Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Persistence Of Dna From Biocontained Genetically Engineered Microbes, Wentao Dai

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The utilization of genetically engineered microbes in environmental systems requires effective biocontainment mechanisms to ensure their safe operation. CRISPR-based kill switches are a promising solution, inducing cell death through site-specific DNA cleavage under specific environmental conditions. In this study, we aimed to assess the impact of CRISPR-based kill switches on the abundance and persistence of bacterial DNA. Our results revealed that while CRISPR-based kill switches were capable of achieving high reductions in viable Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN); the DNA largely remained intact. This was observed in two strains of EcN: one enabled with multi-locus genome cleavage, and the other …

Filter-Based Air Sampler Capable Of Integration Into Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Robert M. Eninger, Stepanie A. Ohms, Jeremy M. Slagley

AFIT Patents

A filter-based air sampler, more specifically a filter-based air sampler capable of integration into small unmanned aerial systems is disclosed. The filter-based air sampler may include a filter assembly which has as its component parts: an open faced air intake component, a filter, and a filter support that has a central supporting grid. The filter assembly may joined to the housing of a fan, such as a centrifugal fan, with the supporting grid of the filter support being disposed over the air inlet of the fan.

Assessing The Ability Of Arduino-Based Sensor Systems To Monitor Changes In Water Quality, Josiah Hacker

Honors College Theses

Access to safe water is vital to public health. While developed countries like the United States are recognized as having reliable and safe water, many small water utilities struggle with supplying consistent water quality. Technicians of these utilities will periodically test water samples from the influent and throughout the distribution system. However, this laborious and costly process does not capture sudden changes in influent water quality due to environmental conditions or pipes breaking in the distribution system. Here I show how an Arduino-based sensor can be used as a real-time, low-cost monitor of water quality parameters. Specifically, I developed a …

Unleash The Heat: Exploring Geothermal Energy Perspectives And Energy Literacy In São Miguel, Azores, Lena Mcdonough

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The green energy transition is moving ahead in EU countries at very different paces, and there are some key challenges that all regions currently face in trying to phase fossil fuels out of their energy mixes. One of these challenges is that most regions simply cannot harness enough renewable energy sources and simultaneously have the storage technology for creating a baseload power source as reliable as oil, coal and natural gas. That is, unless you sit in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on the boundary of three tectonic plates, with a continuous and reliable renewable energy source beneath your …

Role Of Sediment Type, Concentration, And Salinity On Clay Flocs, Ryan Michael Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Experiments were performed to study floc formation in water bodies. In particular, the study aimed to systematically identify effects of water depth, time, salinity, initial clay concentration, and clay type on floc formation and settling. Three sediment types were chosen for this research are Three sediment types were chosen for this research: silica powder, with particle sizes comparable to clay flocs, kaolin clay and bentonite clay. Silica was chosen as a control because it did not form flocs. Kaolin represented low activity clay; bentonite was chosen as the high activity clay. Experiments lasted up to 48 hours. Graduated cylinders were …

Modeling Leachate Treatment Processes In Adsorbent-Amended Hybrid Constructed Wetland, Ishfaqun Nisa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Due to their efficiency in removing ammonia nitrogen, Constructed Wetlands (CW) are currently considered a very useful method for on-site leachate treatment. In recent years, the use of adsorbent media in CWs, such as zeolite and biochar, to improve pollutant removal efficiency has been explored and these studies indicate that incorporating zeolite can improve the nitrification process, while the addition of biochar can enhance the denitrification process and the removal of organic compounds. However, studies on mechanistic/process models simulating performance of adsorbent-amended CWs for treating landfill leachate are limited. This study presents simulation results for both unamended and adsorbent-amended hybrid …

Additive Manufacturing Of Engineered Cementitious Composites With Ultra-High Tensile Ductility, Amir Bakhshi

Civil Engineering ETDs

One of the critical factors in the development of additive manufacturing in the construction industry is designing suitable materials for 3D printing applications. 3D concrete printing (3DCP) has gained significant attention due to the abundance and availability of concrete. However, concrete is a brittle material and, without proper reinforcement, cannot meet the requirements for structural purposes. Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC), known for high ductility, and strain-hardening with low fiber contents, can potentially eliminate the need for steel reinforcement in 3D printing without any need for manual placement of reinforcement. A set of systematic tests on ECC mix designs' fresh and …

