Lucerne Herbicides (Tolerance)

To determine the phytotoxicity of various herbicides on established Lucerne pasture and their efficacy on the various weed species present

The structural and diagenetic evolution of injected sandstones: examples from the Kimmeridgian of NE Scotland

Abstract: Injected sandstones occurring in the Kimmeridgian of NE Scotland along the bounding Great Glen and Helmsdale faults formed when basinal fluids moved upward along the fault zones, fluidizing Oxfordian sands encountered at shallow depth and injecting them into overlying Kimmeridgian strata. The orientation of dykes, in addition to coeval faults and fractures, was controlled by a stress state related to dextral strike-slip along the bounding fault zones. Diagenetic studies of cements allow the reconstruction of the fluid flow history. The origin of deformation bands in sandstone dykes and sills was related to the contraction of the host-rocks against dyke and sill walls following the initial stage of fluidized flow, and these deformation bands are the earliest diagenetic imprint. Early non-ferroan calcite precipitated in injection structures at temperatures between 70 and 100 8C, indicating that it precipitated from relatively hot basinal fluids that drove injection. Coeval calcite-filled fractures show similar temperatures, suggesting that relatively hot fluids were responsible for calcite precipitation in any permeable pathway created by dextral simple shear along the faults. During progressive burial, percolating sea water was responsible for completely cementing the still relatively porous injected sandstones with a second generation of ferroan calcite, which contains fluid inclusions with homogenization temperatures below 50 8C. During this phase, depositional host sandstones were also cemented

The Unfinished Business of Mutual Fund Reform

The need for further mutual fund reform remains in two major areas. First, there is a need for greater and more effective disclosure of fund charges and greater transparency in the manner in which funds operate. While it is probably overly optimistic to expect that this will make a dramatic difference in investors\u27 preferences for one fund over another, at least it will make it possible for the investor who does care about costs and conflicts of interest to determine how efficiently a particular fund is managed vis-a-vis its competitors. A generation ago, funds with a front end sales load averaging 6% was the norm. Due to increasing publicity and competitive pressures, the no-load fund has replaced the load fund as the norm in the fund industry. Also, the increasing popularity of index funds and ETFs, while still not a majority of fund sales, shows that there are, in fact, investors who are sensitive to the importance of mutual fund expenses and sales charges as an important component of a fund\u27s long-term relative performance. Further education and disclosure, through both the financial press and fund prospectuses, should increase the pressure on funds to operate efficiently and in furtherance of the fiduciary duty which they owe to their investors. Second, in order to protect less sophisticated investors from being sold unsuitable funds with high fees and mediocre performance, the need exists for the strengthening of fiduciary duties owed by fund managers and financial advisors to ensure that they put investors\u27 interests ahead of their own. With the defined contribution retirement plan rapidly becoming the primary vehicle for retirement savings for millions of individuals, the need for strong and effective mutual fund regulation now is more compelling than it has ever been

Abradable compressor and turbine seals, volume 1

The application and advantages of abradable coatings as gas-path seals in a general aviation turbine engine were evaluated for use on the high-pressure compressor, the high-pressure turbine, and the low-pressure turbine shrouds. Topics covered include: (1) the initial selection of candidate materials for interim full-scale engine testing; (2) interim engine testing of the initially selected materials and additional candidate materials; (3) the design of the component required to adapt the hardware to permit full-scale engine testing of the most promising materials; (4) finalization of the fabrication methods used in the manufacture of engine test hardware; and (5) the manufacture of the hardware necessary to support the final full-scale engine tests

Does physical disability truly create impairment in adjustment to college life?

This research utilized a mixed methods design to explore the differences between students with and without disabilities in perceived social support, coping style, self efficacy, and college adjustment. In addition, the influence of athletic participation on the above variables was examined in the sub-sample of students with disabilities. Neither survey nor interview results supported any differences between students with disabilities and students without disabilities on the study variables. Results suggested that discrepancies in college outcome variables (i.e. matriculation and persistence) were not a result of differences in disability status, but are the result of differences in adjustment, perceived social support, self-efficacy, and coping style. Quantitative results found the strongest correlations between self-efficacy, coping style, and adjustment factors. Qualitatively, students reporting more adjustment difficulties perceived more challenges within the week, fewer factors that lent to stress management, and more factors that added to the experience of stress. A more active coping style, the use of refraining techniques, and perception of shared social reality support were associated with fewer adjustment difficulties. Interview results also suggested participation in athletics for students with disabilities provided several incentives, such as academic motivation, increased self-efficacy, and campus integration that could lend to adjustment

Bio-inspired swing leg control for spring-mass robots running on ground with unexpected height disturbance

We proposed three swing leg control policies for spring-mass running robots, inspired by experimental data from our recent collaborative work on ground running birds. Previous investigations suggest that animals may prioritize injury avoidance and/or efficiency as their objective function during running rather than maintaining limit-cycle stability. Therefore, in this study we targeted structural capacity (maximum leg force to avoid damage) and efficiency as the main goals for our control policies, since these objective functions are crucial to reduce motor size and structure weight. Each proposed policy controls the leg angle as a function of time during flight phase such that its objective function during the subsequent stance phase is regulated. The three objective functions that are regulated in the control policies are (i) the leg peak force, (ii) the axial impulse, and (iii) the leg actuator work. It should be noted that each control policy regulates one single objective function. Surprisingly, all three swing leg control policies result in nearly identical subsequent stance phase dynamics. This implies that the implementation of any of the proposed control policies would satisfy both goals (damage avoidance and efficiency) at once. Furthermore, all three control policies require a surprisingly simple leg angle adjustment: leg retraction with constant angular acceleration