Engineering Commons^™

Assessment Of Groundwater Resources In Siwa Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt, Noha H. Moghazy, Jagath J. Kaluarachchi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

One of the major challenges facing Egypt is limited water resources associated with rapid increase in population. In 1960s, Egyptian government started to use groundwater from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) in the Western Desert to expand agricultural sector. Siwa Oasis is the focus of this study to assess the efficiency of groundwater use and corresponding impacts from 1980 to 2012. Results show that from 1980 to 1998, withdrawal from poorly designed wells increased rapidly causing an increase in excess water about 336%. The increase of excess water with the usage of poor drainage produced lakes. Remote Sensing showed …

Incorporation Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) Point Cloud Products Into Remote Sensing Evapotranspiration Models, Mahyar Aboutalebi, Alfonso F. Torres-Rua, Mac Mckee, William P. Kustas, Héctor Nieto, Maria Mar Alsina, Alex White, John H. Prueger, Lynn Mckee, Joseph Alfieri, Lawrence E. Hipps, Calvin Coopmans, Nick Dokoozlian

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In recent years, the deployment of satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has led to production of enormous amounts of data and to novel data processing and analysis techniques for monitoring crop conditions. One overlooked data source amid these efforts, however, is incorporation of 3D information derived from multi-spectral imagery and photogrammetry algorithms into crop monitoring algorithms. Few studies and algorithms have taken advantage of 3D UAV information in monitoring and assessment of plant conditions. In this study, different aspects of UAV point cloud information for enhancing remote sensing evapotranspiration (ET) models, particularly the Two-Source Energy Balance Model (TSEB), over …

Wintertime Spatial Distribution Of Ammonia And Its Emission Sources In The Great Salt Lake Region, Alexander Moravek, Jennifer G. Murphy, Amy Hrdina, John C. Lin, Christopher Pennell, Alessandro Franchin, Ann M. Middlebrook, Dorothy L. Fibiger, Caroline C. Womack, Erin E. Mcduffie, Randy S. Martin, Kori D. Moore, Munkhbayar Baasandorj, Steven S. Brown

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Ammonium-containing aerosols are a major component of wintertime air pollution in many densely populated regions around the world. Especially in mountain basins, the formation of persistent cold-air pools (PCAPs) can enhance particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 µm (PM_2.5) to levels above air quality standards. Under these conditions, PM_2.5 in the Great Salt Lake region of northern Utah has been shown to be primarily composed of ammonium nitrate; however, its formation processes and sources of its precursors are not fully understood. Hence, it is key to understanding the emission sources of its gas phase precursor, ammonia …

A Multi-Scale Approach To Study Biochemical And Biophysical Aspects Of Resveratrol On Diesel Exhaust Particle-Human Primary Lung Cell Interaction, Wei Zhang, Qifei Li, Mingjie Tang, Han Zhang, Xiaoping Sun, Sige Zou, Judy L. Jensen, Theodore G. Liou, Anhong Zhou

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) are major air pollutants that lead to numerous human disorders, especially pulmonary diseases, partly through the induction of oxidative stress. Resveratrol is a polyphenol that ameliorates the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and delays aging-related processes. Herein we studied the cytoprotective effect of resveratrol on DEP-exposed human lung cells in a factorial experimental design. This work investigates biophysical features including cellular compositions and biomechanical properties, which were measured at the single-cell level using confocal Raman microspectroscopy (RM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and partial least square …

Experimental Characterization Of Thermal-Hydraulic Performance Of A Microchannel Heat Exchanger For Waste Heat Recovery, James Yih, Hailei Wang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Given size and performance advantages, microchannel heat exchangers are becoming increasingly important for various energy recovery and conversion processes. In this study, detailed experimental measurements were conducted to characterize flow and heat transfer performance of a microchannel heat recovery unit (HRU) manufactured using standard photochemical etching and diffusion bonding processes. According to the global flow and temperature measurement, the HRU has delivered the predicted thermal performance under various oil and air flow rates. As expected, the heat transfer effectiveness varies between 88% and 98% for a given air and oil flow rates while it increases with air inlet temperature due …

