New Course in Emerging SAP Technology

SAP has launched a plethora of new technologies in the last couple years. However, curricula using these technologies are not adequately developed. This project describes ongoing efforts to develop a new course that includes emerging SAP technology such as Cloud Solutions, SAP HANA, SAP Mobile and User Experience in the context of traditional technologies such as ABAP. Students attending this course will have completed course work in database query and design, basic programming and ERP. A variety of pedagogical techniques are employed including lectures on concepts, demonstrations of concepts in action, and hands-on experience with technology

WHAT ROLE DOES SPECIALIZATION PLAY IN FARM SIZE IN THE U.S. HOG INDUSTRY?

Replaced with revised version of paper 02/09/04.Farm Management,

Performance of Winter Wheat Varieties with and Without the ALMT1 Gene in Acid Soils

Aluminum (Al) tolerant wheat cultivars are often utilized in the southern Great Plains to damper the yield limiting impacts of Al toxicity in acidic soils. The tolerance is mainly facilitated by Al-activated malate transporter 1 (ALMT1) gene, which increases anion permeability of wheat roots and exudes malate in the presence of Al. However, no study has explored the phenotypic incongruities of those closely related genotypes with ALMT1(+) or without ALMT1(-)]. Moreover, there is currently no quantitative ranking of Al tolerance for newly released winter wheat varieties in forage and grain dual-purpose (DP) management systems. This field scale study consisting of two locations in central Oklahoma was established to determine the Al tolerance of eight parentally related but gene divergent winter wheat varieties [(Duster (+), Lonerider (+), OK14319 (+), Jagger (+), Iba (-), Gallagher (-), Spirit Rider (-), Smith's Gold (-)]. The design structure was a split-plot in a randomized complete block with a two-way treatment (6 x 8). Main plots were amended with alum/hydrated lime to reach the following target soil pH: 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 7.0. Soil samples were collected at two months after planting in order to determine soil pH and Al saturation (Alsat). Each variety was hand clipped during December to determine fall forage yield. Grain was harvested in June to measure grain yield, wheat protein concentration, test weight and wheat moisture content of each variety. Results varied between study years and locations. Significant differences were found between the relative forage yields of ALMT1 (-) and (+) genotypes groups at Stillwater and Chickasha in Year 1 (p = 0.0042 and p = 0.0440, respectively); however, differences were not significant in Year 2 (p = 0.7228 and p = 0.7792, respectively). No significant differences were found between relative grain yields of genotype groups at Chickasha (Alsat ≤ 8%) or Stillwater (Alsat ≤ 38%) in Year 1 (p = 0.9172 and p = 0.2102, respectively) or Year 2 (p = 0.2106 and p = 0.2684, respectively). Notwithstanding genotype group affiliation, significant differences were found among varieties in their response to Al concentration and soil acidity. Similarly, the productivity of genotype groups in this study varied between years and was not wholly dependent on the presence or absence of the ALMT1 gene. Additionally, varieties differed in their yearly and environmental responses despite close parental relationships. Nevertheless, the utilization of acid tolerant winter wheat varieties has the potential to significantly reduce yield loss under acidic soil conditions with high Al concentrations. The findings in this study should equip researchers and producers with the necessary knowledge to reduce yield losses when traditional methods of soil acidity amelioration such as liming are not feasible

Factors Driving Sow Breeding Operations to Become Large

This study examines the influences of economic and non-economic variables on the size of U.S. sow breeding operations using a probit model. Data from a national survey of U.S. hog operations identifying two different size categories were used in this study. Findings indicate that factors such as operations located in Delta States, climate controlled facilities, specialized operation, breeding practices, and risk attitudes toward investments influence decisions to establish breeding operations with 500 or more sows. Producers located in Iowa were more likely to choose breeding operations with 499 or less sows.Farm Management,

A shape-level flanker facilitation effect in contour integration and the role of shape complexity

