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Articles 1351 - 1380 of 3089

Full-Text Articles in Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering

Moisture Insensitive Prediction Of Soil Properties From Vnir Reflectance Spectra Based On External Parameter Orthogonalization, Nuwan K. Wijewardane, Yufeng Ge, Cristine L.S. Morgan Jan 2016

Moisture Insensitive Prediction Of Soil Properties From Vnir Reflectance Spectra Based On External Parameter Orthogonalization, Nuwan K. Wijewardane, Yufeng Ge, Cristine L.S. Morgan

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Moisture is the single most important factor that affects soil reflectance spectra, particularly for field applications. Interest in using soil VNIR spectral libraries, which are commonly based on dry ground soils, to predict soils in the intact field-moist condition (in situ VNIR) is growing. External parameter orthogonalization (EPO) has been proposed as a useful method that links dry ground VNIR models to field moist scans. The goal of this study is to test EPO on a wider set of soil properties and four different modeling techniques, namely, Partial Least Squares Regression (PLS), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Random Forest (RF), and …

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Neural Encoding Of Saltatory Pneumotactile Velocity In Human Glabrous Hand, Hyuntaek Oh, Rebecca Custead, Yingying Wang, Steven M. Barlow Jan 2016

Neural Encoding Of Saltatory Pneumotactile Velocity In Human Glabrous Hand, Hyuntaek Oh, Rebecca Custead, Yingying Wang, Steven M. Barlow

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Neurons in the somatosensory cortex are exquisitely sensitive to mechanical stimulation of the skin surface. The location, velocity, direction, and adaptation of tactile stimuli on the skin's surface are discriminable features of somatosensory processing, however the representation and processing of dynamic tactile arrays in the human somatosensory cortex are poorly understood. The principal aim of this study was to map the relation between dynamic saltatory pneumatic stimuli at discrete traverse velocities on the glabrous hand and the resultant pattern of evoked BOLD response in the human brain. Moreover, we hypothesized that the hand representation in contralateral Brodmann Area (BA) 3b …

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A Multi-Sensor System For High Throughput Field Phenotyping In Soybean And Wheat Breeding, Geng Bai, Yufeng Ge, Waseem Hussain, P. Stephen Baenziger, George L. Graef Jan 2016

A Multi-Sensor System For High Throughput Field Phenotyping In Soybean And Wheat Breeding, Geng Bai, Yufeng Ge, Waseem Hussain, P. Stephen Baenziger, George L. Graef

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Collecting plant phenotypic data with sufficient resolution (in both space and time) and accuracy represents a long standing challenge in plant science research, and has been a major limiting factor for the effective use of genomic data for crop improvement. This is particularly true in plant breeding where collecting large-scale field-based plant phenotypes can be very labor intensive and costly. In this paper we reported a multi-sensor system for high throughput phenotyping in plant breeding. The system comprised five sensor modules (ultrasonic distance sensors, thermal infrared radiometers, NDVI sensors, portable spectrometers, and RGB web cameras) to measure crop canopy traits …

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Recalibration Methodology To Compensate For Changing Fluid Properties In An Individual Nozzle Direct Injection Systems, Joe D. Luck, S. A. Shearer, B. D. Luck, M. P. Sama Jan 2016

Recalibration Methodology To Compensate For Changing Fluid Properties In An Individual Nozzle Direct Injection Systems, Joe D. Luck, S. A. Shearer, B. D. Luck, M. P. Sama

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Limited advancement of direct injection pesticide application systems has been made in recent years, which has hindered further commercialization of this technology. One approach to solving the lag and mixing issues typically associated with injection-based systems is high-pressure individual nozzle injection. However, accurate monitoring of the chemical concentrate flow rate can pose a challenge due to the high pressure, low flow, and changing viscosities of the fluid. A methodology was developed for recalibrating high-pressure chemical concentrate injectors to compensate for fluid property variations and evaluate the performance of this technique for operating injectors in an open-loop configuration. Specific objectives were …

