Engineering Commons^™

Microbiologically Enhanced Mixing Across Scales During In-Situ Bioremediation Of Uranium, Reinaldo E. Alcalde

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Production of nuclear fuels for weapons and electric energy has resulted in groundwater uranium contamination at Department of Energy (DOE) sites. Reduction of uranium by dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria (DMRB) is an effective approach for in-situ bioremediation of these sites. In this process, an organic electron donor is typically delivered through a well into groundwater in order to promote the biological reduction of soluble and toxic U(VI) to insoluble and less toxic U(IV). A key challenge is mixing the organic electron donor with U(VI) in groundwater where laminar flow conditions prevail. A potential solution is to enhance reaction beyond the scale …

The Nebraska Water Leaders Academy: Blending Water Policy And Science With Leadership Theory, Mark E. Burbach, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Nebraska Water Leaders Academy: Publications and Materials

Water Challenges are Growing
Population Continues to Grow
New and Innovative Leadership is Needed
Nebraska Water Leaders Academy (NWLA) was born!

NWLA Objectives
•Develop scientific, social and political knowledge about water and related natural resources
• Examine the economical and beneficial uses of Nebraska’s water resources
• Develop and enhance leadership and critical thinking skills
• Develop interpersonal skills to become actively involved with water policy issues at the local, regional, state, and national levels
• Develop life-long water resources management skills
• Challenge traditional paradigms while encouraging critical thinking and creative solutions.

Long-Term Trends In Air Temperature Distribution And Extremes, Growing Degree-Days, And Spring And Fall Frosts For Climate Impact Assessments On Agricultural Practices In Nebraska, Kari E. Skaggs, Suat Irmak

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Air temperature influences agricultural practices and production outcomes, making detailed quantifications of temperature changes necessary for potential positive and negative effects on agricultural management practices to be exploited or mitigated. Temperature trends of long-term data for five agricultural locations, ranging from the subhumid eastern to the semiarid western parts of Nebraska, were studied to determine local temperature changes and their potential effects on agricultural practices. The study quantified trends in annual and monthly average maximum and minimum air temperature (T_max and T_min), daily temperature range (DTR), total growing degree-days, extreme temperatures, growing-season dates and lengths, and …

Hydrologic Evaluation Of Established Rain Gardens In Lincoln, Nebraska, Andrew R. Anderson, Thomas G. Franti, David P. Shelton

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Increased urbanization has resulted in water quality and flooding problems for many receiving waters in the United States. Rain gardens are one type of best management practice commonly used in low impact development (LID). Many studies have evaluated large engineered bioretention cells in research settings. There is little information on the effectiveness of homeowner-maintained rain gardens that rely on deep percolation as the method for water exfiltration. Repeatable controlled experiments are very rare in hydrologic studies due to the inherent variability of weather data. The objective of this study was to evaluate the hydrologic properties of twelve established rain gardens …

An Evaluation Of Non-Intrusive Traffic Detectors At The Ntc/Ndor Detector Test Bed, Benjamin W. Grone

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Throughout the field of transportation engineering, decision makers require quality information. The information used in transportation operations, planning, and design is based, in part, on data from traffic detectors. The need for quality data has spurred innovations in data collection including the introduction of modern, commercially available, non-intrusive traffic detectors. As these new technologies become available, a need exists to understand their capabilities and limitations—especially limitations that are unique to a specific region.

This thesis examined the accuracy of four non-intrusive traffic detector technologies considered for potential data collection applications on Nebraska’s highways. The technologies evaluated included the Solo Pro …

Nutrient Losses In Runoff From Feedlot Surfaces As Affected By Unconsolidated Surface Materials, John E. Gilley, Jason R. Vogel, Roger A. Eigenberg, David B. Marx, Brian L. Woodbury

