The success of many North American crops partly depends on ground beetles, small insects that eat pests and weed seeds that could otherwise damage crops. But a new study by researchers in the U. S. and Canada suggests not all of the nearly 2,000 species of ground beetles found in North America will survive climate change. Some could decline. And that could have a far-reaching impact on agriculture, forestry, and conservation.

By analyzing data on 136 different ground beetle species across continental North America, Puerto Rico and Hawaii, the researchers found that a species' chance of success in a changing climate depends on several important factors, such as its habitat preference, body size, and whether it flies, climbs or runs.

"We found that less mobile, nonflying ground beetles, which are critical pest control agents, are more likely to decline over time in a warmer, dryer climate," said Tong Qiu, who led the study. "That means you're going to have more pests that can impact agricultural and forest ecosystems." But there is reason for hope, Qiu added, because the analysis also showed that habitat conservation can lessen these effects and reverse the trends in some areas.

"We hope conservation biologists will use this information and the online map that we created to better manage habitats for insects in general. Ground beetles are very beneficial to ecosystems, but they're largely invisible to the average person. In this paper we're showing the broad impacts they have on whole communities in forested and agricultural ecosystems," said Qiu.

The researchers used ground beetle count data from the National Science Foundation's National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and from 11 previously published studies to measure and map the beetles' distribution across North America. Habitat information, such as the location of gap s in forest canopies and the density of plants on a forest floor, was obtained by using NEON's imaging instruments to create detailed three-dimensional images of landscapes. They then entered the data collected into a computer model to simulate (模拟) climate changes to study how the insects would respond.

Mona Zipay was there almost from the beginning when her boss decided to become an independent insurance adjuster (理算员) in 1955.

Fifty-eight years later, she decided it was time retire from Dorner Adjustment Co. "I love what I did," said Zipay, 83, of Whitney Pint New York. "I still do. But it's time to stay at home now."

The secretary has helped customers through natural disasters and fires. She has lived longer than her boss John M. Dorner and remembers when women were not allowed to wear pants to work. Not only has she used manual typewriters, electric typewriters and computers, but she's also adapted to a wave of technology so she could type out reports sent to insurers.

"But what has served her well through the years has been her typing and customer service skills," said MaryAnn Dorner, daughter-in-law of John Dorner. "She's an excellent typist," MaryAnn Dorner said. "She's accurate and she's fast. She's professional on the phones, keeping a good temper when dealing with irate customers," said Patrick Dorner, who now operates the company.

Dorner Adjusting wasn't the only place Zipay worked. She graduated from high school in 1951, taking business courses because she knew she would not be able to afford college and didn't want to work in a factory.

John Dorner invited her to his new company in 1955 from the General Adjustment Bureau in downtown Binghamton, New York. There they had worked together until John Dorner decided to become an independent agent.

Now, Zipay wears pants but always dresses professionally.

"That was one of the things that impressed me about her," MaryAnn Dorner said. "She's always dressed up."

Portia Kapraun has always seen unwelcome ads on Twitter, usually from major brands pitching (竭力推销) her expensive jewelry or vehicles that she, as a librarian in Indiana, could not afford. Ms. Kapraun was not interested. But she soon saw the ads again. And again. And again. "These feel like low-end ads," she said. In a shaky advertising market in an uncertain economy, ads that few people want to see suddenly seem to be everywhere.

Advancements in digital advertising technology were meant to improve users' experience. People interested in shoes are intended to get ads for sneakers and boots, not repeated pitches promoting gold investments. And the technology is supposed to remove misleading or dangerous pitches. But lately, on several platforms, the opposite seems to be happening for a variety of reasons, including a slowdown in the overall digital ad market. As numerous deep-pocketed marketers have pulled back, and the softer market has led several digital platforms to lower their ad pricing, opportunities have opened up for less demanding advertisers.

Advertising experts agree that poor-quality ads appear to be increasing greatly. They point to a variety of potential causes: internal troubles at technology companies, weak content moderation (审核), and high-level advertisers seeking other choices. Then, there's the economy: A recent survey of 43 multinational companies representing more than $44 billion in advertising spending found that nearly 30 percent planned to cut back on their marketing spending last year.

Other factors are also contributing to lower advertising quality. Social media advertising, once only practiced by specialists, is now easily available to anyone. Many of them are avoiding targeted ads — placements intended to reach specific audiences, usually at a higher cost — in favor of a cheaper spray-and-pray (广撒网式的) approach online, hoping to catch the attention of gullible (容易受骗的) or bored shoppers. Major social media platforms are now like "a mall that used to be good", Corey Richardson, vice president at a multicultural ad company, says. "But now there's no longer a mall there—it's just a calendar store and a place sling beepers (传呼机). "