Digital Commons Network^™

Test 2010: Case Ih Steiger 500, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2007: New Holland T8.390, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Reducing Dimensionality Of Hyperspectral Data With Diffusion Maps And Clustering With K-Means And Fuzzy Art, Louis Du Plessis, Rui Xu, Steven Damelin, Michael Sears, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

It is very difficult to analyse large amounts of hyperspectral data. Here we present a method based on reducing the dimensionality of the data and clustering the result in moving toward classification of the data. Dimensionality reduction is done with diffusion maps, which interpret the eigenfunctions of Markov matrices as a system of coordinates on the original dataset in order to obtain an efficient representation of data geometric descriptions. Clustering is done using k-means and a neural network clustering theory, Fuzzy ART (FA). The process is done on a subset of core data from AngloGold Ashanti, and compared to results …

Magneto-Dielectric Polymer Nanocomposite Engineered Substrate For Rf And Microwave Antennas, Cesar A. Morales

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the first reported systematic investigation on the implementation of multilayer patch antennas over Fe3O4-based polymer nanocomposite (PNC) magneto-dielectric substrates. The PNC substrate is created by the monodispersion of Fe3O4 nanopthesiss, with mean size of 7.5nm, in a polymeric matrix of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

Recently, magneto-dielectric substrates have been proposed by several researchers as a means for decreasing the size and increasing the bandwidth of planar antennas. Nevertheless, factors such as high loss and diminished control over magnetic and dielectric properties have hindered the optimal performance of antennas. In addition, the incompatibility and elevated complexity prevents integration of conventional …

A Computational Tool For Estimating Off-Target Application Areas In Agricultural Fields, Rodrigo S. Zandonadi, Joe D. Luck, Timothy S. Stombaugh, Michael P. Sama, Scott A. Shearer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

A computational method for estimating off-target application areas based on the machine-controlled section width and the field shape was developed and implemented in software with a graphical user interface written in the MatLab environment. The program, which is called the Field Coverage Analysis Tool (FieldCAT), includes three modules: data import, data preparation, and coverage analysis. Nine field boundaries were evaluated to test the software using controlled section widths from 0.5 to 27 m and various swath orientations. The estimated off-target application area from the widest section width varied from 9% to 24% depending on the shape and size of the …

Homologous Pairing Through Dna Driven Harmonics-- A Simulation Investigation, Richard J. Calloway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to determine if a better understanding of the “molecule of life”, deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA can be obtained through Molecular Dynamics (MD) modeling and simulation (M&S) using contemporary MD M&S. It is difficult to overstate the significance of the DNA molecule. The now-completed Human Genome Project stands out as the most significant testimony yet to the importance of understanding DNA. The Human Genome Project (HGP) enumerated many areas of application of genomic research including molecular medicine, energy sources, environmental applications, agriculture and livestock breeding to name just a few. (Science, 2008) In addition to …

Electromagnetic Propagation Anomalies In Waveguiding Structures And Scattering Systems, Alessandro Salandrino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The effects related to diffraction and interference are ubiquitous in phenomena involving electromagnetic wave propagation, and are accurately predicted and described within the framework of classical electrodynamics. In the vast majority of the cases the qualitative features of the evolution of a propagating wave can be inferred even without detailed calculations. A field distribution will spread upon propagation, will accumulate phase along the direction of power flow, will exert mechanical forces upon scattering objects in the direction of propagation etc. When such predictions fail, counterintuitive effects and new functionalities can be engineered. In this work a series of exceptional cases …

Microarray Image Denoising Using Complex Gaussian Scale Mixtures Of Complex Wavelets, Lakshmi Srinivasan

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

The scientific world has witnessed an explosion in the development of comprehensive and high-throughput methods for molecular biology experimentation. High density DNA microarray technology, allows researchers to monitor the expression levels of thousands of genes in an organism simultaneously, to characterize geneticdiseases at the molecular level and to direct new treatment for specific cellular aberrations. The microarray analysis is rapidly becoming a standard research tool. But, the images produced by microarray experiments, are not perfect and includes noisysources, that contaminate them during the various stages of its formation. These microarray images need to be denoised to ensure reliable and accurate …

Building Spaces To Grow New Ideas: Research 2011, University Office Of Research, South Dakota State University

State of Discovery South Dakota State University's Research Magazine

CONTENTS:

