EFFECTIVE EXTENSION PROGRAMMING FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT

This paper addresses the possible components of a rural/community development Extension program. Issues such as subject matter selection, research base, and linkages with outside organizations are discussed. The role of rural/community development in an agricultural economics academic setting is analyzed. Recommendations for successful efforts are presented.Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Direct use of linear time-domain aerodynamics in aeroservoelastic analysis: Aerodynamic model

The work presented here is the first part of a continuing effort to expand existing capabilities in aeroelasticity by developing the methodology which is necessary to utilize unsteady time-domain aerodynamics directly in aeroservoelastic design and analysis. The ultimate objective is to define a fully integrated state-space model of an aeroelastic vehicle's aerodynamics, structure and controls which may be used to efficiently determine the vehicle's aeroservoelastic stability. Here, the current status of developing a state-space model for linear or near-linear time-domain indicial aerodynamic forces is presented

Seasonal facilitative and competitive trade‐offs between shrub seedlings and coastal grasses

Shrub expansion is occurring in grasslands globally and may be impacted by the balance of competition and facilitation with existing grasses. Along the mid‐Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the native shrub Morella cerifera (wax myrtle) is rapidly expanding and displacing other native coastal species. Recent research suggests that much of this expansion is due to warming winter temperatures, as temperatures below −15°C kill M. cerifera. The objective of this project was to understand the importance of species interactions with grasses on the growth and physiology of M. cerifera at the seedling life stage through both field and laboratory experiments. In the field, grasses were removed around seedlings and microclimate and shrub physiology and growth were measured. Seeds and seedlings were experimentally frozen to measure the freeze tolerance at both life stages. We found that grasses provided ~1.3°C insulation to shrubs during winter. A freezing threshold for M. cerifera seedlings was experimentally found between −6°C and −11°C, but seeds remained viable after being frozen to the coldest ecologically relevant temperatures. Seedlings competed for light with grasses during warm months and grew more where grasses were clipped, revealing a trade‐off between winter insulation and summer light competition. Morella cerifera exhibits ecosystem engineering at the seedling stage by significantly reducing summer maximum temperatures. When seedlings are very young (less than one year), grasses appear to improve germination and seedling survival. These phenomena enable rapid expansion of M. cerifera across the landscape and likely inform shrub expansion mechanisms in other systems. Although seedlings are small and relatively vulnerable, this life stage appears to have significant implications for ecosystem trajectory in grasslands undergoing shrub encroachment

Cardiac Defibrillators Need To Have A Bulletproof Vest: The National Security Risk Posed By The Lack Of Cybersecurity In Implantable Medical Devices

Imagine a world where a patient wearing a pacemaker or an insulin pump, just fine moments before, drops dead after his implanted medical device turns seemingly against him

Rural Cosmopolitanism at the Frontier? Chinese Farmers and Community Relations in Northern Queensland, c 1890-1920

This paper examines the experiences of Chinese settlers in the Cairns district of northern Queensland, Australia, at the turn of the 19th and 20th century as a potential early expression of a ?rural cosmopolitanism? that has more recently been associated in the geographical literature with contemporary international migration. In contrast to other parts of Australia, where Chinese immigration was associated with mining and with racial tensions and segregation, Chinese settlers around Cairns tended to be farmers and store-keepers, and contemporary accounts hint at a degree of tolerance and cross-community interaction that suggests an early form of rural cosmopolitanism. Moreover, the mobilities and aspirations of the Chinese migrants pre-figure those of present-day ?cosmopolitan? migrant, whilst the discourses of anti-Chinese agitators echo the concerns, fears and prejudices of current anti-immigration sentiments. Drawing on in-depth archival research, the paper documents the dynamics, experiences and relationships of Chinese settlers and debates concerning their presence, from the 1880s to the depletion of the community in the 1910s under pressure from anti-Chinese legislation. In so doing, the paper seeks to draw lessons from this historical perspective for our understanding of international migration to rural areas, and for the possibilities for rural cosmopolitanism in the twenty-first century.publishersversionPeer reviewe

A Novel Approach to Design an Integrated Antenna-Battery System

In this study, an integrated antenna-battery was explored. Studying the systems separately allowed information to be obtained relating to the materials' performance and feasibility of an integrated system. Conducting polymers are promising in modern day lithium ion batteries. With high electrical conductivity as well as good ionic conductivity, they are now becoming more widely used. Here, we present a study of a co-block polymer (PEDOT-PEG) in which a polymer with high electrical conductivity is linked to a polymer with lithium ion conductivity, using a combination of atomistic simulations and experiments. Simulations showed that the diffusion and ionic conductivity for PEDOT-PEG agreed well with experiments. A trend was identified as a function of lithium salt concentration, in which the ionic conductivity decreased with increasing concentration. This was identified to be down to the significant ion pairing occurring in the system between lithium and the counterion. Requirements for the antenna were the ability to be mounted easily onto a battery substrate without a significant loss in efficiency and bandwidth. Studies were undertaken in which a slot dipole antenna was modified so as to incorporate properties more closely associated with battery materials i.e. permittivity and dielectric loss. An ultra-thin Mylar prototype was also synthesised and mounted onto a variety of surfaces, to assess how the antenna performed in different environments. Results for the antenna showed usable bandwidths and efficiencies when the antenna structure was modified to closely resemble a solid state battery. Despite a reduction seen in certain cases, these losses were not significant, and showed promise with regards to designing an integrated system. The Mylar prototype showed a good match between simulation and experiment in free space and when mounted on surfaces such as polymers, indicating that an ultra-thin antenna-battery is feasible