Engineering Commons^™

Induction Of Oxidative Stress In Brain Tissues Of Mice After Subchronic Exposure To 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-P-Dioxin, Ezdihar A. Hassoun, Shawn C. Wilt, Michael J. Devito, Angelique Van Birgelen, Naser Z. Alsharif, Linda S. Bimbaum, Sidney J. Stoh

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The ability of single doses of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) to induce oxidative stress in hepatic and some extrahepatic tissues of animals is well documented. However, no previous study has examined the ability of TCDD to induce oxidative stress and tissue damage in brain in vivo. In this study the ability of TCDD to induce oxidative stress in brain tissues of mice was studied after subchronic exposures. Groups of female B6C3F1 mice were treated orally with TCDD (0, 0.45, 1.5, 15, and 150 ng/kg/day) for 13 weeks, 5 days/week. The animals were euthanized 3 days after the last treatment and brain tissues …

Nebraska Summary: S445 Zetor 10741, 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 1802: Challenger Mt 455 Diesel, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

No abstract provided.

Multiple Objective Structural Optimization With Genetic Algorithm And Fuzzy Logic, Franklin Y. Cheng, Dan Li, Jeffrey J.F. Ger

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a constrained multiobjecthe optimzation method in the form of a robust, practical, problem-independent algorithm, and investigates the effect of multiobjective optimization on structural design. The study includes properties and characteristics of multiobjective optimization and solutions. Design objectives, constraints, and design variables as well as their effect on structural design and behavior are investigated. Fuzzy set theory is also included to construct a fuzzy constrained environment. Two new genetic algorithm operators — multiobjective fitness function and niche method -- are proposed. A new genetic algorithm process, Pareto set filter, is added to genetic algorithms. A 10-story setback building …

Apparatus And Method For Detection And Concentration Measurement Of Trace Metals Using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, Dennis R. Alexander

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

A method and apparatus for in situ detection and concentration measurement of trace elements in an analysis Sample is disclosed. The invention uses laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) wherein femtosecond pulsed laser energy is employed to produce the plasma. The femtosecond pulsed laser energy is focused on the analysis Sample to produce the plasma and the resulting emission is delivered for spectral analysis. Because the method and apparatus of the present invention allow breakdown of the analysis Sample without propagation of energy to the Sample-air interface, a plasma is produced that consists essentially of Sample materials without being contaminated by …

Infrared Ellpsometer/ Polarmeter System, Method Of Calibration, And Use Thereof, Daniel W. Thompson, Blaine D. Johs

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

A sample system investigation system, such as an ellipsometer or polarimeter system, for use in investigating sample systems with electromagnetic wavelengths in the infrared range, and a calibration method for compensating nonidealities in multi-dimensional system rotated and non-rotated component representing matricies, are disclosed. An essentially achromatic compensator of dual-rhomb construction, which introduces a (3*LAMBDA/4) phase shift, but essentially no deviation in the direction of propagation of a polarized beam of electromagnetic wavelengths caused to pass there through, even when said compensator is caused to continuously rotate, is also disclosed.

A Modification Of Sugeno Integral Describes Stability And Smoothness Of Fuzzy Control, Hung T. Nguyen, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Sugeno integral was invented a few decades ago as a natural fuzzy analogue of the classical integral. Sugeno integral has many interesting applications. It is reasonable to expect that it can be used in all application areas where classical integrals are used, and in many such areas it is indeed useful. Surprisingly, however, it has never been used in fuzzy control, although in traditional control, classical integral is one of the main tools.

In this paper, we show that the appropriately modified Sugeno integral is indeed useful for fuzzy control: namely, it provides numerical characterization of stability and smoothness of …

Where To Bisect A Box? A Theoretical Explanation Of The Experimental Results, Vladik Kreinovich, R. Baker Kearfott

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

No abstract provided.

Ordinal Explanation Of The Periodic System Of Chemical Elements, Eric R. Scerri, Vladik Kreinovich, Piotr Wojciechowski, Ronald R. Yager

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Textbooks often claim that quantum mechanics explained the periodic system: namely, the actual configuration of electronic orbits that is responsible for the element's chemical properties can be described as the one that minimizes the total energy, and the energy of each configuration can be computed by using quantum mechanics.

