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Adsorption Of Proteins At Solid-Liquid Interfaces, Willem Norde

Cells and Materials

This paper concisely reviews the general principles underlying protein adsorption from aqueous solution onto a solid surface. The discussion includes the various stages of the adsorption process, i. e., transport of the protein molecules towards the surface, the absorbed amount under equilibrium conditions, desorption and re-adsorption. Among the interactions that determine the overall protein adsorption process (1 ) redistribution of charged groups in the interfacial layer, (2) changes in the hydration of the sorbent and the protein surface, and (3) structural rearrangements in the protein molecule play major roles. Special attention is given to the relation between the structural stability …

Some Observations On The Structure Of Encrusting Biofilms Of Proteus Mirabilis On Urethral Catheters, C. Winters, D. J. Stickler, N. S. Howe, T. J. Williams, N. Wilkinson, C. J. Buckley

Cells and Materials

A physical model of the bladder has been used to study the process of urinary catheter encrustation. Techniques have been devised for the preparation of sections through these encrustations in situ on the luminal surfaces of catheters and for mapping the distribution of calcium and magnesium in the biofilms. Transmission electron microscopy on these sections showed struvite-like crystals lying in the matrix and in direct contact with the catheter surface. Calcium phosphate ("bioapatite") was distributed throughout the film and many of these amorphous particles appear to have cells at their cores. Freeze-substituted sections of biofilms also showed electron dense materials …

Evolution Of Emergent Computation, James P. Crutchfield, Melanie Mitchell

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

A simple evolutionary process can discover sophisticated methods for emergent information processing in decentralized spatially-extended systems. The mechanisms underlying the resulting emergent computation are explicated by a novel technique for analyzing particle-based logic embedded in pattern-forming systems. Understanding how globally-coordinated computation can emerge in evolution is relevant both for the scientific understanding of natural information processing and for engineering new forms of parallel computing systems.

Atrazine And Alachlor Dissipation Rates From Field Experiments, Stephen R. Workman, Andrew D. Ward, Norman R. Fausey, Sue E. Nokes

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Chemical transport is being monitored in the root zone of three agricultural management systems at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area (OMSEA). Atrazine and alachlor concentration data from soil cores taken to a depth of 0.9 m and partitioned into the increments of 0.0 to 0.15, 0.15 to 0.3, 0.45 to 0.6, and 0.75 to 0.9 m show the herbicides remained in the top 0.15 m of the profile during the 1991 and 1992 growing seasons. The slow movement of herbicides was partly due to below normal rainfall during the period. Since the herbicides have not been transported out of …

Performance Of Ai Methods In Detecting Melanoma, Arve Kjoelen, M. J. Thompson, Scott E. Umbaugh, Randy Hays Moss, William V. Stoecker

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This research has shown that features extracted from color skin tumor images by computer vision methods can be reliable discriminators of malignant tumors from benign ones. Reliability was demonstrated by the monotonically increasing success ratios with increasing training set size and by the small standard deviations from the mean success rates. An average success rate of 70 percent in diagnosing melanoma was attained for a training set size of 60 percent. The presence or absence of atypical moles in the training and test sets was shown to have a dramatic impact on the effectiveness of the generated classification rules. This …

Learning To Ignore: Psychophysics And Computational Modeling Of Fast Learning Of Direction In Noisy Motion Stimuli, Lucia M. Vaina, V. Sundareswaran, John G. Harris

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The effects of practice on the discrimination of direction of motion in briefly presented noisy dynamic random dot patterns are investigated in several forced-choice psychophysical tasks. We found that the percentage of correct responses on any specific task increases linearly with repetition of trials within roughly 200 trials from about chance to a performance of 90% or better. The level of performance remained constant or improved over several days, and in most instances, it did not transfer when stimulus parameters changed. We used a modified Radial Basis Function (RBF) representation to model the psychophysical tasks. The performance of the model …

Does Junk Dna Regulate Gene Expression In Humans, M. A. Hulten, Michael W. Stacey, S. J. Armstrong

Bioelectrics Publications

No abstract provided.