Feeding the World [Page] 2
A Light on New Possibilities [Page] 4
Designing New Tools [Page] 6
Wellness Science [Page] 8
Renovating a Science Resource [Page] 10
Connect World Possibilities [Page] 12
Transfer Research [Page] 14

Vibrational Analysis Of Soloflex Whole Body Vibration Platform, Zachary Croatt, Josh Robers

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

A Soloflex Whole Body Vibration (WBV) Platform was tested for its frequency and magnitude of vibration at multiple settings on the supplied dial. An accelerometer was used to measure the vibrations on different points mapped across the platform. The motor attached to the board was also tested for its frequency using a high-speed camera. The amplitude measurements found from the accelerometer data was compared to the readings on the supplied control module to “calibrate” the platform for medical testing.

Rotate And Hold And Scan (Rahas): Structured Light Illumination For Use In Remote Areas, Eli Ross Crane

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

As a critical step after the discovery of material culture in the field, archaeologists have a need to document these findings with a slew of different physical measurements and photographs from varying perspectives. 3-D imaging is becoming increasingly popular as the primary documenting method to replace the plethora of tests and measurements, but for remote areas 3-D becomes more cumbersome due to physical and environmental constraints. The difficulty of using a 3-D imaging system in such environments is drastically lessened while using the RAHAS technique, since it acquires scans untethered to a computer. The goal of this thesis is to …

Mathematical Modeling Of Clostridium Thermocellum’S Metabolic Responses To Environmental Perturbation, Bless Adotey

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Clostridium thermocellum is a thermophilic anaerobe that is capable of producing ethanol directly from lignocellulosic compounds, however this organism suffers from low ethanol tolerance and low ethanol yields. In vivo mathematical modeling studies based on steady state traditional metabolic flux analysis, metabolic control analysis, transient and steady states’ flux spectrum analysis (FSA) were conducted on C. thermocellum’s central metabolism. The models were developed in Matrix Laboratory software ( MATLAB^® (The Language of Technical Computing), R2008b, Version 7.7.0.471)) based on known stoichiometry from C. thermocellum pathway and known physical constraints. Growth on cellobiose from Metabolic flux analysis (MFA) and Metabolic …

Viability Of A Controllable Chaotic Micromixer Through The Use Of Titanium-Nickel Shape Memory Alloy, David Ryan Lilly

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Microfluidic devices have found applications in a number of areas, such as medical analysis, chemical synthesis, biological study, and drug delivery. Because of the small channel dimensions used in these systems, most microchannels exhibit laminar flow due to their low Reynold’s number, making mixing of fluids very challenging. Mixing at this size scale is diffusion-limited, so inducing chaotic flow patterns can increase the interface surface area between two fluids, thereby decreasing overall mixing time.

One method to create a chaotic flow within the channel is through the introduction of internal protrusions into the channel. In such an application protrusions that …

Innovative Pollutant Load Monitoring, Eric Gurr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modern streamflow measuring equipment, water quality sampling techniques and a better understanding of pollutant washoff are continuously being developed as today's society is in critical need of improving water management, minimizing developmental impacts and preventing environmental hazards. In particular, the study of the spatial, temporal and volumetric characteristics of annual pollutant loading caused by variations in precipitation, land use and other anthropogenic factors is of great significance due to their relation to future global water demands. The research presented here falls in three parts. In the first part of the dissertation, an acoustical Doppler velocity profiler installed in a submerged …

An Adaptive Modular Redundancy Technique To Self-Regulate Availability, Area, And Energy Consumption In Mission-Critical Applications, Rawad N. Al-Haddad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As reconfigurable devices' capacities and the complexity of applications that use them increase, the need for self-reliance of deployed systems becomes increasingly prominent. A Sustainable Modular Adaptive Redundancy Technique (SMART) composed of a dual-layered organic system is proposed, analyzed, implemented, and experimentally evaluated. SMART relies upon a variety of self-regulating properties to control availability, energy consumption, and area used, in dynamically-changing environments that require high degree of adaptation. The hardware layer is implemented on a Xilinx Virtex-4 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to provide self-repair using a novel approach called a Reconfigurable Adaptive Redundancy System (RARS). The software layer supervises …

