Effects of Calcium Hydroxide Treated Corn Stover Inclusion as a Partial Forage Replacement in Diets for Lactating Dairy Cows

Casperson, Brittany Purdue University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 2017 해외박사(DDOD)

The central hypothesis of this dissertation is that calcium hydroxide treatment would improve the feeding value of corn stover and treated corn stover could replace a portion of the traditional forages fed to lactating dairy cattle. There are four main objectives addressed in this dissertation to test the central hypothesis. First, evaluate the effects of pretreatment of corn stover with calcium hydroxide. Second, determine the effects of replacing alfalfa haylage in the diet of dairy cows with calcium hydroxide-treated corn stover and the effect of further replacement of corn silage on dry matter intake, milk production, and milk composition. Third, determine the effects of maximal replacement of either alfalfa haylage or corn silage with treated corn stover on feed intake, total tract digestibility, rumen fermentation parameters, rumen digestibility, and milk production in order to assess the origins of increased feed efficiency of mid-lactation dairy cows fed alkaline treated corn stover, and lastly, to evaluate the effects of feeding a fortified corn stover pellet, pelleted treated corn stover (PTCS), on dry matter intake, milk production, milk composition, total tract digestibility, rumen fermentation parameters, and rumen digestibility. Furthermore, the effect of physical form of the PTCS ingredients were evaluated by comparing PTCS ingredients fed in pellet or non-pellet form. Calcium hydroxide treated corn stover was first evaluated in a lactation performance trial where treated corn stover was fed in a TMR at 0% of the diet DM or replaced either alfalfa haylage or alfalfa haylage and a portion of the corn silage at 15 or 30% of the diet DM, respectively. After 10 weeks of feeding, cows fed treated corn stover to replace alfalfa haylage resulted in reduction (P < 0.05) of DMI. Subsequently, milk production, milk composition, and energy corrected milk production were not different (P > 0.05) between the treatments. However, energy corrected milk per unit of DMI (kg/kg), a measure of feed efficiency, tended ( P < 0.10) to be improved. Cows fed treated corn stover had consistent DMI over the 10-week feeding period compared to cows fed no treated corn stover which had slight increases in feed intake, over time. To determine the overall impact on feed efficiency with the inclusion of treated corn stover, we evaluated inclusion of treated corn stover to maximally replace either alfalfa haylage at 15% of the diet DM or corn silage at 19% of the diet DM. When treated corn stover was included in the diet to replace either traditional forage, we saw a reduction (P 0.05) in milk production, confirming the results of the previous study. Furthermore, percentage of milk fat was reduced (P < 0.05) with the inclusion of treated corn stover but there was no difference in yield of milk fat (P > 0.05). Energy corrected milk production per unit of DMI (kg/kg) was greater for cows fed diets containing treated corn stover. Inclusion of treated corn stover resulted in decreased (P < 0.05) apparent total tract digestibility of DM, OM, and CP when replacing corn silage. There was no difference (P > 0.05) in NDF digestibility, suggesting NDF digestibility was successfully improved with calcium hydroxide pretreatment. There was no difference (P > 0.05) on rumen pH or VFA concentrations. Improved feed efficiency is supported by changes in diet digestibility and the potential for changes in post-ruminal digestion. Improvements in feed efficiency using treated corn stover are promising but implementation of such feeding strategies may be limited to certain regions near site of harvest as the bulk density of corn stover is low. Therefore, to overcome this limitation for implementation into diets for lactating cows, we evaluated feeding treated corn stover as part of a fortified pellet- pelleted treated corn stover (PTCS). The PTCS pellet was included at 21 or 40% of the diet DM. The ingredients of PTCS were fed individually in a third treatment to match the 40% PTCS and evaluate if physical form had an impact. Dry matter intake was reduced (P < 0.05) with higher inclusion levels (40%) but physical form had no impact on DMI. Milk production and 4% energy corrected milk did not differ (P > 0.05) among the dietary treatments. Milk fat percentage was reduced (P < 0.05) with the inclusion of PTCS. Digestibility of DM and OM were reduced ( P < 0.05) with inclusion of treated corn stover. The inclusion of PTCS resulted in decreased (P < 0.05) acetate and increased (P < 0.05) propionate concentration, yielding a reduced (P 0.05) between dietary treatments. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Mass Spectrometric Methods Development for Identification of Drug/Herbicide Substances and Mutagenic Impurities, and Gas-Phase Reactivity Study of Phenylcarbyne Anions