Methsnotrophic Biodegradation Of Trichloroethylene In A Hollow Fiber Membrane Bioreactor, Carol E. Aziz, Mark W. Fitch, Larry K. Linquist, Jonathan G. Pressman, George Georgiou, Gerald E. Speitel

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Biodegradation of Trichloroethlyene (TCE) in a Hollow Fiber Membrane Bioreactor Was Investigated using a Mutant of the Methanotrophic Bacteria, Methylosinus Trichosporium 0B3b. Contaminated Water Flowed through the Lumen (I.e., Fiber Interior), and the Bacteria Circulated through the Shell Side of the Membrane Module and an External Growth Reactor. in Mass Transfer Studies with a Radial Cross-Flow Membrane Module, 78.3-99.9% of the TCE Was Removed from the Lumen at Hydraulic Residence Times of 3-15 Min in the Lumen and the Shell. in Biodegradation Experiments, 80-95% of the TCE Was Removed from the Lumen at Hydraulic Residence Times of 5-9 Min in …

Nebraska Summary: S195 Caterpillar Challenger 45, 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 …

Nebraska Summary: S194 Caterpillar Challenger 35, 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 …

Comparing Traditional Statistical Models With Neural Network Models: The Case Of The Relation Of Human Performance Factors To The Outcomes Of Military Combat, William Oliver Hedgepeth

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Statistics and neural networks are analytical methods used to learn about observed experience. Both the statistician and neural network researcher develop and analyze data sets, draw relevant conclusions, and validate the conclusions. They also share in the challenge of creating accurate predictions of future events with noisy data.

Both analytical methods are investigated. This is accomplished by examining the veridicality of both with real system data. The real system used in this project is a database of 400 years of historical military combat. The relationships among the variables represented in this database are recognized as being hypercomplex and nonlinear.

The …

Runtime Support For In-Core And Out-Of-Core Data-Parallel Programs, Rajeev Thakur

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

Distributed memory parallel computers or distributed computer systems are widely recognized as the only cost-effective means of achieving teraflops performance in the near future. However, the fact remains that they are difficult to program and advances in software for these machines have not kept pace with advances in hardware. This thesis addresses several issues in providing runtime support for in-core as well as out-of-core programs on distributed memory parallel computers. This runtime support can be directly used in application programs for greater efficiency, portability and ease of programming. It can also be used together with a compiler to translate programs …

A New Approch To Low Drift Ta₂O₅ By Ph Reactive Sputtering And Sol-Gel Method, Chang-Soo Kim, Dae-Hyuk Kwon, Byung-Woog Cho, Byung-Ki Sohn

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

A New Ph-Isfet Based Dissolved Oxygen Sensor, Chang-Soo Kim, Dae-Hyuk Kwon, Byung-Ki Sohn

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

"A new dissolved oxygen sensor based on pH-ISFET has been discussed. A platinum working electrode surrounding a pH-sensing gate of the pH-ISFET electrolyzes dissolved oxygen, resulting in a corresponding pH change. The pH-ISFET can determine dissolved oxygen concentration through detecting this pH change."--Summary

On-Line Cursive Korean Character Recognition By Using Curvature Models, Chang-Soo Kim, Byung Hwan Jun, Moo Young Kim, Woo Seong Kim, Jaihie Kim

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A cursive Korean character consists of several Korean alphabets where connection is present within and among the alphabets. Recognition of Korean characters can be carried out by splitting each character into smaller primitives. Small line segments can be used as the primitives. But this approach requires too much processing time, for there can be many candidate references to be matched to one input character and each reference usually consists of too many primitives. In this paper, we propose an approach using structural curvature models to overcome the difficulties of using small line segments. These models are obtained by segmenting the …

Nebraska Summary: S198 Massey Ferguson 8140, 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 …

Nebraska Summary: S197 Massey Ferguson 8120, 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 …

Time-Frequency Shift-Tolerance And Counterpropagation Network With Applications To Phoneme Recognition, Li-Minn Ang

