Technical development for Australia's MOBILESAT system

With the planned introduction in Australia of the mobile satellite service in mid-1992, MOBILESAT will be the first domestic mobile satellite system with full voice and data capability to be in operation worldwide. This paper describes the technical features which have been adopted by MOBILESAT in providing a unique system optimized for land mobile operation and the technical activities which have been carried out by AUSSAT in the past three years in supporting the development of the system

Grazing System and Management for Goat Production

Abstract Grazing system management is for supplying inexpensive, adequate nutrition for the goat enterprise. This involves managing forages to facilitate dry matter production and managing grazing so forage quality is adequate and harvest efficiency is high while avoiding consuming internal parasites. Since nutrient costs are greatest for winter, the grazing system should be planned to provide some grazing during winter. The forage system should be managed to provide the greatest proportion of nutrients possible during kidding and lactation. The base forage species can be overseeded with cool-season or leguminous species to improve forage production, quality or the seasonal distribution of forage production. A well-managed rotational grazing system can improve forage harvest efficiency, reduce consumption of internal parasite larvae and improve animal tameness. Good pasture management requires gathering information, planning and compromising to attain forage production objectives and the flexibility to cope with changes in the weather. Keywords: Grazing System, Grazing, Forages, Pasture, Goat Productio

The Central Valley Transportation Challenge

The Central Valley Transportation Challenge provides underserved minority students, who are primarily from rural areas, with high quality transportation-related educational experiences so that they learn about transportation-related topics and opportunities in transportation careers. The CVTC is a project-based learning program that brings university faculty and students to K–12 classrooms in rural areas. The project operated with three main objectives: (1) support K–12 teachers’ understanding and implementation of the CVTC programs; (2) connect K–12 students with university faculty and students, and transportation professionals through the CVTC program; and (3) develop an online hub with transportation-related lesson plans and sequences. The results of this study are reported as five case studies and a description of the online hub. The case studies illustrate how different pedagogical approaches and uses of technology were implemented and how the project connections between the schools, community members and professionals from transportation-related fields were developed. In addition, to support the sustainability of transportation-related learning across subsequent years, the research team created an online transportation resource repository. This hub was populated with lessons and units developed by pedagogical and content experts. The lessons cover the grades K–12 and range from brief lessons to very engaging and holistic two-week-long lesson sequences. The CVTC has proven to be a highly flexible and adaptive model due to the use of technology and the teachers’ experience and pedagogical expertise. The timing of the program during the COVID-19 pandemic also provided the students that were learning from home with an engaging learning experience and some relief for teachers who were already dealing with a lot of adjustments. In that sense, the program reached traditionally underserved students, but did so in a critical time where these students faced even more obstacles

The Fresno State Transportation Challenge

The Fresno State Transportation Challenge uses an action civics approach to support K-12 students in developing transportation-related projects that have a positive impact on the community. In 2020 the goal was to expand, refine, and create structures to sustain the implementation of the Transportation Challenge across subsequent years. As a result of the COVID pandemic, the process and goals of the project were adapted. The project was extended into April 2021 and was entirely conducted through remote participation. The focus was on two high schools. The expansion into the high school age bracket was successful and the experience with these two projects will allow for easier expansion in additional high schools in the future. One high school focused on the topic of active mobility, specifically biking, and addressed the challenge of how to get more students to bike to school. The other high school combined the transportation challenge with an economic vitalization project. The students were asked to also develop a modern transportation concept. Both projects exposed high school students to the topic of transportation and expanded awareness of transportation careers. Students also developed important competencies in the domains of problem solving, collaboration, communication, and leadership

Current Situation and Future Prospects of the US Goat Industry

Abstract The current demand for goat meat in the US outstrips domestic supply. There is great potential for industry growth in the meat and dairy sectors. Whereas fiber prices have improved, loss of animals and market resources, labor costs for shearing, and lack of animal genetic resources prevent growth in the short term. As producers age, there is opportunity for new producers to enter the marketplace. Significant challenges exist, like access to local markets and abattoirs, dewormer resistant parasites, and feed costs. Establishing goat feedlots can increase meat supply and industry commercialization. Technologies used for cattle will be expanded for use in goats with interconnected sensors collecting health and production data. The field of genetic improvement will change from current production testing to identifying superior animals at an early age using DNA analysis. A quality assurance program is needed to address animal welfare issues and promote the consumption of domestic products to consumers. Keywords: Meat Goat Industry, Dairy Goat Industry, Goat Industry, Goat Industry Statu

Spectral characteristics and the extent of paleosols of the Palouse formation

Three spectral models defining the spatial distribution of soil areas by levels of amorphous iron, organic carbon, and the ratio of amorphous iron to organic carbon were developed and field verification studies were conducted. The models used particular Thematic Mapper band ratios selected by statistical correlation with soil chemical data. The ability of the models to indicate erosion severity and to differentiate between iron enriched and carbonate paleosols is discussed. In addition, the effect of vegetation cover on paleosols is addressed

Social enterprise: Market trends 2017

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) jointly commissioned a report focused on improving the methodology, which allows identification of social enterprises in the UK small business population. Based on this improved methodology and a dedicated survey of a representative sample of the UK small business population, this report provides estimates of the number of social enterprises in the UK, describes the key characteristics of social enterprises and compares these to those of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The survey employed the approach, sampling strategy and telephone survey questionnaire used in the UK Small Business Survey (SBS) and included 1,300 business owners and managers as respondents. Aston Business School and BMG, independent research organisations, carried out the work and survey on behalf of DCMS and BEIS from 2016 to 2017. Previous reports on Social enterprise market trends have been published for 2012 and 2014. Note that due to methodological changes the findings from previous reports cannot be directly compared to the 2017 report

Challenges in digitising liberation archives: a case study

The article reports on a study of the challenges facing a liberation archive which is attempting to digitise its collections and of how the Archive has responded to the challenges. The article is framed by the critical writing on digitisation which looks beyond the surface issues identified by technical and management research and uncovers the power contestations which arise as part of the digitisation process. It focuses particularly on whether the digitisation process alters the power relations within the Archive and between it and other role players within the South African context. The role-players include the state and the Archive’s external management, artefact copyright holders, digitisation vendors and organisations, and Archive users. The research investigates: the rationale for digitising archival collections; who the stakeholders in a digitisation project are, how they relate to each other and what the power relations between them are; the risks of digitisation; and the implications of selection of materials for digitisation. The research finds that personal connections, serendipity, ad-hoc behaviour, trust, distrust and the fear of exploitation has had an impact on the digitisation process; but concludes that the Archive has maintained its balance among competing interests to uphold its integrity.DHE