Digital Commons Network^™

The Agricultural Health Study: Factors Affecting Completion And Return Of Self-Administered Questionnaires In A Large Prospective Cohort Study Of Pesticide Applicators, Robert Tarone, Michael Alavanja, Sheila Hoar Zahm, Jay Lubin, Dale Sandler, Suzanne Mcmaster, Nathaniel Rothman, Aaron Blair

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Response rates were examined in a prospective epidemiologic study of individuals, mostly farmers, from Iowa and North Carolina seeking a pesticide applicator license during the period from 1994 through 1996. In the first year of enrollment 16,535 farmers (representing 77% of eligible farmer applicators) enrolled in the study by completing a 17-page questionnaire administered at a pesticide training session; 47% of the enrolled farmers completed and returned a much longer take-home questionnaire. The characteristics of farmers who completed only the enrollment questionnaire were quite similar to those of farmers who also completed and returned the take-home questionnaire. The most notable …

An Investigation Of The Hydrodynamic Effects Of Enteromorpha Clathrata Fouling On Hydrofoils, Brian J. Collino

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of biological fouling on hydrofoils. NACA 4412 and 4415 hydrofoil models with 6 inch chord and 8 inch span were used in this study. A water tunnel facility was designed and constructed to perform the tests, and the results were verified using computational fluid dynamic modeling. The CFD software package Fluent was used to create a two dimensional model of the water tunnel test section and hydrofoil. The model was meshed using a Laplacian grid smoothing technique that forced the structured grid lines to follow the same approximate contour as …

Indicator Bacteria Concentrations Of Two Northwest Arkansas Streams In Relation To Flow And Season, Dwayne R. Edwards, Mark S. Coyne, Tommy C. Daniel, P. F. Vendrell, J. F. Murdoch, P. A. Moore Jr.

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Concentrations of indicator bacteria such as fecal coliform (FC) and fecal streptococcus (FS) are often used to assess the suitability of waters for their intended use(s) and to allocate resources for water quality improvement measures. There is evidence, however, that concentrations of FC and FS can be influenced by variables such as season and flow rate during sampling, which could lead to biased results. The objective of this study was to assess the impacts of season and flow rate on concentrations of FC and FS. Fecal indicator bacteria concentrations were measured for approximately three years at five sites on two …

A Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Study Of Γ-Crystallins Near Their Isoelectric Point, Paul Petitt, Michael Eugene Edwards, Daniel Forciniti

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a small-angle neutron scattering study of γII-crystallins near their isoelectric point is presented. The experiments were carried out using protein concentrations of 5.7-85.7 mg/ml at temperatures in the range 11-60°C. The experimental data were analyzed using an ellipsoidal model for intraparticle correlations and the mean spherical approximation for interparticle correlations. Our studies revealed that γII-crystallins have a thick hydration layer, which is possibly due to the special arrangement of polar and ionic groups on their surface. The temperature scan shows that, as a result of relatively strong attractive forces, clusters of two, three, or higher oligomers are …

Kentucky Traffic Accident Facts 1997 Report, Kentucky Transportation Center, Kentucky State Police

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

KENTUCKY’S TRAFFIC ACCIDENT FACTS report for 1997 is based on accident reports submitted to the Accident Unit housed in the Kentucky State Police Information Services Branch, Records Section. As required by Kentucky Revised statutes 189.635, “every law enforcement agency whose officers investigate a vehicle accident of which a report must be made...shall file a report of the accident...within ten days after investigation of the accident upon forms supplied by the bureau.” The stated purpose of this requirement is to utilize date on traffic accidents” for such purposes as will improve the traffic safety program in the Commonwealth.” Data contained in …

Runoff Quality Responses To Cattle-Gazing Strategy And Grassed Buffer Zone Length, Dwayne R. Edwards, Brian T. Larsen, Teng T. Lim

KWRRI Research Reports

Grazed pastures represent a source of potential nonpoint pollution. In comparison to other nonpoint sources (e.g., row-cropped lands), relatively little information exists regarding possible magnitudes of pollution from grazed pasture; how that pollution is affected by weather, soil, management and other variables; and how the pollution can be minimized. The objective of this study was to assess how the quality of runoff from simulated grazed pasture is influenced by grazing duration (4-12 weeks), grazing strategy (no grazing, conventional grazing and rotational grazing), and by the use of grassed buffer strips (ranging in length from O to 18.3 m) installed down-slope …

