Digital Commons Network^™

Electronic Image Analysis Of Crop Residue Cover On Soil, George E. Meyer, Anthony Stepanek, David P. Shelton, Elbert C. Dickey

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Classification procedures for using both black and white and color imaging systems were developed and tested for determination of percent residue cover on the soil surface from video and slide images. A spectral analysis of the image components was used for determining applicable wavelengths and filters. Color imagery provided an acceptable replacement for manual visual procedures. Black-and-white imagery also worked when appropriate blocking filters were used.

Great Salt Lake Interisland Diking: Water Quality Considerations, John I. Blandamer, William J. Doucette, Ryan R. Dupont, Anthony W. Grover, James Herrick, Jean M. Ihnat, Joan E. Mclean, Michael W. Nath, Samuel R. Rushforth, Judith L. Sims, Ronald C. Sims, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Reports

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Summary: S031 Massey Ferguson 375, 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 …

Great Salt Lake Interisland Diking: Water Quality Considerations, Executive Summary, Utah Water Research Laboratory, J. P. Riley, J. I. Blandamer, W. J. Doucette, R. R. Dupont, A. W. Grover, J. Herrick, J. M. Ihnat, J. E. Mclean, M. W. Nath, S. R. Rushforth, J. L. Sims, R. C. Sims, W. A. Wurtsbaugh

Reports

No abstract provided.

Doctor Of Education In Computer Education, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of The Micro-Surfaces Of Fiber Glass, Window Glass, Bottle Glass, And Quartz Crystal Through The Use Of Scanning Electron Microscopy, Raymond C. Friedrichsen

Graduate Research Papers

The problem of this study is to investigate the surfaces of quartz crystal, bottle glass, window glass, and fiber glass, to determine if there are any substantial differences in their structures when compared to a fiber optic material. The investigation will be done with the aid of the scanning electron microscope {SEM).

Glass Formation And Properties In The Sm₂O₃·Al₂O₃·Sio₂ System, Erik M. Erbe

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this investigation was to develop a samarium containing aluminosilicate glass with properties suitable for use in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Microspheres made from these compositions would be neutron activated to produce radioactive Sm-153 which has beta-particle energies suitable for treating rheumatoid arthritis as well as appropriate gamma-ray emission for nuclear imaging. The properties of Sm₂O₃ · AI₂O₃ · SiO₂ glasses containing 10 to 25 mole% Sm₂O₃ were evaluated as a function of composition. The density, refractive index, thermal expansion coefficient, and microhardness increased with increasing Sm …

Nebraska Summary: S048 John Deere 2155, 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 …

Oxygen Tension Profiles In Tumors Predicted By A Diffusion With Absorption Model Involving A Moving Free Boundary, B. H. Arve, Athanasios I. Liapis

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The dynamic behavior of the oxygen tension distribution in tumors during radiotherapy is studied by the development and solution of a diffusion with absorption model involving a moving free boundary. The oxygen uptake rates within the tumor are considered to be functions of the oxygen concentration and results are presented for zeroth-, half-, first- and second-order rates of absorption, as well as when the rate of oxygen absorption is described by the Michaelis-Menten expression. The results presented in this work may be used together with the data from the oxygen radiosensitivity curve of a tumor, in order to determine the …

A Simple Solid-Phase Electrophoretic Procedure For The Separation Of Plasmid Dna, Linda Ann Simurra

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A method was developed for extraction of plasmid DNA from bacterial cells embedded in agarose blocks. Cell - containing blocks were treated with various lysing reagents and inserted into the wells of an agarose gel. Upon electrophoresis the plasmid DNA migrated out of the embedding block and into the gel leaving intact chromosomal DNA in the well. This method was tested with various organisms and found to be effective for plasmid isolation. In comparison to "traditional" procedures, this new method is less tedious since chemical separation of plasmids is not required prior to electrophoresis. Also, a higher yield of plasmid …

