Digital Commons Network^™

The Radial Quenching Progression Of Nearby Galaxies, Chenyu Zhao

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

In this dissertation, we explore the spatial distribution of quiescent regions within galaxies using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (SDSS-IV MaNGA). Our analysis focuses on a radial range spanning from 0.3 R e to 1.2 R e and involves the development of innovative data selection and processing methods. Through this investigation, we identify two prominent types of transition galaxies: central-star-forming galaxies (C-SF galaxies) and central-quiescent galaxies (C-Q galaxies). Notably, we observe a correlation between galaxy mass and the predominant type of transition, with more massive galaxies tending to be C-Q …

Graduated Driver Licensing Program, Jeeyen Koo, Andrew Martin, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

To address challenges related to teen driver safety, Kentucky adopted a simple graduated driver licensing (GDL) program in 1996 and further expanded it in 2006 by adding an intermediate licensing phase, requirements for supervised practice driving, and instituting restrictions on passenger age. Despite GDL programs having been adopted throughout the US, young drivers (ages 16 – 20) continue to be overrepresented in fatal crashes. In 2019, despite this segment making up roughly 5.3 percent of licensed drivers it accounted for 11.5 percent of fatal vehicle crashes (Kentucky recorded 732 crash fatalities, of which 73 involved young drivers). Although teen driver …

2+1 Roadway Design Guidance Update, Jeff Jasper, Jeff Wolfe, Robin Baskette, Paul Ross, Chris Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The frequency and severity of crashes on rural two-lane roadways have increased in the US relative to other road types. This trend can be explained by the growing number of vehicles, higher speeds, narrow shoulders, and vehicle mixes. One solution for improving traffic flow and safety outcomes on rural two-lane roadways is to adopt a 2+1 design, which confers the benefits of four-lane highways but at a lower cost. Transportation agencies throughout Europe — and increasingly the US — have seen good results from 2+1 layouts. Crash data from Sweden, Germany, Finland, and Denmark reveal better safety outcomes following the …

Pedestrian And Bicycle Improvement Scoring Method For Shift–2024, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Daria Korostina, Teng Wang, Reginald Souleyrette

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

State transportation agencies have limited funding to deliver multimodal transportation programs that address the needs of all users. To allocate project funding in an impartial and objective manner, many agencies have adopted data-driven scoring systems that are used to evaluate the merits of proposed capital improvement projects. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet introduced the Strategic Highway Investment Formula for Tomorrow (SHIFT) for this purpose. Until now SHIFT, has evaluated projects based five core variables — congestion, safety, benefit-cost ratio, asset management, economic growth. To address local needs, SHIFT has also allocated points that Area Development Districts, metropolitan planning organizations, and Cabinet …

Intra- And Inter-Rater Reliability Of Maximum Torque Applied During Passive Elbow Range Of Motion Testing Post-Casting Of Supracondylar And Lateral Condylar Fractures In Children, Joseph T. Armstrong

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Elbow fractures account for a significant number of pediatric orthopedic injuries. The most common of these are the supracondylar and lateral condylar humeral fractures. When surgical repair is necessary casting and pinning of the elbow can affect the elbow’s range of motion (ROM), so recovery is monitored. Practices for measuring recovery are not standardized so measures may not be consistent. A possible novel measure to help account for different clinicians participating in the same study is maximum torque applied during elbow end ROM testing. This study uses several comparisons of maximum torque applied by three different clinicians during end ROM …

Determining Kinetic Parameters Of Cellulose And Lignin Pyrolysis By Gaussian Process Regression (Gpr) Method, Pichayaporn Viriya-Amornkij, Kazunori Kuwana

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

The ignition and flame-spread processes in the forest and urban fires involve the pyrolysis reactions of biomass materials. One of the most common methods for estimating the fire performance of a material is the evaluation of kinetic parameters, i.e., activation energy (𝐸), pre-exponential factor (𝐴), and reaction model (𝑓(𝛼)), from thermogravimetric analysis (TG) data. Typically, 𝐸 is estimated based on an Arrhenius-type equation such as Kissinger, Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), and Friedman equations. Then, its value is adjusted along with other parameters by assuming a reaction model, e.g., the 𝑛-order model. This study proposes a Gaussian process regression (GPR) method to determine …

