Engineering Commons^™

Case Study Of 4(F) Litigation/Rulings, Lenahan O'Connell, Theodore Hopwood Ii

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study addresses issues related to compliance with Section 4(f). It produced two deliverables: 1) a guidance manual to assist Cabinet personnel in the assessment and handling of projects that encounter 4(f) properties; and 2) a review of court cases to establish the standards used by the courts when evaluating a Section 4(f) situation. The latter is an appendix to the guidance manual. By referring to the manual Cabinet employees will be to: 1) Conduct an assessment of proposed alternatives to evaluate prudence and feasibility of a proposed project alternative; 2) Prepare 4(f) documentation to justify the taking of protected …

Evaluation Of The Accuracy Of Gps As A Method Of Locating Traffic Collisions, Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this study were to determine the accuracy of GPS units as a traffic crash location tool, evaluate the accuracy of the location data obtained using the GPS units, and determine the largest sources of any errors found.

The analysis showed that the currently used GPS unit is capable of obtaining accurate latitude and longitude data at a crash site that would allow the site to be properly located. However, substantial differences were found between the location of some crashes as identified with the GPS and milepoint (CRMP) data. Of a sample of 100 random crashes, 55 percent …

Cross Drain Inspection I-65, Mile-Points 0.00-24.8 And 40.5-91.3, Brad W. Rister, Jonathan Fisher

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The following report contains detailed inspections of cross drains and headwalls located on I-65 in Kentucky from mile point 0.0-24.8 and 40.5-91.3. A condition assessment was performed for each located drainage structure and the discovered distresses were then recorded by location and severity. Of the 830 cross drains inspected, 313 may need some form of remedial action. Of these 313 pipes, 134 may need to be repaired or replaced and 179 may need to be cleaned.

The Influence Of Environmental Temperature And Substrate Initial Moisture Content On Aspergillus Niger Growth And Phytase Production In Solid−State Cultivation, Seaborn B. Carter, Sue E. Nokes, Czarena L. Crofcheck

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Aspergillus niger is being used commercially for phytase production utilizing solid-state cultivation; however, no studies have been published that investigated the optimal environmental temperature and initial substrate water content to maximize fungal growth and/or phytase production. Solid-state cultivations of Aspergillus niger on wheat bran and soybean meal were conducted at three temperatures (25°C, 30°C, and 35°C) and three initial moisture contents (50%, 55%, and 60% wet basis) in a split-plot full-factorial experimental design. Fermentations were conducted for 0, 24, 48, 72, and 120 h. The containers were sampled destructively and assayed for phytase activity and glucosamine concentration as an estimate …

Effect Of Stover Fraction On Glucose Production Using Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Czarena L. Crofcheck, Michael D. Montross

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Corn stover was fractionated into three fractions: cobs, stalks, and leaves and husks. The fractions were dried and ground through a 2 mm screen. Samples of the three fractions and whole corn stover with and without NaOH pretreatment were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis in order to determine the effect of fractionation on glucose production. The average amounts of glucose released after 60 h of hydrolysis from pretreated cobs, leaves and husks, stalks, and whole stover were 0.50, 0.36, 0.28, and 0.36 g/g dry biomass, respectively. The average amounts of glucose released after 60 h of hydrolysis from nonpretreated cobs, leaves …

Carbon Fiber For Air Filtration, Marit Jagtoyen, Francis J. Derbyshire, Rosemary Anne Alexander Derbyshire

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty Patents

Described are filters containing free-activated carbon fibers or activated carbon fibers in the form of a composite used for filtering a variety of contaminants, including pathogens, from air. These filters can provide effective and efficient removal of contaminants from air, requiring only short contact time between the air being filtered and the filter itself, with only a minimum pressure drop across the filter. The characteristics of these filters allow for effective filtration with only thin filter layers being required. The process of filtering air utilizing these filters is also disclosed.

Evaluation Of Traffic Information And Prediction System (Tips) As Work Zone Traffic Control, Jerry G. Pigman, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

As part of a pavement rehabilitation project on I-64, the Traffic Information and Prediction System (TIPS) was installed as a means of providing real-time data for motorists in advance and through the work zone. This system collects real-time data using roadside non-contact (microwave) sensors, processes the data in a personal computer, calculates travel time between different points on the roadway, and displays the travel time information on several portable changeable message signs positioned at pre-determined locations along the roadway. The system displays information in the form of travel time and distance through the work zone. The objective of this report …

2003 Motor Carrier Survey, Ronald E. Langley, Ted Grossardt

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The goal of this study was to conduct a survey to evaluate usage and satisfaction with the KYTC’s new program allowing motor carriers to credential vehicles and pay taxes via the Internet. Specifically, the study was to examine how many Kentucky motor carriers took advantage of this capability, why they did or did not, what improvements could be made to the system, and what incentives could be offered or obstacles removed to entice more motor carriers to use it.

