Completely Biodegradable Soyprotein–Jute Biocomposites Developed Using Water Without Any Chemicals As Plasticizer,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Completely Biodegradable Soyprotein–Jute Biocomposites Developed Using Water Without Any Chemicals As Plasticizer, Narendra Reddy, Yiqi Yang
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications
Soyprotein–jute fiber composites developed using water without any chemicals as the plasticizer show much better flexural and tensile properties than polypropylene–jute composites. Co-products of soybean processing such as soy oil, soyprotein concentrate and soy protein isolates are inexpensive, abundantly available and are renewable resources that have been extensively studied as potential matrix materials to develop biodegradable composites. However, previous attempts on developing soy-based composites have either chemically modified the co-products or used plasticizers such as glycerol. Chemical modifications make the composites expensive and less environmentally friendly and plasticizers decrease the properties of the composites. In this research, soyprotein composites reinforced …
Verifying Power Claims Of High‐Power Agricultural Tractors Without A Pto To Sell In Nebraska,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Verifying Power Claims Of High‐Power Agricultural Tractors Without A Pto To Sell In Nebraska, Michael F. Kocher, Viacheslav Adamchuk, John A. Smith, Roger M. Hoy
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications
Nebraska law requires the Nebraska Tractor Test Board of Engineers to compare results of the tests of an agricultural tractor model with the manufacturer's claims regarding power, fuel use, and other performance ratings in order to recommend a permit to sell that tractor model in the state. PTO tests are conducted to verify the manufacturer's PTO power and fuel claims for tractor models. In recent years, several tractor manufacturers have been producing models of large tractors either without a PTO or with a PTO not capable of transmitting the full engine power and, therefore, have chosen to advertise engine power. …
Evaluation Of Soil Salinity Leaching Requirement Guidelines,
2011
University of California, Riverside,
Evaluation Of Soil Salinity Leaching Requirement Guidelines, John Letey, Glenn J. Hoffman, Jan W. Hopmans, Stephen R. Grattan, Donald Louis Suarez, Dennis L. Corwin, Jim D. Oster, Laosheng Wu, Christopher Amrhein
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications
Water for irrigation is a major limitation to agricultural production in many parts of the world. Use of waters with elevated levels of salinity is one likely option to meet the supply of increased demands. The sources of these waters include drainage water generated by irrigated agriculture, municipal wastewater, and poor quality groundwater. Soil salinity leaching requirements that were established several decades ago were based on steady-state conditions. Recently transient-state models have been developed that potentially can more correctly predict the dynamics of the chemical–physical–biological interactions in an agricultural system. The University of California Center for Water Resources appointed a …
Flow And Transport Experiments For A Streambank Seep Originating From A Preferential Flow Pathway,
2011
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
Flow And Transport Experiments For A Streambank Seep Originating From A Preferential Flow Pathway, Garey A. Fox, Derek M. Heeren, Ronald B. Miller, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Daniel E. Storm
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications
Streambank seeps commonly originate from localized heterogeneity or preferential flow pathways (PFPs) in riparian floodplains. However, limited field data have been reported on ground water seep flows and solute transport to seeps from PFPs. The objective of this research was to build upon previous floodplain-scale investigations of PFPs by analyzing seep discharge and transport characteristics through a single PFP. An important research question was whether this PFP could be conceptualized as a homogeneous, one-dimensional flow path. Streambank seep discharge measurements were obtained by inducing a hydraulic head in a trench injection system. Also, co-injection of Rhodamine WT (RhWT) and a …
In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Elastography
Of Mesenchymally Derived Constructs,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Elastography Of Mesenchymally Derived Constructs, Shadi F. Othman, Evan T. Curtis, Huihui Xu
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications
The multidisciplinary field of tissue engineering (TE) aims to create biological substitutes to restore, maintain, or enhance the function of tissue or whole organs, in which the mechanical properties of replacements are critical to their structure and function. Several techniques have been investigated for measuring the mechanical properties of developing tissues and organs; however, current methods are destructive. The goal of this work is to apply high resolution Magnetic Resonance Elastography (μMRE) technique with 100 μm in-plane resolution to address a critical problem in TE: nondestructive monitoring and characterization of growing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-based tissue engineered constructs. In this …
