AgRISTARS: Foreign commodity production forecasting. Corn/soybean decision logic development and testing

The development and testing of an analysis procedure which was developed to improve the consistency and objectively of crop identification using Landsat data is described. The procedure was developed to identify corn and soybean crops in the U.S. corn belt region. The procedure consists of a series of decision points arranged in a tree-like structure, the branches of which lead an analyst to crop labels. The specific decision logic is designed to maximize the objectively of the identification process and to promote the possibility of future automation. Significant results are summarized

Technical summary of accomplishments made in preparation for the USSR barley exploratory experiment

The highlights of the work accomplished under each subcomponent of the U.S.S.R. Barley Pilot Experiment, which is scheduled for completion in 1984, are summarized. A significant amount of developmental system implementation activity was in the final stages of preparation prior to the rescoping of project tasks. Unpublished materials which are significant to this exploratory experiment are incorporated into the appendixes

Survival, injury, and antibiotic resistance patterns of Cronobacter sakazakii and Escherichia coli resulting from exposure to low-temperature ground water

Bacteria are constantly being exposed to changing conditions in the environment. Exposure to adverse conditions such as pH, temperature, and desiccation may cause stress to the bacteria, potentially resulting in loss of viability and growth. Cronobacter sakazakii and Escherichia coli were exposed to cold temperature (4°C) and room temperature (24°C) nutrient-limiting groundwater. As a function of time (0 to 15 days), samples were removed from the stress and analyzed. Response of stressed cells was evaluated by three approaches: (i) traditional viable cell counts (nonselective and selective media), (ii) substrate utilization patterns (BIOLOG GN microplates), and (iii) antibiotic resistance patterns (modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion assay). The cold, nutrient-limiting environment resulted in physical changes as reflected by survival and sublethal injury, changes in metabolic activity as reflected by differences in utilization of carbon substrates, and changes in antibiotic resistance patterns as reflected by increased resistance or susceptibility to six antibiotics. Three major findings were observed. First, analyses of the survival/injury data indicated C. sakazakii was more tolerant to extended ground water exposure than E. coli, regardless of water temperature. Second, changes in substrate utilization patterns (BIOLOG profiles) for both organisms as a result of stress present an option in which recovery media could be altered or supplemented in order to enhance detection of stressed cells from low-temperature aquatic environments. Finally, changes in antibiotic resistance patterns due to cold temperature stress may also have implications regarding detection of stressed cells, as well as the efficacy of clinical use of certain antibiotics to treat infectious disease. Findings from this research should provide a better understanding of the physiological response of C. sakazakii and E. coli to low temperature aquatic environments

Missile Attitude Sensing With Polarized Laser Beams

An optical system has been designed to monitor the attitude of a missile during early launch phase. The system utilizes passive reflective components mounted on the missile to return a pair of laser beams transmitted from a ground station* The beams have their polarization state modulated by the reflective elements such that polarization is a function of missile attitude. The returned beams are oassed through a polarization analyzing system at the ground station and missile attitude computed from the measured polarization parameters

Corn/soybean decision logic: Improvements and new crops

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Instrumentation and early performance of an innovative prestressed precast pavement system

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 August 22, 2007)Includes bibliographical references.Thesis (M.S.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2006.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Civil engineering.Traffic, weather and de-icing salts continually diminish pavement life. Current rehabilitation methods result in traffic congestion and lost work time. The use of prestressed, precast panels for the replacement of damaged roadways and intersections will give designers a significant advantage in improving pavement performance, decreasing construction time, and mitigating user costs. A pilot project, funded by FHWA, was created for a 1,000 ft (305 m) stretch of pavement on I-57 in southern Missouri. Seven of the 100 precast roadway panels used were instrumented to monitor temperatures, strains, and strand strains during fabrication, construction, and service. Objectives include examining early hydration temperatures and corresponding strains, comparing transfer strains (both pretensioning and post-tensioning) to analytical predictions, and analyzing service strains related to daily thermal variations, seasonal trends, and traffic. Condition surveys and materials studies complete the year long performance evaluation and are discussed in companion works by Brent Davis and Grant Luckenbill (currently underway)