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Beef cattle feedlots contain unconsolidated surface materials (loose manure pack) that accumulate during a feeding cycle. The effects of varying amounts of unconsolidated surface materials on runoff nutrient losses are not well understood. The objectives of this study were to (1) compare runoff nutrient losses from feedlot surfaces containing varying amounts of unconsolidated surface materials, (2) determine if differences in runoff nutrient losses exist among rainfall simulation runs, (3) relate runoff nutrient losses to selected feedlot soil characteristics, and (4) identify the effects of varying runoff rate on nutrient loss rates from feedlot surfaces. This study was conducted on 0.75 …

Effects Of Manure Handling And Application Method On Odor And Gas Emission Potential Of Swine Manure, Rick R. Stowell

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Manure composition and emissions potential of swine manure were investigated in opposing contexts of desired and undesired methane generation. In the main study, the full-scale treatment effects of anaerobic digestion on the air emissions potential of swine manure were investigated. Manure slurry and digester effluent samples were collected from a pork production facility in eastern Nebraska that utilizes a complete-mix anaerobic digester to treat the manure and produce biogas for use in generating electricity. Samples were collected from three sites in the manure stream (below-barn pit, digester outlet, and holding pond) from 9/22/08 through 12/2/09 in order to observe changes …

Impact Of Signal Timing Information On Safety And Efficiency Of Signalized Intersections, Anuj Sharma, Lelitha Vanajakshi, V. Girish, M. S. Harshitha

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Signalized intersections are provided in traffic networks to improve the safety and efficiency of vehicular and pedestrian movement. There are various measures under education, enforcement and engineering headings that are being attempted to improve safety and efficiency of operations at a signalized intersection. Provision of signal countdown timer, a timer showing the remaining red and green time in a phase, is one such measure and is commonly adopted in India. However, studies on effects of countdown timer under Indian traffic conditions are very scarce. Traffic heterogeneity and lack of lane discipline makes transferability of models developed in other countries (with …

Development Of Best Management Practice Design Guidance For Roadway Applications In Nebraska, Benedict Vacha

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Runoff from roadways carries pollutants which may be detrimental to aquatic ecosystems. The primary pollutants of concern for roadway runoff are solids and heavy metals, particularly cadmium, copper, and zinc. Roadway runoff falls under the legislation of the Clean Water Act (CWA) via the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). CWA regulates discharge of nonpoint source pollutants, such as roadway runoff, by issuing permits to public entities which manage Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s). Part of the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) permitting requirement is to create a design guide for Best Management Practices (BMPs) tailored to remediate roadway …

Evaluation Of The Bank Stability And Toe Erosion Model (Bstem) For Predicting Lateral Retreat On Composite Streambanks, Taber L. Midgley, Garey A. Fox, Derek M. Heeren

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Streambank erosion is known to be a major source of sediment in streams and rivers. The Bank Stability and Toe Erosion Model (BSTEM) was developed in order to predict streambank retreat due to both fluvial erosion and geotechnical failure. However, few, if any, model evaluations using long-term streambank retreat data have been performed. The objectives of this research were to (1) monitor long-term composite streambank retreat during a hydraulically active period on a rapidly migrating stream, (2) evaluate BSTEM’s ability to predict the measured streambank retreat, and (3) assess the importance of accurate geotechnical, fluvial erosion, and near-bank pore-water pressure …

Optimal Advance Detector Location For Green Termination Systems On High-Speed Isolated Rural Intersections, Lili Du, Anuj Sharma, Srinivas Peeta

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

This study seeks to identify the optimal location of an advance point traffic detector (APTD) to support green termination algorithms for enhanced dilemma zone protection systems at high-speed isolated signalized rural intersections. This is done by developing a nonlinear optimization model with the objective to maximize the opportunities to predict empty dilemma zones during a look-ahead time period subject to the prediction accuracy which is manifested through prediction efficiency and safety constraints in the model. The distance of the APTD from the stop bar of the intersection represents the decision variable. The Golden-Section line search algorithm combined with numerical integration …

P96. Three-Dimensional Morphometry Of Human Cervical Endplates, Rebecca A. Wachs, Victoria M. Michna, Eric H. Ledet

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Degeneration of the cervical intervertebral disc is the underlying cause for many patients suffering from neck and upper extremity pain. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, and cervical disc replacements are common, but next generation implants and less invasive surgical techniques are predicated on a comprehensive characterization of cervical endplate morphology. To date, cervical endplate morphometry has not been described in detail, and age-related and gender- dependent differences have not been characterized.