Field-Base Exploratory Study Of Microbial Activity In Eight Potable Water Storage Tanks In Barbados, Katelyn M. Long

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There have been many initiatives to combat the global phenomenon of water scarcity. Potable water storage tanks have become widely known among water insecure countries and communities to provide adequate water quantity and quality for consumer use. Despite ubiquitous use in many low- and middle-income communities (LMIC), knowledge of microbial activity inside potable water storage tanks is limited. Barbados is a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), labeled as a high income country, and also water scarce. The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) has adapted potable water storage tanks for hundreds of residents as a solution to water quantity and water quality …

Disturbances In Primary Visual Processing As A Function Of Healthy Aging, Seth D. Springer, Tara D. Erker, Mikki Schantell, Hallie J. Johnson, Madelyn P. Willett, Hannah J. Okelberry, Maggie P. Rempe, Anthony Wilson

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

For decades, visual entrainment paradigms have been widely used to investigate basic visual processing in healthy individuals and those with neurological disorders. While healthy aging is known to be associated with alterations in visual processing, whether this extends to visual entrainment responses and the precise cortical regions involved is not fully understood. Such knowledge is imperative given the recent surge in interest surrounding the use of flicker stimulation and entrainment in the context of identifying and treating Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the current study, we examined visual entrainment in eighty healthy aging adults using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and a 15 Hz …

Evaluating The Environmental Impacts Of U.S. Historical Oil Spill Incidents, Yiming Liu, Hua Cai

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

The adverse impacts of extremely large oil spill incidents such as Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill have been widely studied in recent years. Catastrophic oil spill disasters such as Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill have been widely studied. While vast smaller oil spills, which also could result in significant amount of oil release, still lack attention.

This research assessed distributions and environmental impacts caused by historical oil spill incidents in U.S. We first analyzed the spatial and temporal characteristics of oil spills. Then the relationship between spillage amount and spill frequency is evaluated via statistical approaches. Last, based on a thorough literature …

Comprehensive Microenvironment Monitoring For The Productivity And Welfare Of Sows And Piglets, Jun Ho Kim

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

The world is facing increasing food demand and climate change. To improve piglet survivability and sow welfare through microenvironment management using precision technology, a USDA sponsored research project started in 2021 and is ongoing. A comprehensive yet low-cost system was designed and developed for continuous and real-time microenvironment monitoring in three rooms of Farrowing Building #1 at the Animal Sciences Research and Education Center, Purdue University. The system consists of two gas analyzers and 103 different sensors, including sensors in a weather station. The first trial of the project was conducted from Jan. 13 to Feb. 8, 2023, when the …

Rehabilitation Technologies To Abate Infiltration In Sanitary Sewers, Steve Youssef

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In urban coastal environments, sewer infrastructure is plagued by infiltration which seeps into aging and compromised pipes. Infiltration increases pumping costs, reduces treatment efficiency, and may trigger release of partially treated wastewater at water reclamation facilities. To restore pipes and abate infiltration, local utilities rely on structural and non-structural trenchless rehabilitation technologies. These methods are commonly used throughout the United States and the world due to their numerous benefits compared to traditional open-cut construction. However, limited data is available regarding their efficacy in reducing infiltration in sewer systems. In this study, we analysed infiltration in a small urban sewershed in …

Unhsc Performance Curve Calculator 2.4, Daniel Macadam

UNH Stormwater Center

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Relative Humidity On Eddy Covariance Latent Heat Flux Measurements And Its Implication For Partitioning Into Transpiration And Evaporation, Weijie Zhang, Martin Jung, Mirco Migliavacca, Rafael Poyatos, Diego G. Miralles, Tarek S. El-Madany, Marta Galvagno, Arnaud Carrara, Nicola Arriga, Andreas Ibrom, Ivan Mammarella, Dario Papale, Jamie R. Cleverly, Michael Liddell, Georg Wohlfahrt, Christian Markwitz, Matthias Mauder, Eugenie Paul-Limoges, Marius Schmidt, Sebastian Wolf, Christian Brümmer, M. Altaf Arain, Silvano Fares, Tomomichi Kato, Jonas Ardö, Walter Oechel, Chad Hanson, Mika Korkiakoski, Sébastien Biraud, Rainer Steinbrecher, Dave Billesbach, Leonardo Montagnani, William Woodgate, Changliang Shao, Nuno Carvalhais, Markus Reichstein, Jacob A. Nelson

