Field Evaluation of an Electrically Powered Spiral Mechanization System

This thesis is part of an investigation to determine the feasibility of using ozonation to control odors from the Fairmont municipal water supply. The primary source of water for Fairmont is Budd Lake. Odors develop in this lake water from the decomposition of organic matter such as algae and vegetation. Ozone was applied to the water at dosages of approximately 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8,12, 16, 20 and 24 mg/1 at contact times of 2.5, 5, 110, 20 and 30 minutes using a continuous flow ozonation pilot system. Odor intensities of these waters were then measured in terms of Threshold Odor Numbers. The results indicated that ozone dosages from 1.5 to 4 mg/1 at contact times of at least 30 minutes achieved sui table results under roost conditions. Dosages up to 8 mg/1 were required in a few instances. These investigations have been described in detail by Munce. The primary objectives of the investigations described in this thesis are as follows. 1. To determine the effect of ozonation, at the recommended operating conditions for odor control, on the flocculation efficiency, chlorine demand, content of organic matter and potential for the formation of trihalamethanes of the water. 2. To determine if any correlation exists between the ultra-violet absorbance and trihalamethane concentration of the water. A high correlation would allow the relatively inexpensive absorbance analysis to be used instead of the relatively expensive trihalamethane analysis to estimate the trihalamethane content of the water. 3. To determine the estimated construction and operating costs of ozonation facilities for odor control in Fairmont

Using Variable Spray Angle Fan Nozzle on Long Spray Booms

Abstract. A new-concept of using variable spray angle fan spray nozzle in conjunction with pulse width modulation technique was proposed for compensation of the effects of spray boom vibration on chemical application rate and pattern. A brief review of literature regarding techniques used to diminish the effects of long spray booms dynamic behavior on uniformity of spray application reveals that the research work so far has mostly been involved boom positioning, vibration analysis, mathematical modeling and monitoring of boom dynamic behavior, in the hope of finding the ways of attenuation of vibration through improving the design of better boom structure, suspension, and control systems. The present article puts forward the idea of using Variable Spray Angle Fan Spray Nozzle (VSAFSN) along with pulse width modulation (PWM) technique to maintain constant spray coverage, hence, uniformity of spray application while employing variable rate technology (VRT). TEEJET-XR11002 Nozzle was used and preliminary experiments were carried out. Spray pressure range of 55 kPa to 490 kPa, was used to vary spray angle from 78 to 160 degrees. Results showed that the spray maintained its almost normal distribution pattern within full range of spray angle. Relationships between spray angle and operating pressure, and, between spray angle and nozzle flow rate were found as  and  respectively. Keywords: Spray, Boom, Nozzle, Pulse width modulatio

Air-propelled Abrasive Grit can Damage the Perennial Weed Quackgrass

our field experiments were conducted during 2016 and 2017 to evaluate the efficacy of preemergence herbicides to control glyphosate-resistant common ragweed in corn. Dicamba, dicamba/atrazine, mesotrione + atrazine, isoxaflutole + atrazine, saflufenacil/dimethenamid-P, and S-metolachlor/mesotrione/bicyclopyrone/atrazine were the most efficacious herbicides, providing 94%–100% control of GR common ragweed and reducing density and biomass 98%–100%

Extensive characterization of NF-κB binding uncovers non-canonical motifs and advances the interpretation of genetic functional traits

Background Genetic studies have provided ample evidence of the influence of non-coding DNA polymorphisms on trait variance, particularly those occurring within transcription factor binding sites. Protein binding microarrays and other platforms that can map these sites with great precision have enhanced our understanding of how a single nucleotide polymorphism can alter binding potential within an in vitro setting, allowing for greater predictive capability of its effect on a transcription factor binding site. Results We have used protein binding microarrays and electrophoretic mobility shift assay-sequencing (EMSA-Seq), a deep sequencing based method we developed to analyze nine distinct human NF-κB dimers. This family of transcription factors is one of the most extensively studied, but our understanding of its DNA binding preferences has been limited to the originally described consensus motif, GGRRNNYYCC. We highlight differences between NF-κB family members and also put under the spotlight non-canonical motifs that have so far received little attention. We utilize our data to interpret the binding of transcription factors between individuals across 1,405 genomic regions laden with single nucleotide polymorphisms. We also associated binding correlations made using our data with risk alleles of disease and demonstrate its utility as a tool for functional studies of single nucleotide polymorphisms in regulatory regions. Conclusions NF-κB dimers bind specifically to non-canonical motifs and these can be found within genomic regions in which a canonical motif is not evident. Binding affinity data generated with these different motifs can be used in conjunction with data from chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-Seq) to enable allele-specific analyses of expression and transcription factor-DNA interactions on a genome-wide scale.Wellcome Trust (London, England) (grant 075491/Z/04)European Commission (Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013: Model-In (222008))European Commission (Seventh Framework Programme FP7 ITN Network INTEGER (214902))Medical Research Council (Canada) (MRC project grant G0700818

The impact of COVID-19 and associated lockdowns on traumatic spinal cord injury incidence: a population based study

Study design Natural experiment Objectives To determine whether COVID-19 restrictions were associated with changes in the incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) in Scotland. Setting The Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit (QENSIU), the sole provider of treatment for TSCI in Scotland. Methods Time series analysis of all admissions for TSCI between 1st January 2015 and 31st August 2022. Results Over the 8-year study period, 745 patients were admitted to the QENSIU with a TSCI. Interrupted time series analysis showed that level 3 and 4 COVID-19 lockdown restrictions (the most severe levels) were associated with lower incidence of TSCI (RR 0.63, CI% CI 0.47, 0.82, p < 0.001). The associations were stronger in people aged over 45 (additive interaction p = 0.001), males (additive interaction p = 0.01) and non-tetraplegia (additive interaction p = 0.002). The incidence of TSCI due to deliberate self-harm was higher (0.41 versus 0.23 per month) during restrictions. Conclusions Overall, TSCI incidence reduced in Scotland when lockdowns were implemented, presumably due to lower engagement in risky activities. The increase in TSCI due to deliberate self-harm may reflect increased mental health problems and social isolation and should be anticipated and targeted in future pandemics. The change in incidence during the COVID-19 pandemic may have an economic impact and see a temporary reduction in the burden on health and social care. The results of this study will be useful for resource planning in future pandemics