Vegetative Filter Strip Removal Of Metals In Runoff From Poultry Litter-Amended Fescuegrass Plots, Dwayne R. Edwards, P. A. Moore Jr., Tommy C. Daniel, Puneet Srivastava, D. J. Nichols

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Runoff from land areas amended with poultry (Gallus gallus domesticus) manure can contain elevated concentrations of metals such as Cu, Fe, and Zn. Vegetative filter strips (VFS) can reduce runoff concentrations of animal manure components, but reported studies have typically focused on nutrients and solids rather than metals. This experiment assessed the impact of VFS length (0 to 12 m) on concentrations and mass losses of Cu, Fe, K, Na, Ni, and Zn in runoff from fescuegrass (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) plots (1.5 m wide × 6 and 12 m long) treated with poultry litter. The runoff was produced from simulated …

School Of Computer And Information Sciences Master Of Science Degree Programs 1997, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Doctoral Degree Programs School Of Computer And Information Science 1997, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Using Snapshot Streams To Support Visual Exploration, Delbert Hart, Eileen Kraemer, Gruia-Catalin Roman

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

The non-determinism, complexity, and size of distributed software systems present significant difficulties for designers and maintainers. Visualization can help alleviate these difficulties through interactive exploratory tools that allow both novice and experienced users to investigate a distributed computation using a common tool set. Essential to the success of a visual exploration tool is the ability to provide accurate representations of global states. This paper is concerned with the use of snapshots in support of interactive visual exploration of distributed computations. The nature of the visualization process requires snapshots that (1) are consecutive, thus facilitating smooth animation of state changes, (2) …

Internet-Based Agents: Applications And Infrastructure, Munindar P. Singh, Michael N. Huhns

Faculty Publications

Software agents are mitigating the complexity of modern information systems—technically by providing a locus for managing information subsets, and psychologically by providing an abstraction for human interaction with them.

Conversational Agents, Michael N. Huhns, Munindar P. Singh

Faculty Publications

When you build or buy an agent for the Web, you want it to perform as well as possible. Increasingly, this means your agent should take advantage not only of the Web's information resources, but also of all the other agents that might be operating there.

Teasing Apart The Threads Of Staple Strength, Andrew Peterson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A successful partnership between two local inventors and Agriculture WA's Wool Program has created a new instrument which, just like the growth rings of trees, can show seasonal changes in the fibre diameter of wool. This will have considerable value to the wool industry as Andrew Peterson explains.

Indot Multimedia Applications Prototype Development, Bob G. Mccullouch

JTRP Technical Reports

Multimedia technologies open a new data set for DOT organizations. By adding pictures, sounds, animation, and video, new computer applications can be developed that will bring many benefits. This project investigated the utilization of multimedia into DOT operations. Applications were developed in three different topical areas: Employee Information or Orientation, a Bridge Plan Reading course, and a Construction Equipment utilization prototype. The first two are fully developed implementable tools that will be utilized by INDOT. These developments provide insight into how multimedia can be a useful tool for training and providing performance support to DOT employees. Other tools can be …

Selected Physical Properties Of Jointed Goatgrass (Aegilops Cylindrica Host.), C. M. Hubbard, Curtis L. Weller, David D. Jones

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Selected physical properties of jointed goatgrass samples collected in western Nebraska and eastern Colorado were determined. Measured properties were spikelet dimensions (length 10.8 ± 0.35 mm; width 2.59 ± 0.25 mm), particle density (0.761 ± 0.016 g/m³), bulk density (351 ± 26.9 kg/m³), terminal velocity (301 ± 25.9 m/min), angle of repose (26.3 ± 0.286°), internal coefficient of friction (0.494 ± 0.007), and equilibrium moisture contents at 10% RH (6.56 ± 1.03% w.b.), 30% RH (7.43 ± 1.21% w.b.), 50% RH (9.01 ± 0.67% w.b.), 70% RH (11.89 ± 0.61% w.b.), and 90% RH (20.39 ± …

Nutrient, Carbon, And Mass Loss During Composting Of Beef Cattle Feedlot Manure, Bahman Eghball, James F. Power, John E. Gilley, John W. Doran