However, a careful analysis of this explanation reveals that, in addition to the basic equations of quantum mechanics, we need some heuristic rules that do not directly follow from quantum physics. One reason why additional heuristics are necessary is that the corresponding numerical equations are extremely difficult to solve, and as …

On Geometry Of Radio Antenna Placements, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich, Andrei M. Finkelstein, Steve Chan

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Pipe Bursting On Nearby Utilities, Pavement, And Structures, Alan Atalah

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation has involved field and analytical studies of ground movements, ground vibrations and other design issues associated with trenchless pipe replacement (or pipe bursting, as it is commonly known). The process is used to replace an existing underground service pipe with a completely new pipe but without the disturbance and cost of excavating a trench from the surface. The process typically involves the insertion of a tool into the existing pipe that has a maximum diameter that is slightly larger than the existing pipe. This tool is used to break the existing pipe into pieces and to displace the …

High-Resolution Image Reconstruction From A Sequence Of Rotated And Translated Frames And Its Application To An Infrared Imaging System, Russell C. Hardie, Kenneth J. Barnard, John G. Bognar, Ernest E. Armstrong, Edward A. Watson

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Some imaging systems employ detector arrays that are not sufficiently dense to meet the Nyquist criterion during image acquisition. This is particularly true for many staring infrared imagers. Thus, the full resolution afforded by the optics is not being realized in such a system. This paper presents a technique for estimating a high-resolution image, with reduced aliasing, from a sequence of undersampled rotated and translationally shifted frames. Such an image sequence can be obtained if an imager is mounted on a moving platform, such as an aircraft. Several approaches to this type of problem have been proposed in the literature. …

Building Cavities Used As Ducts: Air Leakage Characteristics And Impacts In Light Commercial Buildings, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Field testing in 70 small commercial buildings in central Florida identified that building cavities were used as part of the air distribution system in 33 buildings. The various building cavity types (# of buildings in parentheses) are: enclosed air handler support platforms (10), mechanical closets (8), mechanical rooms (6), ceiling spaces (7), wall cavities (6), chases (1), and "other" building cavities (2). Testing found that these building cavities are considerably more leaky than standard ducts and plenums because they are generally not built to the same airtightness standard as ducts. Actual air leakage is a function not only of duct …

Stackguard: Automatic Adaptive Detection And Prevention Of Buffer-Overflow Attacks, Crispin Cowan, Calton Pu, David Maier, Heather Hinton, Jonathan Walpole, Peat Bakke, Steve Beattie, Aaron Grier, Perry Wagle, Qian Zhang

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper presents a systematic solution to the persistent problem of buffer overflow attacks. Buffer overflow attacks gained notoriety in 1988 as part of the Morris Worm incident on the Internet. While it is fairly simple to fix individual buffer overflow vulnerabilities, buffer overflow attacks continue to this day. Hundreds of attacks have been discovered, and while most of the obvious vulnerabilities have now been patched, more sophisticated buffer overflow attacks continue to emerge.

We describe StackGuard: a simple compiler technique that virtually eliminates buffer overflow vulnerabilities with only modest performance penalties. Privileged programs that are recompiled with the StackGuard …

Experimental Testing And Modeling Of Automotive Automatic Belt Tensioners, Jiaxin Zhao, Clark R. Barker, Larry Oliver, William Breig, Joey Edson

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Automatic belt tensioners are used in serpentine belt drive systems in many automotive front end accessory drive (FEAD) applications. The dynamic characteristics of the tensioner must be well defined in order to accurately model the entire belt drive system for system simulation studies. In order to determine required tensioner performance parameters, six different configurations of a production unit were tested over a wide range of frequencies at two different amplitudes of the arm travel. Data was recorded to define the total torque generated by the tensioner as a result of the known input motion to which the arm was subjected. …

Generalized Ultrametrics, Domains And An Application To Computational Logic, Anthony K. Seda, Pascal Hitzler

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

Fixed points of functions and operators are of fundamental importance in programming language semantics in giving meaning to recursive definitions and to constructs which involve self-reference. It follows therefore that fixed-point theorems are also of fundamental importance in theoretical computer science. Often, order-theoretic arguments are available in which case the well-known Knaster-Tarski theorem can be used to obtain fixed-points. Sometimes, however, analytical arguments are needed involving the Banach contraction mapping theorem as is the case for example in studying concurrency and communicating systems. Situations arise also in computational logic in the presence of negation which force non-monotonicity of the operators …

Fuel Cells, Frederick J. Munster Jr.

