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1
Ren, Jie. "Multi-temporal Remote Sensing of Changing Agricultural Land Uses within the Midwestern Corn Belt, 2001-2015." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/81559.
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The Midwest US has experienced significant changes in agricultural land use and management practices in recent decades. Cropland expansion, crop rotation change, and crop phenology changes could lead to divergent environmental impacts on linked ecosystems. The overall objective is to examine agricultural land use and management changes and their impacts on water quality in the Midwest US, which is addressed in three separate studies. The first study examined spatial and temporal dimensions of agricultural land use dynamics in east-central Iowa, 2001-2012. Results of this study indicated that increases in corn production in response to US biofuel policies had been achieved mainly by altering crop rotation. This study also examined spatial relationships between cultivated fields and crop rotation practices with respect to underlying soils and terrain. The most intensively cultivated land had shallower slopes and fewer pedologic limitations than others, and the corn was planted on the most suitable soils. The second study characterized key crop phenological parameters (SOS and EOS) for corn and soybean and analyzed their spatial patterns to evaluate their change trends in the Midwest US, 2001-2015. Results showed that MODIS-derived SOS and EOS values are sensitive to input time-series data and threshold values chosen for crop phenology detection. The non-winter MODIS NDVI time-series input data, and a lower threshold value (i.e., 40%) both generated better results for SOS and EOS estimates. Spatial analyses of SOS and EOS values displayed clear south-north gradient for corn and trend analyses of SOS revealed only a small percentage of counties showed statistically significant earlier trends within a user-defined temporal window (2001-2012). The third study integrated remote sensing-derived products from the first two studies with the SWAT model to assess impacts of agricultural management changes on sediment and nutrient yields for three selected watersheds in the Midwest US. With satisfied calibration and validation results for stream flows, sediment and nutrient yields, considered under differing management scenarios, were compared at different spatial scales. Results showed that intensive crop rotation, advancing the planting date with the same length of growing season, and longer growing seasons, dramatically increased, maintained, and slightly reduced sediment, total nitrogen, and total phosphorous yields, respectively. Overall, these studies together illuminate relationships between broad-scale agricultural policies, management decisions, and environmental impacts, and the value of multi-temporal, broad-scale, geospatial analysis of agricultural landscapes.<br>Ph. D.
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Wilkerson, Leasa D. "Pest management practices used by West Virginia corn growers." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 2001. http://etd.wvu.edu/templates/showETD.cfm?recnum=2136.
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Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2001.<br>Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 48 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 33-34).
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Pereira, Ana Carina da Silva. "Investigating the life-span of cork products for household and personal use through a longitudinal approach with users." Doctoral thesis, ISA/UL, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/7830.
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Doutoramento em Engenharia do Ambiente - Instituto Superior de Agronomia<br>Products with a long life-span are important to reduce resources consumption and outflows to the environment. Cork has an interesting eco-profile since it is a natural non-wood forest product that can be produced without endangering the cork oak vitality. The aim of the work is to investigate the life-span of cork products. A total of 18 different cork products including household and personal use products were studied with 31 users. In the context of design this is cumulative user experience (cumulative UX). The methods used were interviews and photographs, and these were performed at different moments in time: 3 months, 8 months, 16 months, and 2 years.
In most cork products everything was fine; the products are still in good condition, users are satisfied, and the evaluations are good, very good, and excellent. There were some problematic cases which enabled to learn more, in particular about the cork materials employed. Besides, most issues arising are related with darkening, sometimes also referred to as dirt, with a pejorative meaning, or ageing which is acceptable like leather. Overall, the approach retrieved interesting and important information about the life-span of the products
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Fan, Mingxiang. "Urea and acidic phosphate interactions in fertilizer microsites and their effect on corn (Zea mays L.) yield and nutrient use efficiency." Thesis, McGill University, 1993. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=41334.
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Fertilizer applications of urea and triple superphosphate (TSP) suffer from low efficiency for corn production. Band or broadcast application of urea with acidic-P fertilizers may increase fertilizer efficiency. Urea and acidic-P fertilizer interactions in soil-fertilizer microsites were investigated using two Quebec soils. Adding acidic phosphates such as TSP and monoammonium phosphate (MAP) to urea reduced pH in microsites, urea hydrolysis, NH$ sb3$ volatilization, and increased soil NH$ sb4$- and NO$ sb3$-N contents. Ammonia loss decreased as P$ rm sb2O sb5$: urea-N ratios increased. Adding urea to P fertilizer increased soil pH and P sorption when using CaCl$ sb2$ as the electrolyte. Urea application increased 0.5 M NaHCO$ sb3$ extractable P. Banding urea with TSP caused dissolution of organic matter in soils, and increased P diffusion and P concentration in soil solution sampled with filter paper or in 1 M KCl extraction. Two years of field experiments demonstrated that banding urea with TSP or MAP increased soil extractable P (Mehlich-3), N and P nutrient uptake, plant growth and development of corn. Greater P fertilizer efficiencies and higher yields were achieved by banding urea-acidic P fertilizers.
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Ngouajio, Mathieu. "Evaluation of CGA-136872 and DPX-V9360 for postmergence use in corn." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/41588.
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The potential of CGA-136872 (3-[4,6-bis(difluoromethoxy) pyrimidin-2-yl-1-(2-methoxycarbonyl-phenylsulfonyl) urea) and DPX-V9360 (3-pyridinecarboxaminde, 2-(((4,6-dimethoxy pyrimidin-2yl) aminocarbonyl)) aminosulfonyl) ))-N,N-dimethyl) were investigated for postemergence use in corn, including corn tolerance, weed control and combinations of CGA-136872 with other postemergence corn herbicides for weed control.
CGA-136872 Applied at rates of 1.2, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 times the suggested recommended use rate in corn (variety Southern States 565) caused more injury at the 5-leaf stage than at the 7- and 9-leaf stage of corn. Recovery from injury was rapid and complete at 5 weeks after treatment (WAT) and no yield reduction was observed. Several corn varieties treated with twice the suggested use rate of CGA-136872 and DPX-V9360 showed injury that was both herbicide and variety dependent. Most injury occurred at 1 and 2 WAT. Corn recovery was complete at 5 WAT, but yield reduction on some varieties was observed with CGA-136872 treatments.
In the weed control study, both herbicides showed high activity on johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.), giant foxtail (Setaria faberi Herr.), common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L.) and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.), particularly with early applications. However, johnsongrass rhizome regrowth prevented full season control of this species with early postemergence applications.
Combinations of CGA-136872 with several other herbicides resulted in significant benefit in control of common lambsquarters and redroot pigweed while johnsongrass and giant foxtail control was not improved. Reduced control of johnsongrass was observed when CGA-136872 was applied in combination with paraquat (1,1’-dimethy1-4,4’-bipyridilium ion). Similar results were observed for giant foxtail control when CGA-136872 was applied with 2,4-D ((2,4-dichlorophenoxy) acetic acid) and dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid).
Results of this research indicate that both CGA-136872 and DPX-V9360 have good potential for postemergence use in corn, and could represent an important supplement to existing postemergence corn herbicides.<br>Master of Science
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Waite, Jason. "Corn and forage sorghum yield and water use in Western Kansas." Diss., Kansas State University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/34457.
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Doctor of Philosophy<br>Department of Agronomy<br>P.V. Vara Prasad<br>The Ogallala Aquifer is a large underground water source located under the High Plains and is used as the primary irrigation source for producers in the region. Hyper-extraction of the Ogallala is causing a reduction in irrigation capacity for a large part of the region. Confined animal feeding operations in western Kansas rely upon irrigated crops, mainly corn [Zea mays (L.)] as a source of feed. Research has shown that forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Monech] could meet the demands of the confined animal feeding operations while using less water than corn. An experiment was designed to evaluate corn and forage sorghum in Western Kansas. The objective of this research was to evaluate the water use and growth characteristics of irrigated and dryland corn and forage sorghum. Field experiments were conducted at two locations (Tribune Experiment Station, Tribune and a cooperator’s field near Hoxie, Sheridan County Kansas) in 2011-2013. The experimental design at Tribune was a randomized complete block with four replications. A traditional replicated design was not possible at Hoxie. Multiple subsamples per plot were obtained and data are reported as means with standard errors. Corn and forage sorghum were grown under both dryland and fully irrigated conditions at both locations. Neutron access tubes were installed to monitor soil water. Aboveground biomass, intercepted solar radiation and volumetric soil water content were recorded at 5 sampling dates each growing season. Water use was similar between irrigated corn and forage sorghum. There were differences in biomass from year to year between the irrigated crops. Dryland water use was similar between the two crops and also had differences in biomass from year to year. Yields were significantly lower than average for all crops in 2012 due to drought conditions. Solar radiation interception correlated with aboveground biomass measurements. Aboveground biomass from the forage sorghum and corn was ensiled both years and analyzed for nutrient composition. This research suggests that forage sorghum silage may be an acceptable replacement for corn silage in areas with reduced irrigation capacities.
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Pires, Ana Patrícia Roque Marcelo. "O passado que (con)vive : reflexões sobre o devir do sítio de Santa Marta." Master's thesis, Univeridade de Lisboa. Faculdade de Arquitetura, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/7758.
