Engineering Commons^™

Acuta Enews February 2003, Vol. 32, No. 2

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

No Surprise: Record Number of Students Own Ce[[ Phones

Strategies for Tight Budgets........................ Jeanne Jansenius, Univ of the South

Brother, Can You Spare Some Computing Power?........................ Kevin Tanzillo, Dux Public Relations

Wireless Service Coverage Problems Persist ln-buitding (Pt.2) ................. James McCoy, lnterwireless, lnc.

DC Update............................ Whitney Johnson, Retired, Northern Michigan Univ.

Board Report........................... John Bradley, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Launch of University Telephone Number Database Nears............................ Jeri Semer, CAE, Executive Director

Welcome New Members

Fuzzy Modeling Of Skin Permeability Coefficients, Angela K. Pannier, Rhonda M. Brand, David D. Jones

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Purpose. The purpose of this work was to determine whether a new modeling methodology using fuzzy logic can predict skin permeability coefficients that are given compound descriptors that have been proven to affect percutaneous penetration.
Methods. Three fuzzy inference models were developed using subtractive clustering to define natural structures within the data and assign subsequent rules. The numeric parameters describing the rules were refined through the use of an Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System implemented in MatLab. Each model was evaluated using the entire data set. Then predicted outputs were compared to the published experimental data.
Results. All databases produced …

Development Of A Web-Based Mass Transfer Processes Laboratory: System Development And Implementation, Yusong Li, Eugene J. Leboef, P. K. Basu, Louis Hampton Turnver Iv

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

A web-based environment is utilized as a means to introduce advanced mass transfer processes concepts in environmental engineering and science courses. System development and implementation is presented, including detailed descriptions of the techniques employed to link software written in high level computer languages such as C++ and FORTRAN to an internet-based, user-friendly graphical user interface for both program input and output.

Pichia Pastoris Fermentation With Mixed-Feeds Of Glycerol And Methanol: Growth Kinetics And Production Improvement, Wenhui Zhang, Karen J. Hywood Potter, Bradley A. Plantz, Vicki L. Schlegel, Leonard A. Smith, Michael M. Meagher

Papers in Biochemical Engineering

Fed-batch fermentation of a methanol utilization plus (Mut+) Pichia pastoris strain typically has a growth phase followed by a production phase (induction phase). In the growth phase glycerol is usually used as carbon for cell growth while in the production phase methanol serves as both inducer and carbon source for recombinant protein expression. Some researchers employed a mixed glycerol-methanol feeding strategy during the induction phase to improve production, but growth kinetics on glycerol and methanol and the interaction between them were not reported. The objective of this paper is to optimize the mixed feeding strategy based on growth kinetic studies …

Jan 2003, Tractor Museum

Lester F. Larsen Tractor Museum: Planning and Development Documents

Interim Director Report Open House Suggested to Open Museum on Saturdays

Development And Evaluation Of A Tie-Down System For The Redesigned F-Shape Concrete Temporary Barrier, Karla A. Polivka, Ronald K. Faller, John R. Rohde, James C. Holloway, Bob W. Bielenberg, Dean L. Sicking

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Often, temporary barriers are used in applications where it is desired that their deflection during vehicular impact be limited. One such application is in the installation of temporary barriers placed adjacent to the edge of a concrete bridge deck in order to maximize lane width. Acceptable tie-down systems for temporary barriers have previously been developed, but there are concerns when the barriers and tie-down systems are used on bridges that are reconstructed in stages and where very little tolerance in barrier deflection is allowable. Therefore, a rigid tie-down system was developed that minimizes barrier deflections. For this system, the original …

Test 2087: New Holland Tm130 Diesel, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

No abstract provided.

