Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Applying Radom Forest And Support Vector Machine For Land-Use Classification In Phu Giao District Vietnam, Trong Dieu Hien Le, Linh Truong Vinh

Applied Environmental Research

Machine learning algorithms are currently widely used to classify satellite images to create surface maps of the earth. Support vector machines (SVMs) and random forests (RFs) are more effective ML algorithms and more accurate classifications than other methods. The aim of this study is to analyze the performance of these two algorithms in land-use and land cover classification. For this purpose, the Landsat 8 OLI satellite image freely provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) was used to classify land use in the Phu Giao District, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, where forestland is being strongly converted into rubber plantations …

The Use Of Machine Learning Algorithms For Water Quality Index Prediction In The Sai Gon River, Vietnam, Thuy Nguyen Thi Diem, Mai Nguyen Thi Huynh, Tra Tran Quang

Applied Environmental Research

Accurate prediction of the water quality index (WQI) lays the groundwork for integrated river basins and sustainable water resource management. Recent and accelerated advances in machine learning have led to various promising applications in water quality assessment. The present study leverages the predictive performance of several ML algorithms, including extreme gradient boosting (XGB), the gradient boosting model (GBM), support vector regression (SVR), and the radial basic function (RBF), to predict the WQI at three monitoring sites on the Sai Gon River from 2015–2019. In comparison, the results indicate that the XGB model outperforms the other models when eight parameters, including …

Effects Of Herbicides On 2,4-D-Resistant Soil Microorganisms In Maize Cultivation In Lopburi Province, Thailand, Boontarik Chimchart, Jitra Kokaew, Amnat Eamvijarn, Kanokon Bunpha, Sontaya Khamtib, Monchai Manassila, Tawatchai Inboonchuay

Applied Environmental Research

This study aimed to assess the impact of herbicide application on soil micro-organism density and to identify microorganisms resistant to 2,4-D-dimethyl-ammonium (2,4-D) for potential biodegradation. Research was conducted in maize plots in Lopburi Province, where 2,4-D was applied at a rate of 120 g of active ingredient per 160 m2. The soil samples were collected at various intervals: before application; 2 and 4 hours postapplication; and 1, 3, and 7 days after application. The analyses included soil property and microorganism population analyses. The results indicated that 2,4-D applications significantly increased bacteria and fungi in the treated plots compared with those …

Kinetics Of Hexavalent Chromium Adsorption And Reduction By Living Cells Of The Marine Bacterium Bacillus Cereus, Jittima Charoenpanich, Wachiraphorn Cherdchoo, Jutamas Pantab, Jariya Supakrit

Applied Environmental Research

This study identified Bacillus cereus, an efficient Cr(VI) bioreducer, isolated from marine sediment in Thailand. Batch experiments verified the complete removal of 25 mg L-1Cr(VI) from synthetic wastewater (pH 7.0) after 6 days at 37 °C, 50 rpm,and a biomass concentration of 25% (v/v) culture inoculum. The Freundlich isotherm model demonstrated the best correlation with the Cr(VI) adsorption equilibrium data in the 25–100 mg L-1concentration range (R2= 0.9831). Kinetic analyses indicated that the removal of Cr(VI) by living B. cereusfollowed a pseudo-second-order adsorption model (R2= 0.9875) and a pseudo-second-order reduction model (R2= 0.9807). The adsorption rate can be accuratelycharacterizedvia the …

Investigating The Effects Of Fly Ash On The Properties Of Silica-Deficient High Alumina Materials, Sai Akshay Ponduru

Doctoral Dissertations

This research is made up of five studies mainly focused on attaining sustainability in high alumina cements like calcium aluminate cement (CAC) and calcium sulfoaluminate belite cements (CSAB) by partially replacing them with additives and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) like fly ash (FA). The first study focused on understanding the reaction kinetics of CAC and FA binders at different replacement levels (i.e. between 10%-to-50% by mass) and their effect on mechanical properties. It was also shown that the reactive nature of FAs can be determined by calculating a single parameter called number of constraints (nc) derived from topological constraint theory. …

Drone-Based Multimodal Sensing On Vegetations And Data Analytics For Early Detection Of Gas Leakage From Underground Pipelines, Pengfei Ma