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Ouyang, Duosheng. "New fertilizer combinations for improved nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency and reduced environmental damage in corn production." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape15/PQDD_0004/NQ30353.pdf.
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Raymond, Fred Douglas. "Reducing Corn Yield Variability and Enhancing Yield Increases Through the Use of Corn-Specific Growth Models." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/36304.
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Crop simulation models (CSMs) are used to evaluate management and environmental scenarios on crop growth and yields. Two corn (Zea Mays L.) crop growth simulation models, Hybrid-Maize, and CERES-Maize were calibrated and validated under Virginia conditions with the goal of better understanding corn response to variable environmental conditions and decreasing temporal yield variation. Calibration data were generated from small plot studies conducted at five site-years. Main plots were plant density (4.9, 6.2, 7.4, and 8.6 plants m-2); subplots were hybrids of differing relative maturity (RM) [early = Pioneer® Brand â 34B97â (108 day RM); medium = Pioneer® Brand â 33M54â (114 day RM); and late = Pioneer® Brand â 31G66â (118 day RM)]. Model validation was generated from large scale, replicated strip plot trials conducted at various locations across Virginia in 2005 and 2006. Prior to model adjustments based on calibration data, both CSMs under predicted corn grain yield in calibration and validation studies. CERES-Maize grain yield prediction error was consistent across the range of tested plant density while accuracy of Hybrid-Maize varied with plant density. Hybrid-Maize-estimated biomass production was highly accurate. Greater leaf area index (LAI) and biomass production were measured than was predicted by the CERES-Maize CSM. Both CSMs were modified based on calibration data sets and validated. Validation results of the calibrated CSMs showed improved accuracy in simulating planting date and environmental effects on a range of corn hybrids grown throughout Virginia over two years. We expect that both modified models can be used for strategic research and management decisions in mid-Atlantic corn production.<br>Master of Science
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Dicara, Francesco. "Human Computer Interaction e Industry 4.0: valutazione con utenti di un’interfaccia per condition monitoring e manutenzione predittiva." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2019.
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Questa tesi ha l'obbiettivo di discutere le tematiche legate all'Industria 4.0 e all Human-Computer Interaction nel mondo manifatturiero partendo dall’esperienza di tirocinio presso Bucci Industries dove è stato affrontato un caso di studio reale. Infatti, è in fase di sviluppo un applicazione per il monitoraggio in tempo reale di macchine automatiche (chiamato Mentor) che permette di migliorare sensibilmente la produzione e semplificare l’estrazione e la lettura di dati utili per operatori di macchina e responsabili. Nel dettaglio, il lavoro svolto ha permesso di implementare e discutere le interfacce grafiche dell’applicazione di Mentor che raccoglie e permette di visualizzare tutti i dati di produzione delle macchine con la possibilità di applicare diversi filtri. Sfruttando le potenzialità di AngularJS e le tecnologie front-end più note sono stati implementati e revisionati i diversi componenti delle interfacce utente che sono poi stati testati con utenti reali per ricevere un feedback qualitativo sull’usabilità di ciò che è stato prodotto. Il tutto è stato svolto seguendo i principi esposti dalla quarta rivoluzione industriale e dall’HCI, sfruttando i vantaggi messi a disposizione da uno sviluppo Agile e coinvolgendo in ogni fase del processo di sviluppo gli utenti (secondo i dettami dello User-centered Design). I tre capitoli della tesi trattano rispettivamente di Industria 4.0 (IoT, CPS e Smart Factory), Human-Computer Interaction (soprattutto nell'ambito industriale) e la presentazione e la discussione del lavoro svolto durante il tirocinio giungendo a risultati concreti che potranno essere utilizzati per gli sviluppi futuri di Mentor.
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Maluleke, Hanyeleni Mary. "Biological productivity, soil resource use and stalk borer infestation in maize lablab planting date and density intercropping systems." Thesis, University of Limpopo, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10386/2030.
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Miranda, Fernandez Saul Victor. "Processing and Conservation of the Little Corn in Aiquile province in the Cochabamba Department: use of antioxidants, organic and industrial evaluation." BYU ScholarsArchive, 1997. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5402.
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The present work was conducted in order to determine an adequate variety in the processing of small corn, in which a monitoring of all the cycle in cultivation was conducted. The behavior of the small corn was analyzed in the laboratory before the presence of three antioxidants, ascorbic acid, acetic acid and sodium sulfate in two concentrations in addition to subjecting them to thermal treatments that allows us to obtain a pleasant product for the consumer that is both resistant to treatment and nutritious for the health. The results indicate that the best variety of corn is muruchi yellow, the most effective antioxidant is sodium sulfate with a concentration of 1% and the thermal treatment of 10 minutes which obtained the best results, being most pleasing to those persons that evaluated the corn for its organic qualities followed by the ascorbic and acetic acid provided which provided a project of industrial feasibility that provides the information as a convenience to investment.
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Medeiros, João A. S. "Management alternatives for urea use in corn and wheat production." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/4533.
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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006.<br>The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (February 9, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.
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Kakkar, Avneet. "Nitrogen Availability and Use Efficiency in Corn Treated with Contrasting Nitrogen Sources." DigitalCommons@USU, 2017. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/6886.
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The plant-soil nitrogen cycle plays a significant role in allocation of available N to plants, and improved understanding of N cycling helps sustainably increase fertilizer use efficiency. There are various processes (nitrogen mineralization and nitrification) involved in the availability and mobility of nitrogen in the soil. The primary objective of this study was to determine the NUE under contrasting nitrogen treatments over a period of five years. Additionally, we examined the effect of different N treatments on N mineralization and nitrification in conventional and organic farming systems.
This project was funded by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Grant no. 2011-67019-30178 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. We established silage corn field plots in northern Utah, and silage corn was grown using ammonium fertilizers or manure composts over five years. Nitrogen use efficiency was found to be higher in ammonium sulfate fertilizer treatments as compared to compost treated soils. Nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates were examined for soils from the silage corn field plots and also for additional soils from certified organic field plots receiving steer compost, steer manure and crop rotations. There was a significant overall nitrogen treatment effect for both conventional and organic rotational plots. Carbon mineralization rates were found to be higher in compost under conventional plots and manure under organic rotational plots as compared to control. There was no significant treatment effect found in gross mineralization and nitrification rates in 2015 and 2016. Gross nitrification rates were found to be the higher in AS200 treatment versus compost and control in 2016.
Improved knowledge of the timing and rates of nitrogen supply is vital for improving NUE and for reducing excessive use of fertilizers while maintaining an acceptable yield. The optimization of fertilizer rates according to crop demand at different stages of growth will be helpful in the efficient management of available N especially for composts and manures.
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Philpott, Austin, and Susan Waters. "Examining Snapchat: Narcissistic Tendencies of Core Users." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2017. https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/396.
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This study aims to establish current levels of narcissistic tendencies among the major Snapchat demographic, 18 to 34-year-olds in the United States. Like the Raskin and Terry 40-item Narcissistic Personality Inventory, commonly referred to as NPI-40, the present survey utilized a smaller variant with 16 items, known as NPI-16, for participants. This study may provide indications for further research and advertising techniques using social media, specifically Snapchat.
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Karlsson, Johan. "Efficient use of Multi-core Technology in Interactive Desktop Applications." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för informationsteknologi, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-246120.
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The emergence of multi-core processors has successfully ended the era where applications could enjoy free and regular performance improvements without source code modifications. This thesis aims to gather experiences from the work of retrofitting parallelism into a desktop application originally written for sequential execution. The main contribution is the underlying theory and the performance evaluation, experiments and tests of the parallel software regions compared to its sequential counterparts. The feasibility is demonstrated as the theory is put into use when a complex commercially active desktop application is being rewritten to support parallelism. The thesis finds no simple guaranteed solution to the problem of making a serial application execute in parallel. However, experiments and tests proves that many of the evaluated methods offers tangible performance advantages compared to sequential execution.
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Twedt, Evan Jacob. "Strategies for Optimizing Nitrogen Use in Corn with and without Subsurface Drainage." Thesis, North Dakota State University, 2011. https://hdl.handle.net/10365/28903.
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Excessive soil moisture can impact planting date, plant establishment, and N availability, resulting in reduced yields and N use efficiency. Nitrogen management practices such as use of urease and nitrification inhibitors, and split applications may be used to reduce N lost during the growing season, improving N use efficiency and crop productivity. The objective of this study was to determine whether N management practices could improve corn (Zea mays L.) productivity with or without subsurface drainage on a fine-textured clay soil in eastern North Dakota. Five field trials were conducted in 2009 and 2010 in eastern North Dakota. Treatments consisted of a factorial combination of N management practices [urease inhibitor n-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT), starter fertilizer, nitrification inhibitor 2-Chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine (nitrapyrin), and split applications], N rates (56, 112, 168, and 224 kg N ha-1), and the presence of subsurface drainage (two environments). In both 2009 and 2010 there was no grain yield differences among drainage treatments. Differences in grain yield were observed with different N rates. Nitrogen management practices also affected grain yield. The interactions between N management practices and drainage were not significant. End of season stalk nitrate content showed differences in N availability with different N rates, but not N management practices. Neither NBPT nor the starter fertilizer significantly increased yield over the untreated check in any environment. Nitrapyrin significantly increased yield over the untreated check at Fargo in 2010. Increased N rates resulted in greater corn grain protein.