Surficial Geologic Map Of The Big Clifty 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky, Maxwell L. Hammond Iii, Antonia E. Bottoms, Ann Hislop, Matthew Massey, Michele Mchugh, Emily Morris

Contract Reports--KGS

The Big Clifty 7.5-minute quadrangle is located south of Louisville and west of Elizabethtown along the boundary between Hardin and Grayson Counties. The quadrangle lies within the Mammoth Cave plateau of the Mississippian Plateau physiographic region (McDowell, 1986). Topography is characterized by a low relief plain sitting at elevations between 650 to 850 ft above sea level, which is dissected and incised by Rough River, Meeting Creek, Clifty Creek, and their tributaries to below 500 ft. Swadley (1962) mapped the bedrock geology of the quadrangle, which was later digitized by Conley (2002). Mississippian bedrock is exposed throughout the quadrangle and …

Effect Of Hydrogen Sulfide Content On The Combustion Characteristics Of Biogas Fuel In Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition Engines, Mohammad Alrbai, Adnan Darwish Ahmad, Sameer Al-Dahidi, Ahmad M. Abubaker, Loiy Al-Ghussain, Hassan S. Hayajneh, Nelson Akafuah

Institute of Research for Technology Development Faculty Publications

The use of biogas fuel in homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines has been promoted recently due to the environmental advantages. However, hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) forms a non-environment friendly content and biogas impurity that its removal is associated with high costs. In this study, the effect of using biogas fuel in the HCCI engines under different operating conditions is investigated to shed light on the best scenarios of biogas combustion, even with the presence of H2S contents. A modified reaction mechanism is introduced by considering the re- actions of H2 S with other species in the air-fuel mixture. The …

Spf-R Online User Guide, Eric Green, Paul Ross, Christopher Blackden, William Staats, Reginald Souleyrette

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

SPF-R Online greatly improves and simplifies the SPF development process. Building on the original SPF-R script, the online tool eliminates many of the technical barriers associated with the original process, allowing for a much larger audience to take advantage of SPF-R’s capabilities. Like the original SPF-R script, SPF-R Online lets users quickly explore the effect of roadway network heterogeneity on SPF development, compare CURE plots , and compare goodness-of-fit measures to decide which SPF is most appropriate for a given dataset.

Range-Based Livestock Production In Turkmenistan, R. H. Behnke, G. Davidson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Turkmenistan retains a centralized system of livestock production in which many critical assets are owned by the state. Though technically in the temperate zone, the country's climate is harsh and unstable. Groundwater resources are unevenly distributed, leaving many potential grazing areas seasonally inaccessible due to lack of drinking water for livestock. This paper summarizes the results of a three-year study of rangelands, livestock production, flock economics and land tenure at two study sites, one in central and the other in eastern Turkmenistan. The results of this study suggest that pastoral communities in Turkmenistan have coped remarkably well with the institutional …

Scale Modeling Of An Appearance Of Downwash Pattern Of Hot Smoke Ejected From Chimney In The Turbulent Cross Flow, Xangpheuak Inthavideth, Nobumasa Sekishita, Sounthisack Phommachanh, Yuji Nakamura

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

This study aims to elucidate the scaling law to provide the critical condition on appearance of the downwash pattern of the hot smoke ejected from a chimney in a turbulent cross flow. A specially designed wind tunnel with an active turbulence generator developed by Makita was adopted to offer a quasi-isotropic turbulence field in a lab-scale test facility. A heated jet with smoke is issued into the cross flow from the vertically oriented chimney placed in the test section of the wind tunnel. In this study, the experimental parameters considered are temperature of the heated jet (smoke), jet ejected velocity, …