Theses : Honours

Human speech signals are inherently multi-component non-stationary signals. Recognition schemes for classification of non-stationary signals generally require some kind of temporal alignment to be performed. Examples of techniques used for temporal alignment include hidden Markov models and dynamic time warping. Attempts to incorporate temporal alignment into artificial neural networks have resulted in the construction of time-delay neural networks. The nonstationary nature of speech requires a signal representation that is dependent on time. Time-frequency signal analysis is an extension of conventional time-domain and frequency-domain analysis methods. Researchers have reported on the effectiveness of time-frequency representations to reveal the time-varying nature of …

Variance And Uncertainty Measures Of Population Diversity Dynamics, Mark A. Bedau, Martin Zwick, Alan Bahm

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

We define variance and uncertainty measures of population diversity. Both measures have precise decompositions that we can exploit in analysis of evolutionary dynamics. We discuss how these measures are related and how they can be observed in artificial and natural evolving systems.

A Neural Network Thrust Force Controller To Minimize Delamination During Drilling In Graphite Epoxy Laminates, Robert B. Stone

Masters Theses

"Delamination is a well-recognized problem associated with drilling in fiber-reinforced composite materials (FRCM). The most noted problems occur as the drill enters and exits the FRCM. Since drilling is often a final operation during assembly, any defects introduced in parts by drilling represent an expensive loss. Studies based on linear elastic fracture mechanics theory have proposed critical thrust forces in the various drilling regions that will prevent crack growth or delamination. Using these critical thrust force curves as a guide, a thrust force controller was developed to minimize the delamination while drilling in graphite epoxy laminates. A neural network control …

Theoretically Optimal Duty Cycles For Chest And Abdominal Compression During External Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Charles F. Babbs, Keir Thelander

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Objective: To use an electronic model of human circulation to compare the hemodynamic effects of different durations of chest compression during external CPR, both with, and without interposed abdominal compression (IAC). Methods: An electrical analog model of human circulation was studied on digital computer workstations using SPICE, a general-purpose circuit simulation program. In the model the heart and blood vessels were represented as resistive-capacitive networks, pressures as voltages, blood flow as electric current, blood inertia as inductance, and cardiac and venous valves as diodes. External pressurization of the heart and great vessels, as would occur in IAC-CPR, was simulated by …

Soy Protein Isolate/Poly(Ethylene Oxide) Films, V. M. Ghorpade, A. Gennadios, M. A. Hanna, Curtis L. Weller

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Films were prepared by casting and drying alkaline aqueous film-forming solutions of soy protein isolate (SPI). Four additional types of films were made by combining SPI with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in SPI to PEO ratios of 19:1, 9:1, 4:1, and 1.5:1 (w/w). Glycerin was added to all film-forming solutions as a plasticizer at 60% of total solid weight. Addition of PEO decreased film tensile strength (TS) and increased elongation at break (E). TS values ranged from 1.4 to 3.9 MPa and E values ranged from 83 to 152%. Water vapor permeability of the films ranged from 3.0 x 10^{-9 …}

Thermomechanical Behavior Of Wheat Gluten Films: Effect Of Sucrose, Glycerin, And Sorbitol, George Cherian, Aristippos Gennadios, Curtis L. Weller, Pavinee Chinachoti

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Glass transition temperature (T_g) and mechanical and water vapor barrier properties of wheat gluten films containing glycerin, sucrose, glycerin-sucrose, and glycerin-sorbitol were studied. Glycerin and sucrose were immiscible; the wheat gluten film containing both solutes showed two separate thermal transitions (-58°C and -5°C, respectively). The low temperature (low-T) transition (-58°C) was due to a glycerin-rich region. The low-T tan δ peak height influenced the tensile strength and elongation linearly and the water vapor permeability (WVP) curvilinearly. However, the T_g failed to change with solute composition and exhibited low correlation with barrier and mechanical …

Darcy-Weisbach Roughness Coefficients For Surfaces With Residue And Gravel Cover, John E. Gilley, Eugene R. Kottwitz

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Several types of hydraulic resistance factors may be present on upland agricultural areas. It is not known whether roughness contributions from individual elements are additive or if interactions between resistance factors may occur. In this study, Darcy-Weisbach roughness coefficients were measured on surfaces containing corn-soybeans, sorghum-cotton, and sunflower-wheat residue in addition to gravel cover. Varying rates of flow were introduced into a flume in which residue and gravel materials were securely attached. Roughness coefficients were calculated from measurements of discharge rate and flow velocity for Reynolds number values varying from approximately 1,200 to 13,000. The laboratory data were then used …