Desorption Kinetics Of Radiocesium From Subsurface Sediments At Hanford Site, Usa, Chongxuan Liu, John M. Zachara, Steven Smith, James Mckinley, Calvin Ainsworth

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The desorption of ¹³⁷Cs⁺ was investigated on sediments from the United States Hanford site. Pristine sediments and ones that were contaminated by the accidental release of alkaline ¹³⁷Cs⁺ -containing high level nuclear wastes (HLW, 2 X 10⁶ to 6 X 10⁷ pCi ¹³⁷Cs⁺/g) were studied. The desorption of ¹³⁷Cs⁺ was measured in Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, and NH₄⁺ electrolytes of variable concentration and pH, and in presence of a strong Cs⁺-specific sorbent (self-assembled monolayer on a mesoporous support, SAMMS). ^{137 …}

Test 2085: New Holland Tm120 Diesel, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Summary: S319 Challenger Mt 565, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Tests 2078 & 2093: Case Ih Jx 90u Diesel, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

No abstract provided.

A Biologic Model For Assessment Of Osseous Strain Patterns And Plating Systems In The Human Maxilla, L. Russell Alberts, Kenneth O. Phillips, Harold K. Tu, Warren W. Stinson, Andrew Friedman

United States Army: Publications

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine a biomechanical model and to help answer fundamental questions that relate to rigid plate fixation in the maxilla. Specifically, we sought to elucidate the principal strain patterns generated in the maxilla secondary to masticatory forces as well as the amount of permanent deformational changes incurred due to these loading forces.
Materials and Methods: Cadaveric heads with the mandible removed were defleshed and placed in a 2-part testing rig to hold and position the skull for testing in a standard material testing system. Rosette strain gages were attached at predefined points on the skull, …

Military Leadership: A Context Specific Review, Leonard Wong, Paul Bliese, Dennis Mcgurk

United States Army: Publications

The purpose of this article is to review the literature on military leadership and highlight research opportunities for leadership scholars. The review uses a context specific approach and turns to a simplified version of Hunt’s (Hunt, J. G. (1991). Leadership: A new synthesis. Newbury Park, California: Sage) extended multilevel leadership model as a template to examine the many facets of military leadership. The military leadership literature is stratified into the systems, organizational, and direct levels of leadership with an examination of studies on the critical tasks and individual capabilities required at each level. Additionally, studies on organizational culture and effectiveness …

The Prevalence And Severity Of Coronary Artery Calcification On Coronary Artery Computed Tomography In Black And White Subjects, Timothy C. Lee, Patrick G. O’Malley, Irwin Feuerstein, Allen J. Taylor

United States Army: Publications

OBJECTIVES We studied the relationship between coronary artery calcium (CAC) and race in asymptomatic, active-duty personnel in the Prospective Army Coronary Calcium (PACC) project.
BACKGROUND Valid cardiovascular risk assessments in black Americans using coronary artery computed tomography (coronary CT) require the generalizability of population-based CAC score distributions derived from primarily white patient populations.
METHODS Among 1,000 consecutive participants (mean age, 42 ± 2 years; range, 40 to 45 years), 999 participants underwent coronary CT and indicated a specific racial affiliation. This included white, non-Hispanic in 699 (69.9%) participants and black, non-Hispanic in 194 (19.4%) participants. Univariate associations between race and …

History Of Food Acceptance Research In The Us Army, Herbert L. Meiselman, Howard G. Schutz

United States Army: Publications

The history of food acceptance research by the US Army in Chicago and Natick is reviewed. The review covers the staff of the two research centers, the research programs, and the significant accomplishments of the Army laboratories from the 1940s to the present. Accomplishments begin with the development of the nine-point hedonic scale, and the development of the first Food Acceptance Laboratory. Further accomplishments include studies of sensory psychophysics, food preferences, food choice and food intake. The laboratories designed methods and conducted research on the role of consumer variables in the acceptance of food products and food service systems. Recent …

Rodent Sperm Analysis In Field-Based Ecological Risk Assessment: Pilot Study At Ravenna Army Ammunition Plant, Ravenna, Ohio, Lawrence V. Tannenbaum, Matthew Bazar, Melanie S. Hawkins, Barney W. Cornaby, Elizabeth A. Ferguson, L. Chantelle Carroll, Patrick F. Ryan