Feng, Erlu Purdue University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a versatile analytical tool that is especially useful for identification of unknown compounds in mixtures when coupled with chromatography. In MS experiments, the analytes are ionized, separated based on their mass-to-charge (m/z) ratios, and detected. The molecular weight of the analyte can often be derived from the mass spectrum if stable molecular ions (M•+) or stable protonated/deprotonated analyte molecules ([M+H]+ or [M-H]- ) are generated. Further, MS can also be used to obtain structural information for the ionized analytes via their fragmentation reactions. Tandem mass spectrometry ( MSn ) experiments are powerful for the characterization of unknown compounds in mixtures without the need for coupling them with chromatography. In MSn experiments, the analytes are ionized, the ions of interest are isolated and subjected to reactions, such as collision-activated dissociation (CAD) or ion-molecule reactions with neutral reagent molecules. The fragmentation pattern or the diagnostic ion-molecule reaction product ions can be utilized to elucidate the structures of the analytes. The fragment ions or diagnostic product ions can further be subjected to CAD to obtain more structural information. Besides analytical purposes, MSnalso provides a powerful tool for exploring the reactivities of reaction intermediates that are elusive, such as phenylcarbyne anions and phenylcarbene anions.The research described in this dissertation mainly focuses on the development of MSnmethods based on diagnostic gas-phase ion-molecule reactions followed by CAD for (1) the characterization of differently substituted ureas and (2) the differentiation of sulfonate esters from their isomeric analogs, such as sulfite esters and sulfones. HPLC was coupled with the MSnmethods discussed above to demonstrate its usefulness in the identification of compounds in mixtures. Additionally, a gas-phase reactivity study on phenylcarbyne anions is discussed in this dissertation. The phenylcarbyne anions were generated by CAD of two nitrogen molecules from negatively charged phenyl tetrazole precursors. Their reactivities towards various reagents were explored and rationalized with the help of quantum chemical calculations.

Understanding the Formation of Distant Galaxies in the Context of Large-Scale Structure

Huang, Yun Purdue University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

Understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies is one of the most fundamental questions in modern astronomy. While it is widely accepted that galaxy formation needs to be understood in the context of cosmic structure formation of dark matter, a complex interplay of different physical processes that drive galaxy formation makes it challenging to elucidate how the large-scale environment of dark matter influences galaxies, particularly in their formative epoch (z & 2)As the most luminous nebular emission arising from star formation, Lyα provides a promising and effective tool to study the young universe and nascent galaxies. At z > 2, Lyα emission is redshifted into the visible window that is detectable by ground-based telescopes. Existing studies also suggest that strong Lyα-emitting galaxies represent a young and lowmass galaxy population and therefore are the best visible tracers of the large-scale structure of the distant universe.In this thesis, I present two complementary studies designed to address these questions using Lyα emission as a cosmological tool. In Chapter 2, I investigate the kinematics and spatial distribution of the gas-phase interstellar and circumgalactic media using compact and diffuse Lyα emission in and around distant galaxies. I also carry out a comprehensive characterization of how Lyα properties correlate with other galaxy properties and the environment that galaxies reside in. In Chapter 3, I explore how Lyα-emitting galaxies trace the large-scale structure characterized by other means; I also conduct a detailed investigation of the distribution of different 'types' of galaxies and H i gas in and around the most massive cosmic structure known to date. These investigations are informative in building clear expectations for the ongoing and upcoming experiments - including the Legacy Survey for Space and Time, James Webb Space Telescope, Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instruments, and Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy eXperiment - in obtaining a detailed picture of galaxy evolution in the context of their environments.

