Variation in data is abundant and ubiquitous in real-world applications. Managing variation in databases is, however, difficult and has been extensively studied by the database community. Schema evolution, data integration, and database versioning are examples of well-studied forms of database variation with effective context-specific solutions. However, variation appears in different...
Vietnam is considered one of the most climate change-vulnerable countries due to its high dependence on agriculture and its coastal location. Increased atmospheric temperatures caused by climate change also significantly threaten one of Vietnam's most important cash crops, robusta coffee (Coffea canephora). Suitable cultivation sites of robusta, which comprises 97%...
To facilitate the design of Natural and Nature-Based Features (NNBF) for flood protection, this thesis expands an existing engineering design methodology to NNBF systems. The existing approach is a Level III reliability method for the performance-based design of traditional coastal engineering systems. The expanded methodology incorporates uncertainties inherent to both...
The human intervertebral disc is a deceptively simple structure which plays an essential role in human movement. Even slight changes to the disc microenvironment can have far reaching consequences, particularly when these changes result in disc degeneration and herniation. Degeneration is increasingly tied to lower back pain; better understanding this...
Motion planning is a cornerstone of autonomous robots, enabling robots to safely and efficiently perform tasks such as package delivery, infrastructure inspection, and manipulation. However, as the field of robotics matures, robotic systems are being developed that (1) are challenging to analytically model, (2) require computationally expensive model-based controllers, and...
Results from vegetation management trials involving horticultural crops conducted during the past year are compiled and reported by faculty members of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, the Oregon State Extension Service, and colleagues who cooperated from adjacent states along with local enterprises. This work was conducted throughout Oregon and involved...
Crops were grown at the experimental farms using accepted cultural practices (within the limits of experimentation) or trials were conducted on growers' fields. Most experiments were designed as randomized complete blocks with three to five replications. Herbicide treatments were applied uniformly with CO₂ precision plot sprayers. Unless otherwise indicated, preplant...
Crops were grown at the experimental farms using accepted cultural practices ( within the limits of experimentation) or trials were conducted on growers' fields. Most experiments were designed as randomized complete blocks with three to five replications. Herbicide treatments were applied uniformly with precision plot sprays. Unless otherwise indicated, preplant...
Hewlett-Packard (HP) is one of the world's largest computer companies and the foremost producer of test and measurement instruments. In Corvallis, Oregon, HP manufactures several precision products on high speed, automated assembly lines. The alignment process of a cap to a base part is one of the essential processes in...