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A Multi-Scale Comparison Of Modeled And Observed Seasonal Methane Emissions In Northern Wetlands, Xiyan Xu, William J. Riley, Charles D. Koven, Dave P. Billesbach, Rachel Y.-W. Chang, Roisin Commane, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Sean Hartery, Yoshinobu Harazono, Hiroki Iwata, Kyle C. Mcdonald, Charles E. Miller, Walter C. Oechel, Benjamin Poulter, Naama Raz-Yaseef, Colm Sweeny, Margaret Torn, Steven C. Wofsy, Zhen Zhang, Donatella Zona Jan 2016

A Multi-Scale Comparison Of Modeled And Observed Seasonal Methane Emissions In Northern Wetlands, Xiyan Xu, William J. Riley, Charles D. Koven, Dave P. Billesbach, Rachel Y.-W. Chang, Roisin Commane, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Sean Hartery, Yoshinobu Harazono, Hiroki Iwata, Kyle C. Mcdonald, Charles E. Miller, Walter C. Oechel, Benjamin Poulter, Naama Raz-Yaseef, Colm Sweeny, Margaret Torn, Steven C. Wofsy, Zhen Zhang, Donatella Zona

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Wetlands are the largest global natural methane (CH4) source, and emissions between 50 and 70° N latitude contribute 10–30% to this source. Predictive capability of land models for northern wetland CH4 emissions is still low due to limited site measurements, strong spatial and temporal variability in emissions, and complex hydrological and biogeochemical dynamics. To explore this issue, we compare wetland CH4 emission predictions from the Community Land Model 4.5 (CLM4.5-BGC) with siteto regional-scale observations. A comparison of the CH4 fluxes with eddy flux data highlighted needed changes to the model’s estimate of aerenchyma area, which …

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Cellulase Immobilization On Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles For Reuse In Cellulosic Biomass Conversion, Qing Song, Yu Mao, Mark Wilkins, Fernando Segato, Rolf Prade Jan 2016

Cellulase Immobilization On Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles For Reuse In Cellulosic Biomass Conversion, Qing Song, Yu Mao, Mark Wilkins, Fernando Segato, Rolf Prade

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Current cellulosic biomass hydrolysis is based on the one-time use of cellulases. Cellulases immobilized on magnetic nanocarriers offer the advantages of magnetic separation and repeated use for continuous hydrolysis. Most immobilization methods focus on only one type of cellulase. Here, we report co-immobilization of two types of cellulases, β-glucosidase A (BglA) and cellobiohydrolase D (CelD), on sub-20 nm superparamagnetic nanoparticles. The nanoparticles demonstrated 100% immobilization efficiency for both BglA and CelD. The total enzyme activities of immobilized BglA and CelD were up to 67.1% and 41.5% of that of the free cellulases, respectively. The immobilized BglA and CelD each retained …

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Incorporation Of Globally Available Datasets Into The Roving Cosmic-Ray Neutron Probe Method For Estimating Field-Scale Soil Water Content, William A. Avery, Catherine Finkenbiner, Trenton E. Franz, Tiejun Wang, Anthony L. Nguy-Robertson, Andrew E. Suyker, Timothy J. Arkebauer, Francisco Munoz-Arriola Jan 2016

Incorporation Of Globally Available Datasets Into The Roving Cosmic-Ray Neutron Probe Method For Estimating Field-Scale Soil Water Content, William A. Avery, Catherine Finkenbiner, Trenton E. Franz, Tiejun Wang, Anthony L. Nguy-Robertson, Andrew E. Suyker, Timothy J. Arkebauer, Francisco Munoz-Arriola

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The need for accurate, real-time, reliable, and multi-scale soil water content (SWC) monitoring is critical for a multitude of scientific disciplines trying to understand and predict the Earth’s terrestrial energy, water, and nutrient cycles. One promising technique to help meet this demand is fixed and roving cosmic-ray neutron probes (CRNPs). However, the relationship between observed low-energy neutrons and SWC is affected by local soil and vegetation calibration parameters. This effect may be accounted for by a calibration equation based on local soil type and the amount of vegetation. However, determining the calibration parameters for this equation is labor- and time-intensive, …

