Extension Resources for International Trade

With the opening of additional trade partnerships, the reduction of global transportation and communication costs, and the increase in demand for U.S. agricultural products and services, international trade is an area of great importance to more and more Extension clients and stakeholders. This article provides information about the primary organizations and agencies that have state offices that can assist Extension educators. Links to comprehensive online resources with customizable worksheets and tools are also furnished

Directional Thermal Emission and Absorption from Surface Microstructures in Metalized Plastics

Thermal emission, exhibiting antenna-like directivity, has been generated by a wide variety of both simple and complex micro-structures. The basic demonstrations of directional emission, and specific device performance evaluations, have been conducted at elevated temperatures, typically several hundred degrees Celsius. The most common applications for these high-temperature designs are thermal photo-voltaic and spectroscopic sources. A wide range of lower temperature applications, such as spacecraft thermal management and mid- to far-infrared optical train stray light management, are precluded by the cost and complexity of the fabrication processes employed. In this work, a novel fabrication and physical surface optimization of a seminal directionally emitting structure is conducted in metalized plastic. The fabrication method is derived from the high-throughput compact disc manufacturing process and exploits the advantageous surface electromagnetic properties of aluminium, at the expense of forgoing high-temperature operation. Then, a novel directionally emitting structure, exhibiting a broader angular response, is design and fabricated by the same methods. The performance of both structures is evaluated through reflectance and self-emission measurements, and compared to rigorous modeling results. The necessity of conducting low-temperature emission and reflectance measurements, on instruments designed for radiometry rather than scatterometry, requires consideration of the longitudinal spatial coherence of field incidence on the surface. To this end, a well-developed modeling method was extended to include finite longitudinal spatial coherence excitation

Nonlinear Time-Variant Response in an Avalanche Photodiode Array Based Laser Detection and Ranging System

This research effort identifies and models the nonlinear time-variant behavior exhibited by an avalanche photodiode (APD) array based Laser Ranging and Detection (LADAR) system. Based on the original Linear Time-Invariant (LTI) model, the evolution of error in the LADAR signal is examined sequentially from the outgoing pulse through signal digitization. This error evolution shows that the LTI model does not contain a mechanism for causing the observed signal deviations or the failure to meet the Cramer-Rao lower bound for range accuracy. A nonlinear time-variant model is developed based on the interactions of the avalanche photodiodes in the array with the array\u27s voltage regulator. In the refined model, the sum photo-current for the entire array loads the voltage regulator. The resulting reverse bias voltage variations cause the responsivity of each APD to vary in a nonlinear fashion. Because each APD in the array\u27s responsivity depends upon the entire array\u27s photonic loading, each individual APD\u27s response is time variant

Multiplexing electro-optic architectures for advanced aircraft integrated flight control systems

This report describes the results of a 10 month program sponsored by NASA. The objective of this program was to evaluate various optical sensor modulation technologies and to design an optimal Electro-Optic Architecture (EOA) for servicing remote clusters of sensors and actuators in advanced aircraft flight control systems. The EOA's supply optical power to remote sensors and actuators, process the modulated optical signals returned from the sensors, and produce conditioned electrical signals acceptable for use by a digital flight control computer or Vehicle Management System (VMS) computer. This study was part of a multi-year initiative under the Fiber Optic Control System Integration (FOCSI) program to design, develop, and test a totally integrated fiber optic flight/propulsion control system for application to advanced aircraft. Unlike earlier FOCSI studies, this program concentrated on the design of the EOA interface rather than the optical transducer technology itself

Statistical Photocalibration of Photodetectors for Radiometry without Calibrated Light Sources

Calibration of CCD arrays for identifying bad pixels and achieving nonuniformity correction is commonly accomplished using dark frames. This kind of calibration technique does not achieve radiometric calibration of the array since only the relative response of the detectors is computed. For this, a second calibration is sometimes utilized by looking at sources with known radiances. This process can be used to calibrate photodetectors as long as a calibration source is available and is well-characterized. A previous attempt at creating a procedure for calibrating a photodetector using the underlying Poisson nature of the photodetection required calculations of the skewness of the photodetector measurements. Reliance on the third moment of measurement meant that thousands of samples would be required in some cases to compute that moment. A photocalibration procedure is defined that requires only first and second moments of the measurements. The technique is applied to image data containing a known light source so that the accuracy of the technique can be surmised. It is shown that the algorithm can achieve accuracy of nearly 2.7% of the predicted number of photons using only 100 frames of image data

Nanoparticles of Cerium Oxide Targeted to an Amyloid-Beta Antigen of Alzheimer\u27s Disease and Associated Methods

Disclosed is a composition immunologically targeted to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the composition containing amine functionalized nanoparticles of Cerium oxide coated with polyethylene glycol and bearing an antibody specific for an amyloid-beta antigen associated with AD. The invention also includes a medication manufactured with the targeted nanoceria particles and methods of treatment by administering the targeted nanoceria particles to patients in need thereof

