team.
If you haven't started the estate planning process, consider reaching out to a financial advisor, an estate planning attorney, and a tax professional as soon as possible. Although their roles may overlap in some areas, it's in your best interest to enlist all three in order to get the most accurate and up-to-date information and advice. Working together and with you, these professionals can help to clarify and facilitate your estate planning wishes, giving you and your family peace of mind for the future.
If you have questions about estate tax planning, feel free to give us a call. Our estate planning specialists are here to answer any questions you have. We also work closely with many financial advisors and estate planning attorneys and would be happy to provide a referral if needed.