The application of machine vision to the selective harvest of green asparagus

A machine vision system was developed and tested to select and locate harvestable spears of asparagus. An image acquisition vehicle was fabricated to videotape portions of asparagus rows. The difference in reflectance between soil and vegetative material to near infrared light was used to obtain contrasted images of asparagus spears on a soil background. A narrow-band optical bandpass filter was used to enhance the difference in soil and plant reflectance. Gray-level thresholding was used to separate image pixels into object regions and background. Vertical run-length filtering was used to partially eliminate object regions associated with soil reflections and weeds. Vertical runs of object color pixels shorter than a predetermined minimum were filtered from the images. Run-length encoding and connectivity analysis was used to identify all horizontal runs of object pixels belonging to a single object region. The list of runs for a single region was used to calculate spatial parameters of the region. Asparagus spears were longer in pixel length than other object regions and were selected on that criteria. A height calibration procedure provided a set of equations for estimating the height of vertically oriented objects based on their length and position in the image. Spears were located by transforming the image coordinates of the spear bases to ground coordinates. A calibration procedure that assumed the soil surface to be a plane, used to obtain an image-to-ground transformation. Videotape of row segments acquired in the field was analyzed. A guidance rail for the image acquisition vehicle provided a directrix to relate measurements across the row, made by the researchers, to measurements made by the vision system. A series of marker pegs placed along the row provided a reference in the images to the position of the vehicle along the row. The locations of harvestable spears measured in the field were compared to the locations of spears found by the vision system in the laboratory. The vision system correctly identified from 86% to 97% of the harvestable spears in six fifteen meter row segments. The system was able process one image in approximately 10 seconds. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio

Abrasive Grit Application in Organic Red Pepper: An Opportunity for Integrating Nitrogen and Weed Management

Weeds are a top management concern among organic vegetable growers. Abrasive weeding is a nonchemical tactic using air-propelled abrasive grit to destroy weed seedlings within crop rows. Many grit types are effective, but if organic fertilizers are used, this could integrate weed and nutrient management in a single field pass. Our objective was to quantify the effects of abrasive grit and mulch type on weed suppression, disease severity, soil nitrogen availability, and yield of pepper (Capsicum annuum L. ‘Carmen’). A 2-year experiment was conducted in organic red sweet pepper at Urbana, IL, with four replicates of five abrasive grit treatments (walnut shell grits, soybean meal fertilizer, composted turkey litter fertilizer, a weedy control, and a weed-free control) and four mulch treatments (straw mulch, bioplastic film, polyethylene plastic film, and a bare soil control). Abrasive weeding, regardless of grit type, paired with bioplastic or polyethylene plastic mulch reduced in-row weed density (67 and 87%, respectively) and biomass (81 and 84%); however there was no significant benefit when paired with straw mulch or bare ground. Despite the addition of 6 to 34 kg N/ha/yr through the application of soybean meal and composted turkey litter grits, simulated plant N uptake was most influenced by mulch composition (e.g., plastic vs. straw) and weed abundance. Nitrogen immobilization in straw mulch plots reduced leaf greenness, plant height, and yield. Bacterial spot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. Vesicatoria) was confirmed on peppers in both years, but abrasive weeding did not increase severity of the disease. Pepper yield was always greatest in the weed-free control and lowest in straw mulch and bare soil, but the combination of abrasive weeding (regardless of grit type) and bioplastic or polyethylene plastic mulch increased marketable yield by 47% and 21%, respectively, compared with the weedy control. Overall, results demonstrate that when abrasive weeding is paired with bioplastic or polyethylene mulch, growers can concurrently suppress weeds and increase crop N uptake for greater yields

Genomic mapping of the MHC transactivator CIITA using an integrated ChIP-seq and genetical genomics approach

BACKGROUND: The master transactivator CIITA is essential to the regulation of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class II genes and an effective immune response. CIITA is known to modulate a small number of non-MHC genes involved in antigen presentation such as CD74 and B2M but its broader genome-wide function and relationship with underlying genetic diversity has not been resolved. RESULTS: We report the first genome-wide ChIP-seq map for CIITA and complement this by mapping inter-individual variation in CIITA expression as a quantitative trait. We analyse CIITA recruitment for pathophysiologically relevant primary human B cells and monocytes, resting and treated with interferon-gamma, in the context of the epigenomic regulatory landscape and DNA-binding proteins associated with the CIITA enhanceosome including RFX, CREB1/ATF1 and NFY. We confirm recruitment to proximal promoter sequences in MHC class II genes and more distally involving the canonical CIITA enhanceosome. Overall, we map 843 CIITA binding intervals involving 442 genes and find 95% of intervals are located outside the MHC and 60% not associated with RFX5 binding. Binding intervals are enriched for genes involved in immune function and infectious disease with novel loci including major histone gene clusters. We resolve differentially expressed genes associated in trans with a CIITA intronic sequence variant, integrate with CIITA recruitment and show how this is mediated by allele-specific recruitment of NF-kB. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate a broader role for CIITA beyond the MHC involving immune-related genes. We provide new insights into allele-specific regulation of CIITA informative for understanding gene function and disease. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-014-0494-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users