Imaginal and ovicidal effect of some insecticides against Bruchus pisorum L. (Coleoptera: Chrisomelidae)

peer-reviewedTrials were conducted in 2011 and 2012 at the Institute of Forage Crops, Pleven, Bulgaria, in order to study the imaginal and possible ovicidal effect of some insecticides against Bruchus pisorum under field conditions. Treatments with insecticides were started after the appearance of the first pea weevils eggs on pods located on the bottom two nodes. It was found that treatment with acetamiprid; thiacloprid; thiacloprid+deltamethrin; 50 g cypermethrin+480 g chlorpyrifosethyl, 50 g cypermethrin+500 g chlorpyrifosethyl and zeta-cypermethrin resulted in the cessation of additional oviposition on the lower nodes by Bruchus pisorum, due to the toxic effect of the insecticides on the pea weevil. It was found that spraying with acetamiprid and zeta-cypermethrin was the most effective. These insecticides significantly reduced the proportion of infected pods in comparison with the proportion of pods with eggs before the treatment by 30.2 and 27.4% and by 15.8 and 24.0% in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The use of acetamiprid and zeta-cypermethrin was also associated with the lowest percentage of infected seeds (21.7 and 23.6%, respectively), with the lowest percentage of infected seed in infected pods (40.5 and 42.5%, respectively) and the highest weight of 1000 infected seeds (161.94 and 182.04 g, respectively). It was concluded that the management of pea weevils in the crop with acetamiprid and zetacypermethrin can lead to satisfactory results when spray timing is chosen when the first eggs are visible

The Effects of Intermarriage on the Earnings of Female Immigrants in the United States

This paper investigates the effects of intermarriage on the earnings of female immigrants in the United States. The main empirical question asked is whether immigrant females married to US-born spouses have higher earnings than those of immigrant females married to other immigrants. Using 1970 and 1870 samples of IPUMS data, I estimate an earnings equation through OLS. I also correct for the labor force selection bias using the Heckman procedure. I finally take into account the endogeneity of intermarriage and apply a twostage least squares (2SLS) estimation procedure. I find that there is a positive marriage premium among immigrant females in the United States but a negative intermarriage premium for exogamously married females compared to endogamously married females. My results show that the longer the immigrant stays in the host country, the higher her wages, which is evidence for the assimilation effect over time. I find some evidence for a negative labor force selection bias among immigrant females. In other words, higher human capital women may select themselves out of the labor force, while lower human capital women are working for wages. Among those who are in the labor force, however, married females earn more than singles. I also conclude that being an immigrant from an English-speaking country does not have any impact on wages. Both premiums become statistically insignificant in difference from zero when 2SLS is used as an estimation procedure

The internet: a reliable source for pregnancy and birth planning? A qualitative study

Aims and objectives: The study aims to explore why and how pregnant women use the internet as a health information source, what overall effect it has on their decision making and how this is affecting their interaction with their health care professional. Background: As the internet has become primarily a source of information among mothers-to-be, health care professionals require greater understanding of the impact of such technology to provide adequate support and advice to new mothers. Selection criteria: Pregnant women, from the time of their first meeting with their midwife until birth, were approached for the study. Supplementary criteria included: age 18 and above, living within Frimley Heath Foundation Trust, and fluency in the English language. Data collection and analysis: This was a primary research study with data collected through an online survey. As the purpose of the study was to collect data on an impact that cannot be directly observed, an online questionnaire was utilised to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The data was analysed and presented thematically. Results: In accordance with the UK government policy to promote registration of clinical studies and public access to research findings affecting health and social care, the research is registered on the public database. Authors’ conclusion: The use of the internet as a source of pregnancy-related information has become increasingly popular and influential among childbearing women. As health professionals, midwives have a responsibility to acknowledge the fact that women access the internet for support and pregnancy-related information. For the wider profession, midwifery leaders need to set the direction of travel for their profession in engaging with social media and provide guidance on directing pregnant women towards sources of information which are both evidence-based and valid

Approximation Algorithms for Route Planning with Nonlinear Objectives

We consider optimal route planning when the objective function is a general nonlinear and non-monotonic function. Such an objective models user behavior more accurately, for example, when a user is risk-averse, or the utility function needs to capture a penalty for early arrival. It is known that as nonlinearity arises, the problem becomes NP-hard and little is known about computing optimal solutions when in addition there is no monotonicity guarantee. We show that an approximately optimal non-simple path can be efficiently computed under some natural constraints. In particular, we provide a fully polynomial approximation scheme under hop constraints. Our approximation algorithm can extend to run in pseudo-polynomial time under a more general linear constraint that sometimes is useful. As a by-product, we show that our algorithm can be applied to the problem of finding a path that is most likely to be on time for a given deadline.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, main part of this paper is to be appear in AAAI'1

The Allegorical and Symbolic Modes of Representation in W. Wordsworth\u27s Poems of the Fancy and Poems of the Imagination

The present study focuses on the controversial issue concerning the differentiation of Fancy and Imagination in the context of S. T. Coleridge\u27s and W. Wordsworth\u27s Romantic aesthetics. Wordsworth\u27s theoretical and poetic discourses lead to an indeterminacy in the attempts to distinguish between the lower poetic faculty of Fancy and the higher poetic faculty of the Imagination. The present investigation proceeds from the assumption that the two poetic modes can only be defined accurately as complementary rather than distinct. They engender an unstable perspective upon the external world which allows for transmutations of the visible into the visionary, of the act of seeing into the process of envisioning reality and of states of being into processes of becoming. The analysis of Wordsworth\u27s poetic discourse relates the theory of Imagination to his Poems of the Fancy and the theory of Fancy to his Poems of the Imagination. The poems The Danish Boy, To a Skylark and With How Sad Steps, O Moon reveal a symbolic mode of vision and re-figurings of the Imagination which represent a transformation of reality. A Night-Piece, The Reverie of Poor Susan and View from the Top of Black Comb show an allegorical dichotomy which substitutes for the symbolic synthesis that Wordsworth\u27s poetic discourse engenders on the basis of the Imagination. The inference of a symbolic mode of representation in Wordsworth\u27s Poems of the Fancy and of an allegorical mode in his Poems of the Imagination is a method applicable to the larger context of his poetry in an attempt at reaffirming the complementarity of Fancy and Imagination in its relation to a Romantic process of becoming