Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Assessment Of Potential Carbon Dioxide-Based Demand Control Ventilation System Performance In Single Zone Systems, Joseph G. Pickenpaugh

Theses and Dissertations

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) use accounts for 43% of commercial energy consumption, with close to 5% used for ventilation purposes. Federal government agencies face both energy consumption reduction mandates and reduced funding. Carbon dioxide (CO2) based demand control ventilation (DCV) is a technology that allows for reduced energy consumption by allowing facility designers to introduce outside air based on facility occupancy, per American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards. This research aims to create a generalized methodology assessing energy and cost reductions from CO2-based DCV and then apply it to a specific facility at …

Mutcd Revisions And Sign Upgrades, Jill Palmer, Karen Stippich

Purdue Road School

Jill Palmer, PE has managed over a dozen sign inventories in response to new MUTCD requirements for retroreflectivity. This presentation shares lessons gleaned from that experience and a practical approach to satisfying the MUTCD criteria.

2013 Directory Of Indiana State, County, City And Town Officials Responsible For Road And Street Work, Indiana Ltap

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Directory

Contact information for local agency officials and employees responsible for Indiana’s local road infrastructure.

Preparing Nebraska Future Water Leaders: Nwla Academy Class Iii (2013), Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Nebraska Water Leaders Academy: Publications and Materials

Group communications, Phyllis Schoenholz, UNL

Communication and transformational leadership. Dr. Mark Burbach and Dr. Connie Reimers-Hild, UNL

Nebraska's instream flow laws and applications, Ann Bleed, board member, Lower Platte Natural Resources District

River Basin Compacts; Nebraska's obligations, Michael Jess, water resources engineer; consultant.

Conservation along the Central Platte, Mark Peyton, senior biologist, Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District

Central Platte River water issues in regard to habitat for endangered species, Jason Farnsworth, natural resources specialist, Headwaters Corporation & Jerry Kenny, executive director of the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program

Rowe Sanctuary; discussion and viewing …

Variability Of Extreme Precipitation In Coastal River Basins Of The Southern Mexican Pacific Region, Nancy Perez-Morga, Thomas Kretzschmar, Tereza Cavazos, Stephen V. Smith, Francisco Munoz-Arriola

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Extreme wet and dry years (± 1 standard deviation, respectively), as well as the top 95 percentile (P95) of daily precipitation events, derived from tropical cyclone (TC) and nontropical cyclone (NTC) rainfall, were analyzed in coastal river basins in Southern Oaxaca, Mexico (Río Verde, Río Tehuantepec, and the Southern Coast). The study is based on daily precipitation records from 47 quality-controlled stations for the 1961 to 1990 period and TC data for the Eastern Tropical Pacific (EPAC). The aim of this study was to evaluate extreme (dry and wet) trends in the annual contribution of daily P95 precipitation events and …

Use Of A Surrogate To Evaluate The Impact Of Tillage On The Transport Of Steroid Hormones From Manure-Amended Agricultural Fields, Sagor Biswas, William L. Kranz, Charles A. Shapiro, Mitiku Mamo, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Daniel D. Snow, David P. Shelton, David D. Tarkalson, Terry L. Mader, Simon J. Van Donk, Tian C. Zhang

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Beef feedlot manure distributed to row crop production areas is a potential surface water contaminant source of the steroid hormones commonly used in beef cattle production. This article reports on research conducted at the University of Nebraska Haskell Agricultural Laboratory near Concord, Nebraska, in July 2009. Manure, collected from beef feedlot pens, was stockpiled for ten months prior to application to a row crop field. Previous research identified that the detection frequency of steroid hormones in beef manure varies greatly. Thus, a surrogate (17α-ethynylestradiol, EE2) was applied at a rate of 75 g ha^-1 to ensure detectable concentrations in …

Runoff Nutrient Transport As Affected By Land Application Method, Swine Growth Stage, And Runoff Rate, J. E. Gilley, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, S. J. Lamb, X. Li, D. B. Marx, D. D. Snow, D. B. Parker, B. L. Woodbury