A Practitioner’S Guide To Small Unmanned Aerial Systems For Bridge Inspection, Sattar Dorafshan, Robert J. Thomas, Calvin Coopmans, Marc Maguire

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Small unmanned aerial system(s) (sUAS) are rapidly emerging as a practical means of performing bridge inspections. Under the right condition, sUAS assisted inspections can be safer, faster, and less costly than manned inspections. Many Departments of Transportation in the United States are in the early stages of adopting this emerging technology. However, definitive guidelines for the selection of equipment for various types of bridge inspections or for the possible challenges during sUAS assisted inspections are absent. Given the large investments of time and capital associated with deploying a sUAS assisted bridge inspection program, a synthesis of authors experiences will be …

Restoration Of Defaced Serial Numbers Using Lock-In Infrared Thermography (Part I), Ikwulono Unobe, Lisa Lau, John Kalivas, Rene Rodriguez, Andrew D. Sorensen

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Infrared thermal imaging is an evolving approach useful in non-destructive evaluation of materials for industrial and research purposes. This study investigates the use of this method in combination with multivariate data analysis as an alternative to chemical etching; a destructive method currently used to recover defaced serial numbers stamped in metal. This process involves several unique aspects, each of which works to overcome some pertinent challenges associated with the recovery of defaced serial numbers. Infrared thermal imaging of metal surfaces provides thermal images sensitive to local differences in thermal conductivity of regions of plastic strain existing below a stamped number. …

Restoration Of Defaced Serial Numbers Using Lock-In Infrared Thermography (Part Ii), Ikwulono Unobe, Lisa Lau, John Kalivas, Rene Rodriguez, Andrew D. Sorensen

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper details continuing work on the development of a substantive non-destructive method to recover defaced serial numbers stamped or laser engraved into metallic objects based on lock-in infrared thermography. This method relies on the existence of a local zone of plastic strain created from stamping pressures in mechanically stamped pieces and a heat-affected zone in laser engraved samples, both extending to depths below the visible characters. The grain structure within these zones is dislocated due to the external forces applied. These deformed areas are exposed to the surface when the serial numbers are defaced. Infrared thermography utilises the change …

An Initial Exploration Of The Perspectives And Experiences Of Diverse Learners' Acceptance Of Online Educational Engineering Games As Learning Tools In The Classroom, Kimberly Cook-Chennault, Idalis Villanueva

Engineering Education Faculty Publications

This Work-In-Progress falls within the research category of study and, focuses on the experiences and perceptions of first- and second year engineering students when using an online engineering game that was designed to enhance understanding of statics concepts. Technology and online games are increasingly being used in engineering education to help students gain competencies in technical domains in the engineering field. Less is known about the way that these online games are designed and incorporated into the classroom environment and how these factors can ignite inequitable perspectives and experiences among engineering students. Also, little if any work that combines the …

Gelatine Cavity Dynamics Of High-Speed Sphere Impact, Akihito Kiyama, Mohammad M. Mansoor, Nathan B. Spiers, Yoshiyuki Tagawa, Tadd T. Truscott

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

We investigate the impact and penetration of a solid sphere passing through gelatine at various impact speeds up to 143.2 m s^-1 Tests were performed with several concentrations of gelatine. Impacts for low elastic Froude number Fr_e a ratio between inertia and gelatine elasticity, resulted in rebound. Higher Fr_e values resulted in penetration, forming cavities with prominent surface textures. The overall shape of the cavities resembles those observed in water-entry experiments, yet they appear in a different order with respect to increasing inertia: rebound, quasi-seal, deep-seal, shallow-seal and surface-seal. Remarkably, similar to the We – Bo phase …

Wetland Arid Vegetation – Studies Of Vegetated Stormwater Management System Performance In Northern Utah – Field & Lab Experiences, Ryan Dupont, Margie Rycewicz-Borecki, Trixie Rife

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Motivation for the Work We’ve Done – The Why