Doctoral Dissertations

"This study explored the feasibility of using multimodal remote sensors in the early detection of natural gas leaks from underground pipelines, as vegetation situated above pipelines can discern microbial changes in soil when affected by gas and exhibit physiological stress symptoms on leaves. Three sensors (RBG, thermal, and hyperspectral cameras) were utilized to monitor vegetation stress as an indicator of gas leaks. A laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate the workability of vegetation for gas leak detection. Regular hyperspectral imagery was collected from test vegetations to identify gas stress and distinguish it from other environmental stressors such as salinity impact, …

Nmr Relaxometry Approach For The Detection Of Asphalt Binder Performance Properties, Rebecca Herndon

Doctoral Dissertations

"Asphalt is a necessary material for transportation infrastructure. Understanding the material properties of asphalt binders is critical for improving infrastructure and enhancing the lifetime of pavements. While the physical properties of asphalt binders are well-defined by standard procedures and parameters, the chemical environment lacks definition. Physical parameters like viscosity and stiffness are traditionally used to differentiate asphalt binders, describe aging, and indicate the impact of additives. However, these tests have limited insight into the material's chemical environment. Therefore, a nondestructive analytical technique, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry, was employed to investigate the chemical environment of asphalt binders. Although NMR relaxometry …

Characterization And Modeling Of Properties Of Unsaturated And Partially Damaged Cement-Based Materials, Rezwana Binte Hafiz

Doctoral Dissertations

"Transport properties, governing the resistance of cement-based materials to harmful substances are essential considerations for long-term performance. This study addressed the often-overlooked dimension of transport properties in unsaturated cement-based materials, crucial as most concrete structures face variable environmental conditions, leading to partial saturation. A two-scale model was introduced, enhancing our comprehension of transport properties in conditions reflecting real-world scenarios. Empirical correlation representing bulk paste characteristics was established, facilitating the upscaling of properties to mortar and concrete. The model was extended to predict the transport properties of mortar as well.

Environmental factors can contribute to the degradation of cement-based materials, with …

Characterizations Of Eco-Friendly Class C Fly Ash-Based Alkali-Activated Mixtures For Various 3d-Printing Techniques, Fareh Abudawaba

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the potential of using high-calcium class C fly ash (FA) as the main precursor for synthesizing alkali-activated mortar (AAM) suitable for 3D-printed concrete (3DPC) applications. The objective was to broaden the selection of AAMs, designed to suit various printing techniques, including continuous mixing and pumping, large batch mixing, and set-on-demand processes. The study began by assessing the fresh properties of various mixtures, utilizing tests such as open time (OT), initial setting time (IST), immediate axial deformation, and penetration test (PT), to determine the mixtures' extrudability and buildability. The study optimized mixtures with a broad spectrum of cycle …

Psychosocial Determinants Of Public Transportation Use Among Brazilian And American Users: An Integrated Modeling Approach, Ingrid Luiza Neto, Hartmut Günther, Bryan E. Porter, Taciano L. Milfont, Pastor Willy Gonzales Taco, Caroline Cardoso Machado

Psychology Faculty Publications

Overreliance on cars can promote individual, environmental, economic and social problems, requiring the development of measures to reduce car use and encourage the use of more sustainable transport options. Contributing to this call, here we report a cross-cultural study conducted in Brazil (n = 312) and the United States (n = 518) investigating the applicability of the model of Bamberg and Möser in predicting the use of public transport. Results indicated the model is equivalent across samples, regarding both the measures and the relations between the variables of the model. Intention strongly predicted self-reported public transport behaviour, explaining 70% of …

Design, Fabrication, & Laboratory Testing Of A Strain Gage Instrumentation System For Marine Applications, Salem C. Homrighausen

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A strain gage-based instrumentation system was designed and fabricated to measure the moment present at the base of a mock, diesel-engine snorkel for a submerged vehicle designed to operate in the surf zone. Afterwards, a lab experiment was designed and executed to determine the accuracy of the instrument and a 2-dimensional, matrix-vector equation was formulated to relate pairs of voltages, Vx and Vy, to moments, Mx and My for the experiment. Three versions of this model were built. The first model was created using traditional statics equations governing strain, stress, moment, force. The second and third models were built directly …

Spatiotemporal Patterns Of Desertification Sensitivity And Influencing Factors Across The Western Inner Mongolia Plateau, China, Yang Chen, Long Ma, Xixi Wang, Tingxi Liu, Zixu Qiao

