Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Improving The Freight Transportation Roadway System During Snow Events: A Performance Evaluation Of Deicing Chemicals, Christopher Y. Tuan, Barbara M. Gerbino-Bevins

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The ability of state DOTs to adequately clear roadways during winter weather conditions is critical for a safe and effective freight transportation system. Variables affecting winter maintenance operations include the type of precipitation, air and pavement temperature, traffic, wind, time of day, day of week, and maintenance equipment. The main objective of this study is to identify the best practices for normal deicing operations, based on the performance rating of deicing chemicals. Optimum deicer/brine ratios and the associated application rates will be determined for various weather conditions. The best practices will ensure effective deicing operation and economical use of deicing …

Impact Of Large 0.7 Inch Strand On Nu-I Girders, Maher K. Tadros Ph.D., P.E., George Morcous Ph.D.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The NU I-Girder series uses a unique cross-section and high-strength concrete to achieve longer spans. The objective of this project was to develop the quality control and design criteria required to introduce 0.7 inch strands at 2 in. spacing in NU I-Girders. Compared to 0.5 inch strands, only 1/2 of the total number of strands would be needed. This would result in immediate labor savings in precast concrete product costs. More importantly, having the ability to introduce almost twice the prestressing force, compared to 0.5 inch strands, and 135% of the prestressing force, compared to 0.6 inch strands, could result …

A Framework For The Nationwide Multimode Transportation Demand Analysis, Hojong Baik Ph.D., Yuepeng Cui, Tao Li

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

This study attempts to analyze the impact of traffic on the US highway system considering both passenger vehicles and trucks. For the analysis, a pseudo-dynamic traffic assignment model is proposed to estimate the time-dependent link flow from the intercity travelers on the network covering the continental U.S. A two-stage simulation scheme was designed to separate the intercity and non-intercity travelers involved in the link flow. The fuel consumption and emissions from the intercity travelers are estimated based on data in Mobile, the emission model developed by EPA. The suggested methodology could be adopted in further deployment of a nationwide transportation …

2011 Nebraska Water Monitoring Programs Report, Marty Link

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality: Reports

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) is charged with monitoring, assessing, and to the extent possible, managing the state’s water resources. The purpose of this work is to protect and maintain good quality water and encourage or execute activities to improve poor water quality. Monitoring is done on the over 18,000 miles of flowing rivers and streams, our greater than 280,000 acres of surface water in lakes and reservoirs, and the vast storage of groundwater in Nebraska’s aquifers.

Limited Scope Permitting For Time-Sensitive Project Delivery Systems, Wayne Jensen, Bruce Fischer, Zhigang Shen

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

Delivery of construction projects in the United States has traditionally been based upon the design-bid-build system. TIlis system has been used to create numerous impressive structures, but it often proves expensive and usually requires considerable time, because design, permitting and construction are accomplished in sequential order and do not overlap. Several alternatives to the traditional system have been developed, many of which fall under the classification of time-sensitive project delivery systems. The most commonly used time-sensitive project delivery systems are phased and fast-track construction (FaZio, Moselhi, Theberge & Revay 1988a). Figure 1 illustrates some of the major differences between traditional …

Magnetite Nanoparticles For Medical Mr Imaging, Zachary R. Stephen, Forrest M. Kievit, Miqin Zhang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become one of the most widely used and powerful tools for non-invasive clinical diagnosis due to its high soft tissue contrast, spatial resolution, and penetration depth1. In addition, images are acquired without the use of ionizing radiation or radiotracers that would cause unwanted harmful side-effects. A considerable amount of research in medical MR imaging is focused on the development of contrast agents that can provide better delineation between healthy and diseased tissue. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are a major class of nanoscale material currently under extensive development for improved diagnosis of a wide range of diseases, …

Modeling Truck Speed In The Upstream Of One-Lane Two-Way Highway Work Zones: Implications On Reducing Truck-Related Crashes In Work Zones, Yeu Li, Yong Bai Ph.D., P.E., Steven D. Schrock, Thomas E. Mulinazzi