Effect Of Flow Gradient, Roi Size And Random
Scatterer Movement During Speckle Size Estimation
Based Blood Flow Measurement,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Effect Of Flow Gradient, Roi Size And Random Scatterer Movement During Speckle Size Estimation Based Blood Flow Measurement, Tiantian Xu, Greg Bashford
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications
Conventional blood flow velocity measurement using ultrasound is capable of resolving the axial component (i.e., that aligned with the ultrasound propagation direction) of the blood flow velocity vector. However, these Doppler-based methods are incapable of detecting blood flow in the direction normal to the ultrasound beam. An algorithm which measures the lateral blood flow velocity using speckle size change with scan velocity was developed in our previous studies. This method uses the apparent speckle size change that occurs when scatterers are moving relative to the spatial rate of A-line acquisition. Our previous results showed that the estimation error of this …
Energy And Climate Implications For Agricultural Nutrient Use Efficiency,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Energy And Climate Implications For Agricultural Nutrient Use Efficiency, Adam J. Liska, Richard K. Perrin
Adam Liska Papers
Energy and climate change are beginning to dominate the global political agenda and will drive policy formation that will shape the future of agriculture. Energy issues threaten national security and economic stability, as well as access to low-cost nutrient inputs for agriculture. Climate change has the potential to cause serious disruption to agricultural productivity. Paradoxically, nutrient use in agriculture to increase crop yields has the potential to negatively impact climate. This chapter will discuss recent and future energy and climate trends, the relationships between agricultural nutrient use efficiency and biofuels, and how global land limitations will shape agriculture in the …
High Temperature Dilute Acid Pretreatment Of Coastal Bermuda Grass For Enzymatic Hydrolysis,
2011
North Carolina State University
High Temperature Dilute Acid Pretreatment Of Coastal Bermuda Grass For Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Arthur P. Redding, Ziyu Wang, Deepak R. Keshwani, Jay J. Cheng
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications
Dilute sulfuric acid was used to pretreat coastal Bermuda grass at high temperature prior to enzymatic hydrolysis. After both pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis processes, the highest yield of total sugars (combined xylose and glucose) was 97% of the theoretical value. The prehydrolyzate liquor was analyzed for inhibitory compounds (furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)) in order to assess potential risk for inhibition during the following fermentation. Accounting for the formation of the inhibitory compounds, a pretreatment with 1.2% acid at 140 °C for 30 min with a total sugar yield of 94% of the theoretical value may be more favorable for fermentation. From …
Analysis Of The Performance Of Peanut Fame In A Single Cylinder Idi Engine And Investigations Of Neat Methyl Ester Influence On Fuel Quality,
2011
Georgia Southern University
Analysis Of The Performance Of Peanut Fame In A Single Cylinder Idi Engine And Investigations Of Neat Methyl Ester Influence On Fuel Quality, Jeffery Lewis
College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations
Author's abstract: To meet evolving standards set forth by the U.S. EPA and U.S. Energy Policy it is necessary to consider a variety of feedstock for biofuels synthesis and to understand the role individual fatty acids contribute to the overall performance. It is the belief of the authors that excess peanut production would provide an excellent source for high quality biodiesel feedstock, and the complete property and combustion analysis of the fatty acid components will provide insight for future biofuel developments. The preliminary investigations of the project focused on the combustion performance and thermal efficiency of peanut FAME and its …
The Feasibility Of Using Bifidobacteria Bifidum (Atcc 700541) For The Production Of Prebiotic Oligosaccharides,
2011
Missouri University of Science and Technology
The Feasibility Of Using Bifidobacteria Bifidum (Atcc 700541) For The Production Of Prebiotic Oligosaccharides, Candice Marie Luehrs
Masters Theses
"Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) are prebiotics that are being used to influence intestinal microbiota towards health promoting, beneficial bacteria like bifidobacteria. Natural sources of GOS are not found in suitable levels to achieve the desired health effects so economically viable commercial production methods are important. Enzymatic conversion of lactose to GOS through transgalactosylation is a preferred method since the starting material is inexpensive and readily available. Enzymes used in batch production are purified from fungal or bacterial sources or remain in whole cells cultured for GOS production. Purified or unbound enzymes are single use whereas enzymes retained within whole cells can potentially …
Modeling And Quantitative Analysis Of White Matter Fiber Tracts In Diffusion Tensor Imaging,
2011
University of Kentucky
Modeling And Quantitative Analysis Of White Matter Fiber Tracts In Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Xuwei Liang
