The supply chain: transporting food, sustainability

Agribusiness,

Spatial Dependence in Wind and Optimal Wind Power Allocation: A Copula Based Analysis

The investment decision on the placement of wind turbines is, neglecting legal formalities, mainly driven by the aim to maximize the expected annual energy production of single turbines. The result is a concentration of wind farms at locations with high average wind speed. While this strategy may be optimal for single investors maximizing their own return on investment, the resulting overall allocation of wind turbines may be unfavorable for energy suppliers and the economy because of large fluctuations in the overall wind power output. This paper investigates to what extent optimal allocation of wind farms in Germany can reduce these fluctuations. We analyze stochastic dependencies of wind speed for a large data set of German on- and offshore weather stations and find that these dependencies turn out to be highly nonlinear but constant over time. Using copula theory we determine the value at risk of energy production for given allocation sets of wind farms and derive optimal allocation plans. We find that the optimized allocation of wind farms may substantially stabilize the overall wind energy supply on daily as well as hourly frequency.Wind power; Vine copula; Optimal turbine allocation

Chemostratigraphy - A tool for understanding transport processes at the continental margin off West-Africa

Continental margins as complex interfaces between continents and ocean basins, display a variety of gravity-driven depositional environments. Understanding the interaction of external and internal control mechanisms of sediment transport processes in these environments is important in order to reconstruct their sedimentary history. This study focuses on the geochemical imprints left in the sediment material and its corresponding fluid phase by gravity-driven sediment events and transport processes. High resolution geochemical investigations of the sediments and their fluids provide a detailed characterization of the material allowing conclusions on possible changes in the depositional environment and the related processes. The chemical composition of pore water may document recent changes in the sedimentation pattern caused by slide events. Modeling fluid concentration profiles helps estimating the event age. Geochemical fingerprinting of turbidites in a chemostratigraphic approach provides a more precise characterization of sediments and corresponding sources, and help facilitate reconstruction of transport pathways

Positivity and regularity of solutions to higher order Dirichlet problems on smooth domains

In this thesis we investigate whether results such as a positivity preserving property or the existence of classical solutions to nonlinear problems hold for some elliptic Dirichlet problems of order $2m$. We consider a weighted polyharmonic problem $(-\Delta)^m u-\lambda w u=f$ in a bounded domain $\Omega$ with smooth boundary and $(\frac{\partial}{\partial \nu})^ku=0$ on $\partial\Omega$ for $k\in\{0,1,\dots,m-1\}$. One of the main results is the following: One assumes that there is a function $u_0$ that can be estimated from below by $d(\cdot)^m$ and which fulfills $(-\Delta)^m u_0>0$ in classical sense. Then one finds a strictly positive weight function $w$ and an interval $I\subset \mathbb{R}$, such that for $\lambda \in I$ the following holds for the Dirichlet problem described above: $f$ positive implies that $u$ is positive. The proof is based on the construction of an appropriate weight function $w$ and a corresponding strongly positive eigenfunction for the weighted polyharmonic eigenvalue problem. Then, applying a converse of the Krein-Rutman theorem for the weighted polyharmonic Dirichlet problem, one obtains the main result concerning positivity of solutions. As a special case it is shown that one finds for all smooth domains an appropriate weight function, such that the weighted bilaplace problem is positivity preserving for $\lambda$ in some small interval. Moreover, further consequences of known estimates for the polyharmonic Green function are presented. Using these estimates and regularity results, we investigate the classical solvability of a higher order semilinear Dirichlet problem. We consider the differential equation $(-\Delta)^mu +g(\cdot,u)=f$ with zero Dirichlet boundary conditions, where $g$ fulfills a sign condition $g(x,t)t\geq 0$ for all $(x,t)\in \Omega\times\mathbb{R}$ and satisfies a growth condition