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Developing Equations For Estimating Reference Evapotranspiration In Australia, Matin Ahooghalandari, Mehdi Khiadani, Mina Esmi Jahromi Jan 2016

Developing Equations For Estimating Reference Evapotranspiration In Australia, Matin Ahooghalandari, Mehdi Khiadani, Mina Esmi Jahromi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Quantifying reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is essential in water resources management. Although, many methods have been developed with different level of accuracy, in this study, two new equations were developed and optimized for estimating ET0 using Honey-Bee Mating Optimization (HBMO) algorithm. The firs eq. estimates ET0 from extraterrestrial radiation (Ra), relative humidity (RH) and mean daily temperature (Tmean), while the second uses the same parameters except that mean daily temperatures is replaced with maximum daily air temperature (Tmax). Both equations were developed using climatic data from eight weather stations in Western …

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Early Life History Of Three Pelagic-Spawning Minnows Macrhybopsis Spp. In The Lower Missouri River, T. A. Starks, M. L. Miller, J. M. Long Jan 2016

Early Life History Of Three Pelagic-Spawning Minnows Macrhybopsis Spp. In The Lower Missouri River, T. A. Starks, M. L. Miller, J. M. Long

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Life-history characteristics of age-0 sturgeon chub Macrhybopsis gelida, shoal chub Macrhybopsis hyostoma and sicklefin chub Macrhybopsis meeki were compared using several methods. All Macrhybopsis species consumed mostly midge pupae, but M. meeki had the most general diet (Levins’ index, B=0⋅22) compared with M. hyostoma (B=0⋅02) and M. gelida (B=0⋅09). Morisita’s diet overlap index among species pairs ranged from 0⋅62 to 0⋅97 and was highest between M. hyostoma and M. gelida. Daily ages estimated from lapilli otoliths for each species ranged from 15 to 43 days for M. gelida, 19 to 44 for …

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High Fidelity Localization And Sensing For Cattle Analytics, Luis Carlos Bañuelos Chacon Jan 2016

High Fidelity Localization And Sensing For Cattle Analytics, Luis Carlos Bañuelos Chacon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Global beef production is projected to reach approximately 60 million tons in 2015 and opportunities to increase efficiencies are significant with recent advancements in remote sensing. By economically monitoring the location and conditions of a herd such as feeding patterns, body temperature, heart rate, and other biometric information, the herd performance can now be enhanced through data-driven optimization. Next generation sensors provide high fidelity data on a wide range of measurable properties, and simultaneously, the wide adoption of these sensor systems in many consumer applications is leading to commoditization and reduced cost due to the associated economies of scale. Deploying …

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Project Oasis: Optimizing Aquaponic Systems To Improve Sustainability, Siddharth Nigam, Paige Balcom Jan 2016

Project Oasis: Optimizing Aquaponic Systems To Improve Sustainability, Siddharth Nigam, Paige Balcom

Honors Theses and Capstones

Started in Fall 2015, Project OASIS (Optimizing Aquaponic Systems to Improve Sustainability) is an interdisciplinary capstone project with the goal of designing a sustainable and affordable small-scale aquaponic system for use in developing nations to tackle the problems of malnutrition and food insecurity. Aquaponics is a symbiotic relationship between fish and vegetables growing together in a recirculating system. The project’s goals were to minimize energy consumption and construction costs while using universally available materials. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software OpenFOAM was used to create transient and steady-state models of fish tanks to visualize velocity profiles, streamlines, and particle movement. …

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Development And Preliminary Evaluation Of A Spray Deposition Sensing System For Improving Pesticide Application, Melissa A. Kesterson, Joe D. Luck, Michael P. Sama Dec 2015

Development And Preliminary Evaluation Of A Spray Deposition Sensing System For Improving Pesticide Application, Melissa A. Kesterson, Joe D. Luck, Michael P. Sama