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Truck-related crashes constitute a major safety concern for government agencies, the construction industry, and the traveling public. Due to the rising needs in highway maintenance and construction, the number of work zones is increasing throughout the United States, while at the same time freight movement using trucks is also increasing nationwide. Developing effective safety countermeasures to reduce the truck-related crashes is a major challenge in front of the government agencies and the construction industry. The main objectives of this research project are to discover truck-related crash characteristics and to model the truck speeds in the upstream of one-lane two-way rural …

Impact Of Truck Loading On Design And Analysis Of Asphaltic Pavement Structures- Phase Ii, Yong-Rak Kim, Hoki Ban, Soohyok Im .

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

In this study, Schapery’s nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model is implemented into the commercial finite element (FE) software ABAQUS via user defined subroutine (user material, or UMAT) to analyze asphalt pavement subjected to heavy truck loads. Then, extensive creep-recovery tests are conducted at various stress levels and at two temperatures (30oC and 40oC) to obtain the stress- and temperature-dependent viscoelastic material properties of hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures. With the viscoelastic material properties characterized and the UMAT code, a typical pavement structure subjected to repeated heavy truck loads is modeled with the consideration of the effect of material nonlinearity with a …

Evaluation Of Ndor’S Actuated Advance Warning Systems, Justice Appiah Ph.D., P.E., Laurence Rilett Ph.D., P.E., Zifeng Wu

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Driver behavior within the dilemma zone can be a major safety concern at high-speed signalized intersections. The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) has developed and implemented an actuated advance warning (AAW) dilemma zone protection system. Although these systems have received positive reviews from the public—and commercial vehicle operators in particular—there has been no comprehensive analysis of their effects on safety and traffic operations. The focus of this research was to conduct a quantitative study to ascertain the efficacy of the NDOR advance warning system. First, crash records from before and after the implementation of the system at 26 intersections were …

Model For Predicting The Impact Upon Economic Development Resulting From Highway Improvement Projects, Eric Thompson, Kanou Comlavi, Mallory Dimmit

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) has an interest in integrating state economic development impact as another factor in prioritizing transportation investments. Such efforts require the development of a comprehensive model that can be used to estimate a consistent final measure of economic development impact that can be readily integrated into existing prioritization formulas. This report summarizes the efforts of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Bureau of Business Research (UNL-BBR) to develop such a model, by measuring the impact of expressway, viaduct, and other major investments projects around the state. Specifically, UNL-BBR developed an economic model to predict the economic impact …

Missouri Work Zone Capacity: Results Of Field Data Analysis, Ghulam Bham Ph.D., S. Hadi Khazraee

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

This report presents the results of work zone field data analyzed on interstate highways in Missouri to determine the mean breakdown and queue-discharge flow rates as measures of capacity. Several days of traffic data collected at a work zone near Pacific, Missouri with a speed limit of 50 mph were analyzed in both the eastbound and westbound directions. As a result, a total of eleven breakdown events were identified using average speed profiles. The traffic flows prior to and after the onset of congestion were studied. Breakdown flow rates ranged between 1194 to 1404 vphpl, with an average of 1295 …

Roadside Grading Guidance - Phase I, Kevin D. Schrum, Francisco D. B. Albuquerque, Dean L. Sicking, Ronald K. Faller, John D. Reid

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Provisions for the design of roadside foreslopes are not readily available. As a result, engineering judgment is often employed. Unfortunately, this can lead to inconsistent designs, where, inevitably, some designs will be too costly and other designs will be too dangerous. Therefore guidance has been compiled to lend consistency to the design of these foreslopes while maintaining the most economical and safe design.