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Brinkman, Joshua. "From 'Hicks' to High Tech: Performative Use in the American Corn Belt." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/81991.
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This study traces the history of how farmers have used technologies from the eighteenth century to the present to form identities, not simply as ways of making greater economic profits. Using technologies becomes a way to 'perform' a person's sense of him or herself. This insight serves historians because it suggests that users, not just important inventors, drive technological change. My study also suggests that the relationship people have with technology (and how they use it to form their identities) has historical genealogies. Engineers and business people will also find my history useful because the notion of 'performative use' means that people's views of themselves can influence the way they adopt and employ technologies. Policy scholars will gain from my study because I show that the way people use technology to understand themselves has consequences in determining how they participate in controversies over science and technology policy.
This narrative begins in the eighteenth century by analyzing how elites like Benjamin Rush viewed the agricultural practices of German farmers, regarded by many in the upper classes as backwards. I show how observances of German farmers by elites created a pattern repeated throughout American history where rural people would use technology to perform their identities for an outside observer. In addition, I describe an identity, which I call 'German agrarianism,' and contend that this rural self-image migrated to the Midwest when German farmers moved westward. German agrarianism had several important features including the association of morality with family-based production practices, an obsession with owning personal property, the inclusion of women in farming and land ownership, and the practice of performing identity through the use of material objects. Next, I describe a rural identity with English origins, one that other scholars have named 'Jeffersonian agrarianism.' This Jeffersonian identity saw farmers as heroes who conquered the frontier, preserved American democracy, and supported less moral urban dwellers. I argue that Jeffersonian agrarianism in the nineteenth century began to reject technological and social change and that this view of rural people as anti-modern has influenced the way observers of rural life have viewed farmers up to the present.
This study then analyzes the rural-urban conflict of the 1920s, contending that farmers used technologies to develop their own rural modern identity, which I call 'rural capitalistic modernity.' Farmers used technology this way to combat a version of modernity, which I name 'urban industrialism.' This modern identity, arising from the cities, advocated improving rural life by making farms resemble urban factories. This factory model threatened German and Jeffersonian rural identities that existed prior to the 1920s because it removed the family as the center of production and advocated work processes that took control and property ownership away from farmers. In addition, urban industrialism saw farmers as backward and in need of reform, which offended farmers who saw themselves in heroic terms as a result of Jeffersonian agrarianism. I argue that many rural people in the 1920s used technology to perform an identity of rural capitalistic modernity as a means of combating these urban efforts to restructure farms as factories and stereotype farmers as 'yokels' or 'rubes.' This rural modern identity became reinforced during the Cold War because the farmer saw Soviet collectivized agriculture as posing the same threats as previous urban industrialism. In addition, the way farmers used technology to reinforce their views of themselves as modern became valuable to government actors in the United States who saw increased agricultural production as a weapon in defeating the Soviet Union.
By the 1970s, farmers formed an identity called 'rural ultramodernity' in which they began to think of themselves as more modern than urban dwellers because of their design and use of advanced technologies and their role as producers in the global food network. This ultramodern identity incorporates aspects of previous rural identities, including an obsession with combating urban stereotypes of farmers as 'hicks.' In addition, this rural ultramodern identity views farmers as having an inborn modernity inherited from previous generations of farmers. I argue that this ultramodern way farmers think of themselves explains why rural people in the Midwest have embraced the erection of wind turbines, unlike residents of other regions in the U.S.
From a policy perspective, this study also contends that debates over science and technology, such as efforts to render agriculture more sustainable and organic, are impacted by unexpressed fundamental views about nature and morality. Statements about these controversies often take the form of proxy arguments that sound 'rational' but mask these unstated ideas, and they often alienate those with opposing views. Current debates over genetically modified organisms, from a rural perspective, are actually unspoken clashes over rural ultramodern and organic identities hidden by 'objective' points made by both sides involving science or economics. This study also challenges the common notion that technology and production are male domains by showing how both men and women have used technology to construct their identities as producers on Midwest farms. This insight illustrates how disagreements over gender roles underlie current policy debates about agriculture. Farmers view organic discourse as threatening rural women's identities as modern producers by framing farming as an immoral, industrial, and male domination of a moral and female nature. Rural people view organic discourse as carrying on the tradition of urban industrialism, which saw farmers as backwards and farm women as unhappy and occupying an exclusively domestic sphere. This study suggests that any effort to reform agriculture must include farmers and incorporate the way rural people use technologies to form and reinforce their identities. At the same time, the conclusion advocates for a new rural identity that avoids farmer's tendencies to view all technologies as 'progress' regardless of their environmental or social impacts.<br>Ph. D.
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Cherr, Corey. "Improved use of green manure as a nitrogen source for sweet corn." [Gainesville, Fla.] : University of Florida, 2004. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/UFE0006501.
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Olsen, Davey J. R. "Determining Compost Carryover for Optimal Use in an Organic Corn Squash Rotation." DigitalCommons@USU, 2012. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/1458.
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Organically certified farms using compost to improve or maintain fertility rarely consider compost carryover and its impact on the determination of economically optimal application rates. Compost carryover is comprised of nutrient and non-nutrient elements. Both affect crop growth, yet carryover is typically described primarily in terms of nitrogen (N)-carryover only. This study tested a new method for estimating compost carryover on organically certified land and expressed carryover in units that capture both the nutrient and non-nutrient components. Compost carryover for five treatment rates was estimated over four years in an organically certified field trial in a corn and squash rotation. Nitrate (NO3-), phosphorus (P), soil organic matter (SOM) were investigated to determine the residual effect of a one-time compost application. Implications for fertility management and farm profitability were considered. The new method successfully modeled carryover, determining that compost had a persistent and positive effect on crop yields, evident even three years after an initial one-time application. No NO3- carryover was observed in any year, suggesting that yield responses were due primarily to non-N carryover. Compositional changes in SOM corresponding to compost input three years earlier suggested that compost was able to influence non-nutritive soil properties many years after incorporation. High value cash-crops are necessary in organic rotations to offset the high input cost of compost use. In organic fertility management, compost is an important and economical source of non-N fertility, which benefits crop yield many years after incorporation. When used with a dedicated N-fixing cover crop in a rotation that includes a high value cash-crop, complete fertility goals could be met in a sustainable manner. (153 pages)
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Nevile, Elizabeth, and liddy@sunriseresearch org. "Metadata for user-centred, inclusive access to digital resources: realising the theory of AccessForAll accessibility." RMIT University. Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences, 2010. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20100310.135641.
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To be inclusive, the Web needs published resources to be matched to individual users' needs and preferences for their perception and control. In a decade, this has not been achieved and many cannot make use of resources despite having appropriate facilities. This thesis argues that the necessary management of resources can be achieved with well-designed metadata. Demonstration and explanation of the accessibility problems, efforts to solve them and the current state of inaccessibility of Web resources, any resource that is available through the World Wide Web, is fundamental to the research. The author relies heavily on Dublin Core metadata as it is relatively easy to use; is probably the most populous metadata; can be managed with free software systems, and for commercial reasons. The research investigated what makes DC metadata, so apparently simple, powerful enough to be the most popular metadata because there is very little available that explains this. The thesis then documents the scientific view of metadata upon which effective use of metadata can be based in the context of accessibility. It argues, at a practical level, that metadata is essential and integral to any shift to an on-going process approach to accessibility. It contributes to the science of metadata in as much as it analyses, synthesizes, and articulates the characteristics of an essential infrastructure for a new approach to accessibility. The author argues in favour of an on-going process approach to accessibility of resources that supports continuous improvement of any given resource, not necessarily by the author of the resource, and not necessarily by design or with knowledge of the original author, by contributors who may be distributed globally. The thesis argues that the current dependence on production guidelines and post-production evaluation of resources as either universally accessible or otherwise, does not adequately provide for either the accessibility necessary for individuals or the continuous or evolutionary approach possible within the current Web environment. It argues that a distributed, social-networking view of the Web as interactive, combined with a social model of disability, given the management tools of machine-readable, interoperable AccessForAll metadata, as developed, can achieve the desired goals. It raises issues regarding its implementation in the distributed environment of the Web. Please note: The thesis is archived in a format that is not accessible to all and for this reason, the author may be contacted for alternative versions (liddy@sunriseresearch.org; liddy.nevile@gmail.com).
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Kaiser, Daniel Eric. "Use of poultry manure as a phosphorus source for corn production in Iowa." [Ames, Iowa : Iowa State University], 2006.
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Jama, Ahmed Omar 1955. "The influence of irrigation timing on corn root growth, water use, and yield." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/277280.
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The adverse effect of moisture stress at flowering and maturation stages on corn (Zea mays L.) grain yield is well documented. Stress at vegetative stages, on the other hand, affects dry matter more than grain yield but is also reported to condition the corn plant to withstand later stress. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine if moisture stress at vegetative stages could condition the corn crop to minimize the effect of stress at reproductive stages, and (2) to document the effect of this vegetative stress on corn root growth, water use and yield. Secondary root initiation was reduced by moisture stress at the 4 and 7 leaf stages. Moisture stress during vegetative stages reduced water use and stover weight but not grain yield. However, stress at silking reduced grain yield. Stress at vegetative stages did not precondition the corn to endure water deficit later in the season.