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

An electronic, resistance-based sensor array and data acquisition system was developed to measure spray deposition from hydraulic nozzles. The sensor surface consisted of several parallel tin plated copper traces of varying widths with varying gap widths. The system contained an embedded microprocessor to monitor output voltage corresponding to spray deposition every second. In addition, a wireless module was used to transmit the voltage values to a remote laptop. Tests were conducted in two stages to evaluate the performance of the sensor array in an attempt to quantify the spray deposition. Initial tests utilized manual droplet placement on the sensor surface …

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The Effect Of Manure Application Method On Nutrient And Microbial Runoff Transport And Soil Biological Health Indicators, Nicole R. Schuster Dec 2015

The Effect Of Manure Application Method On Nutrient And Microbial Runoff Transport And Soil Biological Health Indicators, Nicole R. Schuster

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Two projects were completed to provide significant new information to the agricultural industry regarding the environmental implications and soil health impacts related to land application of swine manure. The first study reports on the runoff transport of nutrients and microbials as affected by manure application method and time following application. The second study provides information about the effect of application method and time following application on soil health indicators using arthropod abundance and diversity as a biological indicator. The information gained through these studies will provide beneficial information to the pork industry on the impact of manure application method and …

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Estimating The Water Quality Condition Of River And Lake Water In The Midwestern United States From Its Spectral Characteristics, Jing Tan Dec 2015

Estimating The Water Quality Condition Of River And Lake Water In The Midwestern United States From Its Spectral Characteristics, Jing Tan

Open Access Dissertations

This study focuses on developing/calibrating remote sensing algorithms for water quality retrieval in Midwestern rivers and lakes. In the first part of this study, the spectral measurements collected using a hand-held spectrometer as well as water quality observations for the Wabash River and its tributary the Tippecanoe River in Indiana were used to develop empirical models for the retrieval of chlorophyll (chl) and total suspended solids (TSS). A method for removing sky and sun glint from field spectra for turbid inland waters was developed and tested. Empirical models were then developed using a subset of the field measurements with the …

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Field Abundance And Performance Of Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) On Soybean Aphid, James O. Eckberg, Julie A. Peterson, Colin P. Borsh, Joe M. Kaser, Gregg A. Johnson, John C. Luhman, Donald L. Wyse, George E. Heimpel Dec 2015

Field Abundance And Performance Of Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) On Soybean Aphid, James O. Eckberg, Julie A. Peterson, Colin P. Borsh, Joe M. Kaser, Gregg A. Johnson, John C. Luhman, Donald L. Wyse, George E. Heimpel

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

The management of the soybean aphid Aphis glycines Matsumara is a major challenge to soybean production in the north-central United States. The identification and characterization of the insect predator community has informed integrated pest management strategies by providing insight on predators that can suppress soybean aphid populations. Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are known predators of A. glycines, but more information is needed on their diversity, abundance, and performance to evaluate their importance as biological control agents of A. glycines. In this study, syrphid abundance was evaluated across two growing seasons in four soybean fields in east-central Minnesota. Six methods …

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Identification Of Color Properties Of Mangos Using Image Analysis, Md Towfqur Rahman Dec 2015

Identification Of Color Properties Of Mangos Using Image Analysis, Md Towfqur Rahman

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this project work carried out the application of a simple machine vision system was used to measure the different color properties of mango fruit surface for grading operation. In the context of agricultural post-harvest activity, labor shortage and timeliness of operation, manual grading of fruits and other agricultural products are laborious and costly. Now-a-days non-destructive machine vision technology is used to process various post harvest operation of biological products according size, shape, defects, etc. A CCD camera with fluorescent lighting system is used to capture the mango images into the visible light region. Then the images were analyzed by …

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Fuel Consumption Models For Tractors With Partial Drawbar Loads, Bryan Jeffrey Smith Dec 2015

Fuel Consumption Models For Tractors With Partial Drawbar Loads, Bryan Jeffrey Smith