PURPOSE: The purposes of this research were to measure cervical endplate morphometry in both men and women across three decades of life and characterize age, gender, and …

P95. In Vivo Loads In The Cervical Spine: A Preliminary Investigation Using A Force-Sensing Implant, Rebecca A. Wachs, Mary Beth M. Grabowsky, Joseph C. Glennon, Eric H. Ledet

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: It is estimated that up to 80% of the general population will experience at least one significant bout of low back pain in their lifetime. The leading known cause of low back pain is degenerative disc disease (DDD). Many established risk factors for low back pain and DDD are mechanical in nature and are often related to occupational activities, such as poor posture and frequent/heavy lifting. Altered mechanical loading in the spine has been shown to be a potential stimulus for disc degeneration. However, a link between occupational/environmental factors and intervertebral loading has never been demonstrated in vivo. …

Soil Water Extraction Patterns And Crop, Irrigation, And Evapotranspiration Water Use Efficiency Of Maize Under Full And Limited Irrigation And Rainfed Settings, Koffi Djaman, Suat Irmak

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The effects of full and limited irrigation and rainfed maize production practices on soil water extraction and water use efficiencies were investigated in 2009 and 2010 under center-pivot irrigation near Clay Center, Nebraska. Four irrigation regimes (fully irrigated treatment (FIT), 75% FIT, 60% FIT, and 50% FIT) and a rainfed treatment were implemented. The crop water use efficiency (CWUE, or crop water productivity), irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), and evapotranspiration water use efficiency (ETWUE) were used to evaluate the water productivity performance of each

treatment. The seasonal rainfall amounts in 2009 and 2010, respectively, were 426 mm (18% below normal) …

Evaluation Of A Rhodamine-Wt Dye/Glycerin Mixture As A Tracer For Testing Direct Injection Systems For Agricultural Sprayers, Joe D. Luck, Scott A. Shearer, Brian D. Luck, Fred A. Payne

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The purpose of this study was to provide valuable insight regarding the use of Rhodamine WT (red) dye as a tracer for evaluating injected concentrations. More specifically, the effects of mixing the dye with glycerin to simulate the viscosity of a pesticide (e.g., glyphosate) or injecting the dye/glycerin mixture into deionized (DI) versus tap water on developing appropriate calibration equations were evaluated. Test results indicated that mixing the dye in a solution of glycerin and DI water significantly affected absorbance measurements compared to the dye mixed solely in DI water. The error in estimating absorbance was 7.4% between the two …

Field Performance Evaluation Of A Ventilation System: A Swine Case Study, Jay D. Harmon, Michael C. Brumm, Larry D. Jacobson, Stephen H. Pohl, David R. Stender, Richard R. Stowell

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Swine finishing facility ventilation has become relatively complex and is often mismanaged as a system. One of the few ways to truly understand these systems is to spend time systematically going through the many components of the building and how they work as a system. To learn to help producers better, a team of university Extension specialists that included agricultural engineers and animal scientists spent an extended period carefully documenting conditions in a deep‐pit swine finishing building with two 1,000‐head rooms. Exhaust fans connected to the manure pit and wall fans were operated at various stages as a negative‐pressure ventilation …

Swat: Model Use, Calibration, And Validation, Jeffrey G. Arnold, Daniel N. Moriasi, Philip W. Gassman, Karim C. Abbaspour, Michael J. White, Raghavan Srinivasan, Chinnasamy Santhi, Daren Harmel, Ann Van Griensven, Michael W. Van Liew, Narayanan Kannan, Manoj K. Jha

