Townend Glover (1813-83) and the First Entomological Light Trap

Townend Glover, first U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist and unacknowledged inventor of the first successful light trap for insects, was one of the more interesting entomological investigators in mid-nineteenth century America. Modern historians who have written brief notices of Glover have gained most of their information from a very rare Government pamphlet by his friend and assistant Charles Dodge (1858), who unfortunately does not mention the matter of the light tray at all. The present account, assembled from various nineteenth century sources, briefly summarizes Glover\u27s career and presents evidence for his invention of the portentous American Moth Trap

The Invention of Sugaring for Moths in Ninetheeth-Century England

[excerpt] Those who find enjoyment in the books of P. B.M. Allan have had at least an introduction to the history of our familiar method of using artificial bait to attract nocturnal Lepidoptera (Allan, 1937, 1943, 1947). While the present paper was in manuscript, D. E. Allen\u27s welcome contribution on the origin of the method came to hand (Allen, 1965); several historians of science have since added their comments (Allan, 1965; Wilkinson, 1965). The discovery of additional material in the publications of the early nineteenth century has made desirable a summary of what we now know about the development of sugaring

The David-Gardiner Method of Feeding Lepidopterous Larvae on a Semi-Synthetic Diet

[excerpt] One of the most interesting entomological developments in re- cent years has been the introduction of semi-synthetic diets for feed- ing lepidopterous larvae. Vanderzant and Reiser (1956a, 1956b) reared pink bollworms (Pectinophora gossypiella) on such a medium. The medium was subsequently modified by Ignoffo (1963), who experimented with mass-rearing of the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni), and by oth- ers. The method showing the most spectacular results is that of David and Gardiner (19651, which, since its publication, has been proven suitable for a number of species with diverse feeding habits. Although not a universal pabulum for larvae, the David-Gardiner formula de- serves to be better known in America as it solves two of the problems encountered in rearing many larvae; viz., it provides (1) a readily available food which may be (2) sterilized to eliminate disease

Seven Species of Michigan Butterflies Attracted to Fluorescent Light

Excerpt: Many lepidopterists agree that if mechanically disturbed, butterflies may be attracted to fluorescent light. Yet the entire problem of the attraction of day-flying Lepidoptera to light i s still in the data-collecting stage, and records indicate that mechanical disturbance may not always be a determining factor. Numerous papers on the problem have appeared in recent years, especially in the J.Lepid. Soc., which may be consulted for bibliographical details not attempted in this collection note

Inflation Targets as a Stabilisation Device

Over 80% of countries using explicit inflation targets in 2000 were doing so either as part of a disinflation strategy, or when inflation was neither low nor stable. Our illustrative theoretical model suggests annual revisions to short-run targets are endogenous to inflation outcomes during disinflation as long as the policymaker cares about misses from both the short-run target and a long-run target. Furthermore, target revisions will are larger when the target is undershot compared to when the target is overshot. We confirm the result using cross-country panel estimates from a unique data-set of inflation target misses in 60 countries in the 1990s. During disinflation it is therefore relatively difficult to separate decisions about target-setting from implementation. Short-term targets on a disinflation path may be more akin to conditional forecasts than policy rules, but their publication may nevertheless increase transparency and hence help policymakers to achieve lower inflation.

Modeling Multi-Wavelength Stellar Astrometry. II. Determining Absolute Inclinations, Gravity Darkening Coefficients, and Spot Parameters of Single Stars with SIM Lite

We present a novel technique to determine the absolute inclination of single stars using multi-wavelength sub-milliarcsecond astrometry. The technique exploits the effect of gravity darkening, which causes a wavelength-dependent astrometric displacement parallel to a star's projected rotation axis. We find this effect is clearly detectable using SIM Lite for various giant stars and rapid rotators, and present detailed models for multiple systems using the REFLUX code. We also explore the multi-wavelength astrometric reflex motion induced by spots on single stars. We find that it should be possible to determine spot size, relative temperature, and some positional information for both giant and nearby main-sequence stars utilizing multi-wavelength SIM Lite data. This data will be extremely useful in stellar and exoplanet astrophysics, as well as supporting the primary SIM Lite mission through proper multi-wavelength calibration of the giant star astrometric reference frame, and reduction of noise introduced by starspots when searching for extrasolar planets.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Apsidal advance in SS 433?

Context. The Galactic microquasar SS 433 launches oppositely directed jets at speeds approximately a quarter of the speed of light. Both the speed and direction of the jets exhibit small fluctuations. A component of the speed variation has 13 day periodicity and the orbital phase at which its maximum speed occurs has advanced approximately 90 degrees in 25 years. Aims. To examine the possibility that these variations are associated with a mildly eccentric orbit and conditions necessary to achieve this apsidal advance. Methods. The advance of the orbital phase for maximum speed is taken to be advance of the apses of the putative elliptical orbit. It is compared with calculations of the effects of tides induced in the companion and also with gravitational perturbations from the circumbinary disc. These calculations are made in the light of recent results on the SS 433 system. Results. The 13 day periodicity in the speed of the jets of SS 433 might be attributed to a mildly elliptical orbit, through periodic approaches of the donor and the compact object. Advance of the apses of such an elliptical orbit due to tidal effects induced in a normal companion looks to be to small; if caused by the circumbinary disc the mass of the inner regions of that disc is ~ 0.15 solar masses.Comment: 2 pages, no figures To appear in A & A. No significant changes from original version poste