A Rapid, Widely Applicable Screen For Drugs That Suppress Free Radical Formation In Ischemia/Reperfusion, Steven C. Salaris, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Substantial injury can occur during reoxygenation of previously ischemic tissue in many experimental models, as the result of the generation of oxygen-derived free radicals. To test the antiradical activity of potentially protective compounds in this setting, we developed a simple screening system, applicable to fresh biopsy specimens, in which warm ischemia and reoxygenation of excised tissue are performed in vitro. Tissue production of malondialdehyde (MDA) equivalents is used as a nonspecific-but-sensitive marker of oxygen radical damage. Test compounds with putative antiradical activity are added prior to the reoxygenation phase, and their ability to suppress MDA production is an index of …

A Rapid, Widely Applicable Screen For Drugs That Suppress Free Radical Formation In Ischemia/Reperfusion, Steven C. Salaris, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Substantial injury can occur during reoxygenation of previously ischemic tissue in many experimental models, as the result of the generation of oxygen-derived free radicals. To test the antiradical activity of potentially protective compounds in this setting, we developed a simple screening system, applicable to fresh biopsy specimens, in which warm ischemia and reoxygenation of excised tissue are performed in vitro. Tissue production of malondialdehyde (MDA) equivalents is used as a nonspecific-but-sensitive marker of oxygen radical damage. Test compounds with putative antiradical activity are added prior to the reoxygenation phase, and their ability to suppress MDA production is an index of …

Monitoring Natural Air Corn Drying—A Demonstration Project, Richard O. Pierce, Gary L. Zoubek

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A demonstration project is described where natural air corn drying performance was monitored weekly and drying results were printed in a local newspaper. The newspaper articles also gave management recommendations for the upcoming week. Similar demonstration projects can be conducted using the procedures described in this paper.

Correlation Of Starch Recovery With Assorted Quality Factors Of Four Corn Hybrids, Curtis L. Weller, Marvin R. Paulsen, Marvin P. Steinberg

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A laboratory wet-milling process was developed for use in determining starch recovery of yellow dent corn. The effects of harvest moisture and drying air temperature on starch recovery were investigated for four hybrids. A split split-plot experimental design was used to evaluate the effects. Starch recovery was not significantly different among the hybrids; however, it did decreases both harvest moisture and drying air temperature increased. Starch recovery was correlated with quantitative measures of assorted quality factors. Regression analysis found starch recovery to be a function of starch content, test weight, and ethanol-soluble protein.

Calibration Accuracy Of Pesticide Application Equipment, Robert Grisso, E. J. Hewett, Elbert C. Dickey, R. D. Schnieder, E. W. Nelson

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Afield survey of 140 private and commercial pesticide applicators was conducted during the spring of 1986 in 12 counties of central and eastern Nebraska. The results showed that one out of every three cooperators was applying pesticides within ± 5% of their intended application rate. Results indicated that applicators have reduced application errors from that of a similar survey conducted in 1979. However, most errors still can be traced to incorrect calibration. Ninety-four percent of the cooperators used some type of calibration method. Two-thirds used the "Known Area" method. Those using a calibration method more than once a year had …

Surface Cover From Corn Residue On Sandy Soils, R. Todd, Norman L. Klocke, Elbert C. Dickey, Dennis Bauer

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Corn residue left as surface cover after land preparation and planting by various combinations of tillage implements and surface planters, respectively, was measured on four research/ demonstration sites with sandy soils in Nebraska. Surface cover ranged from 51 to 80% for the no-till treatments to 14 to 53% for the twice-disked treatments. The wide range in cover was due to the amount of antecedent residues from the previous crop and the soil type which ranged from sandy loam to tine sands. Other tillage implements included a rolling cultivator, sweep-plow, and mulch-treader.

Can We Guarantee The Safety Of Genetically Engineered Organisms In The Environment?, Kathleen H. Keeler, Frances E. Sharples

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Can we guarantee the safety of genetically engineered organisms in the environment? To anticipate my remarks, the answer to the title question is “No, we cannot guarantee the safety of genetically engineered organisms released into the environment.” Indeed, it is a tenet of the scientific method that nothing can be proved, only disproved. Thus, we can never show that a release will be safe. We could only show that it would be unsafe, if that were the case. However, if the question is posed differently, for example, can we safely release genetically engineered organisms into the environment?, the answer is …

Heavy Metal Removal By Sedimentation Of Street Sweepings In Stormwater Runoff, Mary Elizabeth Brabham