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Steusloff, Tyler W. "Nitrogen Management Strategies to Improve Corn Growth and Reduce Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Claypan Soils." Thesis, University of Missouri - Columbia, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13850753.
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<p> Adoption of nitrogen (N) management strategies to minimize gaseous N loss from agriculture while maintaining high yield production is increasingly important for an exponentially growing population. Agricultural management on poorly-drained claypan soils in the Midwestern U.S. make corn (<i> Zea mays</i> L.) production even more challenging due to the subsoil’s low permeability, which may result in wetter soil conditions and relatively larger amounts of soil N<sub>2</sub>O emissions during the growing season. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of urea fertilizer placement with and without the addition of a nitrification inhibitor (NI) on corn yield, N use efficiency (NUE), and cumulative soil N2O emissions on a Northeastern Missouri claypan soil. The fertilizer strategies utilized in this study consisted of deep-banded urea (DB) or urea plus nitrapyrin [2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine] (DB+NI) at a depth of 20 cm compared to urea broadcast surface applied (SA) or incorporated to a depth of 8 cm (IA). The addition of a NI with deep-banded urea resulted in 27% greater apparent N recovery efficiency than all other N treatments. Additionally, DB+NI had 54 and 55% lower cumulative soil N<sub>2</sub>O emissions than IA and SA treatments in the two combined growing seasons. These results suggest that deep placement of urea with or without nitrapyrin is an effective management strategy for increasing corn yield and reducing N loss on a claypan soil.</p><p>
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Reis, Lucimara Flavio dos. "Obsolescência e renovação do uso do solo nos centros das grandes cidades e o processo de acumulação capitalista: economia e sociedade no espaço urbano." Universidade de São Paulo, 2015. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/16/16139/tde-08032016-163927/.
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A pesquisa visa identificar os fatores determinantes ou que contribuem para a ocorrência do fenômeno da obsolescência das áreas urbanas centrais. A partir do entendimento de como se dão as transformações dos usos do solo, que assumimos poder resultar na obsolescência, busca-se estabelecer uma relação entre os aspectos da organização social e a conformação espacial da cidade, em particular, da Cidade de São Paulo, aqui tomada como um caso antitético quando contraposto ao retrospecto das cidades de Xangai e Guangzhou. Para compreender os processos de obsolescência e renovação urbana, especialmente onde tais processos são mais intensos, no core das aglomerações urbanas, dá-se ênfase às forças atuantes na produção do espaço, nomeadamente à relação estabelecida entre Estado e Mercado.<br>The research aims to identify the determinants of the phenomenon of obsolescence in the Centre of urban agglomerations. Based on the understanding of the transformation of land use, which we assume that can result in obsolescence, we seek to establish a link between aspects of social organization and the spatial conformation of the city, particularly the city of São Paulo, here taken as an antithetical case when compared to the cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou. To understand the processes of obsolescence and of urban renewal, especially where such processes are more intense, as to say in the core of urban agglomerations, emphasis shall be given to the forces that determine the production of space, mainly in what concerns the relation established between State and Market in regulating the urban land uses.
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Yokobori, Sävö Andreas. "User Plane Selection for Core Networks using Deep Reinforcement Learning." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för elektroteknik och datavetenskap (EECS), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-265780.
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Allocating service functions to a core network upon users’ various demands isof importance in 5G networks. In this thesis work, we have studied reinforcementlearning models to solve this allocation problem. More precisely, 1) webuild a simple version of an MDP model for allocation in 5G core networks,2) we train an agent using a family of deep-Q learning (DQN) algorithms.When the number of nodes in the core network is large, one critical challengeis overcoming the sampling inefficiency due to a high dimensional actionspace, i.e., most of the exploratory allocations made by the agent gives zeroreward. To deal with such reward sparsity, we applied two techniques: prioritizedexperience replay (PER) and hindsight experience replay (HER).Our study shows that a DQN agent trained with both HER and PER providesa reasonable allocation in a larger sized networks, whereas a vanillaDQN agent works only for a very limited case where the number of nodesis small.<br>Att allokera service funktioner på ett kärnnätverk för att bemöta användarnasdiverse efterfrågningar är av viktig betydelse inom 5G-nätverk. I detta masterprojekthar vi studerat förstärkande inlärningsmodeller för att lösa detta allokeringsproblem.Mer specifikt: 1) vi bygger en simpel version av en MDPmodell för allokering i ett 5G-kärnnätverk, 2) vi tränar en agent med en familjav deep Q-learning (DQN) algoritmer.När antalet noder i kärnnätverket är stort är ett av de största problemensamplingsinneffektiviteten som uppstår p.g.a. handlingsrymdens höga dimensionalitet. Detta innebär att de flesta utforskningshandlingarna ger agentenen noll-belöning. För att detta problem med gles belöning applicerade vi tvåtekniker: prioritized experience replay (PER) och hindsight experience replay(HER).Våra studier visar att en DQN agent tränad med både HER och PER löserallokeringsproblemet för större nätverk medan en vanlig DQN agent endastlöser problemet för nätverk med ett begränsat antal noder.
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Miller, Michael A. "21st century roles and missions : identifying Air Force core competencies and core capabilities /." Maxwell AFB, Ala. : School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, 2008. https://www.afresearch.org/skins/rims/display.aspx?moduleid=be0e99f3-fc56-4ccb-8dfe-670c0822a153&mode=user&action=downloadpaper&objectid=4424120d-705b-40e2-a107-0aead299c5d9&rs=PublishedSearch.
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Singh, Ajay. "Water and nitrogen use efficiency of corn (Zea mays L.) under water table management." Thesis, McGill University, 2013. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=116989.
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Drainage and water table management are essential for crop production in humid regions. Water table management not only increases crop yield, but also reduces nitrate leaching to water bodies. This study investigated the water and nitrogen use efficiency of corn under two water management conditions and three nitrogen fertilizer levels. The sap flow heat balance method was used to measure the daily water uptake of corn, over an extended period of the growing season. The impacts of climate change on grain corn and biomass yield in eastern Canada under tile drained conditions was also evaluated over a 30 year future period (2040 to 2069). The study was conducted at a field scale in 2008 and 2009 at St. Emmanuel, Quebec. The two water management conditions were: conventional drainage (FD), and controlled drainage with subirrigation (CD-SI). The three nitrogen (N) fertilizer treatments (low, medium, and high N) were applied in a strip across three blocks. The seasonal water balance indicated that the plants in the CD-SI plots had more water than required in the wet periods, despite the system automation, while the FD plots exhibited deficit water conditions. Water could be saved in the wet periods by better regulating water supplied by subirrigation. However, in dry years, the CD-SI system increased yield. The grain corn water use efficiency (WUE) for FD plots was 2.49 and 2.46 kg m-3, in 2008 and 2009, respectively. In these years, the grain WUE for CD-SI plots was 2.43 and 2.26 kg m-3. Water management treatments demonstrated significant difference (p < 0.05) in grain yields in 2009, at low and high nitrogen levels. However, at the medium nitrogen level, water management demonstrated no significant effect (p > 0.05) on grain yields. The two water treatments had no effect on the above-ground dry biomass yields in both years. Mean nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of grain corn and biomass varied from 27 to 99 kg kg-1. Highest NUE (99 kg kg-1) was observed under low N (~120 kg N ha-1) and lowest NUE (41 kg kg-1) occurred in the high N (~260 kg N ha-1). This might be due to higher nitrogen losses due to leaching, residual nitrogen in the soil, and more denitrification in high N plots. The rate of plant water uptake measured by the sap flow method, varied from 3.55 to 5.11 mm d-1 from silking to full dent stage of corn growth. These rates were consistent with ETc calculated by the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith method (3.70 to 5.93 mm d-1) for both years. Although, silking is considered as a critical stage for corn growth, water demand was highest at the milk stage (45.63 to 59.80 mm). Transpiration during this stage constituted 10 to12% of the total water requirement of the corn for the season. The silking to full dent stage accounted for approximately 40% of the total water requirement of the crop. The STICS (JavaStics v1.0) crop model was used to examine the impacts of climate change, under the B1 emissions scenario, on corn yield from 2040-2069. The model was calibrated using 2008 field measured data, and then validated using the 2009 data set. Corn grain yield was underestimated by 1.5 to 2.6 Mg ha-1 for the two years of measurement. Total dry biomass was also underestimated by 0.9 to 2.6 Mg ha-1. Simulations for the B1 emissions scenario using synthetic weather data was run under the same crop conditions as in 2008. Tukey's studentized range (HSD) test of corn grain yield indicated that yields at high and low N, and high and medium N were different at the 95% confidence level. Grain and biomass production from 2040-2069 under B1 emissions scenario responded differently (p < 0.05) for the three N treatments. However, the Mann–Kendall test showed neither increasing nor decreasing trend (MK-stat > - 1.96) at a 95% confidence level.