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COMMERCIAL CATFISH PRODUCTION IS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPAIRED BY INFECTIOUS DISEASES, A MAJOR CAUSE OF ECONOMIC LOSSES TO THE CATFISH PRODUCER. ONE OF THE MOST DETRIMENTAL OF THESE INFECTIOUS DISEASES IS ENTERIC SEPTICEMIA OF CATFISH (ESC) CAUSED BY EDWARDSIELLA ICTALURI. IN 1987, APPROXIMATELY $4 MILLION WORTH OF FISH IN MISSISSIPPI ALONE DIED FROM ESC. PROMPT TREATMENT OF INFECTED FISH INCREASES THE C ...

ALTHOUGH AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY IS FINDING WIDESPREAD USE IN MANY INDUSTRIES, THE FOOD INDUSTRY IS ONLY JUST BEGINNING TOINTRODUCE SUCH TECHNOLOGY IN PRODUCTION FACILITIES. IN PARTICULAR, THERE IS A NEED TO INCREASE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS IN A NUMBER OF AREAS INCLUDING NEW SENSORS AND MONITORING SYSTEMS, ROBOTIC TECHNIQUES, AND APPLICATIONS OF VISION SYSTEM FOR PRODUCT EVALUATION AT INTER ...

Biogas is a readily available, renewable fuel source which can be produced in a farm-scale anaerobic digestion system. The biogas fuel provides the greatest utility and value when converted to electricity. The generally high concentration of hydrogen sulfide in biogas causes problems in most internal combustion (IC) engine-based systems (due to corrosion) and fuel cell-based systems (due to pois ...

CHINESE CHESTNUTS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR GREATLY EXPENDED COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION IN THE U.S.A. LOCALLY PRODUCED CHEST NUTS COULD REPLACED IMPORTED CHESTNUTS IN THE MARKETPLACE AS WELL AS EXPLOIT NEW MARKETS. ONE BARRIER TO COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION IS LACK OF HARVEST TECHNOLOGY. WE PROPOSE DETERMINING EFFICACY AND COSTS OF 2 HARVESTING METHODS: 1) ALLOWING RIPE CHESTNUTS TO NATURALLY FALL ONTO TARPS PL ...

WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A SIMPLE TO USE, QUANTITATIVE DEVICE TO ACCURATELY MEASURE SOIL WATER CONTENT WITH SUFFICIENT RESOLUTION TO DEFINE WETTING FRONTS DUE TO RAIN EVENTS IN DEPTH PROFILES. THIS GEOPHYSICAL TOOL SENSES CHANGE IN THE ELECTROMAGNETIC ENVIRONMENT, SPECIFICALLY THE DIELECTRIC CONSTANT OF THE SOIL, WHICH IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO SOIL WATER CONTENT. THE SOIL WATER CONTENT PROFILING DEVICE ...

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TWO APPROACHES WILL BE EXAMINED TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THESENSITIVITY OF LAUNDRY MONITORS TO DETECT AND SPECIFY LOCATION OF HOT PARTICLES ON LAUNDERED GARMENTS. THESE PROPOSED TECNIQUES HAVE HIGH POTENTIAL FOR DETECTING BOTH LOW ENERGY BETA AND ALPHA PARTICLE RADIATION AS WELL AS IMPROVING SENSITIVITY BY REDUCING BACKGROUND COUNT RATE.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE, ADJUSTABLE SINK/COUNTER SYSTEM IS OF INTEREST TO ARCHITECTS, BUILDERS, AND DEVELOPERS AS A WAY OF MEETING LEGAL REQUIREMENTS AND THE NEEDS OF THEIR CLIENTS. THEY ARE ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN COMPONENTS THAT LEAD TO VIRTUAL INDISTINGUISHABILITY BETWEEN HANDICAPPED-ACCESSIBLE AND STANDARD APARTMENTS, SINCE PROPERTY OWNERS FREQUENTLY HAVE DIFFICULTY LEASING ...

The use of sub-therapeutic concentrations of anti-microbial agents in animal feed has contributed to theproductivity of the U.S. meat and dairy industries by preventing infectious diseases, by decreasing theamount of feed required and by increasing the rate of animal weight gain. However, failure to observerecommended practices of drug withdrawal can result in concentrations of antibiotic residue ...

The ready-to-assemble (RTA) construction system is a new method for assembling wood structuresbuilt from the following engineered wood products: parallel strand lumber (PSL), laminated strandlumber (LSL), and laminated veneer lumber (LVL). The RTA system is designed for rapid assemblyby small crews of unskilled labor using common hand tools. The design of the RTA systemincorporates engineered w ...