Communication Strategy: Does the Two-Step Still Work?

Much of our work in cooperative extension deals with the transfer of information or technology to clientele. Therefore, it is extremely important that we use the most effective and efficient means possible in carrying out this task

CUBIC SPLINES FOR ESTIMATING LACTATION CURVES AND GENETIC PARAMETERS OF FIRST LACTATION HOLSTEIN COWS TREATED WITH BOVINE SOMATOTROPIN

The objective was to estimate genetic parameters and fit lactation curves for cows treated or not treated with bovine somatotropin (bST) and fit specific lactation curves for each animal for both random genetic and permanent environmental components from individual test-day milk, fat, and protein yields with a cubic spline model. A total of 70,752 test-day observations for first lactation Holstein cows recorded as treated bST and 73,387 test-day observations for untreated cows that calved between 1994 and early 1999 were obtained from Dairy Records Management Systems in Raleigh, North Carolina. The model included herd test-day, age at first calving, bST treatment, and days in lactation when test-day yield was recorded as fixed effects. Cubic splines were fitted for the overall lactation curve, additive genetic effects, and permanent environmental effects. The cubic splines used five predetermined intervals between days 0, 50, 135,220, and 305. Estimates of the (co)variances for the random components of cubic spline model with five knots were obtained with REML. Estimates of genetic parameters were calculated for the average test day model within each of the ten 30-d test day intervals. The estimates of heritability for milk, fat, and protein yields ranged from 0.09 to 0.15, 0.06 to 0.10, and 0.08 to 0.15 for test-day one to test-day ten. Estimates of genetic correlations between testdays ranged from 0.99 to 0.34 for milk yield, 0.99 to 0.49 for fat yield, and 0.99 to 0.36 for protein yield. Estimates of phenotypic correlations between test-days ranged from 0.67 to 0.27 for milk yield, 0.52 to 0.16 for fat yield, and 0.60 to 0.19 for protein yield. Differences between bST treated and untreated cows of 2 to 4 kg and 0.10 to 0.16 kg for milk and fat yields (smaller for protein yield) at day 90 were maintained until about day 305 of lactation

Beyond the Red, Purple, and Blue: Election Law Issues in 2012

The Symposium Welcome was given by Clint A. Nichols, the Allen Chair Editor for the University of Richmond Law Review, and Wendy C. Perdue, Dean & Professor of Law at the University of Richmond School of Law. The “Get out the vote?” session was presented by Keesha M. Gaskins, Senior Counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University; Steven F. Huefner, Professor of Law and Director of Clinical Programs at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law; Joshua N. Lief, Senior Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia; and Michael J. Pitts, Professor of Law and Dean’s Fellow at Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law. The “Third Parties to the Process” session was presented by Jocelyn F. Benson, Associate Professor of Law at Wayne State University Law School; Joshua A. Douglas, Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Kentucky College of Law; and Rebecca Green, Professor of the Practice of Law and Co-Director of the Election Law Program at the William & Mary Law School. The “Drawing the Lines” session was presented by Keesha M. Gaskins, Senior Counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University; Dale Ho, Assistant Counsel with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; Dr. Michael P. McDonald, Associate Professor of Government and Politics at George Mason University; Donald Palmer, Secretary of the Virginia State Board of Elections; and Rob Richie, Executive Director of FairVote

No-Fly Zones: Strategic, Operational, and Legal Considerations for Congress

The ongoing uprising in Libya against the government of Muammar al Qadhafi has been the subject of ongoing domestic and international debate about potential international military intervention, including the proposed establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya. This report discusses several related issues for Congress surrounding the strategy, international authorization, congressional authorization, operations, and costs of establishing and maintaining no-fly zones