Development of a Synthetic Method For 2-tetrazenes and Examination of the Mass Spectrometric Behavior of Ionized 2-Tetrazenes and Asphaltene Model

Lei, Haoran Purdue University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

2-Tetrazens are often used as high energy-density materials. Only a few synthetic methods exist for making them. Further, their structure-property relationships remain largely unexplored. Asphaltenes are usually a complex mixture found in the heaviest fraction of heavy crude oil. Their structural characterization and understanding have become a pertinent task for petroleum industry around the world. Mass spectrometry is a powerful analytical tool for the detection and characterization of unknown compounds even in complex mixtures. It features high sensitivity and speed and can provide a variety of valuable information for different types of analytes. This thesis focuses on the development of an effective synthetic method for 2-tetrazenes and the mass spectrometry study of the ionized 2-tetrazenes. In addition, the mass spectrometric behavior of ionized asphaltene model compounds are also discussed in this thesis.Chapter 2 describes the instrumentation and fundamental aspects of the mass spectrometers used in the research discussed in this thesis. Chapter3 introduces an effective synthetic method for 2-tetrazens based on iodine-mediated oxidative N-N coupling reaction of hydrazines. Chapter 4 presents the fragmentation behavior of ionized 2-tetrazenes in tandem mass spectrometry experiments. Upon collision-activated dissociation (CAD), ionized alkyl-substituted linear 2- tetrazenes underwent simpler fragmentation reactions than the ionized aromatic 2-tetrazenes or a cyclic 2-tetrazene. The observations were rationalized by using quantum chemical calculations. Chapter 5 presents the fragmentation behavior of ionized asphaltene model compounds under medium-energy collision-activated dissociation (MCAD). The comparison between the different behaviors of the molecular radical cations of these compounds provided useful information for the identification of related unknown compound.

Experimental Study of High-Pressure Rotating Detonation Combustion in Rocket Environments

Stechmann, David Paul Purdue University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 2017 해외박사(DDOD)

