Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of A First-Generation Prototype Laboratory System For Rail Neutral Temperature Measurements, Ellie Yi-Hsien Chao

Theses and Dissertations

Modern railway tracks worldwide standardize the use of Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) due to its ability to prevent disadvantages associated with rail joints in a track. CWR is laid when the rail is free of thermal stresses, also known as Rail Neutral Temperature (RNT). RNT is controlled in the CWR installation procedure; however, over time, the temperatures deviate from the RNT. The deviation causes significant thermal stresses introduced in the longitudinal direction of the rail, leading to potential failures such as pull-apart and buckling, causing track integrity and safety of train operation. The most significant potential failure is track buckling …

Evaluation Of A Trigonometric Grey Model For Estimating And Predicting Pavement Condition, Amara Kouyate

Theses and Dissertations

States, counties, and municipalities rely on pavement performance curves to forecast future pavement conditions in their jurisdictions. Accurate prediction is essential for budget planning and the identification of candidates for rehabilitation. This study investigates the use of a grey model (GM) to estimate and predict pavement conditions. An advantage of the GMs is that they do not require a large sample size for model estimation. This aspect is important since smaller towns and municipalities often cannot afford to collect pavement condition data frequently due to cost. There are other situations where sample size may be limited, such as using project-level …

Fate And Transport Of The Microbiome In Built Environments, Dahae Seong

Theses and Dissertations

Buildings are complex ecosystems evolving continuously. Indoor components such as occupants, ventilation system, and building structures influence the microbiome. To shed light on how the microbial population in a building will respond to such a fluid system, the fundamental interactions between microbes and the indoor ecosystem must be understood. Buildings are being designed as air-tight structures to save energy; however, this could lead to degradation of indoor air quality through indoor sources of contaminants and/or containment of pollutants in the room or introduce outdoor pollutants indoors depending on the ventilation conditions. In addition, transmission of infectious microbes in indoors threaten …

Performance-Based Building System Manufacturer Selection Decision Framework For Integration Into Total Cost Of Ownership Evaluations, Sarah L. Brown, Steven J. Schuldt, Michael N. Grussing, Louis B. Bartels, Michael A. Johnson, Justin D. Delorit

Faculty Publications

Facility managers are often faced with building system procurement or replacement decisions, requiring them to select a system from among competitive manufacturers. Total cost of ownership (TCO) criteria, informed by built assets in operation in the manager’s portfolio, provides some information to select the right asset manufacturer. However, managers must also consider technical performance to complete a more comprehensive analysis. Performance can be calculated using asset parameters like condition, age, and variation in condition to aid in TCO assessments. Leveraging past research and approaches, performance is calculated using an additive model that scales each parameter using a standard normalization technique …

Results Of Software Modeling Flow Section Of Vane Pumps, О.Я. Гловацкий, R.R. Ergashev, A.A. Abdullaev, J.I. Rashidov

Irrigation and Melioration

The article presents an analysis of data on the flow movement in a centrifugal pump, the results of which are aimed at improving the pump design in the direction of ensuring the flow of the flow without resistance to achieve energy savings in water transmission. To reduce slip on the pumps and to reduce the resistance to current flowing inside the pump to achieve energy savings, working impeller and spiral chamber shape are designed to be constructively correct. Data from pumping stations show that the performance of pumping equipment reduces water consumption by 10-12%, pressure by 18-20% and service life …

Unsupervised Learning For Anomaly Detection In Remote Sensing Imagery, Husam A. Alfergani

Theses and Dissertations

Landfill fire is a potential hazard of waste mismanagement, and could occur both on and below the surface of active and closed sites. Timely identification of temperature anomalies is critical in monitoring and detecting landfill fires, to issue warnings that can help extinguish fires at early stages. The overarching objective of this research is to demonstrate the applicability and advantages of remote sensing data, coupled with machine learning techniques, to identify landfill thermal states that can lead to fire, in the absence of onsite observations. This dissertation proposed unsupervised learning techniques, notably variational auto-encoders (VAEs), to identify temperature anomalies from …

Development Of A New Electro-Osmotic Consolidation Apparatus, Yenni Mariana Ramírez-Mazo, Juan Pablo Osorio, Sergio Agudelo

Conference papers

Electro-osmotic consolidation is a ground improvement technique in which a DC voltage is applied to the soil via electrodes, in order to drain the water contained in the pores increasing the effective stress, and thus improving the geotechnical properties of the soil. The technique increases the shear strength, reduces the compressibility, and changes the chemical composition of the saturated soft clayey and silty soils to which it can be applied. Electro-osmotic consolidation has been successfully applied in different projects worldwide. This paper presents the development of a new electro-osmotic consolidation apparatus built at Universidad de Antioquia. Tests were carried on …