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

This study was conducted to measure the effects of slurry application method, swine growth stage, and flow rate on runoff nutrient transport. Swine slurry was obtained from production units containing grower pigs, finisher pigs, or sows and gilts. The swine slurry was applied using broadcast, disk, or injection methods at a rate required to meet annual nitrogen requirements for corn. Three 30 min simulated rainfall events, separated by 24 h intervals, were applied to the experimental plots at an intensity of 70 mm h^-1. Inflow was applied at the top of each plot in four successive increments after …

Maize Evapotranspiration, Yield Production Functions, Biomass, Grain Yield, Harvest Index, And Yield Response Factors Under Full And Limited Irrigation, Koffi Djaman, Suat Irmak, William R. Rathje, Derrel L. Martin, Dean E. Eisenhauer

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

South-central Nebraska is one of the most extensively irrigated areas in the U.S., with over 65,000 active irrigation wells, and maize is the major agronomical crop produced. Maize production in this region requires supplementary irrigation for maximum productivity. Effective on-farm implementation of full and limited irrigation practices for potential improvements of crop productivity requires knowledge of locally developed crop yield response to water functions. In this study, the effects of full and limited irrigation practices on maize (Zea mays L.) plant height, leaf area index (LAI), grain yield and biomass production, actual crop evapotranspiration (ET_a), yield production functions, …

Implementation Of A ”Rapid Design Challenge” In A Cross-Disciplinary Senior Capstone Course And Evaluation Of Device Performance, Abby M. Kelly, Austin Lammers, David D. Jones, Richard Stowell, Roger Hoy, Evan Curtis, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The senior capstone experience within the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a two-semester, two-course sequence intended to give senior students realistic design experience, working with real projects, real clients, faculty consultants, and teammates to produce a deliverable that meets the client’s needs. Students within this course sequence come from two different degree programs (agricultural engineering and biological systems engineering) and within each degree program from a variety of “emphasis areas”, e.g. biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, machine design. While the goal of this course is for students to experience a “real” design project, we felt …

Network Analysis Of Endogenous Gene Expression Profiles After Polyethyleneimine-Mediated Dna Delivery, Timothy M. Martin, Sarah A. Plautz, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Background—DNA delivery systems, which transport exogenous DNA to cells, have applications that include gene therapy, tissue engineering and medical devices. Although the cationic nonviral DNA carrier polyethyleneimine (PEI) has been widely studied, the molecular factors and pathways underlying PEI-mediated DNA transfer remain largely unknown, preventing the design of more efficient delivery systems.

Methods—HEK 293 T cells were treated with polyplexes formed with PEI and pEGFPLuc encoding for green fluorescent protein (GFP). Transfected cells expressing GFP were flowseparated from treated, untransfected cells. Gene expression profiles were obtained using Affymetrix HG-U133 2.0 microarrays and differentially expressed genes were identified using R/ Bioconductor. …

Hourly And Daily Single And Basal Evapotranspiration Crop Coefficients As A Function Of Growing Degree Days, Days After Emergence, Leaf Area Index, Fractional Green Canopy Cover, And Plant Phenology For Soybean, Suat Irmak, Lameck O. Odhiambo, James Specht, Koffi Djaman

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Hourly evapotranspiration (ET) crop coefficients (K_c) are needed to optimize the effectiveness and efficiency of high-frequency micro- and sprinkler irrigation practices involving the application of water multiple times a day. However, not much is known about the daily and seasonal patterns and magnitudes in hourly K_c values for soybean. In addition, locally developed K_c values are necessary for more robust within-season irrigation management, crop ET estimation, and water balance analyses. Hourly and daily Kc functions were developed for soybean in south-central Nebraska through extensive field research. Actual crop evapotranspiration (ET_a) was measured using a …

Transferability Of Jarvis-Type Models Developed And Re-Parameterized For Maize To Estimate Stomatal Resistance Of Soybean: Analyses On Model Calibration, Validation, Performance, Sensitivity, And Elasticity, Denis Mutiibwa, Suat Irmak