Summary of the Work We’ve Done - The What & The How

Findings - The How Well

Conclusions & Recommendations – The So What

An Open-Source Data Manager For Network Models, Stephen Knox, James Tomlinson, Julien J. Harou, Philipp Meier, David E. Rosenberg, Jay R. Lund, David E. Rheinheimer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Developing simulation and optimisation models for resource networks like water or energy systems increasingly involves integrating multiple data sources and software. Connecting multiple models and managing data accessed by different groups of analysts is a software challenge. Many resource systems are represented in computer models as networks of nodes and links, driven by a range of objectives and rules. We present a data storage platform, written in Python, which exploits the commonality of network representations to store data for multiple model types within a single deployment. This open-source platform provides a common source of data to multiple models using consistent …

Analysis Of The Effects Of Dam Release Properties And Ambient Groundwater Flow On Surface Water‐Groundwater Exchange Over A 100‐Km‐Long Reach, Stephen B. Ferencz, M. Bayani Cardenas, Bethany T. Neilson

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Hydroelectric dams often create highly dynamic downstream flows that promote surface water‐groundwater (SW‐GW) interactions including bank storage, the temporary storage of river water in the riverbank. Previous research on SW‐GW exchanges in dammed rivers has primarily been at single study sites, which has limited the understanding of how these exchanges evolve as dam releases travel downstream. This study evaluates how dam releases affect SW‐GW exchange continuously over a 100‐km distance. This is accomplished by longitudinally routing water releases through a synthetic river and modeling bed and bank fluid and solute exchange across transverse transects spaced along the reach. Peak and …

Earth Cube Data Capabilities: Collaborative Research: Deep Integration Of Reproducibility In Community Portals, David G. Tarboton

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

"Collaborative Research: Elements: Advancing Data Science And Analytics For Water (Dsaw)", Jeffery S. Horsburgh

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Milk Oligopeptide Inhibition Of (Α)-Tocopherol Fortified Linoleic Acid Oxidation, Haina Yuan, Jinyan Gong, Kun Tang, Jinge Huang, Gongnian Xiao, Jianmin Lv

Biological Engineering Student Research

This study investigated the effect of milk oligopeptides and (α)-tocopherol on inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation using Fe²⁺-vitamin C induced linoleic acid oxidation model through analysis of malondialdehyde, peroxide value, and conjugated diene and triene in the model. The alteration of milk oligopeptides maximal absorption wavelength, fluorescent feature, and secondary structure were further investigated to elucidate the interactions between milk oligopeptide and (α)-tocopherol that altered the inhibitory effect of linoleic acid oxidation. Results showed that Pro-Tyr-Tyr-Ala-Lys (PYYAK) and Ile-Pro-Ile-Gln-Tyr (IPIQY) with (α)-tocopherol significantly inhibited the oxidation of linoleic acid and reduced the formation of malondialdehyde by 38% and …

Aerodynamic Centers Of Arbitrary Airfoils Below Stall, Douglas F. Hunsaker, Orrin D. Pope, Jeffrey D. Taylor, Josh Hodson

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

The aerodynamic center of an airfoil is commonly estimated to lie at the quarter-chord. This traditional estimate is based on thin airfoil theory, which neglects aerodynamic and geometric nonlinearities. Even below stall, these nonlinearities can have a significant effect on the location of the aerodynamic center. Here, a method is presented for accurately predicting the aerodynamic center of any airfoil from known lift, drag, and pitching-moment data as a function of angle of attack. The method accounts for aerodynamic and geometric nonlinearities, and it does not include small-angle, small-camber, and thin-airfoil approximations. It is shown that the aerodynamic center of …

Monitoring Silane Sol-Gel Kinetics With In-Situ Optical Turbidity Scanning And Dynamic Light Scattering, Abul Bashar Mohammad Giasuddin, David W. Britt

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Organosilanes (e.g., R’-SiOR₃) provide hydrophobic functionality in thin-film coatings, porous gels, and particles. Compared with tetraalkoxysilanes (SiOR₄), organosilanes exhibit distinct reaction kinetics and assembly mechanisms arising from steric and electronic properties of the R’ group on the silicon atom. Here, the hydrolysis and condensation pathways of n-propyltrimethoxy silane (nPM) and a tri-fluorinated analog of nPM, 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl trimethoxy silane (3F), were investigated under aqueous conditions at pH 1.7, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0. Prior to hydrolysis, 3F and nPM are insoluble in water and form a lens at the bottom (3F) or top (nPM) of the solutions. This …