Auger Design For Uniform Unloading Of Granular Material: I. Rectangular Cross-Section Containers, David D. Jones, Michael F. Kocher

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Design equations were developed for two auger configurations that for practical purposes generate uniform vertical flow of granular material through containers or boxes having a rectangular cross-section. Both configurations have uniform outside diameters so the simple geometry of the conventional U-trough housings could be used with these augers. One configuration had a uniform pitch for the auger flighting and decreasing inside diameter. The other had a uniform inside diameter and a decreasing pitch of the flighting with distance from the outlet end of the auger. Both configurations dramatically improved the uniformity of flow over the conventional auger. However, confidence intervals …

Auger Design For Uniform Unloading Of Granular Material: Ii. Cylindrical Containers, Michael F. Kocher, David D. Jones

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The analysis presented can be used to determine the design equations for augers that produce uniform vertical flow of granular material through containers with cylindrical cross-sections. The augers so designed have a constant outside diameter and a variable root or shaft diameter. Installed in cylindrical grain bins they could be used to convert a batch-in-bin dryer to a continuous flow dryer. The analysis is an extension of the work of Jones and Kocher (1995) who designed and tested such an auger for containers of rectangular cross-section, and determined flow to be uniform for practical purposes. The analysis follows the same …

Corn Residue Cover On The Soil Surface After Planting For Various Tillage And Planting Systems, David P. Shelton, Elbert C. Dickey, Stephen D. Kachman, K.T. Fairbanks

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Crop residue left on the soil surface after planting is one of the most cost-effective soil erosion control practices, and is a primary component of the majority of conservation plan that have been developed to comply with the conservation provisions of the 1985 Food Security Act. However, from contacts in Extension meetings and demonstrations, it became apparent that formers frequently misunderstood certain aspects of crop residue management, particularly the effects that tillage and other operations had on residue cover. To help address some of these questions, we measured percent residue cover remaining on the soil surface after planting for 69 …

Solid Waste Disposal Site Characterization Using Non-Intrusive Electromagnetic Survey Techniques And Geostatistics, Gary N. Kuhn, Wayne E. Woldt, David D. Jones, Dennis D. Schulte

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Prior to the research reported in this paper, a site-specific hydrogeologic investigation was developed for a closed solid waste facility in Eastern Nebraska using phased subsurface characterizations. Based on the findings of this prior investigation, a surface based geoelectric survey using electromagnetic induction to measure subsurface conductivity was implemented to delineate the vertical and horizontal extent of buffed waste and subsurface contamination. This technique proved to be a key non-intrusive, cost-effective element in the refinement of the second phase of the hydrogeologic investigation.

Three-dimensional ordinary kriging was used to estimate conductivity values at unsampled locations. These estimates were utilized to …

Random Roughness Assessment By The Pin And Chain Method, John E. Gilley, E. R. Kottwitz

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Surface microrelief is frequently characterized using random roughness factors (RRF) defined by Allmaras et al. (1966). Random roughness factors are usually measured using a pin roughness meter or laser. Saleh (1993) recently proposed the chain method as a relatively simple, fast, and inexpensive technique for characterizing surface microrelief. The chain method is based on the principle that as a chain of given length is placed across a surface, the horizontal distance covered by the chain will decrease as surface roughness increases. Reductions in chain length caused by surface roughness are described as Saleh roughness factors (SRF).
In this study, RRF …

Applying Neural Networks To Find The Minimum-Cost Coverage Of A Boolean Function, Pong P. Chu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

To find a minimal expression of a boolean function includes a step to select the minimum cost cover from a set of implicants. Since the selection process is an NP-complete problem, to find an optimal solution is impractical for large input data size. Neural network approach is used to solve this problem. We first formalize the problem, and then define an ''energy function'' and map it to a modified Hopfield network, which will automatically search for the minima. Simulation of simple examples shows the proposed neural network can obtain good solutions most of the time.