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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Estimating The Water Quality Condition Of River And Lake Water In The Midwestern United States From Its Spectral Characteristics, Jing Tan
Open Access Dissertations
This study focuses on developing/calibrating remote sensing algorithms for water quality retrieval in Midwestern rivers and lakes. In the first part of this study, the spectral measurements collected using a hand-held spectrometer as well as water quality observations for the Wabash River and its tributary the Tippecanoe River in Indiana were used to develop empirical models for the retrieval of chlorophyll (chl) and total suspended solids (TSS). A method for removing sky and sun glint from field spectra for turbid inland waters was developed and tested. Empirical models were then developed using a subset of the field measurements with the …
Effect Of Maleic Acid On The Selectivity Of Glucose And Fructose Dehydration And Degradation, Ximing Zhang
Effect Of Maleic Acid On The Selectivity Of Glucose And Fructose Dehydration And Degradation, Ximing Zhang
Open Access Dissertations
5-Hydroxymethyfurfural (HMF), a platform chemical can upgrade to a variety of fuels and polymers, can be manufactured from lignocellulose. This study focuses on the Lewis and Brønsted acid effect on hexose dehydration for HMF production. We report the positive effect of maleic acid, a dicarboxylic acid used as Brønsted acid, on the selectivity of hexose dehydration to 5-hydroxymethyfurfural (HMF), and subsequent hydrolysis to levulinic and formic acids. We also describe the kinetic analysis of a Lewis acid (AlCl 3) alone and in combination with HCl or maleic acid to catalyze the isomerization of glucose to fructose, dehydration of fructose …
Development And Application Of Quantitative Methods For Ecosystem Services, Rebecca A. Logsdon
Development And Application Of Quantitative Methods For Ecosystem Services, Rebecca A. Logsdon
Open Access Dissertations
Ecosystem services are benefits that people receive from the environment. Despite recent exponential increases in ecosystem service research, the ecosystem service framework has made little impact on policy and land management decisions, especially in the United States. Two of the main limitations for a lack of ecosystem service considerations in both policy and land management decisions are a need for more advanced quantification methods and the lack of engagement of key stakeholders who are responsible for making land management decisions. This research seeks to address these two limitations by testing and improving quantification methods of ecosystem services and by evaluating …
A Nearly Autonomous, Platform-Independent Mobile App For Manure Application Records, Matthew R. Koester
A Nearly Autonomous, Platform-Independent Mobile App For Manure Application Records, Matthew R. Koester
Open Access Theses
A major part of modern manure management is accurate application records; a key to their creation and maintenance is ease. This project involved the integration of existing technologies (smartphones, Bluetooth tags) in mobile web and native Android applications (apps) which enable the autogenic creation and upkeep of manure hauling records. This approach greatly improves the efficiency of the recording process which should help to improve the management of applied nutrients. Features of the app include: computation of a suggested travel speed to ensure target nutrient application (based on desired application rate and spreading width); minimized keystrokes/screen taps to accurately capture …
Kernel And Bulk Density Changes Due To Moisture Content, Mechanical Damage, And Insect Damage, Danping Guo
Kernel And Bulk Density Changes Due To Moisture Content, Mechanical Damage, And Insect Damage, Danping Guo
Open Access Theses
Corn (Zea Mays), is one of the major grain crops in the world and moisture content, mechanical damage and insect damage are three factors that affect its quality. The primary goal of this thesis was to investigate the effects of moisture content, mechanical damage and insect damage on kernel and bulk density of corn. The study was conducted using two corn hybrids, Pioneer 1352 and Pioneer 1221, that were grown on Purdue Agronomy Farm for Research and Education (ACRE), manually picked and shelled. In Objective 1, the effect of three different moisture conditioning processes (drying from harvest moisture, …
Smart V-Belt, Kyle J. Mosier
Smart V-Belt, Kyle J. Mosier
Open Access Theses
The purpose of this research was to develop a method for detecting premature failure in a v-belt using capacitance and resistance readings. Another goal of the research was to detect tension values on the belt using the same readings. Materials of current belts and possible materials for a prototype belt were tested. Materials were chosen, and prototype belts were built. Pulley system configurations were developed and built. Sections of the belt designs were tested for capacitance and resistance before and after various methods of damage. Capacitance was chosen as the better sensing method. Certain layered belt configurations and sheave configurations …
Improvement Of Simulating Bmps And Lid Practices In L-Thia-Lid Model, Yaoze Liu
Improvement Of Simulating Bmps And Lid Practices In L-Thia-Lid Model, Yaoze Liu
Open Access Dissertations
Best management practices (BMPs) and low impact development (LID) practices are popular approaches used to reduce the negative impacts of urbanization on hydrology and water quality. To assist planners and decision-makers in urban development projects, user-friendly tools are needed to assess the effectiveness of BMPs and LID practices on water quantity and quality. To address this need, the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment-LID (L-THIA-LID) model was enhanced with additional commonly used BMPs and LID practices represented in the model, improved approaches to estimate hydrology and water quality, and representation of practices in series. The tool was used to evaluate the performance …
Climate Change Impact Assessments Using The Water Erosion Prediction Project Model, Joseph Trotochaud
Climate Change Impact Assessments Using The Water Erosion Prediction Project Model, Joseph Trotochaud
Open Access Theses
This study was conducted to develop a simplified method of obtaining future climate data inputs for natural resource models and apply that method to three locations within the continental United States to assess the effect of climate change on soil erosion, runoff, and fire risk. A method was developed for quickly obtaining future climate data over a wide range of scenarios, General Circulation Models (GCMs), and timescales from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) and Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) model families using the MarkSim® DSSAT Weather Generator and a Microsoft Excel VBA Macro, the …