Understanding And Overcoming Challenges To Photochemical Water Treatment Technologies, Mostafa Maghsoodi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Photochemical water treatment technologies have been extensively studied in recent years to update the current practices and find an innovative, cheap, and sustainable way to treat contaminated water. Despite the well-documented advantages, these technologies faced some challenges and limitations in the way of technology transfer. Among all the challenges, the presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) poses a serious challenge to the application of these technologies, especially photocatalysis. Moreover, the prospect of utilizing the new technology of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) offers an upgrade in the efficiency of the current practice of ultraviolet (UV) dosing. To understand the effect of DOM …

Metasurface Cloaks To Decouple Closely Spaced Printed Dipole Antenna Arrays Fed By A Microstrip-To-Balanced Transmission-Line Transition, Doojin Lee, Alexander B. Yakovlev

Faculty and Student Publications

In this work, we present a numerical study of 1D and 2D closely spaced antenna arrays of microstrip dipole antennas covered by a metasurface in order to properly cloak and decouple the antenna arrays operating at neighboring frequencies. We show that the two strongly coupled arrays fed by a microstrip-to-balanced transmission-line transition are effectively decoupled in 1D and 2D array scenarios by covering the dipole antenna elements with an elliptically shaped metasurface. The metasurface comprises sub-wavelength periodic metallic strips printed on an elliptically shaped dielectric cover around the dipole antennas and integrated with the substrate. We present a practical design …

Bridge Inspection And Defect Recognition With Using Impact Echo Data, Probability, And Naive Bayes Classifiers, Faezeh Jafari, Sattar Dorafshan

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Interpretation of IE data have been carried out by analyzing IE signals in frequency domain to determine the maximum frequency. However, the current peak frequency method can be inaccurate. The purpose of this research is to introduce features in IE signals that can be used for effective classification and interpretation for bridge deck evaluation through statistical analysis and Naive Bayes classifiers. The dataset contained IE data collected from eight slabs created at Advanced Sensing Technology FAST NDE laboratory (FHWA). A set of statistical features in time domain, normalized peak values, and length of preprocessed signals were used to classify the …

Common Ground Newsletter Fall 2021, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

Common Ground

-Lighting the way with solar panel inspections
-CArEE Miner athletes score recognition
-Celebrating 150 years of civil engineering at S&T

How The Pavement's Lifetime Depends On The Stress Level: An Explanation Of The Empirical Formula, Edgar Daniel Rodriguez Velasquez, Vladik Kreinovich, Olga Kosheleva, Hoang Phuong Nguyen

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

We show that natural invariance ideas explain the empirical dependence on the pavement's lifetime on the stress level.

Introduction To Prefabrication And Automation In Construction, Luciana Debs, Jiansong Zhang, Yunfeng Chen

Bowen School of Construction Open Educational Resources

New developments and recent advances in construction methods have the potential to change the future of the architecture, engineering and construction industry. Prefabrication, along with modular construction, provides a safe and controlled environment for the production of building construction elements and raises the need for improved collaboration and coordination from design to manufacturing and from transportation to final assembly. Prefabrication also provides relief from the skilled construction labor shortage while opening up new opportunities for mass customization within the building industry. Prefabrication and modular construction automation are emerging expansion routes for the construction industry. In addition, integral to developing the …

Analysis Of The Vertical Movement Of Active Gnss Stations As A Result Of Semidiurnal Tides, Rose Pearson, Eugen Niculae

Conference papers

Ireland is subject to the constant effects and influence of semidiurnal tides. Western coastal regions are exposed to tidal ranges up to and exceeding five metres, consequentially introducing varied water volumes with temporal intervals. In addition, the Earth is elastic in composition, resulting in morphing and warping at the hands of celestial and oceanic forces.

