U.S. 61 From Memorial Park Road in Burlington North to 1 Mile North of IA 78 in Louisa County. Des Moines & Louisa County, Iowa NHS-061-2(50) - 19-58, 2015

Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) has re-initiated planning and preliminary design studies to improve U.S. 61 from Memorial Park Road in Burlington north to 1-mile north of IA 78 in Louisa County. The proposed project consists of improving approximately 18 miles of roadway from 2-lanes to 4-lanes and evaluating a potential bypass around Mediapolis.

Ammonium Phosphate/Fly Ash Road Base Construction, HR-294, Construction Report, 1987

The objective of this research project was to evaluate the construction and service performance of ammonium phosphate/fly ash (APFA) treated base courses of crushed fines and/or unprocessed sand. Specific test results related to construction of the test sections were included in the 1987 construction report by Iowa State University. The performance of the experimental sections is dealt with in this final report. This 1986 project demonstrated that in all cases the control sections utilizing a Type B base experienced dramatically less cracking in the surface than the APFA treated base sections. The cost per mix and subsequent surface maintenance costs for the APFA base sections, especially those having a substantial amount of limestone, were higher than the Type B base control sections. This type of construction may prove to be economical only when petroleum product costs escalate.

Comparison of naphthalene bioavailability determined by whole-cell biosensing and availability determined by extraction with Tenax

A rapid biological method for the determination of the bioavailability of naphthalene was developed and its value as an alternative to extraction-based chemical approaches demonstrated. Genetically engineered whole-cell biosensors are used to determine bioavailable naphthalene and their responses compared with results from Tenax extraction and chemical analysis. Results show a 1:1 correlation between biosensor results and chemical analyses for naphthalene-contaminated model materials and sediments, but the biosensor assay is much faster. This work demonstrates that biosensor technology can perform as well as standard chemical methods, though with some advantages including the inherent biological relevance of the response, rapid response time, and potential for field deployment. A survey of results from this work and the literature shows that bioavailability under non-equilibrium conditions nonetheless correlates well with K(oc) or K(d). A rationale is provided wherein chemical resistance is speculated to be operative.

Scheduling forest road maintenance using the analytic hierarchy process and heuristics

Abstract

Repurposing Social Tagging Data for Extraction of Domain-level Concepts

The World Wide Web, the world¿s largest resource for information, has evolved from organizing information using controlled, top-down taxonomies to a bottom up approach that emphasizes assigning meaning to data via mechanisms such as the Social Web (Web 2.0). Tagging adds meta-data, (weak semantics) to the content available on the web. This research investigates the potential for repurposing this layer of meta-data. We propose a multi-phase approach that exploits user-defined tags to identify and extract domain-level concepts. We operationalize this approach and assess its feasibility by application to a publicly available tag repository. The paper describes insights gained from implementing and applying the heuristics contained in the approach, as well as challenges and implications of repurposing tags for extraction of domain-level concepts.

Influence of rootstocks and pruning times on yield and on nutrient content and extraction in 'Niagara Rosada' grapevine

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of rootstocks and pruning times on yield and on nutrient content and extraction by pruned branches and harvested bunches of 'Niagara Rosada' grapevine in subtropical climate. The rootstocks 'IAC 766', 'IAC 572', 'IAC 313', 'IAC 571-6', and '106-8 Mgt' were evaluated. Treatments consisted of a combination between five rootstocks and three pruning times. At pruning, fresh and dry matter mass of branches were evaluated to estimate biomass accumulation. At harvest, yield was estimated by weighing of bunches per plant. Branches and bunches were sampled at pruning and at harvest, respectively, for nutrient content analysis. Nutrient content and dry matter mass of branches and bunches were used to estimate total nutrient extraction. 'Niagara Rosada' grapevine grafted onto the 'IAC 572' rootstock had the highest yield and dry matter mass of bunches, which were significantly different from the ones observed in 'Niagara Rosada'/'IAC 313'. 'Niagara Rosada' grafted onto the 'IAC 572' rootstock extracted the largest quantity of K, P, Mg, S, Cu, and Fe, differing from 'IAC 313' and 'IAC 766' in K and P extraction, and from '106-8 Mgt' in Mg and S extraction. Winter pruning results in higher yield, dry matter accumulation by branches, and total nutrient content and extraction.

Embedding, Extraction and Detection of Digital Watermark in Spectral Images

Tässä diplomityössä tutkitaan tekniikoita, joillavesileima lisätään spektrikuvaan, ja menetelmiä, joilla vesileimat tunnistetaanja havaitaan spektrikuvista. PCA (Principal Component Analysis) -algoritmia käyttäen alkuperäisten kuvien spektriulottuvuutta vähennettiin. Vesileiman lisääminen spektrikuvaan suoritettiin muunnosavaruudessa. Ehdotetun mallin mukaisesti muunnosavaruuden komponentti korvattiin vesileiman ja toisen muunnosavaruuden komponentin lineaarikombinaatiolla. Lisäyksessä käytettävää parametrijoukkoa tutkittiin. Vesileimattujen kuvien laatu mitattiin ja analysoitiin. Suositukset vesileiman lisäykseen esitettiin. Useita menetelmiä käytettiin vesileimojen tunnistamiseen ja tunnistamisen tulokset analysoitiin. Vesileimojen kyky sietää erilaisia hyökkäyksiä tarkistettiin. Diplomityössä suoritettiin joukko havaitsemis-kokeita ottamalla huomioon vesileiman lisäyksessä käytetyt parametrit. ICA (Independent Component Analysis) -menetelmää pidetään yhtenä mahdollisena vaihtoehtona vesileiman havaitsemisessa.