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) is a comprehensive, semi-distributed river basin model that requires a large number of input parameters, which complicates model parameterization and calibration. Several calibration techniques have been developed for SWAT, including manual calibration procedures and automated procedures using the shuffled complex evolution method and other common methods. In addition, SWAT-CUP was recently developed and provides a decision-making framework that incorporates a semi-automated approach (SUFI2) using both manual and automated calibration and incorporating sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. In SWAT-CUP, users can manually adjust parameters and ranges iteratively between autocalibration runs. Parameter sensitivity analysis helps focus the …

Large-Scale On-Farm Implementation Of Soil Moisture-Based Irrigation Management Strategies For Increasing Maize Water Productivity, Suat Irmak, Michael J. Burgert, Haishun Yang, Kenneth G. Cassman, Daniel T. Walters, William R. Rathje, Jose O. Payero, Patricio Grassini, Mark S. Kuzila, Kelly J. Brunkhorst, Dean E. Eisenhauer, William L. Kranz, Brandy Vandewalle, Jennifer M. Rees, Gary L. Zoubek, Charles A. Shapiro, Gregory J. Teichmeier

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Irrigated maize is produced on about 3.5 Mha in the U.S. Great Plains and western Corn Belt. Most irrigation water comes from groundwater. Persistent drought and increased competition for water resources threaten long-term viability of groundwater resources, which motivated our research to develop strategies to increase water productivity without noticeable reduction in maize yield. Results from previous research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) experiment stations in 2005 and 2006 found that it was possible to substantially reduce irrigation amounts and increase irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and crop water use efficiency (CWUE) (or crop water productivity) with little or …

Curcumin-Loaded Magnetic Nanoparticles For Breast Cancer Therapeutics And Imaging Applications, Murali M. Yallapu, Shadi F. Othman, Evan T. Curtis, Nichole A. Bauer, Neeraj Chauhan, Deepak Kumar, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Breast cancer is a commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States. It is estimated that 230,480 women were diagnosed with, and 39,520 women died from, breast cancer in 2011 in the United States.¹ Basal-like breast cancer accounts for 15% of all breast cancers and has a poor prognosis. The majority of these cancers are referred to as triple-negative breast cancers because they do not over express estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.^2,3 Chemotherapy is an effective option to treat such cancers; however, chemotherapy is always associated with several sets of side …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Dna-Loaded Zein Nanospheres, Mary C. Regier, Jessica D. Taylor, Tyler Borcyk, Yiqi Yang, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Background: Particulates incorporating DNA are promising vehicles for gene delivery, with the ability to protect DNA and provide for controlled, localized, and sustained release and transfection. Zein, a hydrophobic protein from corn, is biocompatible and has properties that make it a promising candidate material for particulate delivery, including its ability to form nanospheres through coacervation and its insolubility under physiological conditions, making it capable of sustained release of encapsulated compounds. Due to the promise of this natural biomaterial for drug delivery, the objective of this study was to formulate zein nanospheres encapsulating DNA as the therapeutic compound, and to …

Trapping Phosphorus In Runoff With A Phosphorus Removal Structure, Chad J. Penn, Joshua M. Mcgrath, Elliott Rounds, Garey A. Fox, Derek M. Heeren

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Reduction of phosphorus (P) inputs to surface waters may decrease eutrophication. Some researchers have proposed fi ltering dissolved P in runoff with P-sorptive byproducts in structures placed in hydrologically active areas with high soil P concentrations. Th e objectives of this study were to construct and monitor a P removal structure in a suburban watershed and test the ability of empirically developed fl ow-through equations to predict structure performance. Steel slag was used as the P sorption material in the P removal structure. Water samples were collected before and after the structure using automatic samples and analyzed for total dissolved …

Whose Water Is It Anyway? Comparing The Water Rights Frameworks Of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Georgia, Alabama, And Florida, M. D. Smolen, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Bekki Harjo

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

In most states surface waters, (streams, lakes, and coastal waters) are owned by the public. On the other hand, ground water may be privately or publicly owned. Because all waters are linked through the hydrologic cycle, and the hydrologic cycle is not confined within any geographic or political boundary, the question of ownership is generally replaced by one of who has the right to manage, divert, use, or sell the water.

