Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Modeling Impacts On Populations: Fathead Minnow (Pimephales Promelas) Exposure To The Endocrine Disruptor 17Β-Trenbolone As A Case Study, David H. Miller, Gerald T. Ankley

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Evaluation of population-level impacts is critical to credible ecological risk assessments. In this study, a predictive model was developed to translate changes in fecundity of the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) in a short-term laboratory toxicity test to alterations in population growth rate. The model uniquely combines a Leslie population projection matrix and the logistic equation. Application of the model requires only a life table for the organism of interest, a measure of carrying capacity for the given population, and an estimation of the effect of a stressor on vital rates. The model was applied to investigate population dynamics …

Configuration Of Traffic-Responsive Plan Selection System Parameters And Thresholds: Robust Bayesian Approach, Montasir M. Abbas, Anuj Sharma

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Traffic-responsive plan selection (TRPS) is one of the two major closed-loop system modes of operation. The TRPS mode is more beneficial than its competitor (time-of-day mode) because of its ability to accommodate abnormal traffic conditions such as incidents, special events, and holiday traffic. However, no guidelines are available for optimal setup of TRPS systems. Improper configuration of a TRPS system can result in inefficient system performance or unstable operation in which the closed-loop system operates in a perpetual transitioning state. The TRPS mechanism implemented in current traffic signal controllers is described, and a Bayesian-based methodology for selecting an optimal set …

Investigation Of A Fuzzy-Neural Network Application In Classification Of Soils Using Ground-Penetrating Radar Imagery, Lameck O. Odhiambo, R. S. Freeland, R. E. Yoder, J. W. Hines

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Errors associated with visual inspection and interpretations of radargrams often inhibit the intensive surveying

of widespread areas using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). To automate the interpretive process, this article presents an

application of a fuzzy-neural network (F-NN) classifier for unsupervised clustering and classification of soil profiles using

GPR imagery. The classifier clusters and classifies soil profile strips along a traverse based on common pattern similarities

that can relate to physical features of the soil (e.g., number of horizons; depth, texture, and structure of the horizons; and

relative arrangement of the horizons, etc.). This article illustrates this classification procedure by its application …

Deceleration Lanes Of Left-Turn Bays Of Four-Lane Expressways, Karen Schurr, Patrick T. Mccoy, Geza Pesti, Anthonny Egelhoff, Rebecca Burdick

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of The Superstructure/Substructure Joint Details, Maher K. Tadros

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Spliced I-Grinder Concrete Bridge System, Maher K. Tadros, Charles J. Vranek

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Steel Bridge System With Delayed Composite Action, Atorod Azizinamini, Aaron Jon Yakel

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Winter Operations, Abrasives And Salt Brine, Geza Pesti, Yu Liu

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The primary objective of winter maintenance operations is to improve traffic safety and efficiency during winter storm periods. Abrasives and salt brines have been successfully applied to increase traction and prevent snow and ice from bonding to road surface. However, because of some undesired side effects, such as corrosion and damage to the environment, salt and abrasives may need to be supplemented by other substances in some areas. Powerful non-corrosive acetate-based chemicals have been considered by several agencies, but their high price has limited their use. Recent research has focused on the use of new, less corrosive, and highly effective …

Toward Development Of A Steel Bridge System - Simple For Dead Load And Continuous For Live Load, Atorod Azizinamini, Aaron Jon Yakel, Nick J. Lampe

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Design Guideline For Phase Construction Of Steel Girder Bridges, Atorod Azizinamini

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

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.

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 …

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. …

Potential Uses Of Riverbank Filtration For Regulatory Compliance, Stig Regli

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

RBF may have its most general application for systems seeking compliance with the LT2ESWTR. On August 11, 2003, the USEPA proposed the LT2ESWTR and included provisions by which RBF could be used as one of the compliance options for providing Cryptosporidium removal credits (USEPA, 2003).While the USEPA has previously recognized (through guidance implementation decisions) that RBF is a technology that can achieve pathogen removal, the LT2ESWTR is the first United States drinking-water regulation that specifically recognizes RBF as a compliance technology option.

Safety Performance Evaluation Of Michigan’S 4x5 Portable Sign Support, Ronald K. Faller, James C. Holloway, John R. Rohde, Dean L. Sicking

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

A wide variety of traffic controlling devices are used in work zones, some of which are not normally found on the roadside or in the traveled way outside of the work zones. These devices are used to enhance the safety of the work zones by controlling the traffic through these areas. Due to the placement of the traffic control devices, the devices themselves may be potentially hazardous to both workers and errant vehicles. The impact performance of many work-zone traffic control devices is mainly unknown and to date limited crash testing has been conducted, under the criteria of National Cooperative …

Performance Analysis Of Welch Products Recycled Rubber Spacer Block, Bob W. Bielenberg, Ronald K. Faller

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The Midwest Roadside Safety Facility was contracted by Will Stein of the Iowa Department of Transportation to conduct dynamic bogie testing of a recyclable rubber guardrail spacer block manufactured by Welch Products, Inc. The scope of the work included the setup of both a standard, wood guardrail post blockout and the Welch Products recycled rubber blockout on a standard W150x13.5 steel post, as well as two component tests using a bogie vehicle. The bogie tests were conducted in accordance with previously accepted procedures to evaluate the performance of guardrail post blockouts made of non-standard materials.

