Appearance of Damage Symptoms and Reinfestation Rates for Christmas Trees Attacked by the Zimmerman Pine Moth, \u3ci\u3eDioryctria Zimmermani\u3c/i\u3e (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Two blocks of Scotch pine Christmas trees were inspected to determine an appropriate time to evaluate Zimmerman pine moth damage, and to determine reinfestation rates for trees previously attacked by this insect. Results showed that damage evaluation should be delayed until mid-August and possibly later, in early fall. Evaluation done before this time could result in underestimation of total damage. In the reinfestation study, previously attacked trees were shown to sustain both a higher rate of reattack and more attacks per tree the following year than control trees. However, at most, only 61 % of the new attacks the following year were on trees with a previous attaek. Also, 47% or more of the infested trees observed the second year were newly infested. These results indicate little practical benefit of using attacked trees solely as a trap crop for ovipositing moths. Attacked trees with severe damage should therefore be removed

The Rhetoric of Mom Blogs: A Study of Mothering Made Public

This dissertation examines the phenomenon of mom blogs to determine their handling of conventional motherhood and the rhetorical nature of their discourse. Unlike other prior studies of blogs and specifically of mom blogs, the dissertation examines both the blog entries themselves and the many comments such entries generate from readers. In addition, it seeks to determine the values and rhetorical practices of any community that might be established through such blog commenting. To accomplish these aims, the dissertation focuses on the entries and comments from three particular blogs chosen to represent the network of mom bloggers. The commonplaces or ideals of the conventional motherhood narrative are first established as they have been identified in existing scholarship on mothering. This provides a framework against which the rhetoric of the mom blogs can be compared to determine the picture of motherhood identity presented by these mom blogs in relation to the societal norms of motherhood. Research on the diary style blog is surveyed as well to establish the mom blogs\u27 potential to support particular emotional interaction between the writer and readers, and the ways such interaction can serve the production of community. Additionally, this chapter considers some established defining characteristics of online communities. Moreover, the diary style blog and online community share similar rhetorical features. A grounded theory analysis of a year\u27s worth of entries the mom blogs reveals they present/perform motherhood identities via an ethos of inexperience or lack of knowledge. They struggle with the judgment of others based on cultural expectations for body image and performance of motherhood, and they themselves struggle with their own tendencies to judge other mothers similarly. The content analysis of the comments from the same three blogs indicates that readers most often respond with affirmation of the writer, either through the sharing of similar experiences, through the extension of the original entry topic, or through the mirroring of the blogger\u27s rhetoric. The analysis concludes that the mom bloggers and their audiences do react against cultural expectations that they are unable to fulfill, but that they do not overtly resist or interrogate those expectations. In fact, the communities that emerge among the writers and readers seem to serve a support group function. The comments offer affirmation for the bloggers, but there is no indication that their interactions with one another, alone, will prompt significant cultural change. However, the simple scale of participation presented in this dissertation--the three bloggers combined with the large number of commenters\u27 contributions--indicates that ideal motherhood is not operative for a significant number of mothers

FDA Drug Approval: A Black and White Issue?

The FDA should judiciously limit the FDA approval of race-specific drugs to situations in which the utilization of racial categories is based on statistically significant scientific data and necessity and, in such cases, the meaning of race utilized should be defined. The term “race†is an inherently ambiguous social construct making the FDA approval of race-specific drugs and use of race in FDA approval decisions dangerous with debatable scientific legitimacy. Further, race is generally used in drug trials as a crude proxy for the determination of genetic variation, which tends to be both over and under-inclusive in determining the efficacy or safety of a drug for any individual. The limited genetic validity of race is confounded by the reality that many population differences between races may be the result of socio-economic and environmental factors that are not per se innate or inherent to any racial population. While the scientific validity of race as biologically significant classification is debatable, the general public is likely to interpret the governmental approval of the drug by the FDA as evidence of inherent genetic differences between racial groups that will serve to only further racial discrimination and eugenic ideologies. Thus, the FDA should proceed cautiously by narrowly tailoring the use of race in the FDA approval of new drugs and require a showing of statistically significant scientific data and the need to rely on race because of the lack of genetic markers

What Does CEOs’ Personal Leverage Tell Us About Corporate Leverage?