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Quantification of nutrient and mass loss during composting is needed to understand the composting process, to implement methods for nutrient conservation, and to reduce potential adverse environmental impact. Beef cattle feedlot manure was composted in a windrow on an open concrete area in 1992, 1993, and 1994 to determine the amounts of nutrient, C, and mass loss during composting. The area was enclosed on all sides with a 0.2 m high metal sheet to direct runoff to a fiberglass tank (4000 L) during rainfall. Nutrients in runoff represented combined runoff and leaching losses. Nutrients, C, and mass loss during composting …

Runoff, Erosion, And Soil Quality Characteristics Of A Former Conservation Reserve Program Site, John E. Gilley, John W. Doran, Douglas Karlen, T. C. Kaspar

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

No-till and moldboard plow tillage systems were established on a former Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) site in southwest Iowa. Runoff rates from simulated rainfall events were significantly greater on sites returned to crop production than from adjoining, undisturbed CRP areas. Substantial soil loss was measured from the moldboard plow treatments, but no significant differences in erosion rates were found between the undisturbed CRP and no-till management systems. No-till management maintained levels of soil quality similar to those of CRP by preserving soil structural integrity and reducing losses of soil organic matter (SOM) associated with tillage. Conservation tillage systems which maintain …

A Monte Carlo Model Of Uncertainty In A Deterministic Hazardous Waste Transportation Risk Assessment, Michael A. Cowen

Masters Theses

This thesis is aimed at developing and applying advanced modeling tools in the prediction of risk to the general public from transportation of chemical waste on public highways. The modeling tools developed can then be used to compare alternative waste management scenarios. The application considered is related to the transport of hazardous waste generated by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to current treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. DOE is currently considering four different scenarios.

The application considered can be more specifically defined as an analysis of the risk to the general public from transporting the 63 shipments of …

Lithographers' Opinions About Waterless Lithography, Devang Pranlal Mehta

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purposes of this study were to identify the advantages and disadvantages of waterless litho in comparison with traditional litho, to solve the controversial issues, to forecast the growth of waterless litho, and to inform graphic arts professionals about it. The problem of this research was to identify and measure perceived controversial issues for using the waterless litho process. These controversial issues were related to the return on investment and operating costs involved, productivity, quality of images, eco-friendliness, and technical problems associated with waterless litho.

Due to the fact that waterless litho was a developing technology and some controversial issues …

Evaluation Of A Regional Traffic Safety Improvement Program, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this report were to document the activities and evaluate the effectiveness of a regional traffic safety improvement program in the Green River Area Development District (GRADD). This is a seven county region in western Kentucky. The goals of the program were to reduce the numbers of motor vehicle fatalities and injuries, to increase safety belt usage, and to increase public awareness of the effects of alcohol-related and high speed driving in rural areas.

A full-time employee was hired by GRADD to manage the program. A Citizen Advisory Board (CAB) was established in each county. Each CAB formulated …

The Threshold Value Of A Quality Index For Formation Of Cellular Manufacturing Systems, Hamid Seifoddini, Manocher Djassemi

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The superiority of cellular manufacturing to job shop manufacturing has been questioned by a number of simulation studies. The initial structure of the machine-part matrix seems to play an important role in the failure of cellular manufacturing systems in these studies. In this paper a grouping measure called 'quality index - QI' will be used to evaluate the relationship between the quality of a machine-part matrix and the performance of the corresponding cellular manufacturing system. A simulation study will be conducted to demonstrate how the procedure can be used to determine the threshold value for QI beyond which the cellular …

Three-Dimensional Display Utilizing A Diffractive Optical Element And An Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Display, Gregory P. Nordin, M. W. Jones, S. T. Kowel, J. H. Kulick, R. G. Lindquist

Faculty Publications

We describe the design, construction, and performance of the first real-time autostereoscopic three-dimensional (3-D) display based on the partial pixel 3-D display architecture. The primary optical components of the 3-D display are an active-matrix liquid crystal display and a diffractive optical element (DOE). The display operates at video frame rates and is driven with a conventional VGA signal. Three-dimensional animations with horizontal motion parallax are readily viewable as sets of stereo images. Formation of the virtual viewing slits by diffraction from the partial pixel apertures is experimentally verified. The measured contrast and perceived brightness of the display are excellent, but …

Arts, Computers And Artificial Intelligence, Sol Neeman Ph.D.