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Three models for predicting fuel consumption for agricultural tractors with partial drawbar loads were compared. Data were collected from eight John Deere tractors, JD 7230R (e23), 7250R (e23), 7270R (e23), 7290R (e23), 7290R (IVT), 8320R (16 speed), 8345RT (IVT), 8370R (IVT). The tractors were tested with 7 load levels per speed at four different travel speeds as close as possible to 4, 7.5, 10, and 13 km·h-1. The IVT tractors were operated in Auto mode and the geared tractors were shifted up three gears and throttled back to the same travel speeds as the IVT tractors. The 7 …

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Evaluation Of Conservation Practices Through Simulation Modeling And Tool Development, Gurdeep Singh Dec 2015

Evaluation Of Conservation Practices Through Simulation Modeling And Tool Development, Gurdeep Singh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For the first objective, predicted impacts of selected Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI) conservation practices (CPs) on sediment and nutrient loss were assessed. The study area was L’Anguille River Watershed (LRW), a priority focus watershed of the MRBI program and the simulated CPs were filter strip, critical area planting, grade stabilization structure, irrigation land leveling, irrigation pipeline, irrigation water management, and nutrient management. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was calibrated (1998 – 2005) and validated (2006 – 2012) for flow, sediment, total phosphorus (TP), and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) at the Colt site (503 sq. km. drainage area) and …

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The Future Of Farming In Capable And Small Hands: The Young Farmer’S Movement In Waterloo Region 1907-1924, Morgan Williams Nov 2015

The Future Of Farming In Capable And Small Hands: The Young Farmer’S Movement In Waterloo Region 1907-1924, Morgan Williams

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

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Review Of Robotic Technology For Strawberry Production, S. G. Defterli, Yeyin Shi, Yunjun Xu Nov 2015

Review Of Robotic Technology For Strawberry Production, S. G. Defterli, Yeyin Shi, Yunjun Xu

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

With an increasing world population in need of food and a limited amount of land for cultivation, higher efficiency in agricultural production, especially fruits and vegetables, is increasingly required. The success of agricultural production in the marketplace depends on its quality and cost. The cost of labor for crop production, harvesting, and post-harvesting operations is a major portion of the overall production cost, especially for specialty crops such as strawberry. As a result, a multitude of automation technologies involving semi-autonomous and autonomous robots have been utilized, with an aim of minimizing labor costs and operation time to achieve a considerable …

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Potential Irrigation Reductions From Increasing Precipitation Utilization With Variable Rate Irrigation, Tsz Him Lo, Derek M. Heeren, Luciano Mateos, Joe D. Luck, Derrel L. Martin, Dean E. Eisenhauer Nov 2015

Potential Irrigation Reductions From Increasing Precipitation Utilization With Variable Rate Irrigation, Tsz Him Lo, Derek M. Heeren, Luciano Mateos, Joe D. Luck, Derrel L. Martin, Dean E. Eisenhauer

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Much of the previous research quantifying the potential benefits of variable rate irrigation (VRI) consists of case studies with simulations using data from small numbers of intensely sampled fields. In this study, an indicator of the amount of root zone available water capacity that is unutilized by uniform rate irrigation was calculated for 49,224 center pivot irrigated fields in Nebraska using publicly available data exclusively. Based on the values of this indicator, potential seasonal irrigation reductions from increasing precipitation utilization with VRI were estimated to be high for a small fraction of analyzed center pivots but low on a regional …

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Evaluation Of A Hybrid Remote Sensing Evapotranspiration Model For Variable Rate Irrigation Management, J. Burdette Barker, Christopher M. U. Neale, Derek M. Heeren Nov 2015

Evaluation Of A Hybrid Remote Sensing Evapotranspiration Model For Variable Rate Irrigation Management, J. Burdette Barker, Christopher M. U. Neale, Derek M. Heeren

