Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

Identification Of Solubility-Controlling Solid Phases In A Large Fly Ash Field Lysimeter, Jonathan S. Fruchter, Dhanpat Rai, John M. Zachara

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Samples of pore fluids and leachates were obtained from a large fly ash field lysimeter in central Pennsylvania. The fly ash in the lysimeter was usually only partially saturated, and only 0.3 pore volumes of water leached through the lysimeter during the 3-year study period. The samples were analyzed for major and trace inorganic anions and cations. The resulting analyses were modeled by using an equilibrium speciation/solubility code to test the hypothesis that the solubilities of at least some species in the fly ash leachate were controlled by solid phases. Potential solubility-controlling solids were identified for Al, Ba, Ca, Cr, …

Influence Of Mineral-Bound Humic Substances On The Sorption Of Hydrophobic Organic Compounds, Ellyn M. Murphy, John M. Zachara, Steven C. Smith

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The sorption of three hydrophobic organic compounds (HOC) was investigated on hematite and kaolinite that had been coated with natural humic substances over a mass percent carbon range of 0.01-0.5%. Increasing quantities of sorbed humic substances increased the sorption of HOC. Anthracene, the most hydrophobic HOC, showed the greatest sorption enhancement, while the most aromatic coating, peat humic acid, was the strongest sorbent. Depending on the type of humic acid coating and the mineral substrate, the experimental K_oc values were either higher or lower than those predicted by the K_ow The sorptivity of a given humic acid for …

Stress-Induced Infrared Frequency Shifts In Polyethylene, G. A. Pfeffer, D. W. Noid

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The molecular dynamics technique is used to study the spectral response of a polyethylene chain in a crystal environment under a mechanical deformation. The MUSIC method, which was previously shown to accurately compute dispersion curves from the time-dependent structure factor, is used. A complete characterization of frequency shifts is presented for various lamellar thickness, temperatures, stress (or pressure), and mass defects.

Automated Sorting Of Oriented Tobacco Leaves, Larry G. Wells, M. J. Bader

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

A mechanism has been developed which removes cured burley tobacco leaves from plants so that midribs are oriented parallel. A photosensor was utilized to count leaves as they were removed and a microprocessor determined the number of leaves allocated to each of three grades. Experiments indicated that 84% of leaves removed could be correctly sorted with a 2.4% material loss at an effective rate of approximately 2.4 times that of conventional methods.

Right To Farm, J. L. Taraba, R. M. Williams

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

Landowners in general have the right to use their property in any manner they might find useful or enjoyable except when that use infringes on the right of their neighbor or community to use their property. Conflicting interests of neighbors have been the subject of numerous disagreements resulting in one or the other loosing his right to use his property as he wishes. The circumstances surrounding each conflict usually determines the outcome, and farmers should be aware that their right to farm may be at the mercy of courts who have sometimes been sympathetic to grievances of their more urban …

Mixer Equipment Options For Total Mixed Rations, Larry W. Turner

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

The use of total mixed rations (TMR) in the dairy industry provides dairymen with the ability to feed a blended, balanced ration. TMR rations are balanced for the particular requirements of a specific group of cows or calves. Several different options are available for types of equipment to mix TMR rations. These types of equipment include assorted designs for both portable and stationary mixers, different types of scales and various types of conveyors.

Earthquake Planning Checklist, Larry R. Piercy

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

Scientists warn that a major earthquake could occur at any time along the New Madrid Fault. At the present time they believe there is sufficient energy stored in the fault for a major earthquake of 7.6 magnitude on the Richter Scale. However, these sources estimate that the most probable occurrence will be a smaller earthquake in the 6.0 to 6.5 size range. The chances of such an earthquake occurring before the end of the century is 40-60% and 97% for one occurring in the next 50 years. An earthquake of this size would cause damage over a large area.