Mechanical Aeration And Liquid Dairy Manure: Application Impacts On Grassland Runoff Water Quality And Yield, T. J. Basden, S. B. Shah, J. L. Miller

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Wet weather on heavy soils reduces oxygen availability in the root zone and reduces forage yields. Mechanical aeration can improve forage yield in these soil conditions. Research has shown that under certain conditions, mechanical aeration can increase yield by improving drainage and aeration (Davies et al., 1989); aeration can also increase depression, storage and infiltration thus reducing surface runoff and improving nutrient distribution in the root zone. Aeration on sloping, fertilised grassland can provide environmental (Douglas et al., 1995) and agronomic benefits. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the runoff water quality and agronomic impacts of …

N-Mineralisation And Phosphorous: Important Elements In Decision Support For Grassland Systems, A. L. Nielsen, C. C. Hoffmann

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Leaching of N and P from extensively managed grasslands on organic soils varies considerably. In environmentally sensitive areas it is important to diminish leaching by appropriate agricultural management. In Denmark low grazing intensity and management without fertilisation have been given a high priority. The type of soil has not been equally in focus, and it seems that the effect of cutting, compared with grazing, results in a higher removal of nutrients (e.g. Benke et al., 1992) can be used more strategically. The objective of this case study was to combine data from management strategies with data from leaching studies …

Role Of Information And Information Providers In Technology Transfer, D. Undersander

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Technology transfer is an essential component of economic change in society. Developers of new technology often fail to realize that there is a science to technology transfer. This lack of appreciation for the skills involved in information dissemination and in activities necessary to affect a change of action in an audience often severely limits the rate and amount of technology transfer that occurs. Significant differences exist between doing a news release or writing a publication and causing audience acceptance of a new technology. The old standards of expecting adoption of a new technology simply because it “will profit farmers” or …

The Contribution Of Participatory Research: On-Farm Research, P. F. Fennessy, N. J. Daniels, S. A. Chadwick, P. A. Speck

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Participatory research in agriculture may range from research and technology development (R&D), carried out on a research station with some involvement of farmers, through to genuine participatory research involving researchers and farmers working together. The latter involves the end-user in actually carrying out aspects of the research and/or in the development and evaluation of technology that is appropriate to commercial enterprises. Researchers often question the validity of the ‘findings of on-farm participatory research’ as they are more comfortable with the ‘controlled’ environment of the research station. However if research is to be applied appropriately on farms, it must go through …

Computer-Based Forage Management Tools: Historical, Current, And Future Applications, David B. Hannaway, C. Daly, D. F. Chapman, B. B. Baker, A. S. Cooper

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage management has been an important human activity since the beginning of civilization. By comparison, the personal computer has been available only in the immediate past. The software developed to deal with the complexity of climate, soil, plant, animal, and socioeconomic factors has seen huge changes in a few decades. Mainframe computers facilitated numerical calculations for exploring relationships among dozens of variables. Personal computers opened the door for more individual scientist creativity and routine communication. Web-based communication globalised the option for multidisciplinary teams to tackle problems. Forage-related computer applications abound, allowing farmers, ranchers, and others to more effectively manage the …

Paying For Our Keep: Grasslands Decision Support In More-Developed Countries, Andrew D. Moore

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

“Models in grassland science have come to stay, and so they must be made to pay for their keep. To do that, it will be necessary to improve their scientific sophistication and their management relevance...” (Seligman, 1993).

Decision support (DS) tools in grassland agriculture have also come to stay. This review will examine the ways and means by which DS tools are being made to pay for their keep, with a focus upon DS efforts from the last decade and on the lessons that arise for those who develop DS tools for grasslands. A survey of the present state of …

Deep Learning Algorithm Reveals Probabilities Of Stage-Specific Time To Conversion In Individuals With Neurodegenerative Disease Late, Xinxing Wu, Chong Peng, Peter T. Nelson, Qiang Cheng

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Introduction: Limbic-predominant age-related TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) encephalopathy (LATE) is a recently defined neurodegenerative disease. Currently, there is no effective way to make a prognosis of time to stage-specific future conversions at an individual level.