<br>Le drainage et la gestion de la nappe phréatique des parcelles agricoles permet non seulement d'augmenter la production des récoltes, mais aussi de réduire les pertes de nitrates par lessivage, qui contribue à leurs transferts vers les étendues d'eau. Cette étude a examiné l'efficacité d'utilisation de l'eau et de l'azote du maïs grain sous deux conditions de gestion de l'eau et trois niveaux d'application d'azote. Les facteurs climatiques jouent un rôle important dans la production du maïs-grain. Les impacts des changements climatiques sur les projections de maïs-grain et de la production de biomasse en sol drainé ont aussi été évalués pour l'est du Canada pour une période futur de 30 ans (2040 à 2069). L'étude a été accomplie à l'échelle du champ en 2008 et en 2009 à Saint Emmanuel au Québec. Les deux scénarios de gestion de l'eau étaient (a) le drainage conventionnel (FD) et (b) le drainage contrôlé combiné à l'irrigation souterraine (CD-SI). Les trois traitements d'azote (N) (dose faible, moyenne et élevée) ont été appliqués en bande sur trois blocs. L'efficacité d'utilisation de l'eau du maïs (WUE) pour les blocs en FD était de 2.49 kg m-3 et 2.46 kg m-3 en 2008 et 2009 respectivement. Pour ces années, L'WUE du maïs-grain pour les blocs en CD-SI était de 2.43 kg m-3 et de 2.26 kg m-3. Les traitements relatifs à la gestion de l'eau ont permis d'améliorer la production de rendement du maïs-grain significativement (p <0.05) en 2009, que cela soit avec des doses d'azotes basses ou élevées. Cependant, pour des doses intermédiaires, la gestion de l'eau n'a démontré aucun effet significatif (p> 0.05) sur les productions de maïs-grain. Les deux traitements relatifs à la gestion de l'eau n'ont eu aucun effet sur la production de biomasse sèche au-dessus du sol pour les deux années. L'efficacité moyenne de l'utilisation de l'azote (NUE) du maïs grain et de sa biomasse variait de 27 kg kg-1 à 99 kg kg-1. La plus haute NUE (99 kg kg-1) a été observée pour une dose de N faible (~120 kg N ha-1). La plus basse NUE (41 kg kg-1) s'est produite pour une dose de N élevée (~260 kg N ha-1). La consommation des plantes en eau mesurée par la méthode d'écoulement de la sève, vari de 3.55 mm d-1 à 5.11 mm d-1 pour la période de l'apparition des soies jusqu'à la croissance complète du maïs-grain. Ces taux sont en accord avec l'ETc calculée (3.70 mm d-1 à 5.93 mm d-1) pour les deux ans. Bien que, le développement de la soie soit considéré comme le stade critique pour le maïs-grain, la demande en eau fut la plus élevée lors du stade laiteux du développement du maïs (45.63 mm à 59.80 mm). À ce stade, 10 à 12% des besoins totaux de la plante en eau pour la saison furent transpirés. Du stade de la soie jusqu'au développement complet de l'épi de maïs les besoins en eau de la plante ont représenté environ 40 % de son besoin total. Le modèle de récolte STICS (JavaStics v1.0) a été utilisé pour examiner les effets du changement climatique sur la production de maïs- grain, de 2040 à 2069 et sous le scénario d'émissions de gaz à effet de serre B1. Le modèle a d'abord été calibré en utilisant les données mesurées au champ en 2008 et, a ensuite été validé avec l'ensemble des données de 2009. La production de maïs-grain est sous-estimée de 1.5 Mg ha-1 à 2.6 Mg ha-1 pour les deux ans de mesure. La biomasse sèche totale est aussi sous-estimée de 0.9 Mg ha-1 à 2.6 Mg ha-1. Les simulations pour le scénario d'émissions B1 en utilisant des données météorologiques synthétiques font été utilisées dans les mêmes conditions de récolte que 2008. Les prédictions de la production de maïs-grain et de sa biomasse pour la période 2040-2069 sous le scénario d'émissions B1 sont différentes (p <0.05) selon les trois traitements de N. Cependant, l'épreuve de Mann-Kendall n'a montré aucune tendance à la hausse ou à la baisse (MK-stat> - 1.96) pour un niveau de confiance de 95%.
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Khosla, Rajiv. "Yield and water use efficiency of different plant populations of dryland corn and sorghum." Thesis, This resource online, 1995. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-06112009-063140/.
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Barlow, Vonny M. "Use of the egg parasitoid, Trichogramma ostriniae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) as a biological control agent of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae): An approach to integrated pest management in bell pepper." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/27324.
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Four to six separate inundative releases of ~30,000 to 50,000 T. ostriniae per 0.02 ha significantly reduced damage by O. nubilalis in bell pepper. Egg parasitization averaged 48.7% in T. ostriniae release plots, which was significantly higher than non-release plots (1.9%). Also, cumulative green pepper fruit damage averaged 8.7% in release plots, which was significantly less than non-release plots (27.3%). Pesticides tested against T. ostriniae were spinosad and methoxyfenozide. Spinosad adversely affected adult T. ostriniae producing 100% mortality at the field rate of 498 mg [AI]/L for both the preimaginal and adult toxicity tests. Use of T. ostriniae can provide effective control of O. nubilalis in pepper compared to conventional and organic spray regimes (Spinosad and methoxyfenozide respectively). Augmentative releases of T. ostriniae integrated with methoxyfenozide with its limited toxicity to both preimaginal and adult stages indicate that it is a superior candidate for control O. nubilalis.
To determine the behavioral differences of T. ostriniae and its response to O. nubilalis in green bell peppers, experiments were carried out to classify likely areas of O. nubilalis oviposition within the green pepper plant canopy. A total of 426 O. nubilalis egg masses were found on pepper plants during our study. Over 92% of egg masses were found on the lower surface of the leaf compared with the upper surface indicating a significant ovipositional preference for the undersides of leaves in 2002 ( x2 = 9.68; df = 1; P < 0.05) followed by similar results in 2004 (x2 = 4.34; df = 1; P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in the observed spatial distribution of egg masses among the three vertical strata in either 2002 or 2004 (x2 = 1.75; df = 2; P < 0.05 and x2 = 5.69; df = 2; P < 0.05 respectively). Field release rates of 17.0 foraging T. ostriniae females can achieve 80.0% parasitism of O. nubilalis egg masses distributed throughout the pepper plant canopy found primarily on the undersides of leaves. These data demonstrate that T. ostriniae has potential as a biocontrol agent for O. nubilalis in solanaceous crops.<br>Ph. D.
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Morris, Jennifer L. "Use of herbicides, tillage, and grazing cattle for establishment of corn in rotation with alfalfa and rye." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/45050.
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Six combinations of grazing, tillage, and herbicides were studied during 2 yr in a randomized block design to determine alfalfa (Medicago sativa) survival, corn (Zea mays) plant populations and corn growth in an alfalfa-corn rotation. Alfalfa was overseeded with rye (Secale cereale) in autumn prior to planting corn in spring of each year. Treatments were 1) non-grazed control with standard chemical treatments for no-till establishment of corn, 2) grazing alfalfa, then grazing rye until corn planting followed by dicamba application, 3) alfalfa grazing plus glyphosate prior to corn planting, 4) treatment 3 plus grazing prior to rye jointing, and 5) alfalfa grazing plus autumn application of glyphosate, 6) alfalfa grazing plus autumn disking (no herbicides). Grazing until corn planting decreased (P<0.05) alfalfa stands and rye biomass, but increased (P<0.05) corn plant populations and soil bulk density compared to shorter grazing periods. Grazing prior to rye jointing increased (P <0.05) soil bulk density and corn plant populations, and decreased (P<0.05) rye biomass compared to no spring grazing. Autumn disking decreased (P<0.05) bulk density, but generally provided less (P<0.05) control of alfalfa compared to autumn application of glyphosate. Autumn disking and glyphosate application (Trts. 5 and 6) increased (P<0.05) rye biomass compared to no autumn treatment (Trts. 3 and 4). Applying glyphosate prior to corn planting (Trts. 3 and 4) improved (P<0.05) corn populations and growth compared to autumn glyphosate or disking (Trts. 5 and 6) and was similar to conventional no-till establishment (Trt. 1). Herbicides were necessary to completely kill alfalfa, but grazing reduced TNC in alfalfa roots and alfalfa plant persistence.<br>Master of Science
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Bomark, Niklas. "Involvement in ISO 14001 : ISO 14001 from a user perspective." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-155746.
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Today the ISO 14001 system is used within a rather wide spectrum of firms and industries, even if the early adopters of the standard mainly where organizations in the heavy industry and manufacturing sectors (Peglaue and Baxter, 2007). Many of those early adopters have now been certified for over 10 years, and during the years several surveys and case studies have been conducted to pinpoint the motives, benefits and challenges for why organizations chose to implement and maintain the system (Massoud, 2010; Jiang and Bansal, 2003). However, one issue with research about ISO 14001 up until now is that most studies have focused upon a managerial perspective where the managers´ attitudes have been in focus rather than the employees (Boiral, 2007). Therefore, this case study set out to explore how the employees, the production operators, inside one certified organization are involved in ISO 14001 through a Grounded Theory approach. The results of the study showed that the production operators relied upon different strategies in order to legitimize their involvement in ISO 14001. Further on, the study shows that the production operators where involved in ISO 14001 at a level which was required in order to keep the certification. However, they could not obtain enough legitimacy to motivate an involvement in ISO 14001 which extended what was required in order to keep the certification. Grounded in the discovery of the different strategies used by the employees, this study argues that environmental awareness could be seen as an internal barrier and as a source for unsatisfied employees. Something which risks emphasizes a feeling of being involved in a rational myth (Boiral, 2007).