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

In a previous study by the same authors, a new modified Jarvis model (NMJ-model) was developed, calibrated, and validated to estimate stomatal resistance (rs) for maize canopy on an hourly time step. The NMJ-model’s unique subfunctions, different from the original Jarvis model (J-model), include a photosynthetic photon flux density

(PPFD)-r_s response subfunction developed from field measurements and a new physical term, Aexp(1/LAI), where A is the minimum stomatal resistance and LAI is the green leaf area index, to account for the influence of canopy development on r_s, especially during partial canopy stage in the early season and …

Evapotranspiration And Surface Energy Balance Of A Common Reed-Dominated Riparian System In The Platte River Basin, Central Nebraska, Isa Kabenge, Suat Irmak, John E. Gilley, George E. Meyer, Stevan Z. Knezevic, Timothy J. Arkebauer, Duane Woodward, Milton Moravek

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Quantifying actual evapotranspiration (ET_a) of riparian zones is important for more robust water balance analyses that will enable better planning, managing, and allocating of water resources as well as developing strategies to protect delicate riparian ecosystem functions. The ET_a, sensible heat flux (H), net radiation (R_n), soil heat flux (G), meteorological variables (air temperature, T_a; incoming shortwave radiation, R_s; wind speed, u₃; relative humidity, RH; vapor pressure deficit, VPD; precipitation, etc.), and albedo were measured on an hourly time step, and leaf area index (LAI) and plant height …

Avhrr-Ndvi-Based Crop Coefficients For Analyzing Long-Term Trends In Evapotranspiration In Relation To Changing Climate In The U.S. High Plains, Denis Mutiibwa, Suat Irmak

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Studies in regions of extensive irrigation practices have revealed a significant influence of evaporative cooling on regional temperatures as a result of surface energy redistribution during evaporation. In the U.S. High Plains, maximum temperatures during the last quarter of the 20th century have been decreasing. We investigated the trends in evapotranspiration (ET or latent heat) fluxes originating from increasing irrigation practices in the High Plains region from 1981 to 2008. We estimated actual ET (ETc) over the entire High Plains from the spatial crop coefficients (Kc) and spatial reference (potential) ET (ETref). We proposed …

Studying Platoon Dispersion Characteristics Under Heterogeneous Traffic In India, Jijo Mathew, Helen Thomas, Anuj Sharma, Lelitha Devi, Laurence Rilett

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Platoons are created by signalized intersections which control travel patterns of vehicles. It is common for platoons to disperse during normal traffic operations. While platoon dispersion has been studied extensively under homogenous and lane disciplined traffic conditions, this characteristic under heterogeneous conditions has not been addressed adequately. This study will be one of the first steps in this direction and will lead to better understanding and simulation of platoon dispersion under Indian conditions.

Data describing platoon dispersion was collected with video recording systems along an arterial in Chennai, India. The Robertson’s model parameters calibrated for this data was found to …

Using Gis To Delineate Headwater Stream Origins In The Appalachian Coal-Belt Region Of Kentucky, Jonathan A. Villines

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Human activity such as surface mining can have substantial impacts on the natural environment. Performing a Cumulative Hydrologic Impact Assessment (CHIA) of such impacts on surface water systems requires knowing the location and extent of these impacted streams. The Jurisdictional Determination (JD) of a stream’s protected status under the Clean Water Act (CWA) involves locating and classifying streams according to their flow regime: ephemeral, intermittent, or perennial. Due to their often remote locations and small size, taking a field inventory of headwater streams for surface mining permit applications or permit reviews is challenging. A means of estimating headwater stream location …

Transient And Quasi-Steady Thermal Behaviour Of A Building Envelope Due To Retrofitted Cavity Wall And Ceiling Insulation, Aimee Byrne, Gerard Byrne, Anna Davies, Anthony Robinson

