Life Sciences Commons^™

Development Of Water-Based Ink System For Braille Printing, Saurabh Varma

Masters Theses

The most commonly used system of writing by and for blind persons is called Braille, named after its French inventor, Louis Braille (1809-1952). Braille is comprised of a rectangular six-dot cell on its end, with up to 63 possible combinations using one or more of the six dots. Braille is the only reliable method of literacy for blind persons, because it enables them to read and write by touch¹.

Currently, Braille is printed by special embossers that serve as a printing press. These embossers create Braille output when it is attached appropriately to computers. The speed of these …

Ccr4-Bearing T Cells Participate In Autoimmune Diabetes., Soon H. Kim, Mary M. Cleary, Howard S. Fox, Icos Coporation, Nora Sarvetnick

Journal Articles: Regenerative Medicine

Chemokine receptor expression is exquisitely regulated on T cell subsets during the course of their migration to inflammatory sites. In the present study we demonstrate that CCR4 expression marks a pathogenic population of autoimmune T cells. CCR4 was found exclusively on memory CD4(+) T cells during the progression of disease in NOD mice. Cells expressing the CCR4 ligand TARC (thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine) were detected within infiltrated islets from prediabetic mice. Interestingly, neutralization of macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) with Ab caused a significant reduction of CCR4-positive T cells within the pancreatic infiltrates and inhibited the development of insulitis and diabetes. Furthermore, …

Mechanical Properties Of Corn And Soybean Meal, Marek Molenda, Michael D. Montross, Jozef Horabik, Ira Joseph Ross

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Ground corn and soybean meal are common ingredients in feed mixes. The knowledge of their mechanical properties is important to the feed manufacturer and consumer. Changes in these properties can lead to abnormally high or low levels of active ingredients in finished feed, thus decreasing its quality. Mechanical properties of wheat, corn meal, and soybean meal were investigated using a modified direct shear apparatus. The moisture content (wet basis), uncompacted bulk density, and particle density were: 10.4%, 733 kg/m³, and 1410 kg/m³ for soft red winter wheat; 11.4%, 583 kg/m³, and 1350 kg/m³ for …

Assessment Of Concentrated Flow Through Riparian Buffers, Michael G. Dosskey, Matthew J. Helmers, Dean E. Eisenhauer, Thomas G. Franti, Kyle D. Hoagland

Matthew J. Helmers

Concentrated flow of surface runoff from agricultural fields may limit the capability of riparian buffers to remove pollutants. This study was conducted on four farms in southeastern Nebraska to develop a method for assessing the extent of concentrated flow in riparian buffers and for evaluating the impact that it has on sediment-trapping efficiency. Field methods consisted of mapping field runoff areas and their pathways to and through riparian buffers to streams. Mathematical relationships were developed from a model (VFSMOD) that estimates sediment-trapping efficiency from the ratio of buffer area to field runoff area. Among the farms surveyed, riparian buffers averaged …

2002 Scholars And Artists Bibliography, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University, Friends Of The Michael Schwartz Library

Scholars and Artists Bibliographies

This bibliography was created for the annual Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library Scholars and Artists Reception, recognizing scholarly and creative achievements of Cleveland State University faculty, staff and emeriti

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 44 Number 2, Fall 2002, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

6 - INSTITUTE ON GLOBALIZATION By SCM Staff. For the academic year 2002-03, SCU will focus on globalization and how it is shaping our world.

12 - TOUGH TALK By Dale Larson. End-of-life conversations can help us cope with the loss· of a loved one.

16 - BUILDING CHARACTER By Miriam Schulman . Alumni are helping troubled kids make better choices using a program developed by SCU's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

Validation Of A Finite-Element Stored Grain Ecosystem Model, Michael D. Montross, Dirk E. Maier, Kamyar Haghighi

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

An axisymmetric finite–element model was validated with respect to predicting the heat, mass, and momentum transfer that occurred in upright corrugated–steel storage bins due to conduction, diffusion, and natural convection using realistic boundary conditions. Hourly weather data that included hourly total solar radiation, wind speed, ambient temperature, and relative humidity were used to model the corn temperature and moisture content during storage with no aeration, and with ambient and chilled aeration. Periods of aeration were simulated assuming a uniform airflow rate through the grain mass. Sixteen bins with a capacity of 11.7 t each and instrumented with temperature cables were …

Development Of A Finite-Element Stored Grain Ecosystem Model, Michael D. Montross, Dirk E. Maier, Kamyar Haghighi