Using Covers To Minimize Odor And Gas Emissions From Manure Storages, José R. Bicudo, David R. Schmidt, Larry D. Jacobson

Agricultural Engineering Extension Publications

Odor emissions from animal production sites are typically the leading cause of nuisance complaints. Locating facilities far from neighbors is often a solution to the odor problem, but this is not always an option for producers. Most often, reducing odor emissions from the farm is the only option available.

Effect Of Pavement Resurfacing On Traffic Safety, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman, Eric R. Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this study were to analyze the before and after crash history and speeds on routes which have been resurfaced , inspect resurfacing projects, make recommendations to improve the resurfacing process, and determine improvements which could be made in conjunction with the resurfacing project to improve the overall safety of the roadway.

An analysis of the before and after crash data did not show a reduction in total crashes after resurfacing. There was a reduction in crashes which occurred on a wet pavement. A comparison of speeds before and after resurfacing did not find a major change in …

Access Management For Kentucky, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Barry House, Jeremy Brickey, Donald L. Hartman, Mei Chen, Jerry G. Pigman, Kavita Boddu, Emily Elwood

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Access Management Manual published by the Transportation Research Board in 2003 defines access management as the ?systematic control of the location, spacing, design, and operation of driveways, median openings, interchanges, and street connections to a roadway1.? The purpose of access management is to provide vehicular access to land development in a manner that preserves the safety and efficiency of the transportation system. Access management principles stress mobility for higher-class roadways and safety for lower-class roadways. An effective access management program can reduce crashes as much as 50 percent, increase roadway capacity by 23 to 45 percent, and reduce travel …

Analysis Of Inconsistencies Related To Design Speed, Operating Speed, And Speed Limits, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Huafeng Gong

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this research was to examine the relationship among design speeds, operating speeds and speed limits and address safety and operational concerns regarding the presence of disparities among these speed metrics. Roadway sections were selected throughout Kentucky based on the relationship between design speed and posted speed limit (greater or lower) and on the number of lanes (2 or 4). Speed data and roadway geometry data were collected along these sites to allow for the development of the appropriate models. The general conclusion for 2-lane highways is that the operating speed is different than the design speed indicating …

Process For The Physical Segregation Of Minerals, Jon C. Yingling, Rajive Ganguli

Manufacturing Systems Engineering Faculty Patents

With highly heterogeneous groups or streams of minerals, physical segregation using online quality measurements is an economically important first stage of the mineral beneficiation process. Segregation enables high quality fractions of the stream to bypass processing, such as cleaning operations, thereby reducing the associated costs and avoiding the yield losses inherent in any downstream separation process. The present invention includes various methods for reliably segregating a mineral stream into at least one fraction meeting desired quality specifications while at the same time maximizing yield of that fraction.

Statistical Procedures For Evaluating Daily And Monthly Hydrologic Model Predictions, Marilyn E. Coffey, Stephen R. Workman, Joseph L. Taraba, Alex W. Fogle

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The overall study objective was to evaluate the applicability of different qualitative and quantitative methods for comparing daily and monthly SWAT computer model hydrologic streamflow predictions to observed data, and to recommend statistical methods for use in future model evaluations. Statistical methods were tested using daily streamflows and monthly equivalent runoff depths. The statistical techniques included linear regression, Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency, nonparametric tests, t-test, objective functions, autocorrelation, and cross-correlation. None of the methods specifically applied to the non-normal distribution and dependence between data points for the daily predicted and observed data. Of the tested methods, median objective functions, sign test, autocorrelation, …

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2004 Report, Kentucky Transportation Center, Kentucky State Police

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

KENTUCKY’S TRAFFIC COLLISION FACTS report for 2004 is based on collision reports submitted to the Kentucky State Police Records Branch. As required by Kentucky Revised Statutes 189.635, “every law enforcement agency whose officers investigate a vehicle accident of which a report must be made...shall file a report of the accident...within ten days after investigation of the accident upon forms supplied by the bureau.” The stated purpose of this requirement is to utilize data on traffic collisions for such purposes as will improve the traffic safety program in the Commonwealth. Data contained in this report are based solely on the observations …

Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute Annual Technical Report Fy 2003, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

KWRRI Annual Technical Reports (USGS’s 104b Grant Program)

The FY2003 Annual Technical Report for Kentucky consolidates reporting requirements of the Section 104(b) base grant award in a single technical report that includes: 1) a synopsis of each research project supported during the period, 2) a list of related reports, 3) a description of information transfer activities, 4) a sumarry of student support during the reporting period, and 5) notable achievements and awards during the year.