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Ioannou, Nikolas. "Complementing user-level coarse-grain parallelism with implicit speculative parallelism." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/7900.
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Multi-core and many-core systems are the norm in contemporary processor technology and are expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. Parallel programming is, thus, here to stay and programmers have to endorse it if they are to exploit such systems for their applications. Programs using parallel programming primitives like PThreads or OpenMP often exploit coarse-grain parallelism, because it offers a good trade-off between programming effort versus performance gain. Some parallel applications show limited or no scaling beyond a number of cores. Given the abundant number of cores expected in future many-cores, several cores would remain idle in such cases while execution performance stagnates. This thesis proposes using cores that do not contribute to performance improvement for running implicit fine-grain speculative threads. In particular, we present a many-core architecture and protocols that allow applications with coarse-grain explicit parallelism to further exploit implicit speculative parallelism within each thread. We show that complementing parallel programs with implicit speculative mechanisms offers significant performance improvements for a large and diverse set of parallel benchmarks. Implicit speculative parallelism frees the programmer from the additional effort to explicitly partition the work into finer and properly synchronized tasks. Our results show that, for a many-core comprising 128 cores supporting implicit speculative parallelism in clusters of 2 or 4 cores, performance improves on top of the highest scalability point by 44% on average for the 4-core cluster and by 31% on average for the 2-core cluster. We also show that this approach often leads to better performance and energy efficiency compared to existing alternatives such as Core Fusion and Turbo Boost. Moreover, we present a dynamic mechanism to choose the number of explicit and implicit threads, which performs within 6% of the static oracle selection of threads. To improve energy efficiency processors allow for Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS), which enables changing their performance and power consumption on-the-fly. We evaluate the amenability of the proposed explicit plus implicit threads scheme to traditional power management techniques for multithreaded applications and identify room for improvement. We thus augment prior schemes and introduce a novel multithreaded power management scheme that accounts for implicit threads and aims to minimize the Energy Delay2 product (ED2). Our scheme comprises two components: a “local” component that tries to adapt to the different program phases on a per explicit thread basis, taking into account implicit thread behavior, and a “global” component that augments the local components with information regarding inter-thread synchronization. Experimental results show a reduction of ED2 of 8% compared to having no power management, with an average reduction in power of 15% that comes at a minimal loss of performance of less than 3% on average.
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Gregson, Stephanie Pratt. "District-Funded Common Core Collaboration Grants Used for Teacher Professional Development." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2976.
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With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts and mathematics by the State of California in 2010, a shift in instructional practices along with the level of rigor and expectations for students began. As a result of these changes, a local school district sought a way through district-funded Common Core Collaboration Grants (CCCG) to provide professional development that supported 4th-6th grade teachers in their implementation of the CCSS. The purpose of this qualitative program evaluation case study was to examine teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of professional development funded by CCCG in supporting 4th-6th grade teachers in understanding and application of instructional strategies aligned with the CCSS. Weiss's theory of change and Roy and Killion's program evaluation framework guided the study. Data were collected from individual interviews of 7 teachers of 4th-6th grade who participated in the district CCCG professional development sessions. Interview data were coded and themes of choice, time, collaboration, and integration of the CCSS emerged. The results indicated that the use of CCCG for professional development is assisting teachers in successfully implementing the CCSS through increased collaboration and more opportunities to engage in learning within their own contexts. A program evaluation report and presentation to the district school board were developed. The results of this study may affect positive social change through suggestions of an alternative in the form of grants to schools and districts looking for innovative ways to support teachers and enhance student learning through professional development on the CCSS.
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Thomas, Ashley Elizabeth. "Creating a low-cost, low-particulate emissions corn cob charcoal grinder for use in Peru." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/45304.
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Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2008.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaf 35).<br>Indoor air pollution is a serious health risk in developing countries, and is the leading cause of death for children under five. By replacing traditional cooking fuels with charcoal, one can significantly reduce a user's exposure to the particulate matter responsible for the detrimental health effects. The MIT D-Lab has have developed a method of creating charcoal using agriculture wastes such as bagasse and corncobs. However, it has been found that corncob charcoal produces dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide and as a result is unable to be burned directly and must be briquetted. In conjunction with this, an organization in Lima, Peru called Enlace Solidario makes coal briquettes in a configuration that optimizes the burning performance. They have entered in a partnership with the nearby orphanage of Segrada Familia to produce cooking fuel at no cost. However, Segrada Familia must supply their own ground charcoal to be briquetted. Thus, there is a clear need for a charcoal grinding machine. This thesis developed a successful grinding mechanism based on a peanut sheller design developed by the Full Belly Project. Though it needs to be scaled up to achieve the required throughput, this mechanism successfully limits the user's exposure to charcoal dust created during the grinding process and provides a means to produce corn cob powder necessary to briquette charcoal.<br>by Ashely Elizabeth Thomas.<br>S.B.
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Ehrman, Terrence Patrick. "The use of corn pollen and glass beads to estimate fine particulate organic matter retention." Thesis, This resource online, 1994. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-09052009-040600/.
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Luíz, ângela Marli Ewerling. "COR E TURBIDEZ COMO INDICADORES DE PROCESSOS EROSIVOS NA BACIA HIDROGRÁFICA DO TAQUARAL SÃO MATEUS DO SUL – PR (2010-2011)." UNIVERSIDADE ESTADUAL DE PONTA GROSSA, 2012. http://tede2.uepg.br/jspui/handle/prefix/558.
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Previous issue date: 2012-12-19<br>The combination of natural and anthropogenic factors interfere in characteristics and properties of water, gives it a specific character in each place. The quality of water intended for human consumption has depended largely on the systems of land use on the slopes, erosion associated with the surrounding areas of production and water catchment, within a given watershed. Therefore, this study intends to show the configuration of land uses in the River Basin Taquaral in São Mateus do Sul - PR, between 2010-2011, and its contribution of sediment carried to the main river. As part of the methodology became the definition of four monitoring stations in rainfall and water features throughout the course of Taquaral River. These were defined according the sectorization of the main river and predominant land uses in each sector. Water samples were analyzed in the laboratory of SANEPAR - São Mateus do Sul. The parameters considered to relate to the presence of sediment were color and turbidity. The water samples were taken between August/2010 and July/2011, the 15th day of each month and every rainfall greater than 25 mm continuous event, an interval of 12 hours. The results indicated that there is greater sediment load transported to the Taquaral River along the upper course, where agricultural activities predominate in relation to the lower reaches where it is the urban occupation. It is hoped that this research can contribute to the planning of river basin management that is the basin catchment for urban and rural population of this municipality. Given this diagnostics, which referrals are made to inform and mobilize the population that occupies and uses this water catchment area, to preserve water quality and restore the areas most vulnerable.<br>A combinação de fatores naturais e antrópicos interferem nas características e propriedades das águas, atribuindo-lhes caráter específico em cada lugar. A qualidade dos recursos hídricos destinados ao consumo humano tem dependido em grande parte dos sistemas de usos do solo/terra nas encostas, associados aos processos erosivos que circundam as áreas de produção e de captação de água, dentro de uma dada bacia hidrográfica. Diante disso, este estudo mostra a configuração dos usos da terra na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Taquaral, em São Mateus do Sul – PR, entre 2010-2011, e a contribuição destes no aporte de sedimentos carreados para o canal principal. Como parte da metodologia fez-se a definição de quatro Estações de Monitoramento das precipitações e das características da água ao longo do curso do Rio Taquaral. Estas foram definidas a partir da setorização do rio principal e dos usos da terra predominantes em cada setor. As amostras de água foram analisadas no laboratório da SANEPAR – São Mateus do Sul. Os parâmetros selecionados para se relacionar à presença de sedimentos foram cor e turbidez. As coletas de água foram realizadas entre Agosto de 2010 e Julho de 2011; no 15º dia de cada mês e a cada precipitação igual ou superior a 25 mm de evento contínuo, num intervalo de 12 horas. Os resultados indicaram que há maior carga de sedimentos transportados para o Rio Taquaral junto ao alto curso, onde predominam atividades agrícolas, em relação ao baixo curso onde se dá a ocupação urbana. Espera-se que esta pesquisa possa contribuir para o planejamento de gestão dessa bacia hidrográfica que serve para abastecer a população urbana e rural deste município. Diante deste diagnóstico, que sejam realizados encaminhamentos no sentido de informar e mobilizar a população que ocupa e usa da água dessa bacia hidrográfica, para preservar a qualidade da água e recuperar as áreas mais fragilizadas.
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McClenton, Brandon Jermaine. "Use of corn forage for grazing lactating dairy cows an alternative management tool for dairy farms /." Master's thesis, Mississippi State : Mississippi State University, 2007. http://sun.library.msstate.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-08142007-130702.
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Mendes, Bastos Leonardo. "N fertilizer source and placement impacts nitrous oxide losses, grain yield and N use efficiency in no-till corn." Thesis, Kansas State University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/18797.