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

An axisymmetric finite–element model was developed that predicts the heat, mass, and momentum transfer that occurred in upright corrugated steel storage structures due to conduction, diffusion, and natural convection using realistic boundary conditions. Weather data that included hourly total solar radiation, wind speed, ambient temperature, and relative humidity were used to model the temperature, moisture content, dry matter loss, and maize weevil development during storage with no aeration, and with ambient and chilled aeration. Periods of aeration were simulated assuming a uniform airflow rate through the grain mass. Heat and mass balances were used to calculate the temperature and absolute …

Microbial Cellulose Utilization: Fundamentals And Biotechnology, Lee R. Lynd, Paul J. Weimer, Willem H. Van Zyl, Isak S. Pretorius

Dartmouth Scholarship

Fundamental features of microbial cellulose utilization are examined at successively higher levels of aggregation encompassing the structure and composition of cellulosic biomass, taxonomic diversity, cellulase enzyme systems, molecular biology of cellulase enzymes, physiology of cellulolytic microorganisms, ecological aspects of cellulase-degrading communities, and rate-limiting factors in nature. The methodological basis for studying microbial cellulose utilization is considered relative to quantification of cells and enzymes in the presence of solid substrates as well as apparatus and analysis for cellulose-grown continuous cultures. Quantitative description of cellulose hydrolysis is addressed with respect to adsorption of cellulase enzymes, rates of enzymatic hydrolysis, bioenergetics of microbial …

Ua1b1/7 Groundbreaking For Complex For Engineering & Biological Sciences, Wku Office Of Event Planning

WKU Archives Records

Program for the Complex for Engineering & Biological Science groundbreaking ceremony.

Ua1b1/7 Groundbreaking Complex For Engineering & Biological Sciences, Western Kentucky University

WKU Archives Records

Invitation to the Complex for Engineering & Biological Sciences groundbreaking.

Hyperspectral Imagery For Various Crop Growth Information Extraction, Haibo Yao, Lei Tian, Marvin Paulsen, Amy L. Kaleita, Mukti Singh

Amy L. Kaleita

Aerial hyperspectral imagery has potential for agriculture applications. The objective of this study is to identify significant wavelength ranges (image bands or band combinations) from hyperspectral imagery for different field information extraction. The field information include corn nitrogen content, plant population, yield, and grain quality such as oil, protein, and extractable starch. All the images were processed using the GA-SPCA (Genetic Algorithm based Selective Principal Component Analysis) method . T he GA-SPCA method can filter out significant image bands and reduce the image data dimension to only one principle component image through a cascade two-step dimension reduction process. It was …

Remote Sensing Of Site-Specific Soil Characteristics For Precision Farming, Amy L. Kaleita, Lei F. Tian

Amy L. Kaleita

A methodology for assessing distributed surface soil moisture content from optical remote sensing is developed. This study uses both ground-based and remotely sensed spectral measurements of soil reflectance in visible and near-infrared wavelengths and concurrent measurements of volumetric soil moisture within the top 6 cm to establish a relationship between spectral response and moisture. Various approaches, including principal component analyses and regression techniques are investigated to determine the potential for quantifying soil moisture from the spectral reflection data. Preliminary investigations have yielded R 2 values as high as 0.62 when comparing predictions to actual moisture values. Investigation of predicting soil …

Remote Sensing Of Site-Specific Soil Characteristics For Precision Farming, Amy L. Kaleita, Lei Tian

Amy L. Kaleita

A methodology for assessing distributed surface soil moisture content from optical remote sensing is developed. This study uses both ground-based and remotely sensed spectral measurements of soil reflectance in visible and near-infrared wavelengths and concurrent measurements of volumetric soil moisture within the top 6 cm to establish a relationship between spectral response and moisture. Various approaches, including principal component analyses and regression techniques are investigated to determine the potential for quantifying soil moisture from the spectral reflection data. Preliminary investigations have yielded R 2 values as high as 0.62 when comparing predictions to actual moisture values. Investigation of predicting soil …

Screening For Volatile Fatty Acids In Agricultural Air Using Solid Phase Microextraction And Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry, Jarett P. Spinhirne, Jacek A. Koziel, David B. Parker, Darren L. Williams, N. Andy Cole, John M. Sweeten