Methods: After using the Kaplan–Meier estimation and log-rank test to confirm the heterogeneity of LATE progression, we developed a deep learning–based approach to assess the stage-specific probabilities of time to LATE conversions for different subjects.

Results: Our approach could accurately estimate the disease incidence and transition to next stages: the concordance index was at least 82% and the integrated Brier score …

Optimal Sizing Of Country-Scale Renewable Energy Systems Towards Green Transportation Sector In Developing Countries, Loiy Al-Ghussain, Adnan Darwish Ahmad, Ahmad M. Abubaker, Mohamed A. Mohamed, Muhammed A. Hassan, Nelson Akafuah

Institute of Research for Technology Development Faculty Publications

In the context of refining countries’ transition plans toward 100% shares of renewable systems in the electric power grids by 2050, this study aims to investigate, for the first time, the potential of covering the increasing energy demand for electric vehicles (EVs) using the previously planned hybrid renewable energy system (RES) for Jordan, which comprised wind, solar photovoltaic (PV), and battery energy storage systems (ESS). The optimal RES sizing is revisited to examine the influence of EV penetration percentages and charging rates (normal, medium, and fast) and optimize the charging periods to reduce system capacity. The results showed that for …

Best Practices For Highway Project Scoping, Jeff Jasper, Samantha Wright, Jon Wilcoxson, Robin Baskette, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

One of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) foremost priorities in fulfilling its mission is to deliver successful projects — quality solutions that meet the defined scope and are delivered on time and within the budget specified in the Highway Plan. When a project scope is not clearly defined or uncertain, revisions may take place after the project is already underway, leading to delays or overpromising what can be delivered. Ideally, a reliable, decisive project scope is defined in the early phases of the highway project development process. The scope should include a project definition that clearly communicates the project scope’s …

Rapid Pothole Repair In Concrete Bridge Decks, Abheetha Peiris, Issam Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Using traditional methods to repair potholes in reinforced concrete (RC) bridge decks is time-consuming and requires significant manpower and equipment. However, commercially available epoxies and similar materials provide a repair option that does not require saw cutting the deck around the pothole, concrete removal, and replacement. Researchers laboratory tested three epoxies to identify which is best for pothole repairs. Based on assessments of substrate penetration times and set times for epoxy and epoxy mortar, as well as compressive strength gain over time for epoxy mortar, researchers selected Sikadur 52 for static and dynamic bending tests using small-scale beams with simulated …

Assessing The Global Drivers Of Sustained Economic Development: The Role Of Trade Openness, Financial Development, And Fdi, Riza Radmehr, Ernest Baba Ali, Samira Shayanmehr, Sayed Saghaian, Elham Darbandi, Ebenezer Agbozo, Samuel Asumadu Sarkodie

Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Achieving economic development is one of the most important economic goals of every country. Identifying the determinants of economic growth, is a useful tool for adopting appropriate economic policies. This study, therefore, empirically examines the impact of trade openness, foreign direct investment, and financial development on economic growth, across 62 countries over the period 1995–2016. These countries are divided into two groups: low-income and high-income countries. We employ the pooled mean group (PMG), mean group (MG), and dynamic fixed effect (DFE) estimation techniques on the cross-country panel data. The findings show a positive long run association between trade openness, foreign …

Extraction, Analysis, And Occurrence Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) In Wastewater And After Municipal Biosolids Land Application To Determine Agricultural Loading, Justin Caniglia, Daniel D. Snow, Tiffany L. Messer, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Given the ubiquitous detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) within numerous soil and water environmental compartments, there is a need for global understanding of current methodologies for extracting water, solids, polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS), and plant tissue for these substances. This study provides details of several current extraction methods, demonstrates the use of POCIS in monitoring these compounds in a wastewater environment, and provides evidence of detectable levels of certain PFAS compounds within Midwestern municipalities and agroecosystems. Validated extraction procedures help characterize occurrence and release of 18 PFAS in a midwestern wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), surface water, …

Right Sizing Your Cows For Profit, Les Anderson

Kentucky Grazing Conference

No abstract provided.