Control of proton energy in ultra-high intensity laser-matter interaction

Recent breakthroughs in short pulse laser technology resulted in (i) generation of ultra-high intensity (2×1022 W/cm2) and (ii) ultra-high contrast (10−11) short pulses at the Hercules facility of the University of Michigan, which has created the possibility of exploring a new regime of ion acceleration – the regime of Directed Coulomb Explosion (DCE). In this regime of sufficiently high laser intensities and target thicknesses approaching the relativistic plasma skin depth it is possible to expel electrons from the target focal volume by the laser's ponderomotive force allowing for direct laser ion acceleration combined with a Coulomb explosion. That results in greater than 100 MeV protons with a quasi-monoenergetic energy spectrum. The utilization of beam shaping, namely, the use of flat-top beams, leads to more efficient proton acceleration due to the increase of the longitudinal field. According to the results of 2D PIC simulations a 500 TW laser pulse with a super-Gaussian beam profile interacting with 0.1 micron aluminium-hydrogen foil is able to produce monoenergetic protons with the energy up to 240 MeV.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/85403/1/jpconf10_244_042025.pd

Cold Collision Frequency Shift of the 1S-2S Transition in Hydrogen

We have observed the cold collision frequency shift of the 1S-2S transition in trapped spin-polarized atomic hydrogen. We find $\Delta \nu_{1S-2S} = -3.8(8)\times 10^{-10} n Hz cm^3$, where $n$ is the sample density. From this we derive the 1S-2S s-wave triplet scattering length, $a_{1S-2S}=-1.4(3)$ nm, which is in fair agreement with a recent calculation. The shift provides a valuable probe of the distribution of densities in a trapped sample.Comment: Accepted for publication in PRL, 9 pages, 4 PostScript figures, ReVTeX. Updated connection of our measurement to theoretical wor

Energetic electron and ion generation from interactions of intense laser pulses with laser machined conical targets

The generation of energetic electron and proton beams was studied from the interaction of high intensity laser pulses with pre-drilled conical targets. These conical targets are laser machined onto flat targets using 7–180 µJ pulses whose axis of propagation is identical to that of the main high intensity pulse. This method significantly relaxes requirements for alignment of conical targets in systematic experimental investigations and also reduces the cost of target fabrication. These experiments showed that conical targets increase the electron beam charge by up to 44 ± 18% compared with flat targets. We also found greater electron beam divergence for conical targets than for flat targets, which was due to escaping electrons from the surface of the cone wall into the surrounding solid target region. In addition, the experiments showed similar maximum proton energies for both targets since the larger electron beam divergence balances the increase in electron beam charge for conical targets. 2D particle in cell simulations were consistent with the experimental results. Simulations for conical target without preplasma showed higher energy gain for heavy ions due to 'directed coulomb explosion'. This may be useful for medical applications or for ion beam fast ignition fusion.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/85411/1/nf10_5_055006.pd

Support and Assessment for Fall Emergency Referrals (SAFER 1) trial protocol. Computerised on-scene decision support for emergency ambulance staff to assess and plan care for older people who have fallen: evaluation of costs and benefits using a pragmatic cluster randomised trial

Background: Many emergency ambulance calls are for older people who have fallen. As half of them are left at home, a community-based response may often be more appropriate than hospital attendance. The SAFER 1 trial will assess the costs and benefits of a new healthcare technology - hand-held computers with computerised clinical decision support (CCDS) software - to help paramedics decide who needs hospital attendance, and who can be safely left at home with referral to community falls services. Methods/Design: Pragmatic cluster randomised trial with a qualitative component. We shall allocate 72 paramedics ('clusters') at random between receiving the intervention and a control group delivering care as usual, of whom we expect 60 to complete the trial. Patients are eligible if they are aged 65 or older, live in the study area but not in residential care, and are attended by a study paramedic following an emergency call for a fall. Seven to 10 days after the index fall we shall offer patients the opportunity to opt out of further follow up. Continuing participants will receive questionnaires after one and 6 months, and we shall monitor their routine clinical data for 6 months. We shall interview 20 of these patients in depth. We shall conduct focus groups or semi-structured interviews with paramedics and other stakeholders. The primary outcome is the interval to the first subsequent reported fall (or death). We shall analyse this and other measures of outcome, process and cost by 'intention to treat'. We shall analyse qualitative data thematically. Discussion: Since the SAFER 1 trial received funding in August 2006, implementation has come to terms with ambulance service reorganisation and a new national electronic patient record in England. In response to these hurdles the research team has adapted the research design, including aspects of the intervention, to meet the needs of the ambulance services. In conclusion this complex emergency care trial will provide rigorous evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of CCDS for paramedics in the care of older people who have fallen