Climate of South Dakota

The climate of South Dakota generally is limiting or marginal for most crops, and knowledge of the state\u27s climate is necessary for maximum agricultural production. The most important climate limitations are precipitation and length of the growing season. This publication contains information about South Dakota climate helpful to persons engaged in agricultural production. It will also be useful to others concerned with climatic conditions

Chemical reactivity of supported gold : III. Atomic binding and coordination of gold from X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy

Preparations of Au and Pt supported on Al2O3, MgO, and SiO2 were subjected to analysis by extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS). The samples contained 0.20, 5.00, and 8.00 wt% Au, and 5.00 wt% Pt. Metal dispersion ranged between 0.3 to 45%. Anisotropic growth was detected in the larger particles. The liii X-ray absorption coefficient was normalized to the same atom basis and Fourier transformed to yield the radial structure function for each preparation. From bond distance comparison with reference materials, assignments were made to specific peaks of the radial structure function. The analysis of the results showed that the metals were present in two distinct phases: metallic with coordination and metal-to-metal distance characteristic of bulk Au, and Pt (particulate phase), and a highly disperse one (dissolved phase). It was concluded that the latter consisted of metal atomically dispersed, or condensed in small, flat clusters of a few atoms. It was further estimated that the majority of Au and Pt was present in the highly disperse form, i.e., 60% for Au and 86% for Pt. Au atoms did not simply substitute Mg in the MgO matrix to form the dissolved Au-MgO phase and they carried an average charge +1.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/21796/1/0000195.pd

About the parabolic relation existing between the skewness and the kurtosis in time series of experimental data

In this work we investigate the origin of the parabolic relation between skewness and kurtosis often encountered in the analysis of experimental time-series. We argue that the numerical values of the coefficients of the curve may provide informations about the specific physics of the system studied, whereas the analytical curve per se is a fairly general consequence of a few constraints expected to hold for most systems.Comment: To appear in Physica Script

Design Concept for a Reusable/Propellantless MXER Tether Space Transportation System

The Momentum Exchange/Electrodynamic Reboost (MXER) tether facility is a transformational concept that significantly reduces the fuel requirements (and associated costs) in transferring payloads above low earth orbit (LEO). Facility reboost is accomplished without propellant by driving current against a voltage created by a conducting tether's interaction with the Earth's magnetic field (electrodynamic reboost). This system can be used for transferring a variety of payloads (scientific, cargo, and human space vehicles) to multiple destinations including geosynchronous transfer orbit, the Moon or Mars. MXER technology advancement requires development in two key areas: survivable, high tensile strength non-conducting tethers and reliable, lightweight payload catch/release mechanisms. Fundamental requirements associated with the MXER non-conducting strength tether and catch mechanism designs will be presented. Key requirements for the tether design include high specific-strength (tensile strength/material density), material survivability to the space environment (atomic oxygen and ultraviolet radiation), and structural survivability to micrometeoroid/orbital debris (MM/OD) impacts. The driving mechanism key,gequirements include low mass-to-capture-volume ratio, positional and velocity error tolerance, and operational reliability. Preliminary tether and catch mechanism design criteria are presented, which have been used as guidelines to "screen" and down-select initial concepts. Candidate tether materials and protective coatings are summarized along with their performance in simulated space environments (e.g., oxygen plasma, thermal cycling). A candidate catch mechanism design concept is presented along with examples of demonstration hardware

Costs of school transportation: quantifying the fiscal impacts of encouraging walking and bicycling for school travel

Abstract National governments have provided subsidies for investments in increasing the safety and attractiveness of walking and biking to school. Evaluations of Safe Routes to School initiatives have found that they have been effective at changing behavior and reducing injuries. However, there has been little attention to the impacts of these programs on pupil transportation costs. This analysis assesses the potential economic benefits of Safe Routes to School programs in the US context by estimating the annual costs of using motorized transport for short trips to schools, examining real-world examples of the costs savings of SRTS programs, and evaluating land use impacts on school transportation costs using a simulation analysis of school bus routes. We find that there is potential for school districts and families to reduce transport expenditures through public sector investments in walking and biking infrastructure near schools. We also find that land use context matters and the most cost-effective investments would benefit schools where large numbers of children live within walking distance

Actinide speciation in glass leach-layers: An EXAFS study

Uranium L{sub 3} X-ray absorption data were obtained from two borosilicate glasses, which are considered as models for radioactive wasteforms, both before and after leaching. Surface sensitivity to uranium speciation was attained by a novel application of simultaneous fluorescence and electron-yield detection. Changes in speciation are clearly discernible, from U(VI) in the bulk to (UO{sub 2}){sup 2+}-uranyl in the leach layer. The leach-layer uranium concentration variations with leaching times are also determined from the data

Just a beta....

