Economic Analysis of Manure Harvesting Equipment in Feedyards for Dust Control

This study concentrated on one method of dust control which is harvesting manure with equipment. An economic analysis including hourly fixed and operational costs were performed on the following: tractor-pulled box scraper, front-end loader, dump truck, spreader truck, elevating scraper and tractor-pulled end dump. The purpose of this study was to generate cost data for feedyard owners/operators to reference when making manure management and equipment purchasing decisions.manure harvesting equipment, tractor-pulled box scraper, front-end loader, dump truck, spreader truck, tractor-pulled end dump, Agribusiness, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Economic Analysis of a Water Truck for Feedyard Dust Suppression

Dust created in feedyards can adversely affect cattle performance. Dust suppression can be accomplished by moistening pen surfaces with traveling gun(s) sprinklers, solid-set sprinklers, and water trucks. This study specifically addresses the fixed and operational costs associated with a water truck for various sized feedyards.water truck, dust suppression, fixed costs, operational costs, Farm Management, Livestock Production/Industries,

An evaluation of a coupled microstructural approach for the analysis of functionally graded composites via the finite-element method

A comparison is presented between the predictions of the finite-element analysis and a recently developed higher-order theory for functionally graded materials subjected to a thorough-thickness temperature gradient. In contrast to existing micromechanical theories that utilize classical (i.e., uncoupled) homogenization schemes to calculate micro-level and macro-level stress and displacement fields in materials with uniform or nonuniform fiber spacing (i.e., functionally graded materials), the new theory explicitly couples the microstructural details with the macrostructure of the composite. Previous thermo-elastic analysis has demonstrated that such coupling is necessary when: the temperature gradient is large with respect to the dimension of the reinforcement; the characteristic dimension of the reinforcement is large relative to the global dimensions of the composite and the number of reinforcing fibers or inclusions is small. In these circumstances, the standard micromechanical analyses based on the concept of the representative volume element used to determine average composite properties produce questionable results. The comparison between the predictions of the finite-element method and the higher-order theory presented herein establish the theory's accuracy in predicting thermal and stress fields within composites with a finite number of fibers in the thickness direction subjected to a thorough-thickness thermal gradient

Application of a biotin functionalized QD assay for determining available binding sites on electrospun nanofiber membrane

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The quantification of surface groups attached to non-woven fibers is an important step in developing nanofiber biosensing detection technologies. A method utilizing biotin functionalized quantum dots (QDs) 655 for quantitative analysis of available biotin binding sites within avidin immobilized on electrospun nanofiber membranes was developed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A method for quantifying nanofiber bound avidin using biotin functionalized QDs is presented. Avidin was covalently bound to electrospun fibrous polyvinyl chloride (PVC 1.8% COOH w/w containing 10% w/w carbon black) membranes using primary amine reactive EDC-Sulfo NHS linkage chemistry. After a 12 h exposure of the avidin coated membranes to the biotin-QD complex, fluorescence intensity was measured and the total amount of attached QDs was determined from a standard curve of QD in solution (total fluorescence vs. femtomole of QD 655). Additionally, fluorescence confocal microscopy verified the labeling of avidin coated nanofibers with QDs. The developed method was tested against 2.4, 5.2, 7.3 and 13.7 mg spray weights of electrospun nanofiber mats. Of the spray weight samples tested, maximum fluorescence was measured for a weight of 7.3 mg, not at the highest weight of 13.7 mg. The data of total fluorescence from QDs bound to immobilized avidin on increasing weights of nanofiber membrane was best fit with a second order polynomial equation (R²= .9973) while the standard curve of total fluorescence vs. femtomole QDs in solution had a linear response (R²= .999).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A QD assay was developed in this study that provides a direct method for quantifying ligand attachment sites of avidin covalently bound to surfaces. The strong fluorescence signal that is a fundamental characteristic of QDs allows for the measurement of small changes in the amount of these particles in solution or attached to surfaces.</p

Four-Dimensional Elastically Deformed Simplex Space-Time Meshes for Domains with Time Variant Topology

Thinking of the flow through biological or technical valves, there is a variety of applications in which the topology of a fluid domain changes over time. This topology change is characteristic for the physical behaviour, but poses a particular challenge in computer simulations. A way to overcome this challenge is to consider the space-time extent of the application as a contiguous computational domain. In this work, we obtain a boundary conforming discretization of the space-time domain with four-dimensional simplex elements (pentatopes). To facilitate the construction of pentatope meshes for complex geometries, the widely used elastic mesh update method is extended to four-dimensional meshes. In the resulting workflow, the topology change is elegantly included in the pentatope mesh and does not require any additional treatment during the simulation. The potential of simplex space-time meshes for domains with time variant topology is demonstrated in a valve simulation and a flow simulation inspired by a clamped artery.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figure

Luminescent crystals and manufacturing thereof

The present invention relates to the field of luminescent crystals (LCs), and more specifically to Quantum Dots (QDs) of formula A1aM2bXc, wherein the substituents are as defined in the specification. The invention provides methods of manufacturing such luminescent crystals, particularly by dispersing suitable starting materials in the presence of a liquid and by the aid of milling balls; to compositions comprising luminescent crystals and to electronic devices, decorative coatings; and to components comprising luminescent crystals.</p

Solid polymer composition

The present invention relates in a first aspect to a solid polymer component comprising luminescent crystals of 3-500 nm size, surfactant and a hardened/cured polymer. In a second aspect of the invention, a luminescent component comprises a first element comprising the solid polymer component according to the first aspect and an encapsulation enclosing the first element. In a third aspect of the invention, a luminescent component comprises a first film comprising the solid polymer composition of the first aspect. A fourth aspect of the invention relates to a light emitting device comprising the luminescent component according to the second or third aspect of the invention and a light source.</p