Community Design Of A Light-Rail Transit Oriented Development Using Casewise Visual Evaluation (Cave), Keiron Bailey, Ted H. Grossardt

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) is in the preliminary engineering phases of developing a light-rail transit system running from downtown Louisville, Kentucky to the city’s southern suburbs, a distance of approximately 15 miles. In collaboration with the research team, TARC wished to test an innovative methodology for improving community participation in the design of a light rail transit-oriented development for the Smoketown/Shelby Park area. The Smoketown/Shelby Park neighborhood is a low-income area located to the south of the University of Louisville Medical Center. A suitable site for the station has been identified by TARC and its design partners, …

Evaluation Of The Et2000 Guardrail End Treatment, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to report the results of the monitoring of the performance of the ET2000 guardrail end treatment in traffic crashes. This end treatment has an energy absorbing design in which a vehicle will push a guardrail extruder back as posts designed to breakaway are broken. The W-beam guardrail is flattened as it goes through the extruder and exits a slot away from traffic.

Data for a total of 135 collisions involving the ET 2000 were identified. A crash report was obtained in the majority of crashes and the damaged guardrail was inspected in almost all …

The Fuel Tax Compliance Unit: An Evaluation And Analysis Of Results, Suzanne Perkins Sapp

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The construction and maintenance of our nation's system of roads and highways is a major financial challenge. A majority of the responsibility for financing public roads and highways lies with state governments. Almost all states have special funds called Road Funds into which user fees and taxes associated with highway use are deposited. Unfortunately, Road Fund revenue growth has been slow due to the relative inelasticity of its revenue sources. At the same time, states face resistance to tax increases designed to enhance Road Fund revenues. One method of increasing such revenues, without increasing taxes, is to reduce evasion. Increased …

Loss Of Sympathetic Control Of Cardiovascular Function Following Spinal Cord Injury, Charles Everett Hogancamp Ii

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Cardiovascular control in the human is significantly impaired after spinal cord injury(SCI) having a direct effect on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) causing an inability toregulate vasoconstriction below the level of the lesion. The effects of SCI on the two majorcomponents of blood pressure regulation, control of plasma volume and neural control of theheart and peripheral vasculature are poorly understood. In particular, no index to diagnosedisorders to autonomic control of the heart and vasculature has been developed. The presentstudy primarily utilized noninvasively acquired, easily accessible variables that may havepromise as indicators of autonomic activity for assessing the level of autonomic …

Bidirectional Lao* Algorithm (A Faster Approach To Solve Goal-Directed Mdps), Venkata Deepti Kiran Bhuma

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Uncertainty is a feature of many AI applications. While there are polynomial-time algorithms for planning in stochastic systems, planning is still slow, in part because most algorithms plan for all eventualities. Algorithms such as LAO* are able to find good or optimal policies more quickly when the starting state of the system is known.

In this thesis we present an extension to LAO*, called BLAO*. BLAO* is an extension of the LAO* algorithm to a bidirectional search. We show that BLAO* finds optimal or ^_E-optimal solutions for goal-directed MDPs without necessarily evaluating the entire state space. BLAO* …

Experimental Study Of Active Separation Flow Control In A Low Pressure Turbine Blade Cascade Model, Mark Mcquilling

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The flow field around a low pressure turbine (LPT) blade cascade model with and without flow control is examined using ejector nozzle (EN) and vortex generator jet (VGJ) geometries for separation control. The cascade model consists of 6 Pak-B Pratt andamp; Whitney low pressure turbine blades with Re = 30,000-50,000 at a free-stream turbulence intensity of 0.6%. The EN geometry consists of combined suction and blowing slots near the point of separation. The VGJs consist of a row of holes placed at an angle to the free-stream, and are tested at two locations of 69% and 10.5% of the suction …

Apparatus And Method For Dispersing Nano-Elements To Assemble Device, Craig A. Grimes, Elizabeth Dickey

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

An apparatus for dispersing a first plurality of conductive elongated nano-elements distributed within a carrier-fluid to assemble a conductive device made of a first charge-receptive area of a support surface to which at least one nano-element has attached, including: a nozzle through which the elongated nano-elements are directed such that the nano-elements pass through an electromagnetic field for imparting a preselected charge thereto, and toward at least the first charge-receptive area. The charge-receptive area is given a charge such that it attracts a first end-portion of one of the nano-elements. Also, a method of assembling a conductive device. Steps include: …