Framework for the Parametric System Modeling of Space Exploration Architectures

This paper presents a methodology for performing architecture definition and assessment prior to, or during, program formulation that utilizes a centralized, integrated architecture modeling framework operated by a small, core team of general space architects. This framework, known as the Exploration Architecture Model for IN-space and Earth-to-orbit (EXAMINE), enables: 1) a significantly larger fraction of an architecture trade space to be assessed in a given study timeframe; and 2) the complex element-to-element and element-to-system relationships to be quantitatively explored earlier in the design process. Discussion of the methodology advantages and disadvantages with respect to the distributed study team approach typically used within NASA to perform architecture studies is presented along with an overview of EXAMINE s functional components and tools. An example Mars transportation system architecture model is used to demonstrate EXAMINE s capabilities in this paper. However, the framework is generally applicable for exploration architecture modeling with destinations to any celestial body in the solar system

Sexual Health Education: an evaluation of the Northumbria Integrated Sexual Health Education (NISHE) Workforce Development Package delivered by UWE, Bristol

Background: Sexual health and wellbeing is a central focus of public health policy and service development in England (Department of Health (DH) 2013a, 2013b, Public Health England (PHE) 2015). Historically, services in the UK have been delivered through Family Planning clinics for contraceptive services or Genito-Urinary (GUM) clinics for sexual health issues. Current NHS Service Specifications for sexual health services emphasise an integrated service, delivered by a single health professional (DH 2013b), which has significant implications for the sexual health workforce. Within the South West, there was a disparity of sexual health education provision with little emphasis on the practical competence element. In order to equip sexual health nurses with the appropriate knowledge and skills to deliver an integrated sexual health service, the University of the West of England (UWE) entered a formal agreement with a partner university who had developed an educational package. UWE commenced delivery of two new sexual health modules in September 2013, incorporating both a newly developed classroom delivered Foundations of Sexual Health module and an established Integrated Sexual Health Education module which incorporated a practice placement, mentor support and blended learning approaches to deliver the theory element. This package had previously been successfully delivered in the North of England (McNall and Kain 2010). Aims This research, conducted between 2013 and 2015, explored the transferability of the model to the South West region and the degree to which the educational delivery met service demands in relation to integrated sexual health provision. Research Methodology: Data were collected using quantitative and qualitative methods, specifically longitudinal baseline and follow-up survey data from students (n=49) using two validated self-efficacy scales, focus groups with students (n=22) and semi-structured interviews with students (n=7) and strategic managers (n=6). Quantitative analysis of questionnaire data was conducted on baseline and follow-up data using SPSS version 2.2. The data exploring self-efficacy were analysed using Wilcoxon tests and Friedman’s tests. Descriptive statistics and frequencies were used to examine the characteristics of the study population. Qualitative analysis was conducted through thematic analysis and constant comparative methods (Braun and Clarke 2006). Key Findings: The results indicated that students who undertook the modules demonstrated significant increases in self-efficacy when using the evidence base in sexual health practice and when communicating in difficult situations. The highest percentage point increase in self-efficacy occurred when the students completed both modules rather than one in isolation. Service manager and student expectation regarding the instructional immediacy and technological specification of the e-learning package were not always met but the electronic mode of delivery was praised for its flexibility, especially important given the large geographical spread of students. Service managers and students were aware of the move to integrated service delivery but were often frustrated by structural restraints that impeded innovation and practice development, such as fragmented commissioning arrangements or lack of collocated services. Although these restraints limited the impact that new learning could have on the service that was offered to patients, there was some evidence that the students were using their professional autonomy to manipulate the system, in line with Lipsky’s (1980) concept of street level bureaucracy. Recommendations: Consideration should be given to the balance of e-learning and face-to-face contact within modules, to enhance instructional immediacy and increase student satisfaction. E-learning packages should be reviewed to meet student expectation by incorporating interactive technology and opportunities for collaborative learning. In addition, where service delivery is in a state of flux, modules should incorporate elements of leadership development to enable practitioners to initiate and manage change in practice

Oxidation and chemical state analysis of polycrystalline magnetron sputtered (Ti,Al)N films at ambient and liquid N-2 temperatures

In order to improve the functional properties of hard coatings, recent investigations have been directed towards Ti-N based multicomponent materials. The nitride (Ti, Al)N, in particular, with a Ti:Al ratio of 1:1 seems to be a promising alternative to the widely used TiN, exhibits better oxidation resistance and hence improved performance over that of TiN. (Ti, Al)N coatings were de sputter deposited onto 316SS substrates under ambient and liquid nitrogen temperatures. As deposited films were oxidized in a vertical fused-silica tube furnace in pure O-2 flowing atmosphere at temperatures ranging from 700 to 900 degrees C. Scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope images reveal information about the particle size and film thickness. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed to study the chemistry of the cop few atomic layers in addition to compositional analysis and information on the details of chemical bonding, The difference in film stoichiometry are compared at two different deposition conditions thus reflecting their behavior under oxidizing conditions