Kentucky plays an important role in the complex U.S. beef cattle industry. Thisstudy focused on the feeder cattle production sector of Kentucky's beef cattle industry.Primarily a cow-calf state with a substantial backgrounding sector, Kentucky is a largesupplier of feeder cattle to the cattle finishing sector. Price relationships within themarket for Kentucky feeder cattle were examined using historical price data fromKentucky livestock auction markets. This research revealed many interesting pricerelationships that Kentucky producers may use in order to increase the profitability of thecow-calf and/or backgrounding operations. A segment of this research includes aGrazing Management Decision Tool which was constructed to enable producers toevaluate the potential profitability of various grazing scenarios using current marketforecasts.

Este trabalho tem o objetivo de modelar um sistema composto por alimentador industrial vibratório, comando eletrônico e sensor acelerômetro Microelectromechanical systems - MEMS. O alimentador vibratório é um equipamento industrial utilizado para alimentação automática de peças diversas em plantas ou processos industriais semiautomáticos ou totalmente automáticos. Separa e organiza a sequência de inserção de peças em processo automático de fabricação e montagem. O modelo proposto neste trabalho reproduz o comportamento ondulatório e periódico da vibração, gerada pelo movimento descrito pela bacia do alimentador. Apresenta a análise dos resultados obtidos por meio de simulação computacional do modelo proposto, confrontados com os resultados obtidos experimentalmente. O experimento proposto tem um comando eletrônico para o acionamento do alimentador industrial vibratório. A tensão de entrada (setpoint) define a potência elétrica entregue a uma bobina eletromagnética, parte integrante do alimentador vibratório, responsável por gerar as vibrações mecânicas. Os resultados obtidos indicam que o modelo é viável. / This paper presents proposed model for a system composed of industrial vibratory feeder, electronic control and accelerometer sensor Microelectromechanical systems - MEMS. The vibrating feeder is an industrial equipment used for automatic feeding of parts in various plants or industrial processes semiautomatic or fully automatic. Separates and organizes the insertion sequence parts in automatic fabrication and assembly. The proposed model reproduces the wave behavior and periodic vibration generated by the movement described by bowl feeder. Presents the analysis of the results obtained by computer simulation of the proposed model, compared to the results obtained experimentally. The proposed experiment has an electronic command to the firing of industrial vibratory feeder. The input voltage (setpoint) defines the electrical power delivered to an electromagnetic coil, part of vibratory feeder, responsible for generating mechanical vibrations. The results indicate that the model is feasible.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems have gained popularity worldwide as a cost-effective alternative to more expensive urban rail systems, carrying around an estimated 33 million passengers each weekday (https://brtdata.org/ ). In South Africa, several BRT systems are either in the planning stage, detailed design, or construction, with only a few being operational (Ackerman, 2015). When planning BRT operations, planners need to decide when to use feeder or direct routes to supplement the trunk routes: this takes into consideration that trunk routes cannot be built to be within walking distance of large catchments of people. This research aims to explore the strengths and weaknesses of two BRT-based network types: trunk-feeder (buses operating inside and outside the BRT trunk corridor are segregated and operate independently) and direct (buses operating outside the trunk corridor can enter and leave it, providing additional services in the corridor). The Rea Vaya BRT system has both 'trunk-feeder' and 'direct' networks in operation and is used as a case study for this research. Rea Vaya routes have three classifications: trunk, complementary, and feeder routes. Trunk routes (T) use dedicated median-exclusive busways only. Complementary routes (C) use a combination of normal mixed traffic roads and dedicated median-exclusive busways. Feeder routes (F) start and end at Rea Vaya trunk stations using normal mixed traffic roads. The approach for the study is empirical and evidence based. The activities of the research are to: • develop a list of observable indicators to compare trunk-feeder and direct BRT networks; • collect data on indicators for trunk, feeder, and complementary routes; • analyse the data using different analytical tools; and • make direct versus trunk-feeder network recommendations for BRT systems in South African cities. Data collection is from four sources: station surveys, on-board surveys, ticketing information, and system data sourced from the operator. In this study, five key indicators (reliability, saturation, speed, load factor, & operating costs) are identified in guiding the comparative analysis. This led to the formulation of five hypotheses to be tested and make reasonable recommendations. According to analytical studies, the case for a trunk-feeder network rests on economies of density where it is cheaper per passenger to operate larger trunk buses on the main streets with high demand. For Rea Vaya, it is cheaper per passenger to operate trunk and feeder routes compared to the complementary routes. This saving is because of using larger vehicles (18m articulated buses) on the trunk corridor to achieve more capacity and costs are spread over a larger passenger number. However, the costs are highest for the trunk routes because of increased cycle times (and long routes), and increased fleet size requirements. From a cost perspective, trunk routes work best for densely populated areas but not over long distances. Literature suggests that the number of transfers that a trunk-feeder configuration require creates several operational inefficiencies and slower commercial speeds due to considerably higher dwell times (DTs). This is not entirely the case for Rea Vaya BRT system. While the trunk and feeder routes have longer dwell times than the complementary routes, the vehicle operating speeds for the trunk and feeder buses are higher than that of the complementary buses. The average vehicle operating speed for trunk buses is 30 km/h; for feeder buses, it is 25 km/h, and for complementary buses, it is 20 km/h. This is because the complementary buses are operated on major arterials with high levels of congestion before joining the trunk corridor. It can be concluded that the potential time savings of complementary routes through avoiding transfers does not materialise as it is more than offset by the slow vehicle speeds on mixed traffic routes. Overall, the results indicate a mixed view with regards to direct and trunk-feeder BRT networks in a South African context. While direct networks have an advantage of avoiding transfers, they are also found to be competitive in terms of headway reliability, maintaining low dwell times at the stations and having a high load factor (during peak only and consistent with the high peak to base ratio observed in South Africa). / Dissertation (MEng (Transport Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / The BRT+ Centre of Excellence, funded by the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF), / Civil Engineering / MEng (Transport Engineering) / Unrestricted

