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Southern New England High Tunnel Soil Data Set
Get PDFThese data were collected as part of the USDA NRS CIG project “How much is too much? Managing fertilizer nutrients in high tunnel vegetable production” (award NR203A750008G009). The objectives of the project were 1) to determine whether nutrient leaching (particularly of nitrogen) was a problem in commercial high tunnel tomato production; 2) to develop a model to predict nutrient mineralization and uptake in high tunnels; and 3) to construct a web-based tool growers could use to manage applications of nutrient and water to tomatoes. These data were used to build the model, which became the basis for the tool
Ritual Child Homicides in Ghana and Kenya: A Criminological Analysis
Get PDFChild homicide is a frequent occurrence in many African communities, and juju beliefs trigger a sizable proportion of this crime. Yet a systematic and critical analysis of juju’s impact on pedicides is lacking in the literature. The sparse extant studies on juju-driven homicide or ritual murder mainly offer historical perspectives rather than criminological analysis of the phenomenon. The present study explores the magnitude, characteristics, and motivations, as well as the socio-cultural and economic contexts of ritual child homicide or juju-driven pedicide (i.e., the killing of children for ritual or occult purposes) in Ghana and Kenya. This aim is achieved by conducting an in-depth analysis of ritual murder reports publicized on the websites of eight major news/media outlets between 2012 and 2021. The content analysis results are complemented by semi-structured interviews involving 28 academics and experts. The data show that ritual child homicide usually involves multiple offenders, primarily unemployed young adult males aged between 20 and 39 years. Most perpetrators are motivated by pecuniary gain and the desire to protect themselves against perceived spiritual attacks. The body parts primarily extracted from victims for rituals are the head, limbs, private parts, and blood. The major factors contributing to the persistence of ritual pedicides are obsession with juju, economic hardship, illiteracy, inefficient criminal justice system, authorities’ failure to bring juju practitioners under closer scrutiny, and the emergence of a new consumerist ethos—the unrestrained quest for luxurious effects
Improved Ram Stuffer for Plastic Fluff
Get PDFThe plastic industry is one of great importance to the modern world. Many of the tangible objects we interact with everyday are made partly or entirely of plastic. At some point in the process of making these objects, plastic will be melted down and extruded through a die. The plastic objects most often thought of are created by the extrusion of plastic into a mold, however some plastic products are not molded at all. Solid lengths of plastic and plastic tubing are extruded from the machine through a die and then kept as is. US Extruders, a company that specializes in designing extruders for this purpose, has sponsored our team for the capstone design project. Our focus is their largest extruder, one that takes shreds of recycled plastic, or “fluff”, and extrudes it as solid plastic.
The main goal of this team is to redesign our sponsor’s ram stuffer for its large extruder so that it takes up less factory floor space, as well as increasing its efficiency. The ram stuffer is essentially a large piston that forces the fluff into the extrusion screw. Currently the piston sticks out about 4 feet from the machine, creating a large area of space that cannot be occupied by another machine. By decreasing the area this piston takes up, or omitting it entirely, the more units their clients can fit side by side in a given area. This new design must not hinder the output of the machine nor its ease of use.
The best design was determined through research, design analysis, and the guidance of our sponsor. Each team member did their own research, came up with their own design concepts, and compared these concepts based on the customer’s requirements and the engineering requirements determined by the team. Once the overall best design was determined, a model was created for proof of concept. Testing was then conducted to compare this design to the original, and the team’s top design outperformed the original. Lastly, using this data and testing, the team created a sheet metal prototype based on the best design from the testing portion
Team 06: Methodology for the Deployment of Small Payloads from a Host Underwater Vehicle
Get PDFThis report documents the efforts made by team 6 to create a new and innovative device for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center of Newport, RI meant to deploy multiple cylindrically shaped payloads from an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV). Building upon the success from the projects work last semester Team 06 enhanced and refined their previous work to complete their project.
After validating the design methodology in semester 1 with our proof of concept (POC) version 1 our team set off on development of the next phase of the project. This version scaled up the project to ⅔ of the final product envisioned by NUWC. This scaled-up iteration not only addressed the flaws identified in the previous design but also incorporated novel features to enhance functionality and operability. One of the biggest advancements in verison two is the introduction of electro-mechanical components to operate the mechanism without human intervention. This mechanism enables the operator to precisely home, reload, and launch payloads with both accuracy and efficiency. Central to the operation of this mechanism is a sophisticated Python user graphical interface seamlessly integrated with Arduino code, allowing for precise control and automation of the mechanism.
Throughout the development of the deployment methodology made by Team 06 the iterative design of this process was meticulously noted. These notes provide great insight into the challenges and lessons learned by the team during the development of this mechanism. As the semester draws to an end Team 06 is proud to report on the advancements they have made in the world of underwater vehicles. This report serves as a means to show the determination and collaboration undertaken by Team 06 in their pursuit of engineering excellence