Engineering Studies Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Science and art seem to belong to different cultures. Science and technology, mainly the products of the intellect, use terminology and vocabulary that are concise and well defined. In contrast, in artistic expression, ambiguity is a powerful component. Still the relationship between these two different categories of human activity is interesting and fascinating. In this paper, a general comparison of these two disciplines will be introduced. Then the possibility of mechanical creation of art using computers and artificial intelligence will be discussed. This will be followed by two techniques which are used to create poetry and music. First, a statistical …

Experimental Validation Of Finite Element Analysis Software Applied To The Design Of A Motorcycle Swingarm, Bret Schaller

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This thesis documents the experimental validation of finite element analysis software applied to the design of a motorcycle swingarm. The process includes design and implementation of an onboard data acquisition system; definition and measurement of operational loads; laboratory correlation of loads; experimental validation of Pro/Mechanica finite element analysis software; design and prototype development of a single-sided motorcycle swingarm; and computer modeling using the Pro/Engineer solid modeling package.

Mechanisms Of Cytokine-Mediated Localized Immunoprotection., Nora Sarvetnick

Journal Articles: Regenerative Medicine

No abstract provided.

Pulsed Transient Tissue Conductivity Measurement, Robert B. Szlavik, Hubert De Bruin

Biomedical Engineering

The authors present an alternative technique for obtaining tissue conductivity as a function of frequency. Pulsed transient tissue impedance measurement differs significantly from other commonly used swept frequency techniques in that the conductivity of a tissue sample can be obtained from a voltage transient response to a current pulse. By obtaining the conductivity across a band of frequencies from a transient measurement, the necessity for direct conductivity measurements at each frequency point is eliminated. Calibration and verification of the technique was carried out by measuring the impedance magnitude and phase of simple RC circuit combinations. The authors present conductivity measurements …

Modeling Of Cardiovascular System To Simulate Ventricular Septal Defect, Adarsh Kumar Gupta

Theses

The hemodynamics of the ventricular septa] defect is studied using a mathematical modeling technique. A twelve-compartment windkessel model of cardiovascular system is used to study the hemodynamics of the ventricular septal defect. The VSD is incorporated into the model via a parallel flow from the left to right ventricles (left-to-right shunt). The resistance to flow through the shunt is used to characterize the severity of the defect. Changes in the severity of the shunt flow produces changes in the ratio of pulmonary to systemic flow in the circulation. When the pulmonary to systemic flow ratio is more than 2:1, the …

The In Vitro Evaluation Of Various Biodegradable Composites Used In Internal Fixation Devices, Hui-Chen Hsieh

Theses

In vitro degradation kinetics and mechanical properties of various composites, comprising a polycarbonate (DTE polymer) reinforced with CaP glass fiber, synthetic ceramic and non-ceramic hydroxyapatite (HA-500,OsteoGen HA) were investigated.

They were soaked in the SBF solution with a constant pH of 7.4 at 37°C for 5 days. The DTE/CaP composite degraded in an acid manner such that a large amount of NaOH was required but with a small decrease in calcium ion concentration. By contrast, the DTE/OsteoGen HA composite required comparable amounts of NaOH, but with a concomitantly large decrease in calcium ion concentration. This showed that the OsteoGen HA …

Finite Element Analysis Of Hollow Flange Beams With Web Stiffeners, P. Avery, Mahen Mahendran

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

A new cold-formed and resistance welded section known as the Hollow Flange Beam (HFB) has been developed recently in Australia. In contrast to the common lateral torsional buckling mode of I-beams, this unique section comprising two stiff triangular flanges and a slender web is susceptible to a lateral distortional buckling mode of failure involving lateral deflection, twist, and cross-section change due to web distortion. This lateral distortional buckling behavior has been shown to cause significant reduction of the available flexural capacity of HFBs. An investigation using finite element analyses and large scale experiments was carried out into the use of …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 38 Number 4, Fall 1996, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

4 - ENTER THE CLASS OF 2000 They're committed, they're ambitious, they're adventurous-and they're here! By Christine Courard '97 Photographs by Charles Barry

10 - A COMMUNITY OF SCHOLARS FOR THE COMMON GOOD Unique gifts of students, facu lty, staff, and alumni advance University efforts to integrate learning and living. By Paul Locatelli, S.J, '60

13 - HEADY DAYS, MYLANTA NIGHTS Riding the roller coaster of high tech investing. Coming out on top. By Therese Poletti '81

18 - THE TAO OF PERSONAL LEADERSHIP New book by English Department chair describes how ancient Chinese philosophy can help leaders bring a …