Tensegrity Laboratory Drilling Rig For Earth And Space Drilling, Mining, And Exploration, Mohamed S. Khaled, Muhao Chen, Enrique Z. Losoya, Luis A. Rodriguez, Eduardo Gildin, Robert E. Skelton

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Drilling operations are increasingly becoming a manufacturing process where repeatability, versatility, and speed matter the most for an operator or future space missions. Nonetheless, the ongoing energy transition efforts will undoubtedly shape the objectives and priorities of drilling operators into new markets with unexplored technical challenges. Versatility, mobility, and automated systems will play crucial roles in determining successful applications. This study explores and introduces the application of tensegrity-based structures, commonly used in space exploration, to Earth and Space drilling systems by modeling, designing, and building a tensegrity-based miniature drilling rig. Robust models for designing a drilling rig based on tensegrity …

Digital Twin For Hvac Load And Energy Storage Based On A Hybrid Ml Model With Cta-2045 Controls Capability, Rosemary E. Alden, Evan S. Jones, Huangjie Gong, Abdullah Al Hadi, Dan Ionel

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Building modeling, specifically heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) load and equivalent energy storage calculations, represent a key focus for decarbonization of buildings and smart grid controls. Widely used white box models, due to their complexity, are too computationally intensive to be employed in high resolution distributed energy resources (DER) platforms without simulation time delays. In this paper, an ultra-fast one-minute resolution Hybrid Machine Learning Model (HMLM) is proposed as part of a novel procedure to replicate white box models as an alternative to widespread experimental big data collection. Synthetic output data from experimentally calibrated EnergyPlus models for three existing …

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2021 Report, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Michael Fields, Kenneth Agent, Christopher Van Dyke, Ed Harding

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each year the Kentucky Transportation Center publishes the Traffic Collision Facts report in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Kentucky State Police, and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. This is the fiscal year 2022 report, which covers collisions reported during calendar year 2021. For the year, 734 fatal crashes, 20,117 nonfatal crashes, and 88,440 property damage only crashes occurred on the state’s roadways. Overall, 109,291 crashes were reported in calendar year 2021, a 8.4 percent increase over calendar year 2020.

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky 2017-2021, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Christopehr Van Dyke, Michael Fields, Riana Tanzen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each year the Kentucky Transportation Center publishes Analysis of Traffic Crash Data in Kentucky, a report that reviews state-level crash data from the previous five years. This report summarizes crash data for 2017 through 2021. In addition to presenting a review of crash data, the report also contains safety performance functions (SPFs) for nine roadway types. Because SPFs were derived using 2017-2021 data, the models predict crashes for a five-year period. Users must adjust the model by adding a coefficient of 1/5 to models to avoid overestimating crashes by a factor of five.

A Cfd-Based Scaling Analysis On Liquid And Paint Droplets Moving Through A Weak Concurrent Airflow Stream, Masoud Arabghahestani, Nelson Akafuah, Tianxiang Li, Kozo Saito

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

We conducted volume of fluids (VOF) multiphase model numerical simulations to obtain the interaction among all the major governing forces identified in our previous paper. Our numerical experiments are intended to assess the droplet generation process and the jetting behavior by providing specific input conditions, offering CFD as a tool to study scaling correlations instead of physical experiments. Water droplets that can represent waterborne paints were generated by piezo-generated sinusoidal waveforms at the inlet of the nozzle. The governing forces included the external piezo-based wave-generation force, the inertial force of droplets, the inertial force of air, the viscose force of …

Session 3a: Karst And Groundwater, Kentucky Water Research Institute

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Examining the Utility of Tryptophan-Like Fluorescence As a Proxy for Fecal Contamination in Karst Basins, Inner Bluegrass Region, Kentucky
• A Predictive Flood Model for Urban Karst Environments
• Improving Best Management Practices for the Siting, Maintenance, and Design of Urban Karst Groundwater Injection Wells