Maine Collection

Fuel Cells

by Frederick J. Munster Jr.

Edited by: Mr. Christopher Carroll

Maine Department of Economic Development, Augusta, Maine, 1998.

Contents: Hydrogen / Hydrogen Safety / Electrolysis / Electrolyzers / History of Fuel Cells / How Fuel Cells Operate / Fuel Cell Types / Fuel Cell Electrochemistry / Power Systems / Fuel Cells in Transportation / Hydrogen Powered Internal Combustion Engines / Home, Garden, Education and Industry / For More Information / Glossary / References

Impulse, Kate Gundvaldson, Jennifer Widman, Lisa Umiker

Impulse (Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering Publication)

Features:
[Page 2] Teaching and research 2
[Page 4] IAP 4
[Page 5] Learning _cooperatively 5
[Page 6] Engineering course offers helping hand 6
[Page 7] Students call on local telephone company 7
[Page 8] The Gray Team 8
Students:
[Page 10] Mathi draws on experience 10
[Page 11] Eidem enjoys stellar summer 11
[Page 12] Students receive undergraduate research assistantshjps 12
[Page 13] Clarifying remote sensing images 13
[Page 14] MET program studied 14
[Page 15] Broulik receives Space Grant Consortium assistantship 15
College:
[Page 16] Lecn1re series advances mission of CEET 16
[Page 18] Engineering holds first job …

Networking 8-Bit Embedded Controllers, Using The Controller Area Network Method, Brett Wilkinson

Theses : Honours

The initial aim of this project was to create an ethernet (IEEE 802.3) Communications System. The system was to connect Embedded controllers to facilitate the operation of a real time operation. After extensive investigation and scheduled meetings with industry, it became apparent that a superior communication system for this type of task lay in the Controller Area Network (CAN) standard. Communications Networks are extremely susceptible to volatile surroundings. A vital controller network necessitates that its communication network be invulnerable to high noise levels. It is also imperative that critical messages from one controller reach their destination on time. CAN was …

Design And Design Centers In Engineering Education, Clive L. Dym

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

This paper is intended to be the opening salvo of the workshop, Computing Futures in Engineering Design (Dym, 1997). Thus, I want to take this privileged moment to ask you to think with me about the role of design in engineering. In particular, I want to reflect upon how design is articulated and how design is taught; about the role of design in engineering education and in the practice of engineering; and about the role that could be played locally and, perhaps, nationally by a center devoted to design education. Because I teach here at Harvey Mudd College (HMC), …

Recent Research And Developments In Cold-Formed Steel Framing, Roger A. Laboube, Wei Wen Yu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recent research studies at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) have focused on developing a better understanding of the behavior of cold-formed steel members and truss assemblies. This research was initiated by the more widespread use of cold-formed steel in the residential construction market, and the need to provide structurally reliable, as well as highly economical design solutions. Steel trusses are commonly assembled using C-shaped sections and self-drilling screws. Based on UMR findings, appropriate design recommendations have been proposed for the web and chord members of a truss. Also of concern is the introduction of large holes in the webs of …

Evaluation Of Toxicity, Bioavailability And Speciation Of Lead, Zinc And Cadmium In Mine/Mill Wastewaters, Mujde Erten-Unal, Bobby G. Wixson, Nord L. Gale, Jerry L. Pitt

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The toxicity of common compounds of lead, cadmium and zinc was evaluated in waters similar to that found in the world's largest lead producing area in Missouri. Static, acute toxicity tests were performed using fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and water fleas (Daphnia magna) respectively. Test organisms were subjected to varying amounts of sulfide, carbonate, chloride and sulfate salts of lead, zinc and cadmium mixed in hard, alkaline waters typical to this region. Median lethal concentrations were calculated using nominal versus measured metal concentrations. Measured metal concentrations included four different metal fractionation (extraction/filtration) techniques at different pH levels which included "dissolved", …

The Effects Of Catalyst, Free Fatty Acids, And Water On Transecterification Of Beef Tallow, Fangrui Ma, L. D. Clements, Milford Hanna

Industrial Agricultural Products Center: Publications and Information

Transesterification of beef tallow and methanol is affected by many factors. Catalyst, free fatty acids, and water in beef tallow, and reaction time were investigated. Sodium hydroxide (NUOH) was a more effective catalyst than sodium methoxide (NaMeOj. NaOH and NaMeO reached their maximum activities at 0.3% and 0.5%, w/w of beef tallow, respectively. The presence of water had more negative effect on transesterification than did the presence of free fatty acids (FFA). For best results, the water content of beef tallow should be kept not beyond 0.0696, w/w. FFA content of beef tallow should be kept below 0.596, w/w. The …