Local and Global Feature Extraction for Invariant Object Recognition

Perceiving the world visually is a basic act for humans, but for computers it is still an unsolved problem. The variability present innatural environments is an obstacle for effective computer vision. The goal of invariant object recognition is to recognise objects in a digital image despite variations in, for example, pose, lighting or occlusion. In this study, invariant object recognition is considered from the viewpoint of feature extraction. Thedifferences between local and global features are studied with emphasis on Hough transform and Gabor filtering based feature extraction. The methods are examined with respect to four capabilities: generality, invariance, stability, and efficiency. Invariant features are presented using both Hough transform and Gabor filtering. A modified Hough transform technique is also presented where the distortion tolerance is increased by incorporating local information. In addition, methods for decreasing the computational costs of the Hough transform employing parallel processing and local information are introduced.

Enzymatic technology to improve oil extraction from Caryocar brasiliense camb. (Pequi) Pulp.

The present study aims to compare yield and quality of pequi pulp oil when applying two distinct processes: in the first, pulp drying in a tray dryer at 60ºC was combined with enzymatic treatment and pressing to oil extraction; in the second, a simple process was carried out by combining sun-drying pulp and pressing. In this study, raw pequi fruits were collected in Mato Grosso State, Brazil. The fruits were autoclaved at 121ºC and stored under refrigeration. An enzymatic extract with pectinase and CMCase activities was used for hydrolysis of pequi pulp, prior to oil extraction. The oil extractions were carried out by hydraulic pressing, with or without enzymatic incubation. The oil content in the pequi pulp (45% w/w) and the physicochemical characteristic of the oil was determined according to standard analytical methods. Free fatty acids, peroxide values, iodine and saponification indices were respectively 1.46 mgKOH/g, 2.98 meq/kg, 49.13 and 189.40. The acidity and peroxide values were lower than the obtained values in commercial oil samples, respectively 2.48 mgKOH/g and 5.22 meq/kg. Aqueous extraction has presented lower efficiency and higher oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids. On the other hand, pequi pulp pressing at room temperature has produced better quality oil. However its efficiency is still smaller than the combined enzymatic treatment and pressing process. This combined process promotes cellular wall hydrolysis and pulp viscosity reduction, contributing to at least 20% of oil yield increase by pressing.

Reliability of P-drive in occupational therapy following a short training session: A promising instrument measuring seniors' on-road driving competencies

Introduction Occupational therapists could play an important role in facilitating driving cessation for ageing drivers. This, however, requires an easy-to-learn, standardised on-road evaluation method. This study therefore investigates whether use of P-drive' could be reliably taught to occupational therapists via a short half-day training session. Method Using the English 26-item version of P-drive, two occupational therapists evaluated the driving ability of 24 home-dwelling drivers aged 70 years or over on a standardised on-road route. Experienced driving instructors' on-road, subjective evaluations were then compared with P-drive scores. Results Following a short half-day training session, P-drive was shown to have almost perfect between-rater reliability (ICC2,1=0.950, 95% CI 0.889 to 0.978). Reliability was stable across sessions including the training phase even if occupational therapists seemed to become slightly less severe in their ratings with experience. P-drive's score was related to the driving instructors' subjective evaluations of driving skills in a non-linear manner (R-2=0.445, p=0.021). Conclusion P-drive is a reliable instrument that can easily be taught to occupational therapists and implemented as a way of standardising the on-road driving test.

Spontaneous Cdc42 polarization independent of GDI-mediated extraction and actin-based trafficking.

The small Rho-family GTPase Cdc42 is critical for cell polarization and polarizes spontaneously in absence of upstream spatial cues. Spontaneous polarization is thought to require dynamic Cdc42 recycling through Guanine nucleotide Dissociation Inhibitor (GDI)-mediated membrane extraction and vesicle trafficking. Here, we describe a functional fluorescent Cdc42 allele in fission yeast, which demonstrates Cdc42 dynamics and polarization independent of these pathways. Furthermore, an engineered Cdc42 allele targeted to the membrane independently of these recycling pathways by an amphipathic helix is viable and polarizes spontaneously to multiple sites in fission and budding yeasts. We show that Cdc42 is highly mobile at the membrane and accumulates at sites of activity, where it displays slower mobility. By contrast, a near-immobile transmembrane domain-containing Cdc42 allele supports viability and polarized activity, but does not accumulate at sites of activity. We propose that Cdc42 activation, enhanced by positive feedback, leads to its local accumulation by capture of fast-diffusing inactive molecules.