Development Of Standards For Placement Of Steel Guardrail Posts In Rock, Jason Herr, John R. Rohde, Dean L. Sicking, John D. Reid, Ronald K. Faller, James C. Holloway, Brian A. Coon, Karla A. Polivka

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

A steel post W-beam guardrail system was developed for installation in rock-soil foundations. The guardrail system was constructed with a 2.66-mm (12-gauge) thick W-beam rail, 53.34 m in length. The W-beam guardrail was supported by twenty-seven W152x13.4 by 1,346-mm long steel posts, spaced at 1,905 mm on center. The posts were installed in drilled holes in concrete, constructed by drilling three 203-mm diameter holes on 165- mm centers to a depth of 610 mm. The drilled holes were backfilled with compacted ASTM C33 coarse aggregate, size no. 57.

One full-scale vehicle crash test, using a 3⁄4-ton pickup truck, was performed …

U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service 2003 Amendment To The 2000 Biological Opinion On The Operation Of The Missouri River Main Stem Reservior System, Operation And Maintenance Of The Missouri River Bank Stabilization And Navigation Project, And Operation Of The Kansas River Reservior System

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

In 1989, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) initiated consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) regarding operation of the Missouri River Main Stem Reservoir System (See Figure 1). This consultation was conducted under the provisions of section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which requires Federal agencies to consult with the Service when the agency’s proposed actions may affect the status of species listed as endangered or threatened. For the Missouri River operations by the Corps, the species covered in the 1989 consultation were the endangered Interior least tern (Sterna antillarum), threatened Northern …

Guidelines For Attachments To Bridge Rails And Median Barriers, Eric A. Keller, Dean L. Sicking, Ronald K. Faller, Karla A. Polivka

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Highway agencies are often presented with the need to add attachments of various configurations to the top or backside of crashworthy traffic barriers. Although, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report No. 350 offers guidance for the safety performance evaluation of traffic barriers, it offers no guidance toward the evaluation of attachments on or near these barriers. The objective of the research project was to collect crash test data relating to bridge rails and median barriers, to collect information about common attachments to traffic barriers, and to evaluate this information for the purpose of developing guidelines for the design …

Development Of A Low-Profile Bridge Rail For Test Level 2 Applications, Karla A. Polivka, Ronald K. Faller, Dean L. Sicking, John R. Rohde, John D. Reid, James C. Holloway

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

A low-profile bridge rail was developed for installations where pedestrians and/or site restrictions prevent the use of conventional bridge rails with transitions. The bridge rail design was constructed using a 22.86-m long reinforced concrete parapet. The entire system measured 508-mm high by 356-mm and 279-mm wide at the top and bottom surfaces, respectively.

The research study included one full-scale vehicle crash test, using a 3⁄4-ton pickup truck. The full- scale test, impacting at a speed of 70.0 km/hr and an angle of 27.1 degrees, was conducted and reported in accordance with the requirements specified in National Cooperative Highway Research Program …

Bridge Rails And Transitions For Pedestrian Protection, Nicholas R. Hiser, Ronald K. Faller, Dean L. Sicking, John R. Rohde, John D. Reid, Karla A. Polivka

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

It is desirable to protect pedestrians on bridges from motor vehicles. However, transition problems arise at the ends of bridges where the bridge rail, bridge rail end treatment, and pedestrian walkway compete for the limited available space. The objective of this study was to identify the most common scenarios in which the protection of pedestrians on bridges is desirable, and then to develop bridge rail and bridge rail end treatment configurations to accommodate those situations. The objective was achieved by performing a field investigation, a survey of state transportation agencies, and a literature review. Recommendations for the placement and general …

2003 Joint Government And Industry Pipeline R&D Forum Report

United States Department of Transportation: Publications

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) in conjunction with the energy pipeline industry’s collaborative R&D program administered jointly by Pipeline Research Council International, Inc (PRCI) and the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) hosted the Joint Government and Industry Pipeline R&D Forum. The Forum brought together over 130 representatives from State, Federal and foreign government offices along with domestic and foreign natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline operators. The Forum’s goals included identifying key challenges facing industry and government, sharing information on current research efforts, and identifying research that can help to meet the challenges.

