Recent advances in computer technology have made possible the development of expert systems. Expert systems are computer programs that perform at the level of a human expert. Expert systems can help integrate and apply diverse sources of information and expertise to problems of integrated crop management. A prototype Crop Management...
Groundwater contamination on irrigated land is of concern in this nation
and around the world. In order to reduce the potential of groundwater
contamination by agricultural practices such as irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide
application, vadose-zone monitoring and sampling are needed. The main
objective of this study was to evaluate impacts...
This work addresses the application of Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) to a class of ocean wave energy conversion systems in which the cost functional is not in a standard quadratic form, and the WEC model includes the nonlinear effects, such as the hydrodynamic viscous drag. The NMPC implementation is...
A novel method of copper indium diselenide nanoparticle
(CuInSe₂ NP) synthesis using a two-step, continuous flow,
solar microreactor is reported here. This method allows for
exceedingly fast heating and short reaction times using only
radiative heat transfer from simulated, concentrated solar
radiation. Chalcopyrite and sphalerite CuInSe₂ phases have
both been...
Whey protein isolate (WPI) and glycomacropeptide (GMP) have shown potential immunomodulatory properties. In this study, we investigated their effects on pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion using both in vitro and in vivo models. In LPS-stimulated THP-1-derived macrophages, digested WPI and GMP reduced cytokine expression, while whole GMP increased secretion. The in human...
The need for less toxic quantum dots (QDs) has led to a significant number of investigations related to copper indium sulfide (CIS) QDs. Lower toxicity and broad band absorbance width makes CIS QDs appealing for light emitting diodes (LEDs), lasers, sensors, bio-imaging, solar cells, and computing. The optical and electronic...
Soil solution samplers have certain inadequacies that limit their range of
possible applications. Passive Capillary Samplers (PCAPS), which apply suction to the
soil pore-water via a fiber glass wick, have shown promising results in preliminary
experiments in regard to collection efficiency of water and of bromide tracers. The
objectives of...
To examine the macrophage response to M. avium, I compared inflammasome and cytosolic sensor expression and activation. My result demonstrated that virulent strains of M. avium (A5 and 104) suppress IL-1β production and induce IFN-β production in macrophages. M. avium mutants deficient at DNA export in the biofilm exhibited reduced...