Pesticide use on Utah\u27s crops

Utah State University\u27s Cooperative Extension Service has placed high priority on a Water Quality Initiative for Utah. As a part of that emphasis, a research project was initiated to analyze the hazards that agricultural chemicals pose to Utah\u27s ground water. The initial phase of this research was to determine those locations in Utah that are at greatest risk of ground water contamination by pesticides. This was accomplished by interfacing data on pesticide usage with soil and hydrologic factors. The results identified specific areas in the state where potential hazards exist. This report summarizes data on the use of pesticides on Utah\u27s major crop

Improving the Power Quality in Tehran Metro Line-Two Using the Ant Colony Algorithm

This research aims to survey the improvement of power quality in Tehran metro line 2 using the ant colony algorithm and to investigate all the factors affecting the achievement of this goal. In order to put Tehran on the road of sustainable development, finding a solution for dealing with air pollution is essential. The use of public transportation, especially metro, is one of the ways to achieve this goal. Since the highest share of pollutants in Tehran belongs to cars and mobile sources, relative statistical indicators are estimated through assuming the effect of metro lines development and subsequently reduction of traffic on power quality index

Use of simplex algorithm for optimizing simulation models

A methodology and computer model is developed to determine economically optimum closed subsurface drainage systems in irrigated areas. The mode 1 maximizes net benefits, by comparing profit driven by crop yields to drain system cost and selects an optimum drain layout. The optimization methodology used is the SIMPLEX method (Nelder and Mead, 1965). The SIMPLEX model was linked to the subsurface drainage model DRAINMOD (Skaggs, 1982) and to the surface hydraulic model KINE (Walker and Skogerboe 1987). The selected optimum drainage system maximizes the difference between total revenue, and the total cost of installation, operation and management of a particular drainage system. The optimization sub-program provides a workable and simple procedure for optimizing water management simulation models

Wake characteristics of a balloon wind turbine and aerodynamic analysis of its balloon using a large eddy simulation and actuator disk model

In the realm of novel technologies for generating electricity from renewable resources, an emerging category of wind energy converters called airborne wind energy systems (AWESs) has gained prominence. These pioneering systems employ tethered wings or aircraft that operate at higher atmospheric layers, enabling them to harness wind speeds surpassing conventional wind turbines' capabilities. The balloon wind turbine is one type of AWESs that utilizes the buoyancy effect to elevate the turbine to altitudes typically ranging from 400 to 1000 m. In this paper, the wake characteristics and aerodynamics of a balloon wind turbine were numerically investigated for different wind scenarios. Large eddy simulation, along with the actuator disk model, was employed to predict the wake behavior of the turbine. To improve the accuracy of the simulation results, a structured grid was generated and refined by using an algorithm to resolve about 80 % of the local turbulent kinetic energy in the wake. Results contributed to designing an optimized layout of wind farms and stability analysis of such systems. The capabilities of the hybrid large eddy simulation and actuator disk model (LES–ADM) when using the mesh generation algorithm were evaluated against the experimental data on a smaller wind turbine. The assessment revealed a good agreement between numerical and experimental results. While a weakened rotor wake was observed at the distance of 22.5 diameters downstream of the balloon turbine, the balloon wake disappeared at about 0.6 of that distance in all the wind scenarios. Vortices generated by the rotor and balloon started to merge at the tilt angle of 10∘, which intensified the turbulence intensity at 10 diameters downstream of the turbine for the wind speeds of 7 and 10 m s−1. By increasing the tilt angle, the lift force on the wings experienced a sharper increase with respect to that of the whole balloon, which signified a controlling system requirement for balancing such an extra lift force.</p

Sprinkler irrigation-pesticide best management systems

The relative reduction in potential groundwater contamination due to pesticides at several sites in Utah was determined by comparing alternative irrigation system designs, water management practices, and pesticides. Alternative sprinkler irrigation distribution coefficients were used to estimate irrigation application depths. The movement of pesticides through soils following sprinkler irrigations was simulated with a one-dimensional model. Pesticide contamination of groundwater can be reduced by careful selection of pesticides, using properly designed irrigation systems, and improved water management techniques. Procedures for selecting an appropriate sprinkler system design and pesticide are presented. KEYWORDS. Pesticides, Leaching, Sprinkler irrigation, Irrigation depth, Irrigation system design, Soil, Water management

Agricultural pesticide hazard to groundwater in Utah

We gratefully acknowledge the funding support of the Utah Department of Agriculture and the following offices at Utah State University. The Department of Agricultural and Irrigation Engineering, the International Irrigation Center, the Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, the Department of Soil Science and Biometerology, and the University Extension Services

A Survey on Deep Learning in Medical Image Analysis

Deep learning algorithms, in particular convolutional networks, have rapidly become a methodology of choice for analyzing medical images. This paper reviews the major deep learning concepts pertinent to medical image analysis and summarizes over 300 contributions to the field, most of which appeared in the last year. We survey the use of deep learning for image classification, object detection, segmentation, registration, and other tasks and provide concise overviews of studies per application area. Open challenges and directions for future research are discussed.Comment: Revised survey includes expanded discussion section and reworked introductory section on common deep architectures. Added missed papers from before Feb 1st 201

First record of Goniozus legneri (Hym.: Bethylidae), the larval ectoparasitoid of carob moth, in Iran

A larval parasitoid of carob moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller), was collected in pomegranate orchards in Fars province, Iran, during 2009-2010. This parasitoid, which is newly recorded from Iran, was identified as Goniozus legneri Gordh (Hym.: Bethylidae) by J. de Rond (Lelystad, The Netherlands)

Pesticide and Water management alternatives to mitigate potential ground-water contamination for selected counties in Utah

Production of adequate supplies of food and fiber currently requires that pesticides be used to limit crop losses from insects, pathogens, weeds and other pests. Although pesticides are necessary in today\u27s agriculture, they can be a serious problem if they reach and contaminate ground water, especially in places where drinking water needs are supplied from ground water. The relative reduction of potential ground-water contamination due to agricultural use of pesticides was analyzed for particular sites in Utah. The potential reduction of pesticides in ground water was considered by utilizing alternative irrigation systems, water management practices and pesticides. A one-dimensional simulation model, CMLS (Chemical Movement in Layered Soils), was utilized to simulate the movement of pesticides through soils. A hydraulic irrigation model (Kinematic-wave) was used to estimate water infiltrating through the soil profile for alternative furrow irrigation system designs and water management practices. The study indicates that a reduction in the likelihood of ground-water contamination due to agricultural use of pesticides can be achieved with careful use of pesticides, appropriate irrigation system design and water management techniques

Probiotic administration of Litopenaeus vannamei: Is there any negative effect on the fatty acid profile of meat?

It has been found that appropriate probiotic applications increased growth performance and disease resistance in shrimp. Bacillus subtilis has been suggested as a potent probiotic in improving growth performance and enhancing immune response in white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. The aim of this work was to evaluate the possible effect of B. subtilis administration on the meat fatty acid profile of white shrimp, L. vannamei. Two groups of shrimps received B. subtilis strains L10 and G1 from the B. subtilis-supplemented feed (10^5 and 10^8 CFU g^-1) while two other groups received it from the rearing water (10^5 and 10^8 CFU ml^-1). One group received no B. subtilis and served as control. According to the results, there was no significant difference between the muscle fatty acid profiles of shrimps administrated by probiotic and control group. This study showed that B. subtilis administration, in either diets or water, did not have any negative effect on fatty acid profiles of L. vannamei meat