Concerns over fishing impacts on marine populations and ecosystems have intensified the need to improve ocean management. One increasingly popular market-based instrument for ecological stewardship is the use of certification and eco-labeling programs to highlight sustainable fisheries with low environmental impacts. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the most prominent of these programs. Despite widespread discussions about the rigor of the MSC standards, no comprehensive analysis of the performance of MSC-certified fish stocks has yet been conducted. We compared status and abundance trends of 45 certified stocks with those of 179 uncertified stocks, finding that 74% of certified fisheries were above biomass levels that would produce maximum sustainable yield, compared with only 44% of uncertified fisheries. On average, the biomass of certified stocks increased by 46% over the past 10 years, whereas uncertified fisheries increased by just 9%. As part of the MSC process, fisheries initially go through a confidential pre-assessment process. When certified fisheries are compared with those that decline to pursue full certification after pre-assessment, certified stocks had much lower mean exploitation rates (67% of the rate producing maximum sustainable yield vs. 92% for those declining to pursue certification), allowing for more sustainable harvesting and in many cases biomass rebuilding. From a consumer’s point of view this means that MSC-certified seafood is 3–5 times less likely to be subject to harmful fishing than uncertified seafood. Thus, MSC-certification accurately identifies healthy fish stocks and conveys reliable information on stock status to seafood consumers.

Dissolving microneedles are especially attractive for transdermal drug delivery as they are associated with improved patient compliance and safety. Furthermore, microneedles made of sugars offer the added benefit of biomolecule stabilisation making them ideal candidates for delivering biological agents such as proteins, peptides and nucleic acids. In this study, we performed experimental and finite element analyses to study the mechanical properties of sugar microneedles and evaluate the effect of sugar composition on microneedle ability to penetrate and deliver drug to the skin. Results showed that microneedles made of carboxymethylcellulose/maltose are superior to those made of carboxymethylcellulose/trehalose and carboxymethylcellulose/sucrose in terms of mechanical strength and the ability to deliver drug. Buckling was predicted to be the main mode of microneedle failure and the order of buckling was positively correlated to the Young's modulus values of the sugar constituents of each microneedle.

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This study examines the evolving impacts of COVID-19 vaccination intentions and vaccine hesitancy on travel intentions. The study also examines the sociodemographic factors that can influence willingness to take the vaccine and vaccine hesitancy since achieving herd immunity is critical for social and economic recovery. Data were collected through five surveys from a total of 4,223 individuals in the USA between February 2021 and May of 2021. The findings of the study indicate that over 70 per cent of the respondents are willing to get vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination intention and hesitancy rates have also been stable over time. Early in the vaccination process, vaccination intentions negatively impacted travel intentions, suggesting that individuals who are willing to get the vaccine postponed their travels in the short term, while individuals who do not plan to get the vaccine may not have changed their travel plans as travel restrictions were eased. However, this negative impact disappeared later as the number of vaccinated individuals significantly increased, closing the gap between the two groups. Findings also suggest that sociodemographic factors such as generational age, gender, marital status, education, region, race, religion, occupation influence the COVID-19 vaccination intention and vaccine hesitancy.

Restarting the mass tourism industry relies on the success of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign which requires individuals' voluntary participation to reduce health risks to hosts and visitors. This study identifies segments of Italian residents based on vaccine confidence at the early stage of a voluntary mass vaccination programme. Using a survey held with 3893 Italian residents, two COVID-19 vaccine confidence clusters were identified. These clusters were compared and revealed significant differences in response and self-efficacy, vaccine adoption, travel behaviour and involvement in the tourism industry.