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT Continuous flow column studies were conducted to characterize suspended sol ids and heavy metal reduct ions through sedimentation with varying overflow rates. The heavy metals tested were cadmium, zinc, copper, iron, lead, nickel and chromium. Stormwater derived samples spiked with street sweepings categorized into particle size ranges less than 500 microns in diameter were utilized in the research. Overflow rates investigated ranged from 28 to 3600 gallons per day per square foot. Theoretical predictions of suspended solids reductions with the application of Stoke's Law exceeded observed reductions for the continuous flow system. Performance curves for all reductions over the …

Research And Applications Of Expert Systems In Military Training, Philip Irwin Green

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This report surveys recent research and applications of Expert Systems in the military training and simulation community. The report reviews twenty-one recent papers covering this subject. Each paper reviewed has been assigned a class which establishes the phase of development of the system or activities described. For each paper the abstract is given, followed by comments which summarize in more detail significant parameters of the activities reported. This is then followed by a listing of the specific Expert System "areas of interest" described in the paper.

Human Health Effects Assays, Ronald C. Sims, J. L. Sims, R. R. Dupont

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Environmental health risk assessments based upon animal study results, epidemiology, quantitative structure activity relationships (QSARs), dose-response relationships, risk perception, and expert systems approaches, and the evaluation of mechanisms of carcinogenesis represent the focus for 1987. The term "biological risk assessment" was discussed by Clayson¹ to describe that part of risk assessment concerned with the relevance of specific animal results to the induction of human cancer. Guidelines for health assessment of suspect developmental toxicants addressed evaluation of data from animal testing studies.² Animal toxicity data on 200 chemicals and epidemiologic data on 30 chemicals was included within a data …

Biological Transformation And Detoxification Of 7,12-Dimethylbenzanthracene In Soil, K. Park, Ronald C. Sims, W. J. Doucette, J. E. Matthews

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Biological transformation and detoxification of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anathracene (DMBA) were studied in a nonacclimated sandy loam soil. Parent 14C DMBA biodegraded extensively (62% to 20%), accompanying an increase of metabolite 14C fraction (4% to 53%). Incorporation of DMBA into non extractable soil residue ,4C increased from 12 to 17%, but the increase was not statistically significant. DMBA was transformed into several metabolic products in the soil system, including 4-hydroxy-, 5-hydroxy-, and 10-hydroxy-DMBA and 7,12-dihydro 12-methyl-7-methylene-benz(a)anthracene-12-ol. High polarity transformation products of DMBA demonstrated a negative mu tagenic response with the Ames mutagenicity assay, strain TA 100, for both low and neutral pH soils. …

Fate And Transport Of Organics In Soil: Model Predictions And Experimental Results, B. D. Symons, Ronald C. Sims, W. J. Grenney

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Laboratory batch reactors were used to generate quantitative information about the fate of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PNA) compounds in soil systems. First-order degradation rates and equilibrium partition coefficients determined in laboratory studies were used in the Vadose Zone Interactive Processes (VIP) mathematical model to predict the fate and behavior of the PNA compounds as a function of time and soil depth. Predicted model results were compared with independent laboratory soil column studies for model validation. The VIP model provided a good approximation of the degradation and transport of the seven PNA compounds evaluated after 6 months of incubation in soil. …

Interfacing Of The Digital Spyghnomanometer [Sic] Ds-165 To The Intel 8052ah Basic Based Single Board Computer, Rakesh P. Patel

Theses

The aim of this thesis is to collect the measured data from the blood pressure measurement unit to the single board computer and to store the data for the analysis purposes.