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Master of Science<br>Department of Agronomy<br>Charles W. Rice<br>Agricultural lands receiving N inputs are considered the primary source of N2O, a potent greenhouse gas. N fertilizer management has shown variable effects on both N2O losses and corn grain yield. The objectives of this study were to assess the impact of N source and placement on N2O emissions, fertilizer-induced emission factor (FIEF), corn grain yield, yield-scaled N2O emissions (YSNE) and N fertilizer recovery efficiency (NFRE). The experiment was conducted from 2013 through 2014 at the Agronomy North Farm located at Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS. The soil was a moderately well-drained Kennebec silt loam. The treatments were broadcast urea (BC-Urea), broadcast urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) (BC-UAN), broadcast coated urea (BC-CU), surface-band UAN (SB-UAN), subsurface-band UAN (SSB-UAN), subsurface-band UAN + nitrification inhibitor (SSB-UAN+I) and a 0 N control. In 2013, SSB- UAN emitted significantly more N2O (2.4 kg N2O-N ha-1), whereas control (0.3 kg ha-1) and BC- UAN (0.6 kg ha-1) emitted the least. In 2014, most treatments emitted between 3.3 and 2.5 kg N2O-N ha-1. Only SSB-UAN+I (1.03 kg ha-1) and control (0.26 kg ha-1) were significantly lower. The use of a nitrification inhibitor decreased N2O emissions by 62% and 55% in 2013 and 2014, respectively. BC treatments had cumulative emissions significantly higher in 2014 compared to 2013. Only SSB-UAN+I had a significantly lower FIEF (0.4%), and 2013 FIEF (0.68%) was significantly lower than that of 2014 (1.38%). In 2013, banded treatments had significantly higher grain yields (from 9.1 to 10.5 Mg ha-1), whereas in 2014 fewer differences among N treatments were observed, ranging from 7.2 to 8.6 Mg ha-1. Banded treatments had significantly lower grain yields in 2014 compared to 2013. Only BC-UAN and SSB-UAN+I had significantly lower YSNE, and 2013 had lower YSNE than 2014. In 2013, SSB-UAN had the greatest NFRE, whereas BC treatments had the lowest. In 2014, N treatments did not differ in NFRE. SSB-UAN
and SSB-UAN+I had significantly lower NFRE values in 2014 compared to 2013. Fertilizer source and placement have the potential to mitigate N2O emissions and promote high yields and NFRE in corn, however, the response is dependent on the rainfall pattern after fertilizer application. The option of banding UAN without any additive promoted higher N2O losses on a year when precipitation was well distributed, but also enhanced grain yield and NFRE. On the other hand, under the same precipitation conditions, broadcasting N fertilizer promoted lower N2O losses, grain yield and NFRE, but those were all improved in a wet year. Therefore, the subsurface band placement would be the best option under a normal year, whereas broadcasting fertilizer would be the best option under a wetter year. Further, the use of NI with subsurface band UAN provides the most sustainable option, since the NI decreased N2O losses compared to UAN alone in both years. Further research should evaluate N source and placement combinations under different environments in order to better understand how they impact crop performance and the negative environmental aspects of N fertilization. It is important to test those treatments under different precipitation scenarios and look for trends that indicate the best N management option at the local level.
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Isildak, Murat. "Use Of Helical Wire Core Truss Members In Space Structures." Master's thesis, METU, 2009. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12610553/index.pdf.
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In an effort to achieve lighter and more economical space structures, a new patented steel composite member has been suggested and used in the construction of some steel roof structures. This special element has a sandwich construction composed of some strips of steel plates placed longitudinally along a helical wire core. The function of the helical core is to transfer the shear between the flange plates and increase the sectional inertia of the resulting composite member by keeping the flange plates at a desired distance from each other. Because of the lack of research, design engineers usually treat such elements as a solid member as if it has a full shear transfer between the flanges. However, a detailed analysis shows that this is not a valid assumption and leads to very unsafe results. In this context, the purpose of this study is to investigate the behavior of such members under axial compression and determine their effective sectional flexural rigidity by taking into account the shear deformations. This study applies an analytical investigation to a specific form of such elements with four flange plates placed symmetrically around a helical wire core. Five independent parameters of such a member are selected for this purpose. These are the spiral core and core wire diameters, the pitch of the spiral core, and the flange plate dimensions. Elements with varying combinations of the selected parameters are first analyzed in detail by finite element method, and some design charts are generated for the determination of the effective sectional properties to be used in the structural analysis and the buckling loads. For this purpose, an alternative closed-form approximate analytical solution is also suggested.
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Zeng, Yong Xiang. "Transforming use case maps to the core scenario model representation." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/27097.
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Scenarios describe system functionalities and, when supplemented with performance annotations, provide a basis for performance analysis. This thesis presents a Core Scenario Model (CSM), which includes common scenario information in the Use Case Maps (UCM) notation and in UML 2.0 activity diagrams and interaction diagrams. The intent is to enable automatic transformations from a given scenario model to CSM, and then from a CSM model to performance models, hence enabling performance analysis early in the development process. CSM captures scenarios, performance, and deployment information, and is flexible enough to support multiple input scenario notations and output performance languages.
The thesis also includes a transformation from UCM models to CSM. Such automatic transformation enables the quick generation of performance models, ready to be analyzed. The results from performance analysis can be traced back to improve design decisions and any changes in design can be updated in performance models quickly through re-generation.
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McClenton, Brandon Jermaine. "USE OF CORN FORAGE FOR GRAZING LACTATING DAIRY COWS: AN ALTERNATIVE MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR DAIRY FARMS." MSSTATE, 2008. http://sun.library.msstate.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-08142007-130702/.
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Two lactation trials were used to investigate corn grazing as a management tool for dairies. Control (n = 18) cows, housed in free-stall barns were allowed ad libitum access to TMR while Grazing (n = 18 to 36) cows were limit-fed TMR down to 70% of that in Controls and allowed 24-h access to corn plots. By wk 3, Grazing cows consumed 7.9 +/- 1.5 kg/hd/d of standing corn. By wk 7, the crop had matured and Grazing cows consumed 11.42 kg/hd/d of corn grain. Intake of TMR by Controls was 20.07 +/- 0.46 kg DM/hd/d, 19.78% greater than Grazing groups. Corn grazing had no impact on body weight, condition score, or ruminal pH, but significantly increased milk production in the Grazing group. Corn grazing reduced the need for purchased commodities, while improving milk production and performance. The value of saved commodities and increased milk production was $0.71 per cow/d.
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Edmonds, Heather Siân. "Antimetabolic proteins from plants and their potential use in conferring resistance against corn rootworms (Diabrotica sp.)." Thesis, Durham University, 1994. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5880/.
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The major digestive enzymes of larval Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi, the southern corn rcotworm (SCR), have been investigated. A number of proteases have been identified, the majority cysteine proteases, some aspartic acid proteases are also present. In vitro assays of cysteine proteases showed that almost all activity could be arrested by E64 or chicken egg-white cystatin. This activity was also affected by TLCK, CpTI and thaumatin. Two inhibitory activities were demonstrated in protein extracts from rice seed. The first, oryzacystatin-I, caused marked inhibition of both the insect cysteine proteases and papain. The second produced strong inhibition of insect cysteine proteases but left papain virtually unaffected. Amino acid sequence data for this novel inhibitor was obtained, and significant homology demonstrated to the rice allergenic proteins (Izumi et a].,1992; Adachi et al., 1993). Oryzacystatin-I was expressed as a fully functional fusion protein (Rozc) in Escherchia coli, isolated, characterised and employed in feeding trials with larval SCR, a significant rise in mortality was demonstrated. Other protease inhibitors were also assayed in vivo, but none exhibited the efficacy of Rozc. A single iso-form of a-araylase was identified and characterised. In vitro assays with amylase inhibitors demonstrated the effectiveness of WAAI and the weak effect of BAAI. WAAI, employed in bioassay, produced a significant decrease in survival. Five lectins were tested by bioassay. WGA and GNA caused marked alterations in larval development, GNA was most effective. Saporin caused little effect when incorporated into artificial diet. WAAI, CpTI and GNA were employed in combination bioassays. An enhanced level of effectiveness was demonstrated with the double and triple combinations assayed. While further work is necessary, especially assaying protein efficacy in planta and establishing mechanisms of action, this project has successfully demonstrated the clear potential of plant antimetabolic proteins for use in the enhancement of inherent resistance of crop plants to insects, and of employing a number of proteins in a multi-mechanistic defence.
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Surdilovic, Tihomir. "Fuzzy Mouse Cursor Control System for Computer Users with Spinal Cord Injuries." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2006. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/cs_theses/49.