Emergency Disinfection Of Drinking Water, Joseph L. Taraba, Thomas W. Ilvento, Linda M. Heaton

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

In preparation for emergency situations, there is a need to have a supply of stored water and the ability to disinfect that water and other sources of water that may be available. In emergencies, the main threat from drinking water for people is disease causing organisms. It is important that all water be disinfected before using when there is an uncertainty as to its purity. Stored water that has been disinfected and placed into disinfected containers does not give a person complete certainty of the absence of disease organisms when it is opened because the lids of these containers can …

Home Water Disinfection Methods, Joseph L. Taraba, Thomas W. Ilvento, Linda M. Heaton

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

The source of bacteria in your water supply can come from the water source itself, the contamination of the well and/or piping system during maintenance or construction or improper well construction. There are four disinfection methods available for the private water system:

• Chlorination (simple chlorination, super chlorination and shock chlorination)
• Ultraviolet (UV) light
• Ozonation

Do You Need A Water Treatment Product?: What You Need To Know And Ask Before Buying, Joseph L. Taraba, Linda M. Heaton, Thomas W. Ilvento

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

A homeowner may have obvious problems with the drinking water system; such as, staining of porcelain sinks, stained clothes after washing, cloudy water, foul/funny tasting or smelling water or corrosion of faucets or plumbing. The homeowners may be very concerned about their water because of recent publicity, advertisements or door-to-door sales which raised issues about the quality of the drinking water from a private or public water supply. The homeowners may be concerned about the water supply after a recent educational program that was attended or presented in the local media outlets. How does that homeowner determine if a water …

Protection Of Private Groundwater Drinking Supplies, Joseph L. Taraba, Jim Dinger, James Webb

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

There are three general objectives that this slide presentation concentrates on; First of all, we want to acquaint you with the hydrologic cycle. If one understands this cycle; then, an appreciation for what activities might contaminate our water supplies can be obtained. Secondly, we want to review some of the land use practices that may result in water resource contamination. Thirdly, we want to review well construction and maintenance practices that may result in contamination of an individuals source of drinking water. That brings us to the major goal of this entire program. This major goal is to get each …

Sorption Of Aminonapht Halene And Quinoline On Amorphous Silica, John M. Zachara, Calvin C. Alnsworth, Christina Cowan, Ronald Schmidt

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The adsorption of quinoline and aminonaphthalene was investigated from aqueous solution on amorphous silica SiO₂. Amorphous SiO₂ was not a strong adsorbent of these compounds and quinoline was adsorbed more strongly than aminonaphthalene. The adsorption of both compounds varied with pH. A maximum in adsorption occurred near their respective pK_a's. Temperature effects were significant, suggesting enthalpy contributions in the range of H bonding. Both compounds appeared to adsorb via identical mechanisms that included H bonding and ion exchange. The greater basicity of quinoline combined with (1) the enhanced electron-donating properties of the heteroatom N and …

A Guide To Barbed Wire Fence Construction For Range Cattle Control, J S. Addison

Bulletins 4000 -

The sub-division of pastoral leases with fences promotes better control of the grazing animal, reduces mustering costs, and simplifies the imposition of management strategies designed to lift the productivity of pastures and stock.

However, fencing represents a considerable capital investment and a commitment to fence maintenance.

The adoption of good construction techniques gives the best result for the dollar spent and reduces maintenance requirements in following years.

This Bulletin highlights some of the more important construction aspects for barbed wire fences.

Approach To Bioremediation Of Contaminated Surface Soils, J. L. Sims, Ronald C. Sims, J. E. Matthews

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Biological processes, including microbial degradation, have been identified as critical mechanisms for attenuating organic contaminants during transit through the vadose zone to the groundwater. On-site soil remedial measures using biological processes can reduce or eliminate groundwater contamination, thus reducing the need for extensive groundwater monitoring and treatment requirements. On-site remedial systems that utilize the soil as the treatment system accomplish treatment by using naturally occurring microorganisms to treat the contaminants. Treatment often may be enhanced by a variety of physical/chemical methods, such as fertilization, tilling, soil Ph adjustment, moisture control, etc. The development of a bioremediation program for a specific …

Water Seepage From Unlined Ditches And Reservoirs, Nigel W.T. Quinn, Richard B. Smith, Charles M. Burt, Tracy S. Slavin, Stuart W. Styles, Amir Mansoubi

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Seepage losses in the San Joaquin Valley's Westlands Water Districts were estimated at 27,000 acre-feet a year, or about 2% of the district's water supply. Ditch configuration and construction techniques appear to influence seepage rates.