Field Scale Modeling To Estimate Phosphorus And Sediment Load Reductions Using A Newly Developed Graphical User Interface For Soil And Water Assessment Tool, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Erin R. Daly, Daniel E. Storm, Michael J. White, Greg A. Kloxin

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Streams throughout the North Canadian River watershed in northwest Oklahoma, USA have elevated levels of nutrients and sediment. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to identify areas that likely contributed disproportionate amounts of Phosphorus (P) and sediment to Lake Overholser, the receiving reservoir at the watershed outlet. These sites were then targeted by the Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC) to implement conservation practices, such as conservation tillage and pasture planting as part of a US Environmental Protection Agency Section 319(h) project. Conservation practices were implemented on 238 fields. The objective of this project was to evaluate conservation practice effectiveness …

Comparison Of 2-Way Versus Metered 3-Way Boom Shut-Off Valves For Automatic Section Control On Agricultural Sprayers, Ajay Sharda, Joe D. Luck, John P. Fulton, Timothy P. Mcdonald, Scott A. Shearer, Daniel K. Mullenix

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Modern spray rate controllers along with technologies such as automatic section control (ASC) provide benefits such as overlap reduction on agricultural sprayers. However, product (liquid) dynamics within the boom plumbing affect off-rate errors and application uniformity during rate changes and ASC actuation. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare nozzle flow stability and uniformity across the boom when using two different boom shut-off valves (2-way and metered 3-way) on an 18.3-m sprayer boom. Pressure transducers were mounted at 1) the boom manifold, 2) randomly at 12 nozzle bodies across the spray boom, and 3) upstream and downstream of the flow …

Sensitivity Of Grass- And Alfalfa-Reference Evapotranspiration To Weather Station Sensor Accuracy, Dana O. Porter, Prasanna H. Gowda, Thomas H. Marek, Terry A. Howell, Jerry Moorhead, Suat Irmak

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

A sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the relative effects of measurement errors in climate data input parameters on the accuracy of calculated reference crop evapotranspiration (ET) using the ASCE-EWRI Standardized Reference ET Equation. Data for the period of 1995 to 2008 from an automated weather station located at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Research Laboratory at Bushland, Texas were used for the analysis. Results

indicated that grass (ET_os) and alfalfa (ET_rs) reference crop ET were most sensitive to measurement errors in wind speed and air temperature followed by incoming shortwave (solar) radiation, and that data …

Selecting Sprinkler Packages For Center Pivots, Derrel L. Martin, William L. Kranz, Allen L. Thompson, Hong Liang

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Center pivots are the primary method of irrigation across the U.S. Great Plains. Center-pivot irrigation is also the fastest growing method of irrigation in the U.S. and around the world. Pivots have the potential to be very efficient and uniform if sprinkler devices are properly selected for local field conditions. New water application devices provide for selection that minimizes runoff and controls droplet sizes to reduce evaporation and drift losses. We present updates to models for computing runoff potential based on characteristics of sprinkler devices and soil textural classes. A dimensionless solution to the Green-Ampt infiltration method for center pivots …

Evaporative Losses From A Common Reed-Dominated Peachleaf Willow And Cottonwood Riparian Plant Community, Isa Kabenge, Suat Irmak

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Our study is one of the first to integrate and apply within-canopy radiation physics parameters and scaling-up leaf-level stomatal resistace (r_L) to canopy resistance (r_c) approach to quantify hourly transpiration (TRP) rates of individual riparian plant species—common reed (Phragmites australis), peachleaf willow (Salix amygdaloides), and cottonwood (Populus deltoides)— in a mixed riparian plant community in the Platte River Basin in central Nebraska. Two experimental years (2009 and 2010) were contrasted by warmer air temperature and presence of flood water in 2010. The seasonal average r_c values for common reed, …