Articles

Accurate understanding of the thermal behaviour of building components is essential for predicting heat-ing or cooling needs and facilitates the implementation of more successful energy saving strategies and retrofits. This paper focuses on a specific measure commonly introduced through the residential energy efficiency retrofit programmes in Ireland–insulation. Traditionally, assessments of the performance of building envelopes have been based on assumed thermal resistances of the materials involved, labora-tory tests and computer modelling. The aim of the present work is to investigate the in situ thermal behaviour of a case study building and its components under transient and quasi-steady environmental conditions, comparing …

Hydrologic Characterization Of A Rain Garden Mitigating Stormwater Runoff From A Commercial Area, John T. Mcmaine

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Impervious surfaces such as roads, sidewalks, and roofs increase the volume of runoff generated in a watershed. Traditional stormwater management techniques emphasize conveyance of runoff away from impervious surfaces in order to reduce flooding. Rain gardens are becoming popular as a different means to manage stormwater in such a way that runoff is captured and infiltrated onsite rather than conveyed offsite. A stormwater management system consisting of a rainwater harvest system, rain garden, and infiltration chamber was built at the Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc. distribution center in Lexington, Kentucky during the fall of 2011. Precipitation, inflow, and water level were …

Optimized Correlation Of Geophysical And Geotechnical Methods In Sinkhole Investigations: Emphasizing On Spatial Variations In West-Central Florida, Henok Gidey Kiflu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Sinkholes and sinkhole-related features in West-Central Florida (WCF) are commonly identified using geotechnical investigations such as standard penetration test (SPT) borings and geophysical methods such as ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). Geophysical investigation results can be used to locate drilling and field testing sites while geotechnical investigation can be used to ground truth geophysical results. Both methods can yield complementary information. Geotechnical investigations give important information about the type of soil, groundwater level and presence of low-density soils or voids at the test location, while geophysical investigations like GPR surveys have better spatial coverage and …

Impact Of Water And Nitrogen Management Strategies On Maize Yield And Water Productivity Indices Under Linear-Move Sprinkler Irrigation, Daran Rudnick, Suat Irmak

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

With uncertainty in future irrigation water availability and regulations on nutrient application amounts, experimentally determined effects of “controllable” management strategies such as nitrogen (N), water, and their combination on crop water productivity (CWP, also known as crop water use efficiency) and actual evapotranspiration (ET_a) are essential. The effects of various N application rates (0, 84, 140, 196, and 252 kg ha^-1) under fully irrigated (FIT), limited irrigation (75% FIT), and rainfed conditions on maize (Zea mays L.) yield and various CWP indices were investigated in 2011 and 2012 growing seasons under linear-move sprinkler irrigation in south …

Assessing Climate Change Impacts On Water Balance, Runoff, And Water Quality At The Field Scale For Four Locations In The Heartland, Michael W. Van Liew, Song Feng, T. B. Pathak

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

This study employed the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to evaluate the impacts of projected future climate change scenarios on water balance, runoff, sediment, total nitrogen (N), and total phosphorus (P) at the field scale for four locations in the Heartland region: Sioux City (Iowa) and Columbus, Mullen, and Harrison (Nebraska). A conventional two-year corn-soybean rotation was assumed to be grown on each field. All fields were simulated identically in terms of topographic and cover/land management conditions. Model inputs for the fields differed in only

three ways: the forcing conditions for existing and future climatic scenarios (SRES A2, A1B, …

Use Of A Surrogate To Evaluate The Impact Of Tillage On The Transport Of Steroid Hormones From Manure-Amended Agricultural Fields, Sagor Biswas, William Kranz, Charles A. Shapiro, Mitiku Mamo, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Daniel D. Snow, David P. Shelton, David D. Tarkalson, Terry L. Mader, Simon J. Van Donk, Tian C. Zhang

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Beef feedlot manure distributed to row crop production areas is a potential surface water contaminant source of the steroid hormones commonly used in beef cattle production. This article reports on research conducted at the University of Nebraska Haskell Agricultural Laboratory near Concord, Nebraska, in July 2009. Manure, collected from beef feedlot pens, was stockpiled for ten months prior to application to a row crop field. Previous research identified that the detection frequency of steroid hormones in beef manure varies greatly. Thus, a surrogate (17α-ethynylestradiol, EE2) was applied at a rate of 75 g ha^-1 to ensure detectable concentrations in …