United States Army: Publications

Ecological risk assessment (ERA) guidance recommends that field-truthing efforts proceed when modeled hazard quotients (HQs) suggest that toxicological effects are occurring to site receptors. To date, no field methods have been proposed by the regulatory community that can lead to definitive determinations of acceptable or unacceptable risk for birds and mammals, the two terrestrial classes of receptors that are commonly assessed using the HQ method. This paper describes rodent sperm analysis (RSA) as a viable method to be applied in the field at sites with historical contamination. RSA is capable of detecting biological differences that bear on reproduction, a highly …

Retrieval Of Subpixel Snow-Covered Area And Grain Size From Imaging Spectrometer Data, Thomas H. Painter, Jeff Dozier, Dar A. Roberts, Robert E. Davis, Robert O. Green

United States Army: Publications

We describe and validate an automated model that retrieves subpixel snow-covered area and effective grain size from Airborne Visible/ Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data. The model analyzes multiple endmember spectral mixtures with a spectral library of snow, vegetation, rock, and soil. We derive snow spectral endmembers of varying grain size from a radiative transfer model; spectra for vegetation, rock, and soil were collected in the field and laboratory. For three AVIRIS images of Mammoth Mountain, California that span common snow conditions for winter through spring, we validate the estimates of snow-covered area with fine-resolution aerial photographs and validate the estimates …

Simultaneous Observations Of Mesospheric Gravity Waves And Sprites Generated By A Midwestern Thunderstorm, D. D. Sentman, E. M. Wescott, R. H. Picard, J. R. Winick, H. C. Stenbaek-Nielsen, E. M. Dewan, D. R. Moudry, F. T. São Sabbas, M. J. Heavner, J. Morrill

United States Air Force: Publications

The present report investigates using simultaneous observations of coincident gravity waves and sprites to establish an upper limit on sprite-associated thermal energy deposition in the mesosphere. The University of Alaska operated a variety of optical imagers and photometers at two ground sites in support of the NASA Sprites99 balloon campaign. One site was atop a US Forest Service lookout tower on Bear Mt. in the Black Hills, in western South Dakota. On the night of 18 August 1999 we obtained from this site simultaneous images of sprites and OH airglow modulated by gravity waves emanating from a very active sprite …

Simultaneous Observations Of Mesospheric Gravity Waves And Sprites Generated By A Midwestern Thunderstorm, D.D. Sentman, E.M. Wescott, R.H. Picard, J.R. Winick, H.C. Stenbaek-Nielsen, E.M. Dewan, D.R. Moudry, F.T. São Sabbas, M.J. Heavner, J. Morrill

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The present report investigates using simultaneous observations of coincident gravity waves and sprites to establish an upper limit on sprite-associated thermal energy deposition in the mesosphere. The University of Alaska operated a variety of optical imagers and photometers at two ground sites in support of the NASA Sprites99 balloon campaign. One site was atop a US Forest Service lookout tower on Bear Mt. in the Black Hills, in western South Dakota. On the night of 18 August 1999 we obtained from this site simultaneous images of sprites and OH airglow modulated by gravity waves emanating from a very active sprite …

Global Optical Lightning Flash Rates Determined With The Forte Satellite, Tracy E. Light, Sean M. Davis, William Boeck, Abram Jacobson, David Suszcynsky

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Using FORTE photodiode detector (PDD) observations of lightning, we have determined the geographic distribution of nighttime flash rate density. We estimate the PDD flash detection efficiency to be 62% for total lightning through comparison to lightning observations by the TRMM satellite's Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS), using cases in which FORTE and TRMM viewed the same storm. We present here both seasonal and total flash rate maps. We examine some characteristics of the optical emissions of lightning in both high and low flash rate environments, and find that while lightning occurs less frequently over ocean, oceanic lightning flashes are somewhat more …