This guidance was prepared after conducting a benefit-cost analysis using the Roadside Safety Analysis Program (RSAP). A large test matrix was developed in an attempt to simulate the most possible scenarios, leaving interpolation to a minimum. However, …

Proceedings From The National Pipeline Safety Forum

United States Department of Transportation: Publications

The Forum was organized around three panel discussions intended to prompt discussion related to and culminating in the actions that PHMSA, states, and industry can take to increase pipeline safety. First, discussions were focused on both the known and perceived risks posed by pipelines, including the means by which these risks and threats are identified, measured, and evaluated. The second objective was to discuss the nature, scope, and extent of the challenges facing the industry and regulators as they decide how best to address and eliminate or mitigate these risks, and prevent future incidents. Financially-driven challenges were addressed along with …

Peer Review Report 2011

United States Department of Transportation: Publications

The purpose of this document is to report findings from the research peer reviews held April 14, April 20, April 26 & April 27, 2011 for PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety Research and Development Program. The findings and recommendations in this report are derived from the scoring and comments collected from the peer review panelists.

Department of Transportation (DOT) Operating Agencies (OA) are required to develop and execute a systematic process for peer reviews and for all influential and highly influential information that the OA plans to disseminate in the foreseeable future.

Through the Information Quality Act, Congress directed the Office of …

The Aerodynamic Behaviour Of Respiratory Aerosols, Kristin K. Grosskopf

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) claim on average 90,000 lives each year in the U.S., nearly three times the number of annual highway deaths. Although fewer than 15% of HAIs are directly attributable to airborne transmission, more than a third may be caused by surface microbes aerosolized by the movement of air from building systems, people and equipment. As a result, a study was devised to use a synthetic respiratory aerosol to track the movement airborne contagion with respect to various environmental conditions in a healthcare environment.

Complex Engineering System Learning Through Study Of Engineering Failure Cases Using 3d Animations, Zhigang Shen, Yimin Zhu

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

Complex engineering systems often require dynamic coordination of multidisciplinary teams with conflicting objectives. Failing to understand the complex relationships among the conflicting objectives may result in serious engineering failures. In engineering education, one of the challenges in teaching complex systems is the lack of effective tools to demonstrate system dynamics, especially spatial-temporal relationships in the system. The described project in this paper is supported by grants from Engineering Education program of the National Science Foundation. In the project civil/construction engineering cases are used as the context to test the proposed new teaching/learning tool on the subject and to demonstrate the …

Interpreting Tree Responses To Thinning And Fertilization Using Tree-Ring Stable Isotopes, J. Renée Brooks, Alan K. Mitchell

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Carbon sequestration has focused renewed interest in understanding how forest management affects forest carbon gain over timescales of decades, and yet details of the physiological mechanisms over decades are often lacking for understanding long-term growth responses to management.

Here, we examined tree-ring growth patterns and stable isotopes of cellulose (δ¹³C_cell and δ¹⁸O_cell) in a thinning and fertilization controlled experiment where growth increased substantially in response to treatments to elucidate physiological data and to test the dual isotope approach for uses in other locations.

δ¹³C_cell and δ¹⁸O_cell results …

Detection Of Illicit Drugs On Surfaces Using Direct Analysis In Real Time (Dart) Time‐Of‐Flight Mass Spectrometry, Andrew H. Grange, G. Wayne Sovocool

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Methamphetamine (meth) from meth syntheses or habitual meth smoking deposited on household surfaces poses human health hazards. The U.S. State Departments of Health require decontamination of sites where meth was synthesized (meth labs) before they are sold. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) methods for meth analysis require wipe sampling, extraction, clean‐up, solvent exchange, derivatization, and/or mass spectral analysis using selected ion monitoring. Rapid and inexpensive analyses could screen for drug‐contamination within structures with greater spatial resolution, provide real‐time analyses during decontamination, and provide thorough documentation of successful clean ups. Herein an autosampler/open‐air ion source time‐of‐flight mass spectrometric …

Remediation Of Napl Source Zones: Lessons Learned From Field Studies At Hill And Dover Afb, John E. Mccray, Geoffrey R. Tick, James W. Jawitz, John S. Gierke, Mark L. Brusseau, Ronald W. Falta, Robert C. Knox, David A. Sabatini, Michael D. Annable, Jeffrey H. Harwell, A. Lynn Wood