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People with severe motor-impairments due to Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) or Spinal Cord Dysfunction (SCD), often experience difficulty with accurate and efficient control of pointing devices (Keates et al., 02). Usually this leads to their limited integration to society as well as limited unassisted control over the environment. The questions “How can someone with severe motor-impairments perform mouse pointer control as accurately and efficiently as an able-bodied person?” and “How can these interactions be advanced through use of Computational Intelligence (CI)?” are the driving forces behind the research described in this paper. Through this research, a novel fuzzy mouse cursor control system (FMCCS) is developed. The goal of this system is to simplify and improve efficiency of cursor control and its interactions on the computer screen by applying fuzzy logic in its decision-making to make disabled Internet users use the networked computer conveniently and easily. The FMCCS core consists of several fuzzy control functions, which define different user interactions with the system. The development of novel cursor control system is based on utilization of motor functions that are still available to most complete paraplegics, having capability of limited vision and breathing control. One of the biggest obstacles of developing human computer interfaces for disabled people focusing primarily on eyesight and breath control is user’s limited strength, stamina, and reaction time. Within the FMCCS developed in this research, these limitations are minimized through the use of a novel pneumatic input device and intelligent control algorithms for soft data analysis, fuzzy logic and user feedback assistance during operation. The new system is developed using a reliable and cheap sensory system and available computing techniques. Initial experiments with healthy and SCI subjects have clearly demonstrated benefits and promising performance of the new system: the FMCCS is accessible for people with severe SCI; it is adaptable to user specific capabilities and wishes; it is easy to learn and operate; point-to-point movement is responsive, precise and fast. The integrated sophisticated interaction features, good movement control without strain and clinical risks, as well the fact that quadriplegics, whose breathing is assisted by a respirator machine, still possess enough control to use the new system with ease, provide a promising framework for future FMCCS applications. The most motivating leverage for further FMCCS development is however, the positive feedback from persons who tested the first system prototype.
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Guttenkunst, Emy. "Study of the wear mechanisms for drill bits used in core drilling." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Tillämpad materialvetenskap, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-355399.
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The thesis work was made in cooperation with the I-EDDA project who evaluates the drill equipment used in core drilling. The aim of this work was to determine how and why the drill bits are worn. The work consisted of two parts; investigate drill bits used in field tests and develop a lab scale method to be able to change one drill parameter at a time and see how it affects the wear. During the field tests the rotational speed and the pressure on the drill bits were changed between the three boreholes drilled. In the lab test one parameter at a time was changed; the rotational speed, the water flow and the load. The lab test was developed to attempt to replicate the core drilling and was performed by pressing a piece of a drill bit against a rotating stone cylinder. The drill bits from the field tests and lab test were analysed with the same methods on both macro- and microscale for easier comparison. The results indicate that the lab scale test can be used to evaluate the wear of drill bits. The analyses show rock present on the matrix of all the drill bits, in various amounts. The load has the largest impact on the wear of the drill bits and cause a change in mechanism. A high pressure leads to a higher amount of damaged diamonds and three body abrasive wear on the matrix. Lower pressure leads to polished diamonds and erosive wear on the matrix.
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Walder, Robert H. "Common core computational skills used by manufacturing technicians in west central Ohio /." The Ohio State University, 1996. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487940665434301.
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Josephs, Jennifer. "Perceptions of Validity: How Knowledge is Created, Transformed and Used in Bio-Agricultural Technology Safety Testing for the Development of Government Policies and Regulations." NSUWorks, 2017. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_dcar_etd/59.
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This is a case study dissertation to research the socio-political conflict surrounding Gilles Eric Séralini’s et al (2012) research on the toxicity of Monsanto’s NK603 line of corn and the herbicide Roundup. The study analyzes this conflict as a system of interconnected and often conflicting interests, assumptions and ideologies about how knowledge is created and transformed from the research stage to the policy implementation stage. The goal of this study is to: 1.) analyze critical surface level and underlying factors that contribute to the conflict; 2.) analyze systemic processes between national and international researchers, private interests and government policymakers in developing and implementing research protocols, policies and regulations pertaining (but not limited) to Monsanto’s NK603 corn and Roundup; 3.) identify potential patterns of knowledge transformation from the research stage to policy implementation. The theoretical approach used in this study considers social construction, critical theory and Kuhn’s theory of scientific revolution. In utilizing case study methodology, this study incorporates internal analysis of Séralini’s case with a basic comparative analysis of DDT and lead policy processes and knowledge transformation, using mainly secondary data sources supplemented with primary interview material from two select researchers using purposive sampling. By conducting this research, it is hoped that this study reveals a better understanding of the complex interconnected systems that help create and transform food safety policies and the science that supports and/or transforms them.
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Rachakatla, Rajashekar. "Targeted use of umbilical cord matrix stem cells for cancer therapy." Diss., Manhattan, Kan. : Kansas State University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/547.
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Taylor, Emily. "Use of Corn Co-Products in Beef Cow Diets and Its Effects on Cow and Offspring Performance." Thesis, Purdue University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10607515.
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<p> The effect of feeding corn by-products on cow reproductive performance, as well as offspring growth and reproductive performance has been investigated through four separate studies. The first study was conducted to evaluate the use of dried distiller’s grains with solubles (DDGS) in beef cow diets during early lactation on both dam and heifer offspring growth and reproductive performance. Three diets, consisting of 0, 2.5 or 4.7 kg/d DM of DDGS were formulated to be isocaloric but the DDGS diets exceeded protein requirements. Milk production was not different, however, milk components increased with the addition of DDGS. Resumption of cyclicity of dams, as well as days of age at puberty in heifer offspring were not different. However, while not statistically different, time-artificial insemination (TAI) rates of both cow and heifer offspring were numerically improved with the addition of DDGS in the diet. Plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) concentrations in the cows followed the trend of being higher with increasing levels of DDGS. While PUN concentrations did reach levels that are considered detrimental to fertility, they did not seem to have a negative impact on conception.</p><p> In the second study, the use of corn gluten feed (CGF) in dam diets and its effects on their reproductive performance was investigated. Three diets, consisting of 0, 3.3 or 6.7 kg/d DM of CGF were formulated to be isocaloric but the CGF diets exceeded protein requirements. Milk production and milk components were not different with the exception of fat, which tended to be greater in the high CGF treatment. Resumption of cyclicity and TAI conception rates were not improved when CGF was added to the diet. Plasma urea nitrogen concentrations did not approached what would have been considered detrimental to fertility.</p><p> The third study was conducted to evaluate feeding DDGS during the second trimester or the second and third trimester (3.0 or 3.5 kg/d DDGS, respectively), on heifer offspring reproductive performance. Growth performance of heifer offspring did not differ among treatments. There were no differences in TAI conception rates in heifer offspring from dams fed DDGS but, dominant follicles tended to be larger in heifer offspring from dams fed DDGS during the second trimester. Due to the lack of improvement in reproductive performance in this study, it has been hypothesized that lactation may be a more critical time point for improvements in heifer offspring reproductive performance.</p><p> The fourth study followed the hypothesis of the third study. Because heifer offspring reproductive performance was positively impacted when dams were fed DDGS during early lactation, evaluation of dams fed DDGS during early lactation on bull offspring performance was investigated. Bull offspring growth performance was not impacted by dam diets during early lactation. Scrotal circumference, testosterone concentrations and semen analysis were used to evaluate days of age at puberty, however, puberty attainment in bull offspring was also not impacted. In summary, feeding DDGS as a primary source of dietary energy during early lactation had a positive impact on both cow and heifer offspring reproductive performance, but this does not seem to be true for bull offspring.</p><p>
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Foster, Timothy J. "The use of nitrogen timing and nitrification inhibitors as tools in corn and wheat production in Kansas." Thesis, Kansas State University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/17203.
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Master of Science<br>Department of Agronomy<br>David B. Mengel<br>World population, together with the cost of crop production inputs, is increasing rapidly. The current seven billion people on earth are expected to reach nine billion by 2050 with resulting demands on world food production. In addition, the quality of our environment is being impacted by human activities, including agricultural production and crop fertilization. Nitrogen (N) management is the process of applying N fertilizers in a way to maximize use of N by crops, while minimizing loss to the environment. It is becoming imperative, as a means of increasing crop yields and food supplies, while reducing input usage, and minimizing the impact of N fertilization on the quality of our environment, that improved N application practices be identified and utilized. The objectives for this study were to compare the timing of anhydrous ammonia (AA) fertilizer N applications, fall and spring, with and without two different nitrification inhibitors (NI) as possible tools to enhance yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) in corn (Zea mays) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Kansas. Two different nitrification inhibitors were tested as alternatives, N-Serve (nitrapyrin) produced and marketed by Dow AgroSciences, and an experimental product under development by Koch Agronomic Services LLC. Three differing rates of the experimental product were used to assist in determining the optimal rate for this product. The study was conducted over two growing seasons, 2012 and 2013, which differed significantly in rainfall, rainfall distribution, and resulting NUE. Experiments were established at three sites for both crops in both years, on sites/soils selected for differing potentials for N loss, and mechanisms of N loss. One site was established at the Kansas State University Agronomy North Farm (N Farm), where yield potential was high, and N loss potential was low. A second site was established under irrigation at the Kansas River Valley Experiment Field near Topeka, KS (KRV), on a coarse silt loam soil with high potential for N loss through leaching. The third site was established at the East Central Kansas Experiment Field near Ottawa KS (ECK), on a clay pan soil with a high potential for denitrification loss. Weather conditions together with soil characteristics played a major role in the performance of N timing applications and impacted the response to the use of the inhibitors. In low N loss environments such as the N Farm, fall applications of AA to increase spring time-availability for producers showed minimal negative effects on yield or NUE. When combined with a nitrification inhibitor in the fall, performance was similar to spring application for both corn and wheat. At the KRV site leaching loss or potential loss from fall application was high for corn and wheat in both years, however little impact on NUE with NI use was observed. At the high ECK denitrification site, there was only one N loss potential event leading to inhibitor performance at Ottawa in corn in 2013.