The Enhanced Flight Termination System uses weak CPM as its modulation scheme and a limiter-discriminator as its demodulation scheme. A PAM representation of weak CPM was developed which representation provided the necessary componenents to build a simplified PAM-based receiver that outperformed the EFTS limiter-discriminator, even in the presence of phase noise. The PAM representation also provided a new perspective into the negative characteristics of weak CPM.

Yes / To terminate gait, the mechanical work-done by the lower-limbs is likely to be predominantly negative but how such work is produced/completed has not previously been investigated. The aim of this study was to determine the amount of negative mechanical (external) work-done by the lower-limbs, along with the associated joints (muscle) work, to terminate gait and how these work contributions were affected by a change in surface angle. Eight males completed terminations on the level floor and a declined ramp. Negative mechanical limb-work (limbW(−ve)) was computed (each orthogonal direction) as the dot-product of the ground-reaction-force and centre-of-mass (CoM) velocity. Inverse dynamics was used to calculate ankle, knee and hip negative joints (muscle) work (Wj(−ve)). Measures were determined for each limb for the two-locomotor steps of gait termination. The trailing-limb did 67% (−0.386 J/kg) of the overall limbW(−ve) to terminate gait on the level; and this increased to 74% (−0.451 J/kg) for ramp trials. Wj(−ve) was greater for the trailing- (ankle −0.315; knee −0.357; hip −0.054 J/kg) compared to terminating- limb (ankle, −0.063; knee −0.051; hip −0.014 J/kg), with the increases in ankle Wj(−ve) being temporally associated with increases in perpendicular limbW(−ve). Wj(−ve) increased on both limbs for declined compared to level surface, particularly at the knee (declined −0.357, level −0.096 J/kg), with such increases being temporally associated with increases in parallel limbW(−ve). These findings provide new perspectives on how the limbs do work on the CoM to terminate gait, and may be helpful in designing prosthetic limbs to facilitate walking on ramps. / ZA was funded by the Higher Committee of Education Development in IRAQ (HCED).

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa, Duch.) is an important crop in California, with more than 35,000 acres planted in 2018 resulting in a farm gate value of $3.1 billion. In 2020, California strawberry production accounted for more than 85% of national strawberry production and faces serious threats to production due to various soil-borne diseases. One such disease, Verticillium wilt, is caused by the fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae and is commonly found in temperate zones around the world where strawberries are grown. Due to the phase-out of efficacious fumigants like methyl bromide, alternative disease management methods have become necessary to alleviate threats to production. Alternative fumigation practices such as crop termination have recently been investigated, and the integration of crop termination with bed fumigation and host resistance can play an integral role in control of Verticillium wilt. A field trial was established at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo to examine the efficacy of integrative management solutions for control of Verticillium wilt of strawberry in a naturally infested field. The efficacy of sequential fumigation applications of crop termination and bed fumigation was examined. Further, the integration of a resistant cultivar was also implemented in hopes of further decreasing plant mortality and increasing yield. Different fumigant products such as metam potassium, metam sodium, and chloropicrin were used to assess their performance in different fumigation applications. Metam potassium and metam sodium were used for crop termination. When used for crop termination, both products delivered significant reduction in soil inoculum density and adequate crop injury. Metam potassium, metam sodium, and chloropicrin were used for bed fumigation. All products reduced soil inoculum density. Lower plant mortality and higher yield resulted from sequential applications of crop termination and bed fumigation, with average plant mortality for non-treated control plots and sequentially fumigated plots being 67.2% and 24.1%, respectively. There were no significant increases in yield for plots bed fumigated and sequentially crop terminated and bed fumigated, but significant increases in yield for all plots treated versus the non-treated plots were found. The integration of a moderately resistant cultivar Valiant after the fumigation series showed lower mortality and higher yield versus a susceptible cultivar Seascape. A two-year study was also conducted in order to evaluate host resistance to Verticillium wilt in 74 cultivars and elite breeding lines from five strawberry breeding programs. Genotypes were established in a field naturally infested with V. dahliae on the campus farm at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. All five breeding programs had a wide range of susceptibility to Verticillium wilt, ranging from 1.5% to 100% mortality for both years of the trial. Twenty-three cultivars and elite breeding lines were common to both years of the trial; of these, five cultivars showed vastly different results between the two years. For example, ‘Monterey’ showed 78.8% mortality in 2021 and 11.5% mortality in 2022. This demonstrates the importance of evaluating host resistance over multiple years under different environmental conditions and field locations.

The research seeks to understand and explain the impact, if any, on the transition out of sport, based on the level of commitment to sport being a Collegiate Athlete. Interest for this study came from personal experience as an athlete, as well as knowing numerous athletes who have gone or are going through, questioning their Identity once their playing days came to an end. This study includes extant literature discussing Athletic Identity. It offers a different perspective than other studies working through grief and loss after losing the ability to play a sport. The purpose of this study is to offer possible explanations and resources to deal with the problem of Identity Crisis in a post-athletic career. Here, Identity Crisis will be defined as a “personal psychosocial conflict, especially in adolescence that involves confusion about one's social role and often a sense of loss of continuity to one's personality” (Merriam-Webster's dictionary). This is currently being brought to light with the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study will describe the effects of transitioning out of sport through the Kübler-Ross “Grief and Loss cycle” of an athlete. This study is intended to be a resource for collegiate athletes, coaches, trainers, administrators, parents, and counselors to be better prepared to help athletes with this transition.

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