We find that firms behave remarkably similarly to how their CEOs behave personally when it comes to leverage choices. We start our analysis by compiling a comprehensive sample of home purchases and financings among S&P 1,500 CEOs. Debt financing in a CEO’s most recent home purchase is used as a revealed preference of the CEO’s personal attitude towards debt. We find a robust positive relation between personal and corporate leverage. We also find that firms tend to hire CEOs with a similar personal attitude towards debt as the previous CEO. When the new and previous CEOs have different personal preferences, corporate leverage changes in the direction of the new CEO’s personal leverage. These results support a model with endogenous matching of CEOs to firms. We also find that the positive relation between CEOs’ personal leverage and corporate leverage is stronger in firms with poor governance, suggesting that CEOs imprint their personal preferences on the firms they manage when they are able to do so. These results suggest that heterogeneity in CEOs’ personal attitudes towards debt partly explains differences in corporate capital structures, and suggest more generally that an analysis of CEOs’ personalities and personal traits may provide important information about the financial policies of the firms they manage.Corporate leverage; personal leverage; CEO characteristics

A Comparison of Sheffield Instruments for Smoothness and Porosity With Others Now Used

This report shows that there is a correlation between Bekk and Sheffield smoothness and between Gurley and Sheffield porosity. The correlation is not as good in the upper Bekk smoothness range or in the upper Gurley range

The Effectiveness of the Stepping On Program for Reducing the Incidence of Falls in the Elderly

Background: One in three adults greater than 65 years of age have had an accidental fall in their lifetime. In 2012, accidental falls cost the U.S. healthcare system $30.1 billion dollars. Strength, balance, and coordination deficits contribute to an individual experiencing a fall. Studies have shown that community based-exercise programs for older adults can improve strength, balance, and coordination and reduce the risk of falls. Objective: The purpose of this study was to discover whether participant balance and confidence improved following the completion of the Stepping On program. Also, the study evaluated the effectiveness of Stepping On in reducing fall risk by determining whether balance tests including: Five Time Sit-to-Stand (FTSS), Four-Stage Balance Test (FSBT), Timed Up and Go (TUG), and Gait Speed via GAITRite, identify individuals at risk of falling and if the tests could be effectively administered in community fall prevention programs. Methods: Ten participants were recruited from two Stepping On programs being offered in the local area. Baseline questionnaires were collected from participants at the Week 2 and Week 7 sessions. Balance assessments (FTSS, FSBT, TUG, and Gait Speed) were performed at Week 2 and Week 7 to determine fall risk of the participants. The Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) and Falls Behavior Scale (FaB) were also completed at Week 2, Week 7, and a 3 month recheck to determine participants\u27 confidence and perceived fall risk. Results: T- tests were performed comparing balance test scores from Week 2 to Week 7. There was a significant improvement in times on the TUG (p=0.015). A significant decrease was also found in the total number of tests that identified a participant\u27s fall risk from Week 2 to Week 7 (p=0.034). All the participants subjectively reported balance and confidence improvement following the program. Conclusion: Significance was found with improved times on the TUG from Week 2 to Week 7, demonstrating a decrease of participants\u27 fall risk. These findings suggest that the TUG can be used as a quick balance screening tool to help identify objective benefits from community-based fall prevention programs. The TUG could be an effective addition to fall prevention programs to help participants understand their perceived risk and strategize ways to help prevent falls

Socially connected fund managers share investment ideas

Socially connected fund managers share investment ideas Those who are neighbours tend to have more similar portfolios, write Veronika K. Pool, Scott E. Yonker and Noah Stoffma