This study looked at Online Precise Point Positioning (PPP) service to accurately monitor the vertical movement of coastal lands. In addition, GNSS Static Post-processing was conducted to discern which method of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) processing is best for detecting VLM (vertical land …

Environmental Assessment Of The Impact Of Land-Based Discharges On Marine Water And Sediment Quality In Dubai, Uae, Ayman Fathy Halawa

Theses

The current seawater and Creek – Canal waterway in the Emirate of Dubai, UAE, is under tremendous pressure because of continuous urban water discharges from land-based sources. Therefore, the impact of urban water discharges on marine water and sediment quality in the Emirate requires a thorough assessment. The main objective of this study is to assess the impacts of effluent discharges on the quality of water and sediment in the open sea and Dubai Creek. The land-based sources include the power and desalination plants, industrial sector, sewage treatment plant, and stormwater runoff. To achieve the stated objective, relevant data on …

Assessment Of Streamflow Predictions Generated Using Multimodel And Multiprecipitation Product Forcing, Bong Chul Seo, Witold F. Krajewski, Felipe Quintero, Steve Buan, Brian Connelly

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study assesses streamflow predictions generated by two distributed hydrologic models, the Hillslope Link Model (HLM) and the National Water Model (NWM), driven by three radar-based precipitation forcing datasets. These forcing data include the Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS), and the Iowa Flood Center's single-polarization-based (IFC-SP) and dual-polarization-based (IFC-DP) products. To examine forcing-and model-dependent aspects of the representation of hydrologic processes, we mixed and matched all forcing data and models, and simulated streamflow for 2016–18 based on six forcing–model combinations. The forcing product evaluation using independent ground reference data showed that the IFC-DP radar-only product's accuracy is comparable to MRMS, which is …

Shale Softening Based On Pore Network And Laboratory Investigations, Di Zhang

Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two major parts: Firstly, experimental investigation of four major shale softening mechanisms and quantifications of structural parameters. Secondly, numerical simulations of nano-scale flow behaviors using the previous experiments determined parameters based on modified pore network modeling.

Hydraulic fracturing is widely applied to economical gas production from shale reservoirs. Still, the gradual swelling of the clay micro/nano-pores due to retained fluid from hydraulic fracturing causes a gradual reduction of gas production. Four different gas-bearing shale samples are investigated to quantify the expected shale swelling due to hydraulic fracturing. These shale samples are subject to heated deionized (DI) …

Analysis Of Container Throughput: Demand Forecast And Seaport Competitiveness Assessment, Hussain Talat Sulaimani

Dissertations

Seaports play a crucial role in the container industry, where they act as important nodes in the transport chain to facilitate international trade. In a competitive market, port capacity plays a significant role in defining its competitive position to attract demand and avoid congestion. Failing to provide suitable capacity results in the loss of market share. Therefore, port decision-makers face the challenge of maintaining and developing suitable port facilities to provide efficient services to port users. One of the aspects that decision-makers consider in the planning and development process is analyzing container demand. The analysis of container demand can be …

2021 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2021 ENGR333 project focused on the sustainable housing and featured a partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Kent County.

I asked the students “What is the expected carbon emissions savings of the [Habitat for Humanity] carbon footprint build house?” And “If the carbon footprint build house is not carbon-neutral, you must answer a second question: How can carbon emissions be reduced by a further 20%?”

Calvin’s PR office followed the students’ work throughout the semester. At the end of the semester, the project was featured on Calvin’s News and Stories site with an article by Matt Kucinski …

Validation Of The Mathematics Motivation Questionnaire (Mmq) For Secondary School Students, Logan Fiorella, So Yoon Yoon, Kinnari Atit, Jason R. Power, Grace Panther, Sheryl Sorby, David H. Uttal, Norma Veurink

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Motivation is critical for supporting persistence and achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In this study, we focus on the assessment of mathematics motivation among secondary school students. We provide validity and reliability evidence for the Mathematics Motivation Questionnaire (MMQ)—adapted from the Science Motivation Questionnaire designed for college students—using data from 2551 secondary students from seven states across the United States. Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed five latent factors of the MMQ indicated by 19 items: intrinsic value, self-regulation, self-efficacy, utility value, and test anxiety. The nonlinear SEM reliability coefficients of the five constructs …

Unintended Consequences Of Air Cleaning Chemistry, Douglas B. Collins, Delphine K. Farmer

Faculty Journal Articles

Amplified interest in maintaining clean indoor air associated with the airborne transmission risks of SARS-CoV-2 have led to an expansion in the market for commercially available air cleaning systems. While the optimal way to mitigate indoor air pollutants or contaminants is to control (remove) the source, air cleaners are a tool for use when absolute source control is not possible. Interventions for indoor air quality management include physical removal of pollutants through ventilation or collection on filters and sorbent materials, along with chemically reactive processes that transform pollutants or seek to deactivate biological entities. This perspective intends to highlight the …

Bright And Blind Spots Of Water Research In Latin America And The Caribbean, Alyssa J. Devincentis, Hervé Guillon, Romina Díaz Gómez, Noelle K. Patterson, Francine Van Den Brandeler, Srthur Koehl, Pablo Ortiz-Partida, Laura E. Garza-Díaz, Jennifer Gamez-Rodríguez, Erfan Goharian, Samuel Sandoval Solis