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Innovative remediation studies were conducted between 1994 and 2004 at sites contaminated by nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) at Hill and Dover AFB, and included technologies that mobilize, solubilize, and volatilize NAPL: air sparging (AS), surfactant flushing, cosolvent flooding, and flushing with a complexingsugar solution. The experiments proved that aggressive remedial efforts tailored to the contaminant can remove more than 90% of the NAPL-phase contaminant mass. Site-characterization methods were tested as part of these field efforts, including partitioning tracer tests, biotracer tests, and mass-flux measurements. A significant reduction in the groundwater contaminant mass flux was achieved despite incomplete removal of the …

Improving Safety And Mobility At High-Speed Intersections With Innovations In Sensor Technology, Anuj Sharma, Darcy M. Bullock, Senem Velipasalar, Mauricio Casares, Jacob Schmitz, Nathaniel P. Burnett

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

A series of innovations has been made in the vehicle sensors field. Technologies such as IntelliDrive and radar-based smart sensors make it pos­sible to track each vehicle in proximity to an intersection. However, current technologies have limitations, such as lack of robustness, accuracy, or level of penetration. This paper assumes an accurate wide-area detector (WAD), which might be soon available, and highlights the potential benefits that might be derived in safety and efficiency of oper­ations at high-speed intersections from the deployment of the WAD. Two critical areas in which wide-area detection can lead to significant improvements are discussed: (a) location …

Analysis Of Turbulent Hydraulic Jump Over A Transitional Rough Bed Of A Rectangular Channel: Universal Relations, Noor Afzal, A. Bushra, Abu Seena

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

The streamwise flow structure of a turbulent hydraulic jump over a rough bed rectangular channel has been investigated. The flow is divided into inner and outer layers, where upstream supercritical flow changes to downstream subcritical flow. The analysis is based on depth averaged Reynolds momentum equations. The molecular viscosity on the rough bed imposes the no slip boundary condition, but close to the wall the turbulent process in inner layer provides certain matching conditions with the outer layer, where molecular viscosity has no dominant role. It is shown that the bed roughness in the inner layer has a passive role …

A Building Lca Case Study Using Autodesk Ecotect And Bim Model, Endong Wang, Zhigang Shen, Charles Barryman

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the potential of utilizing building information model (BIM) to perform whole building Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). The research question addressed was how life cycle performance of a building was affected quantitatively by design configurations. Life cycle energy consumption and CO₂ emission of a university building in the Midwest was calculated using Autodesk® Ecotect and BIM model. The study compared life cycle performance, i.e., CO₂ emissions and energy consumptions, among different design configurations, as well as their distributions in the stages of the building’s life time. Sensitivity analysis was performed …

Missouri River Recovery Program Emergent Sandbar Habitat Annual Adaptive Management Report, Year 1, 2010)

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

This Adaptive Management (AM) Report for Emergent Sandbar Habitat (ESH) represents the first complete iteration within the draft AM strategy being implemented for the interior least terns (Sternula antillarum) and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) within the Missouri River Mainstem System based on the 2003 Amended Biological Opinion (BiOp). Please refer to the ESH AM Strategy - Appendix H of the Draft ESH Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) – and the Missouri River Recovery Program (MRRP) AM Process Framework for detailed background information on the overall scope and approach of this effort. Also note that as more …

Missouri River Recovery Program: Adaptive Management Process Framework, Joe Bonneau, Tim Fleeger, Craig Flemming, Carol Hale, Mike Anderson, Kate Buenau, Tim L. Hiller, Doug Latka, Ron Thom, Drew Tyre, Steve Fischer, Casey Kruse, Brad Thompson

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

The purpose of this Adaptive Management (AM) Process Framework is to describe the AM process for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Missouri River Recovery Program (MRRP) and explain how AM principles will be used in the MRRP to reduce uncertainty and ensure that Program objectives are achieved over time. The AM Process Framework is intended to be broad so that it can be applied to all aspects of the MRRP and be understood by a diverse audience of managers, federal and state agencies, scientists, engineers, the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC), stakeholders, Tribes, and the public.