Processes For Nanomachining Using Carbon Nanotubes, Robert Ryan Vallance, Apparao M. Rao, M. Pinar Mengüç

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Patents

Novel methods and devices for nanomachining a desired pattern on a surface of a conductive workpiece are disclosed. In one aspect, the method comprises using an electron beam emitted from one or more nanotubes to evaporate nanoscale quantities of material from the workpiece surface. The surface of the workpiece to be machined may be excited to a threshold energy to reduce the amount of power required to be emitted by the nanotube. In another aspect, a device is described for nanomachining a desired pattern on a surface of a conductive workpiece, comprising a vessel capable of sustaining a vacuum, a …

Assessing The Benefits Of Misting-Cooling Systems For Growing-Finishing Swine In Kentucky As Affected By Environment And Pig Placement Date, Thomas C. Bridges, R. S. Gates, Douglas G. Overhults, Larry W. Turner

Agricultural Engineering Extension Publications

The growth performance of animals is often affected by extreme environmental conditions. In the case of swine, generally a cold environment will increase feed intake as the pig strives to maintain body temperature, while warmer environments may reduce growth, increase body maintenance demands, and subject the animal to environmental stress. Confinement houses are widely used as a primary means of modifying the environment to improve conditions for the growth of swine. Environment in these structures is usually controlled by natural or mechanical ventilation and by insulation for cold climates and limited use of evaporative cooling for summertime conditions.

Fiscal Year 2003 Fhwa-536 Report For The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Steven Douglas Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires state transportation agencies to submit a biennial report on local highway finances. The purpose of these reports is to provide FHWA with the data it needs to capture the financing of highway activities at the local level. Based on this information, it can identify trends in revenue, expenditures, investments, and program development, and in turn make decisions about future investments. The report, FHWA-536, asks agencies to report on four areas of local highway finance: 1) disposition of highway-user revenues; 2) revenues used for roads and streets identified by source and funding type; 3) road …

Pavement Evaluation, I-265 Jefferson County Mp 15.0-19.0, Brad Rister, R. Clark Graves, David L. Allen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Transportation Center conducted a field survey of the pavement conditions located on I-265 in Jefferson County from MP 15.17 to 18.34, in both the eastbound and westbound directions. The existing pavement structure consists of 10″ of PCC pavement and 6″ of DGA. The field survey involved testing the 3.17 mile segment with a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD), Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), and taking core samples of the pavement structure.

Temperature Control Of A Solid Substrate Cultivation Deep - Bed Reactor Using An Internal Heat Exchanger, Mari S. Chinn, Sue E. Nokes

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The solid substrate cultivation (SSC) process is often limited by rapid increases in temperature as a result of metabolic activity and poor heat transfer properties of the solid substrate. High temperatures can adversely affect microbial growth and product formation. Reduction of substrate temperatures is important for improved productivity, yet effective and efficient control of heat transfer in a deep-bed SSC reactor has proven difficult. An internal cooling water coil was incorporated into a deep-bed reactor system and evaluated for its ability to reduce substrate temperature. Three operating treatments were investigated: cooling water circulation whenever the center bed temperature was above …

Evaluation Of Foam Fractionation Column Scale-Up For Recovering Bovine Serum Albumin, Czarena L. Crofcheck, Kelly Gillette

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Foam fractionation is an adsorptive-bubble separation method that, according to researchers, is a feasible technique for the separation and/or concentration of proteins. The foam fractionation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in laboratory-scale foam fractionation columns (750 and 1250 mL) and the relationship between the two laboratory-scale columns and a pilot-scale column (5000 mL) were investigated. Recovery, enrichment, and performance factor values were experimentally determined with three different column volumes with varying pore sizes, gas superficial velocities, and, in the case of the 750 mL column, foam column height. As the pore size decreased, the amount of protein recovered from the …

Temperature, Stress, And Corrosive Sensing Apparatus Utilizing Harmonic Response Of Magnetically Soft Sensor Element (S), Craig A. Grimes, Keat Ghee Ong

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

A temperature sensing apparatus including a sensor element made of a magnetically soft material operatively arranged within a first and second time-varying interrogation magnetic field, the first time-varying magnetic field being generated at a frequency higher than that for the second magnetic field. A receiver, remote from the sensor element, is engaged to measure intensity of electromagnetic emissions from the sensor element to identify a relative maximum amplitude value for each of a plurality of higher-order harmonic frequency amplitudes so measured. A unit then determines a value for temperature (or other parameter of interst) using the relative maximum harmonic amplitude …