Soil Conservation Earthworks Design Manual, K J. Bligh

All other publications

In view of the great diversity of hydrological conditions encountered in the field, and the relative paucity of information with which to design soil conservation earthworks, it is frequently not possible to quantify all aspects of hydrologic design. It remains for the practising soil conservationist to search for a reasonable solution to a problem which is most appropriate to the situation, location, information and skills. The equations in this Manual provide the best available estimates of flow rates and volumes for carrying out design but it must be recognised that the information has come from a relatively limited data set, …

Ordination And Mapping Of Wetland Communities In Nebraska's Rainwater Basin Region, Michael C. Gilbert

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Forty-seven Rainwater Basin wetlands of south-central Nebraska were evaluated to provide information on vegetation composition, species assemblages determined from direct and indirect ordination methodology, and community characteristics derived from wetlands mapping. Vegetation/soil relationships were evaluated from both vegetational stand and mapping data. Seasonal and year to year vegetation dynamics were evaluated for one study site, Harvard Marsh.

Ordination of vegetational data was accomplished by use of weighted averaging and detrended correspondence analysis. Weighted average ordination results indicated wetland status for the Fillmore, Scott and Massie soil series. Occurrence of upland vegetation on hydric soils and wetland vegetation on non-hydric soils …

Agricultural Mechanics Instruction In Nebraska Secondary Vocational Agriculture Programs For The 1990s, Neal Joseph Schlautman

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The study was conducted to determine agricultural mechanics units of instruction that should be included and the extent to which they should be included in the Nebraska high school vocational agriculture curriculum in the 1990's as perceived by three respondent groups. The respondent groups included 36 vocational agriculture instructors, 36 farm operators and 36 managers of mechanics related agribusinesses in Nebraska. A mailed survey was used to collect data for the study. The survey return rate for the vocational agriculture instructors was 100 percent, the return rate for the farm operators was 89 percent and the return rate for the …

A Dss For Animal Nutrition Planning, Krishna Prasad, M R Gopalan, S Sridhar

IIMB Management Review

In recent years, after the much acclaimed success of the Green
Revolution, the nation’s planners are coming to realize that it is not adequate for
the nation to have enough to eat, it is also important to have quality food. There
has, therefore, recently been a new emphasis on industries such as dairy and
poultry. It has been realized that there is a need to harness India’s enormous
animal resources. (There are, by one estimate, some 480 million livestock in the
country, including about 230 million cattle and 136 million poultry). Significant
improvements in the productivity of livestock can be …

A Dss For Farm Management, Y Kashi Vishwanadhan

IIMB Management Review

Farm management is a decision process. The tarmer and the state as
decision makers at different operational levels have some what conflicting
objectives to achieve-the farmer has to choose between alternative use of
scarce resources - land, labour and capital and operate his farm to maximize
the net returns; whereas the state has to increase the agriculture production to
meet the demand of the population even at higher levels of input costs. It has to
take decisions relating to Support Prices for various crop products, credit and
input supply in such a manner as to ensure healthy progress in the …

A Dss For Optimal Product Mix For Dairy Plant Operation, V Nagadevara

IIMB Management Review

The dairy industry in India has become very well organised as a result of
Operation Flood Programmes and massive World Bank aid. A number of Dairy
Development Corporations and Producers. Cooperative Societies have come
into being as corporate bodies apart from private dairies already in operation.
These Dairy Development Corporations essentially follow the Anand Model of
cooperative structure. This Structure builds on a vertically integrated single
industry cooperative that links rural producers with urban consumers by
introducing intensive milk production systems and improved technology for
processing and marketing. It is a three tiered structure. The three tiers are (i)
the …

Computerized Location And Distribution Of Fertilizer, V B Kaujalgi, A K Rao

IIMB Management Review

Distribution of manufactured products to the places of consumption is a well known management problem, and a complex one on account of the size of
the problem, the variety of modes of transportation available, Government regulations and management conditions. It is very difficult even for an expert
manager to work out an acceptable plan of distribution of the commodity in a reasonable time. Day to day management of the distribution is almost
impossible by the manual method for even a medium size distribution problem. Computers are now playing an important role in management decision
making. Such applications are becoming attractive …

Review Of Radial Dose Measurement Technique And Data, Matesh N. Varma

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Radial dose is the average energy deposited in a short length of cylindrical shell formed between radii r and r + dr, per unit mass. Here, r is the distance perpendicular to the trajectory of an incident charged particle. Radial dose profiles as a function of radial distance for charged particles have been used to interpret radiobiological data. This article reviews the technique for measuring radial dose distributions and the available data.