Effect Of Parameter Distributions On Uncertainty Analysis Of Hydrologic Models, C. Thomas Haan, Daniel E. Storm, T. Al-Issa, Sandeep Prabhu, George J. Sabbagh, Dwayne R. Edwards

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Increasing concern about the accuracy of hydrologic and water quality models has prompted interest in procedures for evaluating the uncertainty associated with these models. If a Monte Carlo simulation is used in an uncertainty analysis, assumptions must be made relative to the probability distributions to assign to the model input parameters. Some have indicated that since these parameters can not be readily determined, uncertainty analysis is of limited value. In this article we have evaluated the impact of parameter distribution assumptions on estimates of model output uncertainty. We conclude that good estimates of the means and variances of the input …

Validating A Vegetative Filter Strip Performance Model, Puneet Srivastava, Thomas A. Costello, Dwayne R. Edwards, James A. Ferguson

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Vegetative filter strips (VFS) reduce losses of nutrients, solids, and other materials from land area treated with fertilizers and manures. A number of models are available that simulate nutrient and sediment transport in VFS. While VFS effectiveness is considered to depend on lengths of pollutant source area and VFS areas, few published studies have tried to validate these models using variable pollutant source area and VFS area. The objective of this study was to validate an event-based nutrient transport model (Chaubey et al., 1995) that simulates soluble nutrient transport in VFS. This model links three sub-models: modified Green-Ampt infiltration, non-linear …

Hybrid Control Of Seismic Structures With Optimal Placement Of Control Devices, Franklin Y. Cheng, Hongping Jiang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A theoretical study is carried out for optimal controller placement and effectiveness of a hybrid seismic response control system comprising a viscous fluid damper and a servovalve-controlled hydraulic actuator. A stochastic seismic response of controlled structures is first investigated with nonorthogonal damping and stiffness; then a statistical method for optimal placement of control devices on seismic-resistant structures is developed. With such placement, a hybrid system can achieve greater performance in that much less control force is required to reduce structural seismic response to a given level. This study also shows the hybrid system is superior to both active and passive …

Dynamic Analysis Of Unidirectional Pressure Infiltration Of Porous Preforms By Pure Metals, Dhiman K. Biswas, Jorge E. Gatica, Surendra N. Tewari

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Unidirectional pressure infiltration of porous preforms by molten metals is investigated numerically. A phenomenological model to describe fluid flow and transport phenomena during infiltration of fibrous preforms by a metal is formulated. The model describes the dynamics of the infiltration process, the temperature distribution, and solid fraction distribution. The numerical results are compared against classical asymptotic analyses and experimental results. This comparison shows that end effects may become important and render asymptotic results unreliable for realistic samples. Fiber volume fraction and initial temperature appear as the factors most strongly influencing infiltration. Metal superheating affects not only the length of the …

Rops Retro-Fit Fact Sheet, Larry R. Piercy

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

ROPS were first introduced commercially in 1966.

ROPS first became available for most new tractors in the late 60's or early 70's.

ROPS became standard equipment on most new tractors manufactured after 1985.

Cost Comparisons For Burley Tobacco Housing And Curing Facilities And Methods, College Of Agriculture, University Of Kentucky

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

With the several options now available for housing and curing burley (conventional tobacco barn types, cable-hoist system and field curing structures), producers often ask and need to know comparative costs of the various options. Barns have a higher initial cost, long life and assessable value to the farm. The one-tier field structures initially cost about one-third that of a barn per acre of capacity and have labor savings and periodic plastic replacement cost. Low-cost cantilever type field curing structures and frames are even lower in cost and reduce labor but have annual plastic replacement costs and some higher weather risks. …

Water Systems For Controlled Grazing, Larry W. Turner

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

Intensive controlled or rotational grazing can be an important tool for beef and dairy producers in Kentucky. A key component for success with this type of operation is the availability of adequate drinking water for livestock on pasture.

Quantities, flow rates and location of water for rotational grazing will be considered in this fact sheet. Systems supplying water under pressure through hose or pipe to a tank or water bowl will be discussed in detail.