Rotating Detonation Engines (RDEs) represent a promising pressure-gain combustion technology for improving the performance of existing rocket engines. While ample theoretical evidence exists for these benefits in ideal scenarios, additional research is needed to characterize the operational behavior of these devices at high pressure and validate the expected performance gains in practice. To this end, Purdue University developed a high-pressure experimental staged-combustion RDE with a supersonic plug expansion nozzle and conducted four test campaigns using this engine. The first two campaigns employed gaseous hydrogen fuel in conjunction with a liquid oxygen pre-burner. The final two campaigns employed methane and natural gas fuels. Propellant mass flows ranged from 0.47 lbm/s (0.21 Kg/s) to 8.41 lbm/s (3.8 kg/s) while mean chamber pressures ranged from 61 psia (4.1 atm) to 381 psia (25.9 atm). Results from tests conducted with hydrogen were mixed. Detonation briefly appeared at shutdown in some configurations, but the combustor behavior was generally dominated by flame holding instead of detonation. Injector erosion and instrumentation damage were also persistent challenges. Results from tests conducted with natural gas and methane were much more successful. Overall, several different types of detonation wave behavior were observed depending on test configuration and operating conditions. In all configurations, the engine thrust, chamber pressure, wave speed, and wave behavior were characterized for differences in injector orifice area, injection location, chamber width, pre-burner operating temperature, equivalence ratio, mass flow, and throat configuration. General aspects of the plume structure, startup behavior, and dynamic oxidizer manifold response were also characterized. Two configurations were also tested with a transparent combustor to characterize wave height and profile. These observations and measurements provided insight into the effects that high-pressures and rocket propellants have on RDE operating behavior. One of the more intriguing results from the experimental campaigns described above was the simple fact that natural gas and methane behaved so differently from hydrogen despite similar operating pressures, flow rates, and injector geometry. Simplified analysis and modeling of the injector dynamic response, mixing processes, and chemical kinetics provided insight into these differences and the scalability of these processes with pressure. In particular, the chemical kinetic analysis suggests that heat release during the injection and mixing phase can dominate the chamber behavior and prevent stable limit cycle detonation from occurring with certain propellant combinations above certain pressures. These results support the observed differences in engine operating behavior, and they provide insight into potential operability limits of gas-phase RDEs. In addition to the contrast between natural gas and hydrogen, several other important observations were made during the experimental RDE evaluation process. In particular, the installation of a convergent throat appeared to suppress detonation behavior. The number of waves was also invariant with respect to the mass flow and chamber pressure, and a natural transition into limit-cycle detonation modes (i.e. self-excited instabilities) appeared despite using a torch igniter with no initial detonation. Significant manifold interaction and an overall destabilizing effect in the limit-cycle detonation cycle tended to occur at low injector pressure ratios. The relationship between pressure, wave speed, and thrust did not follow the expected correlation and instead displayed a more complex configuration-dependent relationship. While the delivered thrust did not exceed theoretical values for a constant pressure cycle, thrust performance greater than 90% was achieved in configurations with simple injector geometries, simple expansion nozzle geometries and a chamber L* of only 2.75 inches. This suggests that further improvements are possible when heat loss into the wall is considered and improved injector designs are implemented. While heat flux was not measured during any experimental test cases, post-test analysis of the chamber environment using available data suggests that heat flux may be moderately higher in RDEs than in constant pressure combustors operating at the same mean flow conditions. Nevertheless, the computed heat flux was based on limited data and may have been affected by localized conditions near the injector face, so uncertainty remains in this area. Since appreciable uncertainty exists in the theoretical performance benefits relative to the measured experimental values, a detonation engine performance model was developed using modifications to existing zero-dimensional rocket performance relations. This approach made it possible to rapidly characterize the effects of different engine operating parameters on expected performance gains including propellant choice, equivalence ratio, initial propellant temperature, chamber pressure, nozzle configuration, nozzle expansion area, and ambient pressure. While the model was relatively simple, it captured the expected "DC shift" in mean chamber pressure between constant pressure combustors and combustors with steep-fronted non-linear instabilities. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Motivation of Students Who Switch from Engineering to Engineering Technology

Ramirez, Nichole Purdue University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 2017 해외박사(DDOD)

