Notes on Feeding Behavior of Atlanticus Testaceus (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)

The Biology and Feeding behavior of Atlanticus testaceus (scudder) has received considerable attention by Gangwere (1966, 1967). While studying summer feeding of the adult Atlanticus testaceus in a Northern Michigan Jack Pine forest on the seeds of Melampyrum lineare Desr. (Scrophulariaceae), some new observations which supplement published information were made by the author

A Pictoral Key and Annotated List of Michigan Pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpionida)

Excerpt: Berlese or Tullgren funnel methods of extraction of forest litter fauna often produce minute arthropods called pseudoscorpions. These are relatively common but have received little attention. Because of the author\u27s involvement with the Michigan State University soil zoology research project the potential significance of these animals has become a matter of interest. The Pictorial Key (Figs. 1 and 2) has been designed to assist in the identification of Michigan pseudoscorpions, and will be a useful starting point for further study of our species. Because pseudoscorpions are predaceous on many soil arthropods (Hoff, 1949), they are important in soil arthropod population dynamics, food chain and humification-fertility studies, and pesticide residue detoxication. During this study, collecting was limited mostly to forest situations. Samples were taken from 40 counties throughout Michigan, during four major time periods. During the summer of 1963, a substantial amount of material was collected from Alpena County. In March 1966, forest litter was collected from 20 counties. In the summer of 1966, specimens were collected from Grand Traverse County and surrounding areas. In the spring of 1968, collections were made throughout the northern Lower and Upper Peninsulas

Have 401(k)s Raised Household Saving? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

401(k)-type pension arrangements are the most popular tax subsidy to household saving in the U.S. This study uses self- and firm-reported pension information, Social Security, and household wealth data from 1992 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine the extent to which 401(k) pension plans have raised household saving. Comparison of self- and firm-reported pension information indicates significant measurement error in self-reported 401(k) eligibility. This error has biased the estimated 401(k) saving effects in all previous studies upward significantly and differentially by income category. There is evidence of significant measurement error in pension assets as well. Overall, the estimates that account for both types of measurement error suggest that 401(k)s have not raised household saving. All of the estimates are significantly lower than those implied by previous studies that have found large effects. The most plausible explanation for the large estimated offset to household saving is firm-level substitution of 401(k)s for other pensions. Even though very little of the average dollar of 401(k) wealth appears to be new household saving, 401(k)s may have stimulated saving significantly for lower-to-middle income households and, hence, increased retirement income security for an important segment of the population.pensions; household saving

How Does Dipping into Your Pension Affect Your Retirement Wealth?

Although pensions, both public and private, are intended to provide income during retirement, a growing number of American workers receive part or all their employer-provided pensions in the form of a cash settlement, called a lump-sum distribution, when they change jobs. They have many choices of what to do with that money: for example, they can rool it over into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), spend the money or pay or debt, transfer it to the pension plan of a new employer, or even leave the money with the old employer's pension plan. Policymakers are concerned that workers who spend their pension distributions on current consumption are depriving themselves of the financial resources they will need for retirement. This policy brief describes some results from an ongoing study on the long-term economic consequences of lump-sum pension distributions. The study uses detailed information on employment histories, pensions, and wealth from Wave 1 (1992) of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative survey of individuals between the ages of 41 and 61.

House Prices and Home Owner Saving Behavior

This paper examines the empirical link between house price appreciation and the savings behavior of home owners during the 1980s. The analysis uses household asset and debt data for a sample of under age sixty-five home owning households from the 1984 and 1989 waves of the PSID to construct changes in real household wealth as a measure of household saving behavior. Cross-time and cross-regional variation in housing market conditions are used to identify behavior savings effects. The empirical analysis suggests that the estimated marginal propensity to consume out of real housing capital gains is 0.03 for the median saver household. However, there is an asymmetry in the saving response to both total and unanticipated real housing capital gains. All of the savings offset comes from households that experience real housing capital losses. Households that experience real gains do not change their saving behavior. The existence of this asymmetry casts doubt on the power of changes in house prices to explain the time series path of saving in the U.S.

Growth and Production of Golden Shiner, Notemigonous crysoleucas, Under Different Stocking Densities and Feeding Rates

Experiments on the effects of stocking densities and feeding rates on growth and production of golden shiner were conducted under laboratory conditions. The stocking densities were 20, 28 and 36 fry per 60 gal of water. The fish in tanks with 28 fry were fed at 1, 3 and 5% feeding rates and the rest were fed at 5% feeding rate. A 5% feeding rate was found to be essential for good production. The stocking density of 20 fry (400 lb/acre production) with 5% feeding rate yielded better growth in weight and length and better production than the rest of the experimental conditions