Oxy-combustion is a process which removes nitrogen from air prior to combustion in order to produce a high concentration of CO2 in the exhaust. This enables CO2 liquefaction, transport, and storage to greatly reduce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. Atmospheric oxy-coal combustion has been successfully demonstrated at industrial scales and could be retrofit in existing coal boilers, but thermodynamic efficiencies are low and therefore uneconomical. Pressurized oxy-coal combustion has the potential for higher efficiency and lower cost but requires new technologies related to the coal feed system, the burner, and ash management. This project describes work needed to complete the dry feed pressurized oxy-coal combustor (POC) at BYU. The POC required the software control system (OPTO22) to be completed, a reactor shakedown, and testing of a previously designed burner by recording reactor thermocouple, exhaust concentration, and radiometer measurements. The following has been successfully demonstrated: 1) reactor heat-up with natural gas 2) coal combustion within temperature limits of the reactor 3) slagging that allows ash management.

The objective of this study was to examine specific factors that affect the selling price of feeder calves marketed through the Mississippi Feeder Calf Board Sale program, an alternative marketing strategy developed to offer producers an opportunity to increase prices received for their calves. A hedonic model was utilized to measure the effects of individual lot attributes on price. Results of sales conducted from 2008 to 2016 revealed a positive relationship between sale price and steer percentage, Brahman influence, the provision of information on growth implant practices, and number of loads per lot. Conversely, price was negatively associated with number of days from sale to loadout and the consignment of assembled lots or those consigned from multiple sellers. Lot hide color classification demonstrated varying effects on prices received. This data can enable commercial producers to evaluate production practices and make educated management decisions to improve the value of their cattle.

Electric power systems are a key infrastructure today. Power systems can be divided into three major parts: generation, transmission, and distribution. Out of these the distribution system is the most complex part and least studied system. In order to have continuous and reliable power to all customers it is necessary to have a good protection system. Major disturbances that are caused and last for a very short duration are called faults. With the advent of distributed generation (DG), the understanding of fault response has become more difficult. This thesis presents the study of the fault response and the factors that influence the fault response with and without DG. As a part of the fault analysis line to ground faults are placed at various locations on the I 13 node feeder test case. Simulations are conducted in PSCAD and the results are analyzed. At each node the voltage and the current changes at the time of the fault are recorded. A DG is added to the system and is located at various nodes for each fault and the impact of the DG on the fault voltage and current quantities is recorded. A comparison of the impact of faults at various locations is presented. The impact of faults without DG and with DG is also analyzed

No description available.