Evaluation Of Select Sensors For Real-Time Monitoring Of Escherichia Coli In Water Distribution Systems, Syreeta L. Miles, Ryan G. Sinclair, Mark R. Riley, Ian L. Pepper

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

This study evaluated real-time sensing of Escherichia coli as a microbial contaminant in water distribution systems. Most sensors responded to increased E. coli concentrations, showing that select sensors can detect microbial water quality changes and be utilized as part of a contaminant warning system.

Biological Approaches For Addressing The Grand Challenge Of Providing Access To Clean Drinking Water, Mark R. Riley, Charles P. Gerba, Menachem Elimelech

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) recently published a document presenting “Grand Challenges for Engineering”. This list was proposed by leading engineers and scientists from around the world at the request of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Fourteen topics were selected for these grand challenges, and at least seven can be addressed using the tools and methods of biological engineering. Here we describe how biological engineers can address the challenge of providing access to clean drinking water. This issue must be addressed in part by removing or inactivating microbial and chemical contaminants in order to properly deliver water …

Development Of An Angular Scanning System For Sensing Vertical Profiles Of Soil Electrical Conductivity, Viacheslav Adamchuk, Ahmad S. Mat Su, Roger A. Eigenberg, Richard B. Ferguson

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Apparent soil electrical conductivity (EC_a) is typically mapped to define soil spatial variability within an agricultural field. Knowledge of the vertical variability of EC_a is desired to define the site‐specific behavior of the soil profile. A pneumatic angular scanning system (PASS) was developed to sense horizontal and vertical changes of EC_a on‐the‐go with an electromagnetic induction (EMI) instrument using an angular scanning method. This sensor system consists of a sled with a rotating mechanism, an EMI sensor, an inclinometer, and a pneumatic actuator. The system was evaluated at the University of Nebraska‐Lincoln Agricultural Research and Development …

Improved Soil Mixing And Delivery System For A Storm Runoff Simulator, William C. Alms, Thomas G. Franti, David P. Shelton

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

An earlier version of a storm runoff simulator to test conservation buffers reproduced target hydrographs and sedigraphs using uniform, fine sand; however, it was unable to uniformly mix and deliver native sediment. The objectives of this work reported were to create a method to process native agricultural sediment, mix a uniform sediment slurry at a target concentration, and create a control system that will deliver the slurry in varying flow rates corresponding to a target sedigraph. Eroded silty clay (14% sand) was scraped, dried, and processed with a hammer mill. A sand (93% sand) and loam (44% sand) were dried …

Identification Of Holocarboxylase Synthetase Chromatin Binding Sites In Human Mammary Cell Lines Using The Damid Technology, Dipika Singh, Angela K. Pannier, Janos Zempleni

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Holocarboxylase synthetase (HCS) is a chromatin protein that is essential for mediating the covalent binding of biotin to histones. Biotinylation of histones plays crucial roles in the repression of genes and repeats in the human genome. We tested the feasibility of DNA adenine methyltransferase identification (DamID) technology to map HCS binding sites in human mammary cell lines. Full-length HCS was fused to Dam for subsequent transfection into breast cancer (MCF-7) and normal breast (MCF-10A) cells. HCS docking sites in chromatin were identified by using the unique adenine methylation sites established by Dam in the fusion construct; docking sites were unambiguously …

Flocculation Of Wall-Deficient Cells Of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Mutant Cw15 By Calcium And Methanol, Matt Scholz, Takanori Hoshino, Mark R. Riley, Joel Cuello

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Flocculation is a common and inexpensive method for harvesting algae from solution. After nitrogen starvation, it was shown that 83 + 3% of the wall-deficient cells of the cw 15 mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii flocculated from 12 mL samples within 15 min after the addition of 15 mM calcium chloride at pH 8.4. Only 24 2% of the wildtype strain flocculated under these conditions, thus demonstrating how a simple mutation might facilitate process design. The data suggested that algae grown in waters with similar calcium concentrations (e.g. certain wastewaters) might be harvested through simple pH adjustment. It was also discovered …