Jacek A. Koziel

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are a major component of odorous gases associated with agricultural sources. Because of typically low VFA air concentrations, conventional air sampling methods including sorbent tubes and vacuum canisters are often not sensitive enough to detect them. Solid phase microextraction (SPME) was used in this research because it is very sensitive, reusable, fast, and combines sampling and sample preparation, allowing for rapid detection of low concentrations of organics in air. This research focused on 7 VFAs: acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, valeric, and hexanoic acids. Field experiments were conducted to test this method for air sampling of …

Noninvasive Sampling And Analysis Of Bovine Breath Using Solid-Phase Microextraction And Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry: A Feasibility Study, Jacek A. Koziel, Jarett P. Spinhirne, Norbert K. Chirase

Jacek A. Koziel

An experiment was conducted to examine the feasibility of detecting unique volatile organic biomarkers exhaled by healthy and morbid heifer calves on-site using noninvasive sampling with solid phase microextraction (SPME) and analysis with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Two heifers were selected on the bases of health status and were sampled from 5 to 15 min with a special facemask sampling system using DVB/Carboxen/PDMS 50/30 µ m and PDMS 100 µ m SPME fibers. The samples were sealed and transported to the laboratory and analyzed with ion trap GC-MS. Acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene, pentadecane, and nonanal were detected in cattle …

Hyperspectral Imagery For Various Crop Growth Information Extraction, Haibo Yao, Lei Tian, Marvin Paulsen, Amy Kaleita, Mukti Singh

Amy L. Kaleita

Aerial hyperspectral imagery has potential for agriculture applications. The objective of this study is to identify significant wavelength ranges (image bands or band combinations) from hyperspectral imagery for different field information extraction. The field information include corn nitrogen content, plant population, yield, and grain quality such as oil, protein, and extractable starch. All the images were processed using the GA-SPCA (Genetic Algorithm based Selective Principal Component Analysis) method . T he GA-SPCA method can filter out significant image bands and reduce the image data dimension to only one principle component image through a cascade two-step dimension reduction process. It was …

An Overland Flow Sampler For Use In Vegetative Filters, D. Eisenhauer, Matthew J. Helmers, J. Brothers, M. Dosskey, T. Franti, A. Boldt, B. Strahm

Matthew J. Helmers

Vegetative filters (VF) are used to remove contaminants from agricultural runoff and improve surface water quality. State and federal cost-share funds are available to encourage landowners to install VF. The USDA-National Conservation Buffer Initiative calls for 3.2 million km of buffers to be installed by the year 2002. Numerous experimental plot and modeling studies have quantified the removal of sediments and other non-point source (NPS) contaminants from agricultural runoff by VF. Almost all of these studies have been conducted under controlled settings, including artificial sheet flow conditions, and using expensive, labor-intensive measurement systems. There is a critical need for simple, …

Low Concentration Microenvironments Enhance The Migration Of Neonatal Cells Of Glial Lineage, Richard A. Able, Jr., Celestin Ngnabeuye, Cade Beck, Eric C. Holland, Maribel Vazquez

Publications and Research

Glial tumors have demonstrated abilities to sustain growth via recruitment of glial progenitor cells (GPCs), which is believed to be driven by chemotactic cues. Previous studies have illustrated that mouse GPCs of different genetic backgrounds are able to replicate the dispersion pattern seen in the human disease. How GPCs with genetic backgrounds transformed by tumor paracrine signaling respond to extracellular cues via migration is largely unexplored, and remains a limiting factor in utilizing GPCs as therapeutic targets. In this study, we utilized a microfluidic device to examine the chemotaxis of three genetically-altered mouse GPC populations towards tumor conditioned media, as …

Evapotranspiration Using A Satellite-Based Surface Energy Balance With Standardized Ground Control, Ricardo Trezza

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study evaluated the potential of using the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) as a means for estimating evapotranspiration (ET) for local and regional scales in Southern Idaho. The original SEBAL model was refined during this study to provide better estimation of ET in agricultural areas and to make more reliable estimates of ET from other surfaces as well, including mountainous terrain. The modified version of SEBAL used in this study, termed as SEBAL_ID (lD stands for Idaho) includes standardization of the two SEBAL "anchor" pixels, the use of a water balance …

Ua66/1/1 Student Awards Ceremony, Wku Ogden College Of Science & Engineering

WKU Archives Records

Program for Ogden College of Science & Engineering Student Awards ceremony.