Workshop On Convergence In Biological Engineering, Keith Roper

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Application Of Micro-Scale 3d Printing In Pharmaceutics, Andrew Kjar, Yu Huang

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

3D printing, as one of the most rapidly-evolving fabrication technologies, has released a cascade of innovation in the last two decades. In the pharmaceutical field, the integration of 3D printing technology has offered unique advantages, especially at the micro-scale. When printed at a micro-scale, materials and devices can provide nuanced solutions to controlled release, minimally invasive delivery, high-precision targeting, biomimetic models for drug discovery and development, and future opportunities for personalized medicine. This review aims to cover the recent advances in this area. First, the 3D printing techniques are introduced with respect to the technical parameters and features that are …

Discovery And Engineering Of An Endophytic Pseudomonas Strain From Taxus Chinensis For Efficient Production Of Zeaxanthin Diglucoside, Ozkan Fidan, Jixun Zhan

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

Endophytic microorganisms are a rich source of bioactive natural products. They are considered as promising biofertilizers and biocontrol agents due to their growth-promoting interactions with the host plants and their bioactive secondary metabolites that can help manage plant pathogens. Identification of new endophytes may lead to the discovery of novel molecules or provide new strains for production of valuable compounds.

Results

In this study, we isolated an endophytic bacterium from the leaves of Taxus chinensis, which was identified as Pseudomonas sp. 102515 based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence and physiological characteristics. Analysis of its secondary metabolites revealed …

Secondary Electron Yield Measurements Of Carbon Nanotube Forests: Dependence On Morphology And Substrate, Brian Wood, Jordan Lee, Gregory Wilson, T. -C. Shen, Jr Dennison

Journal Articles

Total, secondary, and backscatter electron yield data were taken with beam energies between 15 eV and 30 keV, in conjunction with energy emission data, to determine the extent of suppression of yield caused by carbon nanotube (CNT) forest coatings on substrates. CNT forests can potentially lower substrate yield due to both its inherently low-yield, low-atomic number (Z) carbon composition, and its bundled, high-aspect ratio structure. Rough surfaces, and in particular, surfaces with deep high-aspect-ratio voids, can suppress yields, as the electrons emitted from lower lying surfaces are recaptured by surface protrusions rather than escaping the near-surface region. Yields of multilayered …

Wireless Antenna Detection Of Electrostatic Discharge Events, Allen Andersen, Jr Dennison

Journal Articles

Wireless intraspacecraft communication technology is being developed for signal transfer on space missions to save weight and simplify the design. One consideration for this new technology is its interaction with space environmentinduced electrostatic discharges (ESDs). The short time scales of spacecraft ESD events result in broad frequency band signals that can interact with high-frequency wireless antennas. These interactions present a source of signal noise. However, they also present a possibility of in-flight wireless ESD monitoring. We present laboratory measurements of arcing on common spacecraft insulators using commercially available single-band 2.4-GHz and dual-band 2.4-/5.8-GHz Wi-Fi antennas. These wireless detections are shown …

Modified Substrate Specificity Of A Methyltransferase Domain By Protein Insertion Into An Adenylation Domain Of The Bassianolide Synthetase, Fuchao Xu, Russell Butler, Kyle M. May, Megi Rexhepaj, Dayu Yu, Jiachen Zi, Yi Chen, Yonghong Liang, Jia Zeng, Joan Hevel, Jixun Zhan

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Presentations

Background: Creating designer molecules using a combination of select domains from polyketide synthases and/or nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) continues to be a synthetic goal. However, an incomplete understanding of how protein-protein interactions and dynamics affect each of the domain functions stands as a major obstacle in the field. Of particular interest is understanding the basis for a class of methyltransferase domains (MT) that are found embedded within the adenylation domain (A) of fungal NRPS systems instead of in an end-to-end architecture.

