The operation, products and promotion of waterpipe businesses in New York City, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

We evaluated the customers, operations, products and advertising of these businesses to explore the unique policy challenges created by the suppliers of waterpipes. We completed a cross-sectional survey consisting of structured site observations and in-person interviews of businesses in New York City, Abu Dhabi and Dubai identified using Google, Yelp, Timeout Dubai and Timeout Abu Dhabi and neighbourhood visits in 2014. Regular customers made up 59% of customers. Franchises or chains were 28% of businesses. Waterpipes made up 39% of sales with 87% of businesses offering food within their menu. Flavoured tobacco made up 94% of sales. Discounts were offered by 47% of businesses and 94% of businesses used advertising, often through social media. The market consists of largely independent businesses, with a large regular customer base, frequently offering diversified services beyond waterpipes. These businesses advertise using both traditional and social media. The economics of waterpipe businesses is very different from the economics of cigarettes, and unique regulatory strategies are needed to control this epidemic.

The operation, products and promotion of waterpipe businesses in New York City, Abu Dhabi and Dubai

We evaluated the customers, operations, products and advertising of these businesses to explore the unique policy challenges created by the suppliers of waterpipes. We completed a cross-sectional survey consisting of structured site observations and in-person interviews of businesses in New York City, Abu Dhabi and Dubai identified using Google, Yelp, Timeout Dubai and Timeout Abu Dhabi and neighbourhood visits in 2014. Regular customers made up 59% of customers. Franchises or chains were 28% of businesses. Waterpipes made up 39% of sales with 87% of businesses offering food within their menu. Flavoured tobacco made up 94% of sales. Discounts were offered by 47% of businesses and 94% of businesses used advertising, often through social media. The market consists of largely independent businesses, with a large regular customer base, frequently offering diversified services beyond waterpipes. These businesses advertise using both traditional and social media. The economics of waterpipe businesses is very different from the economics of cigarettes, and unique regulatory strategies are needed to control this epidemic

Nous avons étudié les clients, les modes de fonctionnement, les produits et les types de publicité de ces commerces afin d'examiner les défis réglementaires spécifiques posés par les fournisseurs de narguilés. Nous avons mené une étude transversale composée d'observations sur site et d'entretiens structurés de visu dans des commerces situés à New York, Abu Dhabi et Dubaï, identifiés au moyen de recherches sur Google, Yelp, Timeout Dubai et Timeout Abu Dhabi, et de visites de voisinage en 2014. Les clients réguliers constituaient 59% du nombre total de clients. Les franchises et les chaînes comptaient pour 28% des commerces. Les narguilés représentaient 39% des ventes, 87% des commerces proposant de la nourriture au menu. Le tabac aromatisé constituait 94% des ventes. Des réductions étaient proposées par 47% des commerces et 94% d'entre eux avaient recours à la publicité, le plus souvent via les médias sociaux. Le marché est majoritairement composé de commerces indépendants, disposant d'une clientèle importante et régulière, et offrant souvent des services diversifiés en plus des narguilés. Ces commerces font de la publicité en recourant aux moyens traditionnels ainsi que via les médias sociaux. Le marché de ce type d'établissements diffère grandement de celui des cigarettes ; il est donc nécessaire de mettre au point des stratégies de réglementation spécifiques pour enrayer cette épidémie

Effects of an unidentified microsporidium on the convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), used for biological control.

Convergent lady beetles, Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville, are collected from overwintering sites in California and redistributed for aphid control in home gardens and agroecosystems. The effects of an unidentified microsporidium on the life history characteristics of commercially available H. convergens were examined. Mean development for microsporidia-infected and uninfected H. convergens was 15.40+/-0.14 and 14.76+/-0.16 days, respectively (P=0.01). Larval mortality did not differ significantly. Cumulative mean egg production for microsporidia-infected and uninfected females was 545.8+/-92.6 and 928.3+/-86.4 eggs, respectively (P=0.004) and mean survival was 64.5+/-5.6 and 77.1+/-4.5 days, respectively (P=0.04). Microsporidian spores (3.6x2.4 microm) are similar in size to those of Nosema hippodamiae.