This thesis consists of two research papers, each of which studies the benefits from a different College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) program. These analyses provide necessary information to allocate resources efficiently among programs. The first paper studies the Virginia Quality Assured feeder cattle certification program and its effects on feeder cattle prices and profitability. No significant effect on price from VQA certification is found. However, enterprise budgets indicate that VQA cattle allow higher farm profits due to their lower sale weight, which allows for faster turnover and lower prices. The second paper studies the benefits to producers from wheat and barley breeding conducted by Virginia Tech researchers. Variety trial data are combined with acreage estimates constructed from royalty data to estimate gains from replacement of old varieties with new ones. The study finds that the program generated benefits to producers of over $119 million between 2000 and 2018. / Master of Science / This thesis contains two papers that assessed the benefits of two agricultural research and extension programs at Virginia Tech. The first paper studies the Virginia Quality Assured certification program. This program certifies cattle that have been raised following practices that are designed to result in cattle that will grow faster and stay healthier in a feedlot. Statistical analysis of cattle sold through a Virginia telephone auction show that VQA certified cattle do not receive higher prices than uncertified cattle, but the analysis also finds that certified and uncertified cattle have important physical differences, including lighter weights for certified cattle. These lighter weights make it possible for farmers to sell more VQA cattle in a year because they spend less time gaining weight before being sold, giving producers of VQA cattle the opportunity for higher profits per year. The second paper studies the benefits to farmers from wheat and barley breeding by Virginia Tech researchers. Field trials are used to compare the yields of old and new varieties, and acreage estimates are used to show how newer varieties replace older ones in farmers' fields. The study finds that economic benefits to farmers from new varieties released by the program total $119 million from 2000 to 2018.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Ted C. Schroeder / Value-added management at the cow-calf level is integrated across breeding, health and nutrition programs. Hedonic pricing models are necessary to navigate through the layered management standards imposed by certified health and marketing programs on the cow-calf sector. Previous research in feeder calf pricing models provides insight on the use and development of ordinary least squares in estimating price effects. Breed, vaccination program, age-and-source verification and natural-beef production have become more relevant as vertical coordination has influenced commercial cow-calf producers. This study provides the industry with new information pertaining to the revenue opportunities that exist for cow-calf producers through increased coordination in the beef industry. Video and satellite auction markets are recognized as a national pricing mechanism for feeder cattle in the United States. These markets represent the management and marketing practices of national cow-calf producers and the tastes and preferences of a national stocker and feedlot industry. Previous research in feeder cattle pricing models is applied to the current genetic, management, marketing and market structure information from video auction markets to discover relevant price effects pertaining to value-added calf production. More intensive value-added management practices were expected to enhance the revenue of cow-calf producers selling their calves through video auction markets. This research confirms that verified health and genetic claims produce higher calf prices compared to commodity calves. Weaned calves with at least two rounds of respiratory vaccinations generated an additional $5.50 to $7.50 per cwt., and weaning created $2.75 to $4.50 per cwt. in premiums over non-certified health programs. There were statistical differences among the premiums for each aggregated breed influence, and Angus and black and black-white faced cattle offered the highest breed premiums at $5.25 to $7.50 per cwt. compared to Brahman-influenced calves. Age-and-source verification presents the best opportunity for video auction market premiums among recently developed marketing programs. Statistically significant premiums ranged from $1.25 to $2.00 per cwt. for both steers and heifers over the last five years.

In recent years there has been a large increase in the connection of photovoltaic generators to the low voltage distribution network in urban residential areas. In the future, it is predicted that this trend will continue and be accompanied with a rise in the uptake and connection of electric vehicles and heat pumps. Recently, monitoring trials have found widespread current unbalance in the feeders that transmit electrical energy to and from these urban residential areas. This unbalance is likely to be accentuated by the gradual and piecemeal uptake of the aforementioned devices. The combined impact of the changes and present day unbalance is likely to be more frequent thermal and voltage constraint violations unless new strategies are adopted to manage the flow of electrical energy. Here, a novel device named the 'phase switcher' that has no customer compliance requirements is proposed as a new tool for distribution network operators to manage the thermal and voltage constraints of cables. The phase switcher is shown to unlock cable ampacity and maximise voltage headroom and it achieves this through phase balancing in real time. A centralised local feeder controller is simulated to employ dynamic and scheduled phase switcher control algorithms on a real network model, and it's ability to unlock cable ampacity and reduce cable losses is quantified. Also, a small model based controller algorithm is presented and shown to perform almost as well as others despite having a very limited sensing and communication system requirement. Phase switchers are also quantified for their ability to increase feeder voltage headroom when employed to improve the balance of photovoltaic distributed generators across phases. To this end, an exhaustive offline photovoltaic capacity prediction technique is documented which shows that when phase switchers are placed explicitly to a known photovoltaic installation scenario, an almost linear relationship exists between the penetration level and maximum node voltage when PSs or phase conductor rejointing is considered as an option for implementation. Finally, a fast feeder assessment algorithm is detailed that is found to be better and more robust at estimating extreme maximum and minimum photovoltaic penetration level scenarios that cause over-voltage. All the work is presented within a new general mathematical framework that facilitates formulation of the problem and calculation of device phase connections for networks containing phase switchers.