A set of studies is reported describing the demographics, outcomes, and motivations of students who start in engineering and switch their major to engineering technology. There has been extensive research in engineering persistence, but little focus has been given to the "T" in STEM. Most research combines technology with other science and mathematics fields, ignoring the unique characteristics of this population. Exploring this population at the intersection of Engineering and Engineering Technology is particularly valuable as the lines between the disciplines are blurred. For example, the Engineering Technology Council of the American Society for Engineering Education markets the tagline: "The Degree is Engineering Technology, the Career is Engineering.". With engineering technology enrollment on the rise, we may expect to see more changes in engineering technology education. For example, Purdue's Polytechnic Institute (a 2015 rebrand from the College of Technology) is part of an initiative to open a technology-focused high school as a direct pathway into Purdue. In this particular situation, it has yet to be seen where students will go -- engineering, technology, or somewhere else. This research helps inform policy decisions related to such a pathway. The goal of this research was to determine why students choose to matriculate in engineering and then decide to change majors to engineering technology. Using a mixed methods approach, this work includes three studies focused on academic outcomes and student motivation. The studies draw upon Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) and Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT), focusing on intrinsic factors like interest and self-efficacy and extrinsic factors like social influence and career goals. The first study employs data sampled from the Multiple Institution Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development (MIDFIELD; https://engineering.purdue.edu/MIDFIELD) to determine demographic and academic factors associated with leaving engineering and switching to technology as well as their graduation outcomes. The next study focuses on motivation constructs related to SCCT and EVT. A survey instrument was e-mailed to Purdue students who switched from engineering to engineering technology, and it was also used as a recruitment tool for the third study. The third and final study employed a thematic analysis to explore the reasons why students switched from engineering to engineering technology. Statistical methods include regression analysis of longitudinal data, correlational analysis of theoretical constructs consisting of Likert-scale survey items, and thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses and semi-structured interviews. Based on data from MIDFIELD, students disproportionately switched to ET than any other major, comprising over 40% of all students who leave engineering went to technology. Self-reported survey data from students who switched from engineering to engineering technology at Purdue University revealed that students rated themselves higher on general self-efficacy than on engineering self-efficacy. These students were also intrinsically motivated and still identified with engineering. Of those survey respondents, thirteen participated in interviews as part of the third study. Themes that emerged from their surveys and interviews included pre-college expectations, parental input, alternative paths to career goal, and barriers to persist in engineering and to switch to engineering technology. Students sought engineering technology as an alternative pathway to their engineering-related career goal when their college engineering experience did not match their pre-college expectations. Because of that, students faced barriers to persisting in engineering, like their academic performance. They also faced obstacles to pursuing ET, including the stigma others associate with switching. Gathering input from their parents helped them in their decision-making process. The results support findings from other studies and provided context for students' motivations to switch. Ultimately, students maintain their engineering interests and career goals but accomplish their goals through a different context. This work has implications for students, advisors, parents, and policy makers. Advisors in high school and college can improve their ability to identify the reasons why students switch and which students may be likely to switch. This set of studies is the first step towards understanding students who start in engineering and switch their major to engineering technology.

Enriched Isogeometric Analysis for Parametric Domain Decomposition and Fracture Analysis

Chen, Chun-Pei Purdue University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 2020 해외박사(DDOD)

As physical testing does not always yield insight into the mechanistic cause of failures, computational modeling is often used to develop an understanding of the goodness of a design and to shorten the product development time. One common, and widely used analysis technique is the Finite Element Method. A significant difficulty with the finite element method is the effort required to generate an analysis-ble mesh due to the difference in the mathematical representation of geometry CAD and CAE systems. CAD systems commonly use Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) while the CAE tools rely on the finite element mesh. Efforts to unify CAD and CAE by carrying out analysis directly using NURBS models termed Isogeometric Analysis reduces the gap between CAD and CAE phases of product development. However, several challenges still remain in the field of isogeometric analysis. A critical challenge relates to the output of commercial CAD systems. B-rep CAD models generated by commercial CAD systems contain uncoupled NURBS patches and are therefore not suitable for analysis directly. Existing literature is largely missing methods to smoothly couple NURBS patches. This is the first topic of research in this thesis. Fracture-caused failures are a critical concern for the reliability of engineered structures in general and semiconductor chips in particular. The back-end of the line structures in modern semiconductor chips contain multi-material junctions that are sites of singular stress, and locations where cracks originate during fabrication or testing. Techniques to accurately model the singular stress fields at interfacial corners are relatively limited. This is the second topic addressed in this thesis. Thus, the overall objective of this dissertation is to develop an isogeometric framework for parametric domain decomposition and analysis of singular stresses using enriched isogeometric analysis.Geometrically speaking, multi-material junctions, sub-domain interfaces and crack surfaces are lower-dimensional features relative to the two- or three-dimensional domain. The enriched isogeometric analysis described in this research builds enriching approximations directly on the lower-dimensional geometric features that then couple sub-domains or describe cracks. Since the interface or crack geometry is explicitly represented, it is easy to apply boundary conditions in a strong sense and to directly calculate geometric quantities such as normals or curvatures at any point on the geometry. These advantages contrast against those of implicit geometry methods including level set or phase-field methods. In the enriched isogeometric analysis, the base approximations in the domain/subdomains are enriched by the interfacial fields constructed as a function of distance from the interfaces. To circumvent the challenges of measuring distance and point of influence from the interface using iterative operations, algebraic level sets and algebraic point projection are utilized. The developed techniques are implemented as a program in the MATLAB environment named as Hierarchical Design and Analysis Code. The code is carefully designed to ensure simplicity and maintainability, to facilitate geometry creation, pre-processing, analysis and post-processing with optimal efficiency.To couple NURBS patches, a parametric stitching strategy that assures arbitrary smoothness across subdomains with non-matching discretization is developed. The key concept used to accomplish the coupling is the insertion of a "parametric stitching" or p-stitching interface between the incompatible patches. In the present work, NURBS is chosen for discretizing the parametric subdomains. The developed procedure though is valid for other representations of subdomains whose basis functions obey partition of unity. The proposed method is validated through patch tests from which near-optimal rate of convergence is demonstrated. Several two- and three-dimensional elastostatic as well as heat conduction numerical examples are presented.