2002 - The Seventh Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Seventh Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 5, 2002. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Modeling Vegetative Filter Performance With Vfsmod, Matthew J. Helmers, Dean E. Eisenhauer, Michael G. Dosskey, Thomas G. Franti

Matthew J. Helmers

The model VFSMOD was used to investigate the effect of varying watershed characteristics and buffer dimensions on the sediment trapping efficiency of vegetative filters. This investigation allows for a better understanding of how watershed characteristics, buffer dimensions, and storm characteristics impact the performance of vegetative filters. Using VFSMOD, relationships that estimate sediment trapping efficiency from the ratio of filter area and field area were developed for different sites. These relationships have been applied for field assessment of concentrated flow.

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 43 Number 4, Spring 2002, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

3 - BIG GIFT FOR BUSINESS SCHOOL BUILDING By SCM Staff. Silicon Valley investor Don Lucas donates $15 million to the Leavey School of Business.

8 - REACHING THE GOAL By Barry Holtzclaw. The women's soccer program has steadily become a national power.

16 - THE ART OF ADMISSION By John Kovacevich. The admissions office shapes the classes of the future by seeking a mix of diversity, creativity, and promise .

Rheology Of Silica Based Inkjet Coatings And Their Filterability, Peeyush Tripathi

Masters Theses

Coating rheology has long been understood to be a key factor in the smooth operation and performance of a coater. As coaters run faster and formulations become more complex, the demands on a coating's rheology grow more stringent.

Silica based coating formulations present unique rheological challenges, thus providing the opportunity for coating formulators to improve their performance through rheological studies under various conditions of shear. Due to rheological restrictions (gelling), silica based coatings are generally applied at 25-26% solids which is very low as compared to calcium carbonate or clay based coating, at 68-70% solids. Consequently, any improvement in coatings …

A Portable Rainfall Simulator For Plot–Scale Runoff Studies, J. Byron Humphry, Tommy C. Daniel, Dwayne R. Edwards, Andrew N. Sharpley

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Rainfall simulators have a long history of successful use in both laboratory and field investigations. Many plot–scale simulators, however, have been difficult to operate and transport in the field, especially in remote locations where water or electricity is unavailable. This article describes a new rainfall simulator that is relatively easy to operate and transport to and from the field while maintaining critical intensity, distribution, and energy characteristics of natural rainfall. The simulator frame is constructed from lightweight aluminum pipe with a single 50 WSQ nozzle centered at a height of 3 m (9.8 ft). An operating nozzle pressure of 28 …

Friction Of Wheat: Grain-On-Grain And On Corrugated Steel, Marek Molenda, Jozef Horabik, I. Joe Ross, Michael D. Montross

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Coefficients of friction of wheat for grain–on–grain and on galvanized corrugated steel sheet were investigated using a modified direct shear apparatus. Tests were conducted under a normal pressure of 20.7 kPa using soft red winter wheat at a moisture content of 11.2% (w.b.) and an uncompressed bulk density of 740 kg/m³. Three consolidation procedures and three methods of deposition of grain in the test chamber were used. Test results of grain–on–grain friction showed that consolidation procedure markedly influenced the force–displacement relationship, while its influence on the coefficients of friction were small. Shearing to peak strength as a consolidation …

A Reduced–Cost Mechanized System For Handling And Curing Mechanically–Harvested Burley Tobacco, Greg A. Camenisch, Larry G. Wells, Timothy D. Smith, George A. Duncan

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

An experimental system was tested in which mechanically harvested burley tobacco plants placed onto steel slotted receivers were retrieved from a field, transported to a field curing structure, and placed onto the structure for air curing by a single worker. The system consisted of a tractor–towed, trailer mechanism that engaged and hoisted loads of approximately 360 burley plants of approximately 1 Mg mass. Ten slotted steel rails, 3.05 m long, holding 36 notched plants were placed onto parallel wooden beams suspended at a height of 2.13 m by wooden posts set in the ground. Burley tobacco was cured in this …

Review Of: Eat Your Genes: How Genetically Modified Food Is Entering Our Diet (Stephen Nottingham Ed.), Natalie Duval

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of the book: "Eat Your Genes: How Genetically Modified Food Is Entering Our Diet," by Stephen Nottingham, (St. Martin's Press 1999). Introduction, Glossary, Bibliography, Index. ISBN 1-85649-578-7 [212 pp. $17.95. Softbound, St. Martin's Press, Inc., New York, NY 10010].

Using Small Group Assignments In Teaching Research Ethics, Kenneth D. Pimple

Ethics in Science and Engineering National Clearinghouse

No abstract provided.