Energetic Electron Tracks And Dna Strand Breaks, A. Chatterjee, W. R. Holley

United States Department of Energy: Publications

A theoretical model with no adjustable parameters is presented to evaluate the strand break yields for incident electrons between 100 eV and 1 MeV. Indirect mechanisms as well as direct mechanisms are included for the production of strand breaks. The model includes the following features: (i) multiple scattering of low energy electrons; (ii) decay of hydroxyl radicals in an aqueous solution containing Tris buffer; (iii) Monte Carlo simulation of the motion of hydroxyl radicals for interaction with the DNA sites; and (iv) stochastic aspects of the direct ionization on the DNA sites and the use of oscillator strength of a …

The Katz Cell-Survival Model And Beams Of Heavy Charged Particles, Stanley B. Curtis

United States Department of Energy: Publications

In this paper, we describe how the Katz cell-survival model has been used to predict survival along the central axis of the dose vs depth curve of beams of heavy charged particles. Unmodified beams with sharp Bragg peaks as well as ridge-filter-modulated beams with spread Bragg peaks have been studied. The analysis in terms of this model leads to the definition of two coefficients, "ion kill" and "gamma kill", which characterize the radiation quality of the beams. In this way, the relative importance of the primary lind secondary (fragmentation) contributions can be assessed easily.

Setting the model parameter m equal …

Physical Aspects Of Charged Particle Track Structure, R. H. Ritchie, R. N. Hamm, J. E. Turner, H. A. Wright, J. C. Ashley, G. J. Banks

United States Department of Energy: Publications

A plasmon generated by a swift charged particle constitutes a coherent excitation about the particle track. We discuss the physics of the plasmon in condensed matter and its effects on electron transport in liquid water. Criteria for the existence of the plasmon III a given substance, Its characteristics when generated by a swift charged particle, its representation in impact parameter space, and its decay into localized excitations are described. We describe how plasmon excitation and decay are implemented in our Monte Carlo code, OREC, and how track structure calculations are affected by this mode.

Subsurface Transport Of Contaminants, John E. Mccarthy, John M. Zachara

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Contaminants originating from human activities have entered the subsurface environment through waste disposal practices, spills, and land application of chemicals. The establishment of effective disposal and isolation procedures for chemical wastes, the protection of public health, and the amelioration of subsurface contamination rely on the ability to predict the velocity at which contaminants move through the vadose (unsaturated) and saturated zones. However, attempts to describe and predict contaminant transport cannot succeed if major pathways and mechanisms for transport are not defined.

Most approaches to describing and predicting the movement of contaminants treat groundwater as a two-phase system in which contaminants …

Design And Maintenance Of Cisterns, E. Holmes, Joseph L. Taraba

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

I. Design concepts: (See Figure 1)

1. Water tight inside and outside Power & Machinery
2. Manhole or other covers tight to prevent contamination with 2" raised curb
3. Overflow with check valve
4. Initial roof-off diverted from cistern as roof dirt is washed off
5. Inlet pipe near the top with splash pan below or a force breaker at bottom so that floor settlements are not disturbed. No data on which is more effective.
6. Cleanout outlet pipe to pump located in small sump area with floor sloping to sump.
7. Placed below ground to prevent freezing
8. Water pipe to houe from floating inlet or 4" …

Lead In Your Drinking Water, Joseph L. Taraba

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) recently imposed a regulation requiring public water suppliers to notify all their customers of the potential health effects of lead from household plumbing. The USEPA regulates public water supplies (with at least 15 service connections or servicing 25 individuals) but does not regulate private water supplies. The potential health hazard of lead is also present from household plumbing which is supplied water from a private water source.

Bottled Water, Joseph L. Taraba

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

Bottled water is an option for families who have a water problem, whether their water is unsafe or has an "off" taste or odor. It is best used as a temporary measure or in small quantities for drinking water. At a cost of 65 cents to $1.15 per gallon (Lexington, KY; July 1988) bottled water could become an expensive item for a large family using it for drinking and cooking.