Results: The MT domain from bassianolide synthetase (BSLS) was removed and the truncated enzyme BSLS-ΔMT was recombinantly expressed. The …

Hydrolearn: Facilitating The Development, Adaptation And Sharing Of Active-Learning Resources In Hydrology Education, Emad Habib, Melissa Gallagher, Jenny Byrd, Olivia Lahaye, Cary Rivet, Micah Lacombe, David Tarboton, Scott Black, Dan Ames

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Presentations

Lightning presentation and workshop presented at CUAHSI HydroInformatics Conference, 2019. https://www.cuahsi.org/community/cuahsi-science-meetings/. This workshop is offered for hydrology faculty interested in implementing or adapting active-learning, data-driven resources to their educational settings. The workshop aspires to create faculty networking and development opportunities with the overall goal of promoting and reducing barriers against adoption of active-learning resources in hydrology. The workshop will use the recently developed NSF-sponsored HydroLearn platform, along with resources from CUAHSI, HydroShare and other community platforms, to enable participating faculty to develop and share educational resources. The workshop will showcase existing seed modules and will cover best practices in …

An Efficient Framework For The Stochastic Verification Of Computation And Communication Systems Using Emerging Technologies, Zhen Zhang

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Expanding Instream Flows To Protect Ecosystems In Overallocated River Basins, Belize Lane, David E. Rosenberg

All In-stream Flows Material

Utahns are expressing a rapidly growing interest in protecting and enhancing instream flows for outdoor recreation and environmental benefits (Endter-Wada et al. 2015). However, many Utah rivers are already over-allocated for agricultural, municipal, hydropower and other water uses, making it difficult to procure additional water for instream flows. ‘Use it or lose it’ western water law and mentality encourages Utahns to use water rather than return it to rivers and ecosystems.

Stamina: Stochastic Approximate Model-Checker For Infinite-State Analysis, Thackur Neupane, Chris J. Myers, Curtis Madsen, Hao Zheng, Zhen Zhang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Stochastic model checking is a technique for analyzing systems that possess probabilistic characteristics. However, its scalability is limited as probabilistic models of real-world applications typically have very large or infinite state space. This paper presents a new infinite state CTMC model checker, STAMINA, with improved scalability. It uses a novel state space approximation method to reduce large and possibly infinite state CTMC models to finite state representations that are amenable to existing stochastic model checkers. It is integrated with a new property-guided state expansion approach that improves the analysis accuracy. Demonstration of the tool on several benchmark examples shows promising …

Quantifying Thermal Refugia Connectivity By Combining Temperature Modeling, Distributed Temperature Sensing, And Thermal Infrared Imaging, Jessica R. Dzara, Bethany T. Neilson, Sarah E. Null

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Watershed-scale stream temperature models are often one-dimensional because they require fewer data and are more computationally efficient than two- or three-dimensional models. However, one-dimensional models assume completely mixed reaches and ignore small-scale spatial temperature variability, which may create temperature barriers or refugia for cold-water aquatic species. Fine spatial- and temporal-resolution stream temperature monitoring provides information to identify river features with increased thermal variability. We used distributed temperature sensing (DTS) to observe small-scale stream temperature variability, measured as a temperature range through space and time, within two 400 m reaches in summer 2015 in Nevada's East Walker and main stem Walker …

Microwave Assisted Sol-Gel Synthesis Of Silica-Spider Silk Composites, Abul Bashar Mohammad Giasuddin, David W. Britt

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

This study introduces a simple and environmentally friendly method to synthesize silica-protein nanocomposite materials using microwave energy to solubilize hydrophobic protein in an aqueous solution of pre-hydrolyzed organo- or fluoro-silane. Sol-gel functionality can be enhanced through biomacromolecule incorporation to tune mechanical properties, surface energy, and biocompatibility. Here, synthetic spider silk protein and organo- and fluoro-silane precursors were dissolved and mixed in weakly acidic aqueous solution using microwave technology. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images revealed the formation of spherical nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 100 to 500 nm depending, in part, on silane fluoro- or organo-side …