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Accurate generation of spatial irrigation prescriptions is essential for implementation and evaluation of variable rate irrigation (VRI) technology. A hybrid remote sensing evapotranspiration (ET) model was evaluated for use in developing irrigation prescriptions for a VRI center pivot. The model is a combination of a two-source energy balance model and a reflectance based crop coefficient water balance model. Spatial ET and soil water depletion were modeled for a 10 km2 area consisting of rainfed and irrigated maize fields in eastern Nebraska for 2013. Multispectral images from Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager and Thermal Infrared Sensor were used as model …

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Reconstructing The Natural Hydrology Of The San Francisco Bay - Delta Watershed, P. Fox, P.H. Hutton, D.J. Howes, A.J. Draper, L. Sears Oct 2015

Reconstructing The Natural Hydrology Of The San Francisco Bay - Delta Watershed, P. Fox, P.H. Hutton, D.J. Howes, A.J. Draper, L. Sears

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

We evaluated the impact of landscape changes on the amount of delta outflow reaching San Francisco Bay. The natural landscape was reconstructed and water balances were used to estimate the long-term annual average delta outflow that would have occurred under natural landscape conditions if the climate from 1922 to 2009 were to repeat itself. These outflows are referred to as natural delta outflows and are the first published estimate of natural delta outflow. These natural delta outflows were then compared with current delta outflows for the same climate and existing landscape, including its re-engineered system of reservoirs, canals, aqueducts, and …

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Modified Atmosphere Packaging: A Progressive Technology For Shelf-Life Extension Of Fruits And Vegetables, Mahmoud Soltani, Reza Alimardani, Hossein Mobli, Seyed Saeid Mohtasebi Oct 2015

Modified Atmosphere Packaging: A Progressive Technology For Shelf-Life Extension Of Fruits And Vegetables, Mahmoud Soltani, Reza Alimardani, Hossein Mobli, Seyed Saeid Mohtasebi

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Packaging and storage are the final phases in the food industry. Quality preservation, improving safety and reduction of postharvest losses waste are some objectives of the packaging engineering. One of techniques that widely used in packaging of fruits and vegetables are modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). In MAP for fresh fruits and vegetable the air of packaging headspace replaces with a predetermined atmospheric gases different in proportion from that of air. Oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen are the main gases used in MAP for injection to the headspace of pack. The choice and ratio of gases are very dependent upon the …

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Performance Limiting Factors Of Cu2znsn(Sxse1-X)4 Solar Cells Prepared By Thermal Evaporation, Sandip Das, Raghu N. Bhattacharya, Krishna C. Mandal Oct 2015

Performance Limiting Factors Of Cu2znsn(Sxse1-X)4 Solar Cells Prepared By Thermal Evaporation, Sandip Das, Raghu N. Bhattacharya, Krishna C. Mandal

Faculty Articles

Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1−x)4 (CZTSSe) thin film solar cells have been prepared by vacuum-based thermal evaporation of metal and binary sulfide precursors followed by annealing in a mixed chalcogen vapor at 550 °C for one hour. The Zn/Sn ratio in the precursor was varied from 0.75 to 1.50 keeping the Cu/(Zn+Sn) ratio constant at 0.7. The best performing solar cell was obtained with a final film composition of Cu/(Zn+Sn)=0.77 and Zn/Sn=1.13 corresponding to a Zn/Sn ratio of 0.9 in the precursor. The champion cell exhibited an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 506 mV, short-circuit current density (J …

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Long-Term Tillage System Impacts On Soil Erodibility, Julianne R. Chechanover, Dennis C. Flanagan Aug 2015

Long-Term Tillage System Impacts On Soil Erodibility, Julianne R. Chechanover, Dennis C. Flanagan

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Conservation tillage practices, such as no-till agriculture, have the potential of reducing the erodibility of a soil compared to conventional agricultural practices. This research sought to determine whether long-term agricultural practices affect the baseline erodibility properties of a soil. Two soils from Throckmorton-Purdue Agricultural Center in Tippecanoe County, Indiana were used during this experiment. One soil was treated with a long-term conventional tillage (fall chisel, spring disk) system and the other soil was treated with a long-term no-till system. The soils’ interrill erodibility, and rill erodibility and critical hydraulic shear stress were measured under a rainfall simulator using soil boxes …