The effects of including almonds in an energy-restricted diet on weight, body composition, visceral adipose tissue, blood pressure and cognitive function

Dhillon, Jaapna Purdue University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 2016 해외박사(DDOD)

Inclusion of almonds in an energy restricted diet has been reported to enhance or have no effect on weight loss. Their effects specifically on visceral fat stores during energy restriction have not been widely examined. Additionally, almond consumption has been associated with reduced blood pressure, but whether this is linked to or is independent of changes of body composition has not been examined. Moreover, almond consumption during energy restriction may be an effective strategy for reversing the negative effects of dieting on cognitive performance. The unique nutrient profile of almonds also has the potential to influence cognitive function post-prandially. The post-lunch dip in cognition is a well-established phenomenon of decreased alertness, memory and vigilance after lunch consumption and can be affected by lunch composition. Almonds which are higher in fat and lower in carbohydrate may be able to reduce this post lunch dip in cognition. Consequently, this dissertation had three primary aims. The first aim was to evaluate the effects of almond consumption as part of an energy-restricted diet on weight, visceral and subcutaneous adipose depots and blood pressure compared to a nut-free energy restricted diet. The second aim was to evaluate the effects of almond consumption as part of an energy-restricted diet on cognitive function. The third aim was to evaluate the acute effects of almond consumption on the post-lunch dip in cognitive function. A secondary objective of this dissertation was to develop an analytical approach to identify metabolic profiles associated with almond consumption to ascertain compliance in long term clinical trials. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Developing and Measuring Effectiveness of a New Evidence-Based Grain Storage and Handling Safety Curriculum Targeting Young and Beginning Workers

Cheng, Yuan-Hsin Purdue University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 2017 해외박사(DDOD)