University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique to record incoherent motion of water molecules and has been used to detect micro structural white matter alterations in clinical studies to explore certain brain disorders. A variety of DTI based techniques for detecting brain disorders and facilitating clinical group analysis have been developed in the past few years. However, there are two crucial issues that have great impacts on the performance of those algorithms. One is that brain neural pathways appear in complicated 3D structures which are inappropriate and inaccurate to be approximated by simple 2D structures, …
Modeling Heat Transfer During Cooling Of Ready-To-Eat Meat And Poultry Products Using Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis And Web-Based Simulation,
2010
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Modeling Heat Transfer During Cooling Of Ready-To-Eat Meat And Poultry Products Using Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis And Web-Based Simulation, Jihan F. Cepeda Jimenez
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
The meat industry is required to comply with processing performance standards for preventing the growth of foodborne pathogens in products. These performance standards, established by the United States Department of Agriculture - Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) require a reduction of Salmonella spp (lethality standard) and limit the growth of sporeforming bacteria (stabilization standard) in certain processed meat products. In general, strategies used to comply with these standards are associated with thermal processing. Meat processors have difficulties complying with these performance standards. Moreover, thermal processing deviations are an issue in the meat industry that generate uncertainty regarding the safety …
Development Of An Integrated Soil Properties Mapping System,
2010
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Development Of An Integrated Soil Properties Mapping System, Rajveer S. Dhillon
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
One of the main goals of precision agriculture (PA) is to define spatial variability in soil properties within an agricultural field to make decisions that can maximize profitability and reduce negative environmental impact. Various soil sensor systems have been developed over the years to map soil properties on-the-go. In this study, an Integrated Soil Mapping System (ISMS) was developed to predict soil water content, soil organic matter, and soil mechanical resistance on-the-go using a capacitance moisture sensor, an optical sensor, and a load cell sensor respectively. These sensors were mounted on the ISMS for acquiring three different data layers at …
The Development And Validation Of A Finite Element Model Of A Canine Rib For Use With A Bone Remodeling Algorithm.,
2010
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
The Development And Validation Of A Finite Element Model Of A Canine Rib For Use With A Bone Remodeling Algorithm., Scott J. Sylliaasen
Master's Theses
Studies are currently being performed to determine the effects of bisphosphonate treatments on the structure and density of bone tissue. One of the pathways for gaining a better understanding of the effects of this and other treatments involves creating a computer simulation. Theory suggests that bone tissue structure and density are directly related to the manner in which the tissue is loaded. Remodeling is the process in which bone tissue is resorbed in areas of low stress distributions, and generated in areas of high stress distributions. Previous studies have utilized numerical methods and finite element methods to predict bone structure …
Identification Of Holocarboxylase Synthetase Chromatin Binding Sites In Human Mammary Cell Lines Using The Damid Technology,
2010
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Identification Of Holocarboxylase Synthetase Chromatin Binding Sites In Human Mammary Cell Lines Using The Damid Technology, Dipika Singh
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Holocarboxylase synthetase (HCS) is a chromatin protein that is essential for mediating the covalent binding of biotin to histones. Biotinylation of histones plays crucial roles in the repression of genes and repeats in the human genome. The objective of this project was to determine genomic binding sites of holocarboxylase synthetase (HCS) in the human chromatin of breast cell lines using an antibody independent technology. We tested the feasibility of DNA adenine methyltransferase identification (DamID) technology to map HCS binding sites in human mammary cell lines. Full-length HCS was fused to Dam for subsequent transfection into breast cancer (MCF-7) and normal …
Hydraulic Conductivity, Infiltration, And Runoff From No-Till And Tilled Cropland,
2010
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Hydraulic Conductivity, Infiltration, And Runoff From No-Till And Tilled Cropland, Jessica H. Deck
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Infiltration and runoff are important processes that affect the efficiency of center pivot irrigation systems. No-till planting systems potentially influence the hydraulic properties of soils and the soil surface conditions. The result of long-term use of no-till could be higher infiltration and lower runoff from rainfall and irrigation.