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A Novel Synthetic Yeast For Enzymatic Biodigester Pretreatment, Tianyu Tan, Mark S. Aronson, Arren Liu, Jill H. Osterhus, Melissa Robins, Suraj Mohan, Erich Leazer, Bowman Clark, Alexa Petrucciani, Katherine Lowery, James Welch, Casey Martin, Helena Lysandrou, Michael E. Scharf, Jenna Rickus Aug 2015

A Novel Synthetic Yeast For Enzymatic Biodigester Pretreatment, Tianyu Tan, Mark S. Aronson, Arren Liu, Jill H. Osterhus, Melissa Robins, Suraj Mohan, Erich Leazer, Bowman Clark, Alexa Petrucciani, Katherine Lowery, James Welch, Casey Martin, Helena Lysandrou, Michael E. Scharf, Jenna Rickus

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Lignin, a complex organic polymer, is a major roadblock to the efficiency of biofuel conversion as it both physically blocks carbohydrate substrates and poisons biomass degrading enzymes, even if broken down to monomer units. A pretreatment process is often applied to separate the lignin from biomass prior to biofuel conversion. However, contemporary methods of pretreatment require large amounts of energy, which may be economically uncompelling or unfeasible. Taking inspiration from several genes that have been isolated from termites and fungi which translate to enzymes that degrade lignin, we want to establish a novel “enzymatic pretreatment” system where microbes secrete these …

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Processing Methods And Storage Conditions On Chocolate And Coffee Powder Flow Properties, Sunland L. Gong, Andrea Della Bella, Teresa M. Carvajal Aug 2015

Processing Methods And Storage Conditions On Chocolate And Coffee Powder Flow Properties, Sunland L. Gong, Andrea Della Bella, Teresa M. Carvajal

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Powders are widely used in a countless number of industries, and are crucial to the quality control of products in areas such as pharmaceuticals and food. Particle physicochemical properties (morphology, solid state – crystalline, amorphous or both) are important factors for powder flow, which in turn can have significant impact on the stability, performance, and presentation of powders. Different processing methods as well as storage conditions such as relative humidity (RH) can drastically affect powder flow. Due to the widespread use of chocolate and coffee powder around the world, and their importance to the food industry, this work investigates two …

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Design Of Transgenic S. Cerevisiae For Enzymatic Pretreatment, Mark Aronson, Leyla Yamin, Soo Jung Ha, Jenna Rickus, Michael E. Scharf Aug 2015

Design Of Transgenic S. Cerevisiae For Enzymatic Pretreatment, Mark Aronson, Leyla Yamin, Soo Jung Ha, Jenna Rickus, Michael E. Scharf

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Biofuels, combustible fuel produced from fermentation of agricultural biomass by microorganisms, represent one of the best possible paths forward for sustainable energy production. However, inefficiencies in biofuel production create barriers that stand in the way of their widespread adoption. One such barrier is the breakdown of lignin, a biopolymer that exists on the edge of plant cell walls which protects the sugars that are used in fermentation. Currently, lignin is broken down in energy-intensive thermal pretreatment processes. A viable alternative is the expression of lignin-degrading enzymes by synthetic microorganisms that work at standard temperatures, eliminating the need for the high-energy …

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Development Of A Novel Enzymatic Pre-Treatment For Lignocellulosic Biomass, Melissa Robins, Jenna Rickus Aug 2015

Development Of A Novel Enzymatic Pre-Treatment For Lignocellulosic Biomass, Melissa Robins, Jenna Rickus

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Biofuels, fuels derived directly from living matter, present a renewable and environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum based fuels. Bioethanol produced from low input energy crops or agricultural waste is a promising fuel source because it does not interfere with the human food supply chain and the ethanol produced can be blended with gasoline. These potential sources of bioethanol are not yet commercially viable due to a polymer called lignin present in the plant’s cell wall which impedes the conversion of cellulose to glucose and the eventual fermentation of glucose to ethanol. Developing new methods for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass …

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