Traditional implementation of clinical information systems follows a predictable project management process'. The selection, development, implementation, and evaluation of the system and the project management aspects of those phases require considerable time and effort. The purpose of this paper is to describe the beta site implementation of a knowledge-based clinical information system in a specialty area of a southeastern hospital that followed a less than traditional approach to implementation. Highlighted are brief descriptions of the hospital's traditional process, the nontraditional process, and key findings from the experience. Preliminary analysis suggests that selection of an implementation process is contextual. Selection of elements from each of these methods may provide a more useful process. The non-traditional process approached the elements of communication, areas of responsibility, training, follow-up and leadership differently. These elements are common to both processes and provide a focal point for future research

A comprehensive review of the PARTNER trial

ObjectivePercutaneous transcatheter aortic valve replacement was introduced in 2002, but its effectiveness remained to be assessed.MethodsA prospective, randomized trial (the Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves, or PARTNER) was designed with 2 arms: PARTNER A (n = 699) for high-risk surgical patients (Society of Thoracic Surgeons score >10%, surgeon assessed risk of mortality >15%) and PARTNER B (n = 358, patients inoperable by assessment of 2 surgeons). PARTNER A patients were divided into femoral artery access transcatheter aortic valve replacement or none (n = 207), and then randomized to open aortic valve replacement (n = 351) or device (n = 348). Inclusion criteria included valve area <0.8 cm2, gradient >40 mm Hg or peak >64 mm Hg, and survival >1 year. The end point of the study was 1-year mortality.ResultsThirty-day mortality for PARTNER A was 3.4% for transcatheter aortic valve replacement and 6.5% for aortic valve replacement; 1-year mortality was 24.2% and 26.8%, respectively (P = .001 for noninferiority). The respective prevalence of stroke was 3.8% and 2.1% (P = .2), although for all neurologic events, the difference between transcatheter aortic valve replacement and aortic valve replacement was significant (P = .04), including 4.6% for femoral artery access transcatheter aortic valve replacement versus 1.4% for open aortic valve replacement (P = .05). For PARTNER B—transcatheter aortic valve replacement versus medical treatment—30-day mortality was 5.0% versus 2.8% (P = .41), and at 1 year, mortality was 30.7% versus 50.7% (P < .001), respectively. Hospitalization cost of transcatheter aortic valve replacement for PARTNER B was $78,542, or$50,200 per year of life gained. Analysis of PARTNER A strokes showed that hazard with transcatheter aortic valve replacement peaked early, but thereafter remained constant in relation to aortic valve replacement. Two-year PARTNER A data showed paravalvular regurgitation was associated with increased mortality, even when mild (P < .001). Continued access to transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement (n = 853) showed a mortality of 8.2% and decline in strokes to 2.0%. Of the 1801 Cleveland Clinic patients reviewed to December 2010, 214 (12%) underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement with a mortality of 1%; in 2011, 105 underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement: 34 transapical aortic valve replacement, with no deaths, and 71 femoral artery access aortic valve replacement with 1 death.ConclusionsThe PARTNER A and B trials showed that survival has been remarkably good, but stroke and perivalvular leakage require further device development

BKB_K using HYP-smeared staggered fermions in Nf=2+1N_f=2+1 unquenched QCD

We present results for kaon mixing parameter $B_K$ calculated using HYP-smeared improved staggered fermions on the MILC asqtad lattices. We use three lattice spacings ($a\approx 0.12$, $0.09$ and $0.06\;$fm), ten different valence quark masses ($m\approx m_s/10-m_s$), and several light sea-quark masses in order to control the continuum and chiral extrapolations. We derive the next-to-leading order staggered chiral perturbation theory (SChPT) results necessary to fit our data, and use these results to do extrapolations based both on SU(2) and SU(3) SChPT. The SU(2) fitting is particularly straightforward because parameters related to taste-breaking and matching errors appear only at next-to-next-to-leading order. We match to the continuum renormalization scheme (NDR) using one-loop perturbation theory. Our final result is from the SU(2) analysis, with the SU(3) result providing a (less accurate) cross check. We find $B_K(\text{NDR}, \mu = 2 \text{GeV}) = 0.529 \pm 0.009 \pm 0.032$ and $\hat{B}_K =B_K(\text{RGI})= 0.724 \pm 0.012 \pm 0.043$, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. The error is dominated by the truncation error in the matching factor. Our results are consistent with those obtained using valence domain-wall fermions on lattices generated with asqtad or domain-wall sea quarks.Comment: 37 pages, 31 figures, most updated versio

Outcomes of less invasive J-incision approach to aortic valve surgery

ObjectiveLess invasive approaches to aortic valve surgery are increasingly used; however, few studies have investigated their impact on outcome. We sought to compare clinical outcomes after these approaches with full sternotomy using propensity-matching methods.MethodsFrom January 1995 to January 2004, a total of 2689 patients underwent isolated aortic valve surgery, 1193 via upper J-hemisternotomy and 1496 via full sternotomy. Because of important differences in patient characteristics between these groups, a propensity score based on 42 variables was used to obtain 832 well-matched patient pairs (70% of possible cases).ResultsIn-hospital mortality was identical for propensity-matched patients, 0.96% (8 in each). Occurrences of stroke (P > .9), renal failure (P = .8), and myocardial infarction (P = .7) were similar. However, 24-hour mediastinal drainage was a third less after less invasive surgery (median, 250 vs 350 mL; P < .0001), and fewer patients received transfusions (24% vs 34%; P < .0001). More patients undergoing less invasive surgery were extubated in the operating room (12% vs 1.6%; P < .0001), postoperative forced 1-second expiratory volume was higher (P = .009), and fewer had respiratory failure (P = .01). Early after operation, pain scores were lower (P < .0001) after less-invasive surgery and postoperative length of stay shorter (P < .0001).ConclusionsWithin that portion of the spectrum of isolated aortic valve surgery where propensity matching was possible, minimally invasive aortic valve surgery had not only cosmetic advantages, but blood product use, respiratory, pain, and resource utilization advantages over full sternotomy, and no apparent detriments. Less invasive aortic valve surgery should be considered for most aortic valve operations