This work by funded by an EPSRC doctoral training grant at the University of St Andrews.The detection of an object in the visual field requires the visual system to integrate a variety of local features into a single object. How these local processes and their global integration is influenced by the presence of other shapes in the visual field is poorly understood. The detectability (contour integration) of a central target object in the form of a two dimensional Gaborized contour was compared in the presence or absence of nearby surrounding objects. A 2-AFC staircase procedure added orientation jitter to the constituent Gabor patches to determine the detectability of the target contour. The set of contours was generated using shape profiles of everyday objects and geometric forms. Experiment 1 examined the effect of three types of congruencies between the target and two flanking contours (contour shape, symmetry and familiarity). Experiment 2 investigated the effect of varying the number and spatial positions of the flankers. In addition, a measure of shape complexity (reciprocal of shape compactness) was used to assess the effects of contour complexity on detection. Across both experiments the detectability of the target contour increased when the target and flanker had the same shape and this was related to both the number of flankers and the complexity of the target shapes. Another factor that modulated this shape-level flanker facilitation effect was the presence of symmetry. The overall results are consistent with a contour integration process in which the visual system incorporates contextual information to extract the most likely smooth contour within a noise field.PostprintPeer reviewe

Detecting a visual object in the presence of other objects : the flanker facilitation effect in contour integration

When an observer views a complex visual scene and tries to identify an object, his or her visual system must decide what regions of the visual field correspond to the object of interest and which do not. One aspect of this process involves the grouping of the local contrast information (e.g., orientation, position and frequency) into a smooth contour object. This thesis investigated whether the presence of other flanking objects affected this contour integration of a central target contour. To test this, a set of Gaborized contour shapes were embedded in a randomised Gabor noise field. The detectability of the contours was altered by adjusting the alignment of the Gabor patches in the contour (orientation jitter) until a participant was unable to distinguish between a field with and without a target shape (2-AFC procedure). By varying the magnitude of this jitter, detection thresholds were determined for target contours under various experimental conditions. These thresholds were used to investigate whether contour integration was sensitive to shared shape information between objects across the visual field. This thesis determined that the presence of flanking contours of a similar shape (as the target) facilitated the detection of a noisy target contour. The specific results suggest that this facilitation does not involve a simple template matching or shape priming but is associated with integration of shape level information in the detection of the most likely smooth closed contour. The magnitude of this flanker facilitation effect was sensitive to a number of factors (e.g., numerosity, relative position of the flankers, and perimeter complexity/compactness). The implication of these findings is that the processing of highly localised contrast and orientation information originating from a single object is subject to modulation from other sources of shape information across the whole of the visual field

Portable Dew Point Mass Spectrometry System for Real-Time Gas and Moisture Analysis

A portable instrument incorporates both mass spectrometry and dew point measurement to provide real-time, quantitative gas measurements of helium, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide, along with real-time, quantitative moisture analysis. The Portable Dew Point Mass Spectrometry (PDP-MS) system comprises a single quadrupole mass spectrometer and a high vacuum system consisting of a turbopump and a diaphragm-backing pump. A capacitive membrane dew point sensor was placed upstream of the MS, but still within the pressure-flow control pneumatic region. Pressure-flow control was achieved with an upstream precision metering valve, a capacitance diaphragm gauge, and a downstream mass flow controller. User configurable LabVIEW software was developed to provide real-time concentration data for the MS, dew point monitor, and sample delivery system pressure control, pressure and flow monitoring, and recording. The system has been designed to include in situ, NIST-traceable calibration. Certain sample tubing retains sufficient water that even if the sample is dry, the sample tube will desorb water to an amount resulting in moisture concentration errors up to 500 ppm for as long as 10 minutes. It was determined that Bev-A-Line IV was the best sample line to use. As a result of this issue, it is prudent to add a high-level humidity sensor to PDP-MS so such events can be prevented in the future

Process design of a fully integrated continuous biopharmaceutical process using economic and ecological impact assessment

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A Comparative Analysis of the Evolution of the Three Major U.S. Meat Industries: With Implications for the Future Direction of the U.S Beef Industry (Bulletin #877)

The objectives of this study are to: (1) use an appropriate model of structural change in agricultural industries to critically examine the evolutionary paths of the three major U.S. meat industries to date, and to (2) provide insight as to the future challenges faced by the beef industry in progressing toward a more efficient consumer-oriented industry.https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/agcenter_bulletins/1036/thumbnail.jp