Transport Of Steroid Hormones In The Vadose Zone After Land Application Of Beef Cattle Manure, Simon Van Donk, Sagor Biswas, William L. Kranz, Daniel D. Snow, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Terry L. Mader, Charles A. Shapiro, David P. Shelton, David D. Tarkalson, Tian .. Zhang, Steve Ensley

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Few studies have been conducted to investigate the potential contamination of groundwater from manureborne steroid hormones. The objective of this study was to monitor leaching of steroid hormones at the bottom of 2.4 m deep percolation lysimeters installed in plots treated with beef cattle manure. Soil samples were also collected from surrounding field plots. Treatments consisted of application of manure from two treatment methods (stockpiling and composting) or no manure application. Laboratory analyses of manure, soil, and leachate samples used liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry to identify 17 steroid hormones and metabolites. Progesterone, estrone, β-zearalenol, and 4-androstenedione were detected …

Development And Evaluation Of Ordinary Least Squares Regression Models For Predicting Irrigated And Rainfed Maize And Soybean Yields, Vivek Sharma, Daran R. Rudnick, Suat Irmak

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Understanding the relationships between climatic variables and soil physical and chemical properties with crop yields on large scales is critical for evaluating crop productivity to make better assessments of local and regional food security, policy, land and water resource allocation, and management decisions. In this study, ordinary least squares(OLS) regression models were developed to predict irrigated and rainfed maize and soybean yields at the county level as a

function of explanatory variables [precipitation (P), actual crop evapotranspiration (ETa), organic matter content (OMC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), clay content (CC), and available soil water capacity (ASW)] of the dominant soil type …

Water Productivity Of Corn And Dry Bean Rotation On Very Fine Sandy Loam Soil In Western Nebraska, William E. Spurgeon, C. Dean Yonts

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) was used to irrigate corn and dry beans in a crop rotation study for four years from 2005 to 2008 to evaluate the accumulative effect of irrigation amount on yield and irrigation water use efficiency (I_WUE). This study was conducted on a very fine sandy loam soil using a short season corn hybrid typical for the area. Four irrigation treatments based on providing a fraction of the estimated crop evapotranspiration (ET_c) were evaluated. The treatments were designed to replace a certain percentage of ET_c and were denoted as I₁₂₅, …

Acetyl-Coa Carboxylases Are Checkpoints In Adipocyte Differentiation, Elizabeth Lyn Cordonier, Daniel Camara Teixeira, Zhonghi Han, Angela K. Pannier, Janos Zempleni

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Traffic Signals And Pedestrian, Bicyclist And Transit User Exposure In Urban Areas, Courtney Natasha Slavin

Dissertations and Theses

Improving the efficiency of traffic operations along arterials is currently a priority for many agencies as their roadway infrastructure is built out to the largest possible capacity within the urban environment. Many advanced systems are being implemented to optimize traffic signal timing. Air quality is typically not a consideration when these decisions are made. The relationship between exposure to air pollution and traffic signal timing has not been fully explored by other researchers. This study is the first research effort to combine detailed traffic signal timing data (at 5 second intervals) and air pollutant exposure data. Results show that longer …

Evaluation Of Beach Nourishment Evolution Models Using Data From Two South Carolina Beaches: Folly Beach And Hunting Island, Sc, Usa, Harry Weathers, George Voulgaris

George Voulgaris

Beach nourishment is a common method used for mitigating coastal erosion. However, it is also a costly undertaking and requires an appropriate cost-to-benefit analysis. Although the costs can be estimated relatively easily, the benefits are directly related to the life expectancy of the proposed project. With this in mind, three existing beach replenishment time-evolution models (the Linear Erosion, the Verhagen, and the One-Line models) were compared for their ability to represent data from two beach nourishment projects that have taken place in South Carolina, USA, at Folly Beach and Hunting Island. Another newly introduced model that combines the One-Line model …