Transformation Of 2-Line Ferrihydrite To 6-Line Ferrihydrite Under Oxic And Anoxic Conditions, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, John M. Zachara, James K. Fredrickson, Steven C. Smith, Alice C. Dohnalkova, Colleen K. Russel

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Mineralogical transformations of 2-line ferrihydrite were studied under oxic and Fe³⁺-reducing conditions to establish the role, if any, of 6-line ferrihydrite (“well” organized ferrihydrite) in the reaction pathway and as a final product. In oxic experiments, concentrated suspensions (0.42 mol/L Fe³⁺ in 0.1 mol/L NaClO₄) of freshly synthesized 2-line ferrihydrite, with and without 3% Ni2+, were aged at an initial pH = 7.2 (unbuffered and unadjusted) and 25°C for more than three years. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements were performed on the solids after different aging periods. The primary mineralogical products …

Microbial Reduction Of Structural Fe(Iii) In Illite And Goethite, Hailiang Dong, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, James K. Fredrickson, John M. Zachara, David W. Kennedy, Heather M. Kostandarithes

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Microbial reduction of Fe(III) in illite was studied to evaluate the possibility of microbial utilization of Fe(III) in sedimentary clays and to determine the effects of bioreduction on clay composition and structure. A subsurface bacterium (Shewanella putrefaciens CN32) and illite separates (

Mossbauer And Optical Spectroscopic Study Of Temperature And Redox Effects On Iron Local Environments In A Fe-Doped (0.5 Mol% Fe2o3)18na2o–72sio2 Glass, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, Hong Li, Gary L. Smith, J.D. Crum, Jun-Sik Jeoung, W. Howard Poisl, Michael C. Weinberg

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Local environments of ferric and ferrous irons were systematically studied with Mössbauer (at liquid helium temperature)and ultraviolet–visible–near infrared spectroscopic methods for various 18Na₂O–72SiO₂ glasses doped with 0.5 mol% Fe₂O₃. These were prepared at temperatures of 1300–1600 °C in ambient air or at 1500 °C under reducing conditions with oxygen partial pressures from 12.3 to 0.27 x 10^-7 atmospheres. The Mössbauer spectroscopic method identified three types of local environments, which were represented by the Fe³⁺ sextet, the Fe³⁺ doublet, and the Fe²⁺ doublet. The Fe³⁺ sextet ions were assigned …

Influence Of Electron Donor/Acceptor Concentrations On Hydrous Ferric Oxide (Hfo) Bioreduction, James K. Fredrickson, Sreenivas Kota, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, Chongxuan Liu, John M. Zachara

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria (DMRB) facilitate the reduction of Fe and Mn oxides in anoxic soils and sediments and play an important role in the cycling of these metals and other elements such as carbon in aqueous environments. Previous studies investigating the reduction of Fe(III) oxides by DMRB focused on reactions under constant initial electron donor (lactate) and electron acceptor (Fe oxide) concentrations. Because the concentrations of these reactants can vary greatly in the environment and would be expected to influence the rate and extent of oxide reduction, the influence of variable electron acceptor and donor concentrations on hydrous ferric oxide …

Effect Of Temperature On Cs+ Sorption And Desorption In Subsurface Sediments At The Hanford Site, U.S.A., Chongxuan Liu, John M. Zachara, Odeta Qafoku, Steve Smith

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The effects of temperature on Cs⁺ sorption and desorption were investigated in subsurface sediments from the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site. The site has been contaminated at several locations by the accidental leakage of high-level nuclear waste (HLW) containing ¹³⁷Cs⁺. The high temperature of the self-boiling, leaked HLW fluid and the continuous decay of various radionuclides carried by the waste supernatant have resulted in elevated vadose temperatures (currently up to 72 °C) below the Hanford S-SX tank farm that have dissipated slowly from the time of leakage (1970). The effect of temperature on Cs^{+ …}