Modeling And Characterization Of Acute Stress Under Dynamic Task Conditions, Angel M. Millan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stress can be defined as the mental, physical, and emotional response of humans to stressors encountered in their personal or professional environment. Stressors are introduced in various activities, especially those found in dynamic task conditions when multiple task requirements must be performed. Stress and stressors have been described as activators and inhibitors of human performance. The ability to manage high levels of acute stress is an important determinant of successful performance in any occupation. In situations where performance is critical, personnel must be prepared to operate successfully under hostile or extreme stress conditions; therefore training programs and engineered systems must …

Modeling Human Group Behavior In Virtual Worlds, Fahad Shah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Virtual worlds and massively-multiplayer online games are rich sources of information about large-scale teams and groups, offering the tantalizing possibility of harvesting data about group formation, social networks, and network evolution. They provide new outlets for human social interaction that differ from both face-to-face interactions and non-physically-embodied social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter. We aim to study group dynamics in these virtual worlds by collecting and analyzing public conversational patterns of users grouped in close physical proximity. To do this, we created a set of tools for monitoring, partitioning, and analyzing unstructured conversations between changing groups of participants …

Effective Task Transfer Through Indirect Encoding, Phillip Verbancsics

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An important goal for machine learning is to transfer knowledge between tasks. For example, learning to play RoboCup Keepaway should contribute to learning the full game of RoboCup soccer. Often approaches to task transfer focus on transforming the original representation to fit the new task. Such representational transformations are necessary because the target task often requires new state information that was not included in the original representation. In RoboCup Keepaway, changing from the 3 vs. 2 variant of the task to 4 vs. 3 adds state information for each of the new players. In contrast, this dissertation explores the idea …

Viability Study Of A Residential Integrated Stormwater, Graywater, And Wastewater Treatment System At Florida's Showcase Green Envirohome, Matthew Allen Goolsby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The subject of water scarcity and the rate of water consumption has become popular topics over the last few decades. It is possible that society may consume or contaminate much of the remaining readily available water if there is not a paradigm shift. This deep rooted concern has prompted investigations to identify alternative water use and treatment methods. Within this report, information is presented from the use of innovative water harvesting and on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS) at Florida’s Showcase Green Envirohome (FSGE.net), while also addressing low impact development (LID) practices. FSGE is a residential home that demonstrates …

Imaging Long-Range Orientational Order In Monolayers Of Amphiphilic Molecules With Scanning Probe Force Microscope And Liquid Crystal Optical Amplification, Wenlang Liang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Monolayers of amphiphilic molecules at interface provide a unique system for understanding the thermodynamic and rheological properties of quasi two-dimensional systems. They are also an excellent model accessible for studying cell membranes. The feature of longrange organization of molecular tilt azimuth in monolayers at the air/water interface is one of the most interesting findings over the past two decades, which leads to the formation rich and defined textures. By observing the changes in these textures, the transitions between tilted monolayer phases can be detected. We study the boojum and stripe textures formed in the liquid-condensed phase of pentadecanoic acid (PDA) …

Data-True Characterization Of Neuronal Models, Jose Suarez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, a weighted least squares approach is initially presented to estimate the parameters of an adaptive quadratic neuronal model. By casting the discontinuities in the state variables at the spiking instants as an impulse train driving the system dynamics, the neuronal output is represented as a linearly parameterized model that depends on filtered versions of the input current and the output voltage at the cell membrane. A prediction errorbased weighted least squares method is formulated for the model. This method allows for rapid estimation of model parameters under a persistently exciting input current injection. Simulation results show the …

Models To Estimate Arrival Counts And Staffing Requirements In Nonstationary Queueing Systems Applied To Long Distance Road Races, Lindon P. Fairweather

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We examine the problem of staffing refreshment stations at a long distance road race. A race is modeled as a mixed queueing network in which the required number of servers at each service station has to be estimated. Two models to represent the progress of runners along a long distance road race course are developed. One model is a single-class model that allows a road race manager to staff service stations assuming the runners are identical to those in some historical dataset. Another model is a multi-class simulation model that allows a road race manager to simulate a race of …

Field Implementation Of Polyacrylamide For Runoff From Construction Sites, Rafiqul Islam Chowdhury

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polyacrylamide (PAM) is often used a part of a treatment train for the treatment of stormwater to reduce its turbidity. This study investigated the application of PAM within various treatment systems for a construction site environment. The general concept is to introduce hydraulic principles when placing PAM blocks within an open channel in order to yield high mixing energies leading to high turbidity removal efficiency. The first part of the study observed energy variation using a hydraulic flume for three dissimilar configurations. The flume was ultimately used to determine which configuration would be most beneficial when transposed into field-scale conditions. …