This potential was investigated in Nebraska on two center pivot irrigated sites; Fillmore County and Phelps County, one furrow irrigated site; South Central Agriculture Laboratory (SCAL), and one dryland site; Rogers Farm. Paired treatments were used at each location, one that was no-till planted and one that used two to three operations …
Removal Of Low Density Sediments By Vegetative Filters,
2010
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Removal Of Low Density Sediments By Vegetative Filters, Brent M. Hall
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
The use of vegetative filter strips (VFS) is a longstanding best management practice for the removal of sediment and other pollutants from overland flow. Many attempts have been made to model the effectiveness of a VFS based upon soil, vegetation, and sediment properties, and also upon flow conditions, but little work has been done to investigate the reliability of the existing models when considering sediments, such as microbial pathogens, that have a lower density than the mineral sediments used for development of the models. The objectives of this study were to: 1) quantify the ability of a VFS to remove …
Deletion Of The Cel48s Cellulase From Clostridium Thermocellum,
2010
Dartmouth College
Deletion Of The Cel48s Cellulase From Clostridium Thermocellum, Daniel G. Olson, Shital A. Tripathi, Richard J. Giannone, Jonathan Lo, Nicky C. Caiazza, David A. Hogsett, Robert L. Hettich, Adam M. Guss, Genia Dubrovsky, Lee R. Lynd
Dartmouth Scholarship
Clostridium thermocellum is a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium that rapidly solubilizes cellulose with the aid of a multienzyme cellulosome complex. Creation of knockout mutants for Cel48S (also known as CelS, S(S), and S8), the most abundant cellulosome subunit, was undertaken to gain insight into its role in enzymatic and microbial cellulose solubilization. Cultures of the Cel48S deletion mutant (S mutant) were able to completely solubilize 10 g/L crystalline cellulose. The cellulose hydrolysis rate of the S mutant strain was 60% lower than the parent strain, with the S mutant strain also exhibiting a 40% reduction in cell yield. The cellulosome produced …
Selective Biochlorination Of Hydroxyquinolines By A Flavin-Dependent Halogenase,
2010
Utah State University
Selective Biochlorination Of Hydroxyquinolines By A Flavin-Dependent Halogenase, Fuchao Xu, Amanda Merkley, Dayu Yu, Jixun Zhan
Biological Engineering Faculty Publications
Rdc2 is a flavin-dependent halogenase from Pochonia chlamydosporia. Through the introduction of a His6-tag to both the N- and C-termini, the isolation yield of Rdc2 from Escherichia coli using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography was increased by three-fold. In vitro reaction of Rdc2 and a flavin reductase (Fre) with seven different hydroxyquinolines revealed that 3-hydroxyquinoline (3), 5-hydroxyquinoline (5), 6-hydroxyquinoline (6), and 7-hydroxyquinoline (7) can be specifically halogenated. These products were prepared by incubating the corresponding substrates with IPTG-induced E. coli BL21(DE3)/Rdc2. They were respectively characterized as 3-hydroxy-4-chloroquinoline (3a), 5-hydroxy-6-chloroquinoline (5a), 5-chloro-6-hydroxyquinoline (6a), and 7-hydroxy-8-chloroquinoline (7a) by NMR and MS …
Development Of Pyrf-Based Genetic System For Targeted Gene Deletion In Clostridium Thermocellum And Creation Of A Pta Mutant,
2010
Mascoma Corporation
Development Of Pyrf-Based Genetic System For Targeted Gene Deletion In Clostridium Thermocellum And Creation Of A Pta Mutant, Shital A. Tripathi, Daniel G. Olson, D. Aaron Argyros, Bethany B. Miller, Trisha F. Barrett, Daniel M. Murphy, Jesse D. Mccool, Anne K. Warner, Vineet B. Rajgarhia, Lee R. Lynd, David A. Hogsett, Nicky C. Caiazza
Dartmouth Scholarship
We report development of a genetic system for making targeted gene knockouts in Clostridium thermocellum, a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium that rapidly solubilizes cellulose. A toxic uracil analog, 5-fluoroorotic acid (5-FOA), was used to select for deletion of the pyrF gene. The ΔpyrF strain is a uracil auxotroph that could be restored to a prototroph via ectopic expression of pyrF from a plasmid, providing a positive genetic selection. Furthermore, 5-FOA was used to select against plasmid-expressed pyrF, creating a negative selection for plasmid loss. This technology was used to delete a gene involved in organic acid production, namely pta, which encodes …