Nonlocal Bacterial Electron Transfer To Hematite Surfaces, Kevin Rosso, John M. Zachara, James K. Fredrickson, Yuri Gorby, Steven Smith

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Mechanisms by which dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria utilize iron and manganese oxide minerals as terminal electron acceptors for respiration are poorly understood. In the absence of exogenous electron shuttle compounds, extracellular electron transfer is generally thought to occur through the interfacial contact area between mineral surfaces and attached cells. Possible alternative reduction pathways have been proposed based on the discovery of a link between an excreted quinone and dissimilatory reduction. In this study, we utilize a novel experimental approach to demonstrate that Shewanella putrefaciens reduces the surface of crystalline iron oxides at spatial locations that are distinct from points of attachment.

Transport Of Multiple Tracers In Variably Saturated Humid Region Structured Soils And Semi-Arid Region Laminated Sediments, M.A. Mayes, P.M. Jardine, T.L. Mehlhorn, B.N. Bjornstad, J.L. Ladd, John M. Zachara

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The processes governing physical nonequilibrium (PNE)—coupled preferential flow and matrix diffusion—are diverse between humid and semi-arid regions, and are directly related to climate and rock/sediment type, and indirectly related to subsequent soil profile development. The fate and transport of contaminants in these variably saturated undisturbed media is largely a function of the influence of PNE processes. Large cores of laminated silts and sands were collected from the US Department of Energy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in semi-arid south central Washington. Additional cores of weathered, fractured interbedded limestone and shale saprolite were collected from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) …

Murdock, Nebraska, Groundwater Flow And Transport Modeling In Support Of Long-Term Monitoring, Applied Geosciences And Environmental Management Section Environmental Research Division, Argonne National Laboratory

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Fall 2002 Assignments:
• Update all models to MODFLOW-2000
• Re-calibrate original Murdock steady-state groundwater flow model to November 25, 1998 observed water levels (Phase 1 hydrology)
• Determine time when climatological/hydrolic regime changed in eastern Nebraska. Groundwater levels observed in 2002 are significantly lower than all values observed previously (1997-1999). Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index.
• Determine appropriate groundwater level data for calibration of new (Phase 2) groundwater flow model representing current hydrologic regime (avg. of 2002 observations)
• Re-evaluate/recalculate initial CCl₄ concentrations for MT3D-99 solute transport model calibration – 1996/97 concentration data. Too much CCl₄ mass …

Quantitation Of Aberrant Interlocus T-Cell Receptor Rearrangements In Mouse Thymocytes And The Effect Of The Herbicide 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid, Geremy Knapp, R. Woodrow Setzer, James Fuscoe

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Small studies in human populations have suggested a correlation between the frequency of errors in antigen receptor gene assembly and lymphoid malignancy risk. In particular, agricultural workers exposed to pesticides have both an increased risk for lymphoma and an increased frequency of errors in antigen receptor gene assembly. In order to further investigate the potential of such errors to serve as a mechanistically based biomarker of lymphoid cancer risk, we have developed a sensitive PCR assay for quantifying errors of V(D)J recombination in the thymocytes of mice. This assay measures interlocus rearrangements between two T-cell receptor loci, V-gamma and Jbeta, …

Quantitative Soil Descriptions For Ecoregions Of The United States, Mostafa A. Shirazi, Colleen Burch Johnson, James M. Omernik, Denis White, Patricia K. Haggerty, Glenn E. Griffith

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Researchers have defined and mapped ecological regions of the United States based on similar patterns of ecosystems such as deserts, forests, and croplands. These studies are useful in regional research, monitoring, and environmental management because data can be more readily extrapolated within the same ecoregion and to regions with similar characteristics. The description of ecoregions is largely holistic and qualitative. Conversely, quantitative information for soil are abundant and soil is an important ecosystem component related to many ecoregion properties. We used the nationwide State Soil Geographic database(STATSGO) to describe the soils of 84 Level III ecoregions in the United States. …