Faculty Publications

Water resources management in Latin America and the Caribbean is particularly threatened by climatic, economic, and political pressures. To assess the region's ability to manage water resources, we conducted an unprecedented literature review of over 20 000 multilingual research articles using machine learning and an understanding of the socio-hydrologic landscape. Results reveal that the region's vulnerability to water-related stresses, and drivers such as climate change, is compounded by research blind spots in niche topics (reservoirs and risk assessment) and subregions (Caribbean nations), as well as by its reliance on an individual country (Brazil). A regional bright spot, Brazil, produces well-rounded …

Travel Demand Forecasting To Predict Parking Behavior At University Campuses: A Case Study At The University Of Texas At Tyler, Sohil Paudel

Civil Engineering Theses

With limited capacity, space, and funds to expand parking facilities, there is a dire need to better understand parking behavior at university campuses so that universities can better utilize the limited resources available. One methodology, travel demand forecasting, could be used to predict parking demand at a university campus. For this study, the University of Texas at Tyler campus was used as a case study. Each parking lot on campus was assigned to one parking zone based on the nearest classroom building. Next, pneumatic tube counters were used to collect the number of originating and departing vehicles from each zone. …

Exploring How Antecedent Precipitation Amount And The Effects Of Covid-19 Affect Stormwater Runoff Quality Along Urban Gradients, Daniel Ramirez, Katherine Gelsey

REU Final Reports

Stormwater runoff quality is affected by a multitude of factors including surrounding land characteristics, human activities, and antecedent precipitation amounts. We explore how seasonal and variable precipitation affect E. Coli, total suspended solids, nitrogen-nitrate, orthophosphate, lead, and zinc concentrations in Portland, OR, USA. Correlation analysis was conducted between the pollutant concentrations and antecedent rainfall each sample site received for the previous 1, 3, 5, 7, and 30 days from when the sample was taken. We ran Mann-Whitney tests to determine if the levels of the pollutants were statistically different between the wet season and the dry season. We found that …

Analysis Of Modern And Resource-Efficient Technologies Used In The Assessment Of Transport And Operational Indicators Of Automobile Roads, A.X. Urokov, R.R. Soataliyev

The Scientific Journal of Vehicles and Roads

V dannoy statye izucheni vozmojnosti razlichnix prilojeniy, ispolzuemix dlya izmereniya rovnosti dorojnogo pokritiya s pomoshyu smartfonov, a takje proanalizirovani vozmojnosti, preimushestva i nedostatki dlya sozdaniya dorojnoy bazi dannix v usloviyax Uzbekistane.

Bus Rapid Transport System In Samarkand City, M. Malikov

The Scientific Journal of Vehicles and Roads

High-speed bus transportation is a system of high-speed public transport with a bus rolling stock, which allows achieving high passenger capacity, speed and quality of services provided at relatively low costs due to a set of characteristics: dedicated bus corridors, as a rule, axial placement (in the center of the street); off-board (before boarding the bus) fare collection system; landing at the platform level (the platform is at the same level with the bus floor); priority of bus transport at intersections and other elements of service quality assurance (in particular, information technology and building a strong brand).

Finding Lonely Routes For Runners And Bikers, Ethan T. Spicher

REU Final Reports

With COVID-19 raging around the world, personal health is even more important to a lot of people. One way to maintain good physical and mental health is to exercise according to Deslandes [2]. When exercising it may be important to make sure that you are running/biking on trails that are less populated than others, as well as taking into account the distance. This can be solved by creating an algorithm that allows the user to choose the starting and end point, and the algorithm will then find the optimal path between the two points with the distance and popularity of …

Making Space For Social And Emotional Learning In Science Education, Erin Ingram, Kristie Reddick, Jessica M. Honaker, Gwen A. Pearson

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is known to improve student outcomes but is rarely combined with STEM. In this paper we present an action research study to examine the impact of a STEM + SEL curriculum intervention to address a real-world school conflict. One hundred sixth–eighth graders and four teachers participated in an in-person facilitation of a SEL Arthropod curriculum, DIFFERENT. After the intervention, students completed open-ended couplet statements about arthropod behavior, tarantulas, and humans designed to measure sentiment change. Answers were manually coded using inductive coding on a scale of negative (1) to positive (5). Statement sentiments significantly shifted from negative …

2021 Technical Program, Inspire - University Transportation Center

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

INSPIRE University Transportation Center 2020 Annual Meeting
August 10-11, 2021

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #6 [Covering Small World Daycare], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.