The Forum was …

Pipeline Safety Systematic Process Needed To Evaluate Outcomes Of Research And Development Program

United States Department of Transportation: Publications

OPS distributes its R&D budget among four main areas. For example, in fiscal year 2003, the office plans to allocate its $8.7 million budget as follows:

• 46 percent ($4.0 million) to developing new technologies to prevent damage to pipelines and prevent leaks;

• 21 percent ($1.9 million) to improving technologies for operating, controlling, and monitoring the condition of pipelines;

• 19 percent ($1.7 million) to improved pipeline materials, such as materials that are resistant to damage and defects; and

• 14 percent ($1.2 million) to efforts to improve data on the location and safety performance of pipelines.

On the …

A Portable Eddy Covariance System For The Measurement Of Ecosystem–Atmosphere Exchange Of Co2, Water Vapor, And Energy, Dave P. Billesbach, M.L. Fischer, Margaret S. Torn, J.A. Berry

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

To facilitate the study of flux heterogeneity within a region, the authors have designed and field-tested a portable eddy covariance system to measure exchange of CO2, water vapor, and energy between the land surface and the atmosphere. The combination of instrumentation used in this system allows high precision flux measurements without requiring on-site infrastructure such as prepositioned towers or line power. In addition, the system contains sensors to measure a suit of soil, climatic, and energy-related parameters that are needed to quality control the fluxes and to characterize the flux footprint. The physical design and instrument packaging used in the …

A Model For Integrating Construction Design And Schedule Data, Zhigang Shen, Raja R. A. Issa, William O'Brien

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

The difficulty of timely retrieval of useful information from heterogeneous data sources is a major cause of low productivity in the construction industry. The goal of this research is to provide a new methodology to handle the data-heterogeneity problems encountered in a construction project. This research proposes a tree-structured product model, which binds design knowledge, cost data and schedule data together, as a feasible solution for the data integration problem in construction projects. The methodology uses the knowledge representation of construction projects based on an ontology. Metadata are used to describe the conceptual structure of the project knowledge. The concept …

U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service 2003 Amendment To The 2000 Biological Opinion On The Operation Of The Missouri River Main Stem Reservoir System, Operation And Maintenance Of The Missouri River Bank Stabilization And Navigation Project, And Operation Of The Kansas River Reservoir System

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

In 1989, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) initiated consulation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) regarding operation of the Missouri River Main Stem Reservoir System.  The species covered were the endangered Interior least tern (Sterna antillarum), threatened Northern Great Plains piping plover (Charadrius melodus), and the endangered bald eagle (Hallaeetus leucocehpalus).  Subsequently, the pallid sturgeon (Seaphirhynchus alba) was listed as endangered in 1990.  The bald eagle is now a threatened species proposed for delisting.

Consultation between the Corps and the Service in 2000 covered operations of the Missouri …

Implementation Of The Biological Opinion For The Missouri River Mainstem System, Missouri River Bank Stabilization And Navigation Project, And Kansas River Reservoir System

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that the Corps of Engineers (Corps), in coordination with the appropriate resource agencies, will ensure that any action authorized, funded, or carried out is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any federally listed threatened or endangered species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat. On November 30, 2000, formal consultation between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Corps under Section 7 of the ESA culminated with the "Biological Opinion on the Operation of the Missouri River Main Stem System, Operation and Maintenance ofthe Missouri River …

Effects Of Oxide Coating And Selected Cations On Nitrate Reduction By Iron Metal, Yong H. Huang, Tian Zhang, Patrick J. Shea, Steve D. Comfort

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Under anoxic conditions, zerovalent iron (Fe⁰) reduces nitrate to and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) is produced at near-neutral pH. removal was most rapid at low pH (2–4); however, the formation of a black oxide film at pH 5 to 8 temporarily halted or slowed reaction unless the system was augmented with Fe²⁺, Cu²⁺, or Al³⁺. Bathing the corroding Fe⁰ in a Fe²⁺ solution greatly enhanced nitrate reduction at near-neutral pH and coincided with the formation of a black precipitate. X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy confirmed that both …

Field Guide To The Geology Of The Harlan County Lake Area, Harlan County, Nebraska, With A History Of Events Leading To Construction Of Harlan County Dam, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., Duane R. Mohlman, R. George Corner, F. Edwin Harvey, K. J. Warren, Scott Summerside, Roger K. Pabian, Duane A. Eversoll

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The year 2002 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of completion of the Harlan County Dam and Multi-Purpose Reservoir. This seems a good time to write about the history of and reasons for building the dam, the effects of the dam and reservoir on the Republican River valley, and the geologic features seen along the shores of the lake and areas nearby. As many junior authors helped produced this educational circular, they are listed in the table of contents. All other sections were written by the senior author.

Includes July 2016 update: Addendum of photographs showing fault traces on drought-exposed lake …