Effect Of Acetic Or Citric Acid Ultrafiltration Recycle Streams On Coagulation Processes, Christopher C. Boyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Integrating ultrafiltration (UF) membranes in lieu of traditional media filters within conventional surface water coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation processes is growing in popularity. UF systems are able to produce low turbidity filtered water that meets newer drinking water standards. For typical drinking water applications, UF membranes require periodic chemically enhanced backwashes (CEBs) to maintain production; and citric acid is a common chemical used for this purpose. Problems may arise when the backwash recycle stream from a citric acid CEB is blended with raw water entering the coagulation basin, a common practice for conventional surface water plants. Citric acid is a chelating agent capable …

Optimal Detour Planning Around Blocked Construction Zones, Mutasem Jardaneh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Construction zones are traffic way areas where construction, maintenance or utility work is identified by warning signs, signals and indicators, including those on transport devices that mark the beginning and end of construction zones. Construction zones are among the most dangerous work areas, with workers facing workplace safety challenges that often lead to catastrophic injuries or fatalities. In addition, daily commuters are also impacted by construction zone detours that affect their safety and daily commute time. These problems represent major challenges to construction planners as they are required to plan vehicle routes around construction zones in such a way that …

Incremental Lifecycle Validation Of Knowledge-Based Systems Through Commonkads, Feras Batarseh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation introduces a novel validation method for knowledge-based systems (KBS). Validation is an essential phase in the development lifecycle of knowledge-based systems. Validation ensures that the system is valid, reliable and that it reflects the knowledge of the expert and meets the specifications. Although many validation methods have been introduced for knowledge-based systems, there is still a need for an incremental validation method based on a lifecycle model. Lifecycle models provide a general framework for the developer and a mapping technique from the system into the validation process. They support reusability, modularity and offer guidelines for knowledge engineers to …

Nanosecond Pulse Electrical Fields Used In Conjunction With Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes As A Potential Tumor Treatment, Michael W. Stacey, Christopher Osgood, Bhargava Subhash Kalluri, Wei Cao, Hani Elsayed-Ali, Tarek Abdel-Fattah

Bioelectrics Publications

The objectives of this communication were to fabricate pure samples of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and to determine their toxicity in tumor cell lines. MWCNTs were dispersed in a concentration of the surfactant T80 that was minimally toxic. Cell-type variation in toxicity to MWCNTs was observed but was not significantly different to unexposed controls. Additionally, we investigated the increased cell killing of the pancreatic cancer cell line PANC1 when exposed to ultrashort (nanosecond) pulsed electrical fields (nsPEF) in the presence of MWCNTs as a potential form of cancer therapy. We hypothesized that the unique electronic properties of MWCNTs disrupt cell …

Psychophysical Similarity Based Feature Selection For Nodule Retrieval In Ct, Ravi K. Samala

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The emerging paradigms in cancer research indicate the need for a multi-perspective and multi-modal screening approach for early lung cancer diagnosis to increase the probability of clinical resection. Currently no standalone screening methodology is proved to suffice for a clinical diagnosis. Computed tomography has been proved to present abnormality at an early stage with less impact on survival rate in population studies. Nevertheless, because of its non-invasive characteristic, it can be used for diagnosis, prognosis and visualization of tumor. Studies have shown that Computer aided diagnosis (CAD) as a second reader can perform in a similar capacity as a radiologist. …

Developing A Retrofitting System To Mitigate Floodwall Failures Of New Orleans, James Tyler Kidd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Design And Development Of Workstation For Microparts Manipulation And Assembly, Emrah Deni̇z Kunt, Ahmet Teoman Naskali̇, İslam Shoukry Mohammed Khalil, Asif Sabanovic, Ebubeki̇r Yüksel

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In this paper, microassembly system design issues are discussed with requirements, constraints and necessities for the development of an assembly platform, and these issues are shown over a versatile and reconfigurable microassembly workstation which is designed and realized as a research tool for investigation of the problems in microassembly and micromanipulation tasks. First prototype of a workstation and the development of a second prototype with enhancements on mechanical and control structure of the system are presented with details on the configuration of the systems. In addition, several experiments using a workstation are presented both on the first and the second …