Integration of Host Plant Resistance and Insecticides in the Control of \u3ci\u3eNephotettix virescens\u3c/i\u3e (Homoptera: Cicadelli-dae), a Vector of Rice Tungro Virus

Combined effects of levels of vector resistance and insecticide application in control of rice tungro virus (RTV) were determined in three field tests. Cultivar “IR28,” with high levels of resistance to the vector, Nephotettix virescens (Distant), had low RTV infection in all treatments including the untreated check. In moderately resistant “IR36,” RTV decreased with an increase in level of insecticide but did not decrease to a level equaling the untreated “IR28.” The N. virescens-susceptible cultivar “IR22” had extremely high levels of RTV infection at all insecticide levels. Economic analysis indicated that gross profit and net gain were highest in the N. virescens-resistant “IR28,” intermediate in moderately resistant “IR36,” and lowest in susceptible “IR22.

The confined hydrogen atom with a moving nucleus

We study the hydrogen atom confined to a spherical box with impenetrable walls but, unlike earlier pedagogical articles on the subject, we assume that the nucleus also moves. We obtain the ground-state energy approximately by means of first--order perturbation theory and by a more accurate variational approach. We show that it is greater than the one for the case in which the nucleus is clamped at the center of the box. Present approach resembles the well-known treatment of the helium atom with clamped nucleus

University Students' Online Learning During COVID-19: The Role of Grit in Academic Performance

The governmental restriction due to COVID-19 pandemic led to Italian Universities moving teaching from face-to-face, to online. This represented an unexpected transition from traditional learning to what can be considered “e-learning.” This, together with the psychological distress that may be associated with the experience of lockdown, might have affected students' performance. It was hypothesised that grit may be a protective factor in such situations. Indeed, compared to their less “gritty” peers, individuals with higher levels of grit are expected to exhibit greater persistence in the pursuit of goals despite setbacks. Within educational contexts, grit is portrayed as a potentially important influence on outcomes such as achievement level, retention and probability of graduation. A longitudinal study was conducted using an online survey in order to assess the moderated mediation effect of grit on students' achievement. One hundred seventy-six undergraduate students from two universities in the north of Italy participated in the survey. The results showed that grit affects students' grades in final exams; perceived self-efficacy in the management of complex problems had a mediation effect on grades, while psychological distress moderated the first part of the mediation process. These novel findings extended our knowledge regarding the role of grit in academic performance investigating for the first time the role of self-efficacy and psychological distress in a learning carried out entirely online

Visual Strategies: Learning Objects to Teach Written Text Cohesion to the Deaf Using Sign Language as Scaffo

Language is a special activity, and it’s through/via/with language that we develop intelligence, knowledge, and culture. Language is what makes us human beings. Language and its meanings allow for interactions among members of the society to partake in the same culture. People are more than legal citizens: the sense of belonging creates identity, in a process mediated by language. Deaf people have little to no access to the oral language; thus, they have difficulties to share in the national literature, media, popular culture, traditions, myths, folklore, among others. In order to build this identity, the Deaf1 need to learn the written modality of the Oral language from the culture in which they are immersed. Unfortunately, very few research and resources are dedicated to such task. This research proposes a Learning Object that uses Sign Language (the natural language of the Deaf) to teach text cohesion

The spectroscopic evolution of the γ\gamma-ray emitting classical nova Nova Mon 2012. I. Implications for the ONe subclass of classical novae

Nova Mon 2012 was the first classical nova to be detected as a high energy $\gamma$-ray transient, by Fermi-LAT, before its optical discovery. We study a time sequence of high resolution optical echelle spectra (Nordic Optical Telescope) and contemporaneous NOT, STIS UV, and CHIRON echelle spectra (Nov 20/21/22). We use [O III] and H$\beta$ line fluxs to constrain the properties of the ejecta. We derive the structure from the optical and UV line profiles and compare our measured line fluxes for with predictions using Cloudy with abundances from other ONe novae. Mon 2012 is confirmed as an ONe nova. We find E(B-V)=0.85$\pm$0.05 and hydrogen column density $\approx 5\times 10^{21}$ cm$^{-2}$. The corrected continuum luminosity is nearly the same in the entire observed energy range as V1974 Cyg, V382 Mon, and Nova LMC 2000 at the same epoch after outburst. The distance, about 3.6 kpc, is quite similar to V1974 Cyg. The line profiles can be modeled using an axisymmetric bipolar geometry for the ejecta with various inclinations of the axis to the line of sight, 60 \le i \le 80 degrees, an opening angle of \approx$70 deg, inner radius$\Delta R/R(t)\approx 0.4$for permitted lines and less filled for forbidden lines. The filling factor$f\approx 0.1-0.3$implying M(ejecta)$\leq 6\times 10^{-5}$M$_\odot$. The ONe novae appear to comprise a single physical class with bipolar high mass ejecta, similarly enhanced abundances, and a common spectroscopic evolution within a narrow range of luminosities. The detected$\gamma$-ray emission may be a generic phenomenon, common to all ONe novae, possibly to all classical novae, and connected with acceleration and emission processes within the ejecta (abstract severely truncated).Comment: Submitted to A&A 9/1/2013; Accepted 27/2/2013 (in press