Application Of Computer Techniques In Groundwater Contamination Studies, Komratchi Raman

Theses

A study has been undertaken to provide insight into two related aspects of groundwater contamination studies - contaminant transport behavior and its analysis by modeling techniques. The study reviews recent research that explains some of the uncertainties in the transport and fate of chemical contaminants in groundwater. Approaches to modeling techniques and data reduction are developed to illustrate their usefulness in analysing existing groundwater data, and to make predictions on the future water chemical characteristics. Three types of study areas have been chosen for this purpose, each representing a different type of groundwater contamination problem. The first study area has …

A Computer Simulation Of The Rotary Drum Brownstock Washer System Using The Monte Carlo Method Of Distribution Sampling, Jacqueline K. Pease

Masters Theses

A steady-state probabilistic model is chosen to simulate the brownstock washing system's uncertainty which arises from unpredictable process fluctuations and measurement noise. Distribution sampling is used to construct multiple mass balances of a washing system. Included in this model is a linear relationship describing the correlation between dilution and displacement which allows displacement ratio to be generated based on dilution factor. This is an improvement over a similar, earlier model which considers all variables to be independent. There is no statistical difference between the mean output of the simulation and the means of data sets collected at two different mills. …

Separation And Characterization Of Biologically Significant Chemical Classes In Airborne Particulate Organic Matter : Measurement Of Selected Chemical Classes In Freshly Collected Air Samples, Xueying Sun

Theses

Since hazardous materials present in airborne pollutants can affect human health and environmental quality and most of the specific compounds remain uncharacterized, a study was conducted to characterize airborne particulate extractable organic matter (EOM) with respect to chemical composition. Specifically, a number of chemical classes including N-heterocycles, phenols, quinones, carboxylic acids, and especially N-nitrosamines were tested using an integrated chemical class screening system.

The inhalable particulate matter was collected, using a high volume 10 um inlet sampler, on the roof of Tiernan Hall, New Jersey Institute of Technology, which is located off Warren Street in Newark. Sequential solvent extractions yielded …

Robotization For Assembling Small Parts, Frank J. Valese

Theses

The thrust of this paper is directed toward establishing a roboticized small parts assembly line where none currently exist. Technical and pragmatic requisites were established and reviewed prior to installing the proposed robotic workcell. Although the specific model chosen for discussion is the locksmithing industry, the procedures followed, the design tools utilized, and the methods of job-costing employed apply equally to other small parts industries.

Basic industrywide considerations reviewed for each robotization effort included:

1. Choosing the proper application for robotization
2. Obtaining management support and labor input to insure the success of the project
3. Deciding on the economic and production goals …

Nebraska's Modified-Open-Front Farrowing Houses Design And Operation, Gerald R. Bodman, Donald G. Levis, Duane E. Reese

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Two modified-open-front non-mechanically ventilated farrowing houses with creep boxes were operated over a two year period. Annual energy requirements were in the range of 10.6 to 10.9 cents per crate per day. No adverse effects on pig performance were realized. In most instances pig performance exceeded national standards of excellent performance—survival rates in excess of 90% and 21-day pig weights of 5.9 to 6.8 kg (13 to 15 lb). The study verified that another alternative is available to producers who do not want additional mechanical equipment to operate and maintain.

Transient Analysis Of Macromolecular Blood-Tissue Exchange In Microvascular Bed, Alex Yefim Bekker

Dissertations

Movement of macromolecules across microvascular walls was studied in the hamster cheek pouch with intravital fluorescence microscopy. A graded series of Fluorescein Isothiocyanate labeled Dextrans(FITC) of 20,000 -70,000 molecular weight were used as representative macromolecular tracers. The time dependent extravasation of FITC-Dextrans was video taped for approximately two and a half hours. Permeation of macromolecules from individual microvessels was quantified by digital video image processing. Histograms of the light intensity distributions for selected fields at various times have been measured and used to construct integral optical density - time profiles of the extravasated fluorochromes for particular leaky sites. An integrated …

Effects Of Hysteresis With Air Entrapment On Water Flow In The Unsaturated Zone, Jagath J. Kaluarachchi, J. C. Parker

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Effects of hysteresis with air entrapment on water content and head distributions, surface fluxes, and water balance components are investigated by finite element simulations of flow in one- and two-dimensional spatial domains. Results of one-dimensional analyses indicate that effects of hysteresis are markedly influenced by surface boundary conditions and to a lesser extent by initial conditions. Stipulation of flux-controlled boundary conditions results in minimal hysteretic effects, while potential-type boundary conditions produce substantial deviations between hysteretic and nonhysteretic simulations. The latter effects are attributable in large part to differences in surface conductivity associated with air entrapment. Predicted water content distributions for …