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

While the eddy covariance (EC) technique is a well-established method for measuring water fluxes (i.e., evaporation or 'evapotranspiration’, ET), the measurement is susceptible to many uncertainties. One such issue is the potential underestimation of ET when relative humidity (RH) is high (>70%), due to low-pass filtering with some EC systems. Yet, this underestimation for different types of EC systems (e.g. open-path or closed-path sensors) has not been characterized for synthesis datasets such as the widely used FLUXNET2015 dataset. Here, we assess the RH-associated underestimation of latent heat fluxes (LE, or ET) from different EC systems for 163 sites in …

Steam And Environmental Justice In An Interdisciplinary Context, Paula Farca, Alina Handorean, Jürgen Brune

The STEAM Journal

This course proposes an interdisciplinary perspective, envisions unique synergies between environmental justice concepts and STEAM projects on mining, and aims to solidify a foundation based on justice, equity, equality, and empathy for STEM students and faculty. Our (S)TEAM made of professors in three academic departments underscores interdisciplinary and diversity connections through an interdisciplinary team-taught course, units on environmental justice related to mining, teaching of literary texts, and STEAM projects. We also involved faculty, alumni, and our campus and city community through STEAM exhibits.

Enhancing Performance Of Gravity Driven Membranes For Water Purification In Small Rural Communities, Amr Ezzat Melligy Mr.

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the rapid population growth in Egypt, providing safe drinking water is becoming an ongoing challenge especially in rural scattered communities. It became more crucial than ever to find innovative and affordable solutions to purify water and reduce water-borne diseases. Ultrafiltration and micro-filtration membranes has been successful in large, centralized plants and is currently one of the popular solutions to provide high quality product water. However, using those membrane systems in rural areas is challenged by several parameters; among which are; the absence of skilled workers, stable energy sources and availability of chemicals. The goal of this thesis is …

Secreted Metabolome Of Porcine Blastocysts Encapsulated With In In Vitro 3d Alginate Hydrogel Culture Systems Under Going Morphological Changes Provides Insights Into Specific Mechanisms Involved In The Initiation Of Porcine Conceptus Elongation, Sophie C. Walsh, Jeremy R. Miles, Corey D. Broeckling, Lea A. Rempel, Elane C. Wright-Johnson, Angela K. Pannier

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Context. The exact mechanisms regulating the initiation of porcine conceptus elongation are not known due to the complexity of the uterine environment. Aims. To identify contributing factors for initiation of conceptus elongation in vitro, this study evaluated differential metabolite abundance within media following culture of blastocysts within unmodified alginate (ALG) or Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-modified alginate hydrogel culture systems. Methods. Blastocysts were harvested from pregnant gilts, encapsulated within ALG or RGD or as non-encapsulated control blastocysts (CONT), and cultured. At the termination of 96 h culture, media were separated into blastocyst media groups: non-encapsulated control blastocysts (CONT); ALG …

Value Added Products From Nonconventional Agricultural Biomass Waste Through Thermochemical Transformation, Nicolas A. Sarmiento

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The alteration of temperature patterns around the world has become noticeable in the recent decade. Sea level rise, wildfires, and high temperatures have made people realize that climate change is affecting humans more tangibly than ever. Therefore, the United Nations have pushed to make policies to mitigate this problematic situation. This research investigated the production of biochar from agricultural waste through pyrolysis for fighting climate change and adding value to waste. Experiments in a laboratory scale reactor were conducted to obtain yields of pyrolytic products. Then, analysis of products provided data for characterization and the LCA of the tomato plant …

Unhsc Bmp Performance Fact Sheets, Unh Stormwater Center

UNH Stormwater Center

No abstract provided.

Estimating Solar Energy Production In Urban Areas For Electric Vehicles, Shaimaa Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

Cities have a high potential for solar energy from PVs installed on buildings' rooftops. There is an increased demand for solar energy in cities to reduce the negative effect of climate change. The thesis investigates solar energy potential in urban areas. It tries to determine how to detect and identify available rooftop areas, how to calculate suitable ones after excluding the effects of the shade, and the estimated energy generated from PVs. Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) are used in solar city planning. The goal of this research is to assess available and suitable rooftops areas using …