ARCTiC LawE: armed robotic control for training in civilian law enforcement

Much of this thesis looked at performing a cogent literature review of exoskeletons to determine the state-of-the-art and to determine the remaining needs in exoskeletal design. The literature review of over 80 journals, allowed the researcher to determine the lack of research in upper body exoskeletons for training in civilian, military, and law enforcement personnel. Thus the genesis of the Armed Robotic Control for Training in Civilian Law Enforcement, or ARCTiC LawE, an upper body exoskeleton designed to assist civilian, military, and law enforcement personnel in accurate, precise, and reliable handgun techniques. This exoskeleton training utilizes a laser based handgun with similar dimensions, trigger pull, and break action to a Glock ® 19 pistol, common to both public and private security sectors. The project aims to train and test subjects with no handgun training/experience with the ARCTiC LawE, and without, and compare the results of accuracy, precision, and speed. Ultimately, the exoskeleton greatly impacts sensory motor learning and the biomechanical implications are confirmed via both performance and physiological measurements. The researchers believe the ARCTiC LawE to be a viable substitute for training with live fire hand guns to reduce the cost of training time and munitions and will increase accuracy and precisions for typical law enforcement and military live fire drills. Additionally, this project increases the breadth of knowledge for exoskeletons as a tool for training

A review of the utilization of pre-medicine program resources and possible program changes at Iowa State University

Current Iowa State students and Iowa State alumni took a survey asking them to indicate if and how they utilized the resources offered by the pre-medicine program. The survey also asked them to rate proposed changes to the program by the author, provide their own ideas as to how to change the program, and collected some demographic information. This included Iowa residency status, cumulative GPA, major, and where alumni attended medical school. All data generated was analyzed to produce a comprehensive report on the utilization of the pre-medicine program. Results indicate that pre-med resources are being utilized but could be advertised more effectively. Both alumni and students mentioned a need for more assistance learning how to apply to medical school and clarification on what being pre-med at Iowa State means. The fact it is a program to be utilized not a specific major. Alumni favored the creation of a shadowing program at Iowa State and even mentioned that connections with alumni would be favorable as well. Overall, results indicate that the resources currently offered by the pre-medicine program are helping students but leaving many dissatisfied

Geology of sulphide-facies iron-formations and associated rocks in the lower Steel River-Little Steel Lake area, Terrace Bay, Ontario

The Lower Steel River - Little Steel Lake area is located about 25 km east of Terrace Bay, Ontario. Seventeen iron-formations were investigated within this metamorphosed Archean volcanic and sedimentary terrain, which represents a portion of the Abitibi - Wawa Subprovince of the Superior Structural Province. Sulphide-facies iron-formations are the dominant chemical sedimentary rocks in the Schreiber - Terrace Bay area, and represent deposition during quiescent periods in clastic accumulation and in volcanic activity. The iron-formations commonly mark contacts between the volcanic and sedimentary rocks. They are interbedded with carbonaceous slates at the base of sedimentary successions and overlain by DE turbidites. This suggests chemical sedimentation on a subaqueous basinal plain slightly distal to an outer fan. Sulphide-facies iron-formations consist of a mixture of chemical and clastic components, and while highly variable, the iron-formations in the study area contain three commonly recognizable units: 1) pyritic-carbonaceous slate; 2) disseminated, massive, laminated and nodular pyrite; and 3) chert or siliceous sedimentary rock. Sedimentary textures and structures combined with trace element abundances and geochemical evidence support the mixing of clastic and chemical components, and a hydrothermal source for the iron. Exhalative discharge probably occurred episodically as moderate- to low-temperature solutions percolated through near-surface pillowed volcanics and, once vented, deposited a blanket of chemical sediment. Vent-proximal deposits include massive and layered pyrite; the domal and colloform varieties support the existence of organic mats. The presence of carbon is interpreted as a relic of the organic activity. Pyritic-carbonaceous slates consisting of alternating chemical and clastic components represent vent-distal deposits. Radial structures within pyrite nodules provide evidence of diagenetic transformation and tectonic deformation. Structural evidence suggests that the study area was affected by a complex folding event related to one deformational episode, probably preceded by syn-sedimentary slumping in some areas. The competency differences between sedimentary and volcanic rocks, combined with the fine-grained nature of the sedimentary rocks (DE turbidites and iron-formation ) at major volcanic-sedimentary contacts, focussed deformation and dike emplacement in the contact areas