Research was conducted on the development, testing, and implementation of an original, evidence-based curriculum (Against the Grain) designed to reduce the frequency and severity of the most frequent types of injuries and fatalities involving young and beginning workers, ages 14--20, at grain storage and handling operations. This population has historically accounted for approximately 24% of documented entrapments, engulfments, asphyxiations, entanglements, falls, and electrocutions associated with grain handling and storage. This includes incidents during both work-related and non-work or recreational activities. Curriculum contents were based upon data summarized from Purdue's Agricultural Confined Spaces Incident Database (PACSID), review of relevant injury prevention research, related educational resources and standards, and the provisions of applicable federal workplace safety and health regulations. A standard curriculum development model (DACUM) was used to design the tested curriculum that includes supporting instructional resources and five PowerPoint-based lessons. The process identified 27 prioritized learning outcomes upon which the curriculum was based. Contents were tested using sound educational measurement methods including pre- and post-testing, instructor evaluation and participant follow-up assessments. Three educational delivery techniques were utilized for implementation and testing: 1) face to face secondary classroom instruction, 2) face-to-face instruction in informal, out of school or workplace settings, and 3) webinar-based instruction. An independent online instruction option was explored, but not implemented or assessed. The curriculum contents were reviewed and approved by the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) under the provisions of the Susan Harwood Training Program. The economic viability or sustainability of each delivery strategy was considered and recommendations made. Findings indicate that the Against the Grain curriculum, as currently available at (www.agconfinedspaces.org), resulted in significant increases in knowledge gain regarding the hazards related to grain storage and handling when presented to secondary-school agricultural education and post-secondary-school agriculture students using face-to-face based instruction. Although students enrolled in secondary-school education programs received lower average pre-test scores, they still showed, as anticipated, greater knowledge gain compared to the post-secondary-school students who completed the training. There was a 31.4% increase in post-test scores received by secondary-school agricultural students, and an 8% increase in post-test scores documented from post-secondary school agricultural students. Initial findings also indicated that the target audiences were more familiar with the hazards associated with grain storage and handling than originally expected, leading to revision of the curriculum contents and test questions. To date, approximately 4,000 young and beginning workers have been exposed to the curriculum and over 1,141 educators have accessed the curriculum contents at the project website. In the year of 2017, additional 670 page views were added to the project website. It was recommended that the curriculum be nationally promoted, that additional curriculum improvement could include updating visuals to more accurately reflect current practices in the grain industry, further alignment with agricultural education standards including both Agricultural, Forestry and National Resources (AFNR) and individual state standards, and adding the five grain safety lessons to the Purdue University developed Gearing Up for Safety curriculum for youth employed in agriculture to increase the scope and utilization of the curriculum.

Developing and Implementing Surveillance System for Farm-related Injuries Involving Livestock Manure Storage, Handling, and Transport Equipment and Facilities with Analysis and Implications

Nour, Mahmoud M Purdue University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 2020 해외박사(DDOD)

Agriculture is a major industry in the U.S. with higher rates of mortality and morbidity due to occupational injuries when compared to other industries (BLS, 2016). Manure storage, handling, and transport facilities and equipment possess life threatening hazards on many livestock operations. These hazards include: 1) toxic manure gases generated within enclosed structures which can be fatal to both human and livestock due to direct exposure; 2) below and above ground liquid manure storage structures that have the potential risk for drowning and falling; 3) mechanical hazards associated with manure handling machinery, including entanglement and equipment failure, and 4) exposure to infectious agents found in livestock waste. Since the 1970's over 2400 involving agricultural confined space incidents including nearly 460 incidents involving manure storage, handling and transport have been documented as part of ongoing surveillance by Purdue University's Agricultural Safety and Health Program. There have been several efforts that have examined this data; however, few have attempted to monitor or summarize over time injuries and fatalities associated with livestock manure storage, handling, or transport equipment and facilities. In addition, no published work was identified that attempted to design or implement an agricultural-based surveillance method or consistent data classification/coding system that could be used to analyze cases involving manure-related injuries and fatalities. This research was designed to contribute to a better understanding of the problem of manure-related hazards, through development of a uniform coding system to classify these incidents, ongoing surveillance of individual cases of related injuries or fatalities, estimation of the frequency and severity of these incidents, identifying geographic distribution and primary farm type, victim characteristics, and causative factors including those related to both respiratory and machinery hazards associated with manure storage, handling or transport. Findings include, under reporting of incidents preventing a comprehensive understanding of the problem, 75% of documented cases were male with an average age of 35, approximately 20% of all documented incidents involved children and youth age 21 and younger. Findings from the analysis of cases documented to date and future cases will be used to develop more effective, evidence- based injury prevention and mitigation strategies and to develop a representative baseline for future assessment of these efforts. Outcomes from this research included: 1) consistent strategy to document, code, and summarize manure-related incidents; 2) means of classification of key causative contributing factors; 3) identification of new or emerging trends; 4) analysis of the existing data set; and 5) recommendations for addressing key contributing factors through: identifying desired core competencies that should be addressed in future educational activities; new or modified engineering standards and potential regulatory concepts, and enforcement of current OSHA workplace safety and health regulations.