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Desertification remains a critical global ecological and environmental challenge that threatens sustainable development. Although our understanding of desertification dynamics and their underlying drivers has improved, continued research is needed due to the region-specific nature of these processes. This study focuses on the Western Inner Mongolia Plateau in China as a case study to examine the evolution of desertification and its driving factors using a multifaceted approach, including the Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use (MEDALUS) model. Results show that the desertification sensitivity index (DSI) across the plateau ranged from 1.12 in prairie regions to 1.87 in desert areas, with a spatial …

Flux-Weakening Control Methods For Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines In Electric Vehicles At High Speed, Samer Alwaqfi, Mohamad Alzayed, Hicham Chaoui

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) are widely favored by manufacturers for use in electric vehicles (EVs) because of their many benefits, which include high power density at high speeds, ruggedness, potential for high efficiency, and reduced control complexity. However, since the Back Electromotive Force (EMF) increases proportionally with the motor’s rotational speed, it must be carefully controlled at high speeds. Flux-weakening (FW) control is required to avoid excessive electromagnetic flux beyond the power source and inverter’s voltage restrictions. This paper aims to compare various FW control strategies and analyze their effectiveness in maximizing the speed of PMSMs in EV applications …

Experimental And Simulation Of Compression After Impact (Cai) Tests For Thermoplastic Composite Materials, M. M. Shahzamanian, Sydney Houck, Li Ai, Md Mushfiqur Rahman Fahim, Sourav Banerjee, Wout De Backer, Paul Ziehl

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Damage caused by low velocity impacts in composite materials may go undetected, resulting in significant damage being unnoticeable. This phenomenon has been studied using experiments and simulations on a typical composite material, Toray T1225 LM-PAEK UD Tape, following impacts with varying energy levels. To the authors’ knowledge, there is a lack of information on thermoplastics and compression after impact (CAI) in the publicly available literature, and there have been insufficient results and discussions regarding CAI tests on thermoplastic composite materials at the relatively high levels of impact used, especially with the rise in the use of thermoplastic materials for the …

Analyzing Reciprocating Piston Expander Performance In Small-Scale Caes Considering Expansion Mismatch And Residual Mass Losses, Mehrdad Poursadegh

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Energy storage (ES) has become an essential element of modern energy systems, particularly with the rapid growth of renewable energy sources. While these sources are central to global decarbonization efforts, their intermittent nature creates significant challenges for both grid operators and end users. To address these challenges, a wide range of storage technologies have been developed ranging from large utility-scale to small behind-the-meter units. Among these, Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) stands out for its long lifespan, low storage cost per unit of energy, and ability to provide both electricity and thermal energy. However, small- and micro-scale CAES systems, unlike …

Great Lakes Wave Height Trends, Erv Kraft, Brian Barkdoll

Michigan Tech Publications

With the advent of the industrial revolution, greenhouse gases have been emitted into the atmosphere causing the alteration of weather across the globe. These gases have caused the global temperature to warm. This has also caused a change in precipitation, wind speeds, and wave heights. The Great Lakes have many cities located on their shores and millions of people are affected by waves. Effects include shoreline erosion, infrastructure damage, and loss of valuable property and lives. It is imperative to future planning and engineering that the trends of wave height are understood. This study uses linear regression, a well-known and …

Assessment Of Wave Climate Conditions At An Important Historical And Ecological Site Along The Fort George River In Northeast Florida, Ally O. Kasuwi

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated wave climate conditions at the Timucuan Preserve in northeast Florida, addressing gaps in previous shoreline erosion research that largely attributed erosion to boat wakes without detailed wave data. Field data were collected using several do-it-yourself water wave gauges. Each data collection event was for approximately one week, with an emphasis on collecting data before, during, and after periods of expected peak wave activity (i.e., holiday weekends and large-scale storms). Data were analyzed in the frequency domain to establish the likely cause of waves. Results suggested that, counterintuitively, watercraft traffic may have produced higher dominant wave periods than …

A Comprehensive Guide To Construction Documentation: From Hand Drafting To Bim, Cesar Salazar

Open Educational Resources

The construction industry relies heavily on precise and clear documentation to ensure the successful completion of projects. This book is a comprehensive guide to creating construction drawings, focusing on the principles and best practices that lead to high-quality outputs. Unlike manuals that teach specific software tools, this book emphasizes the effective use of various drawing tools to produce detailed graphic narratives that support the entire construction process, from inception to completion.

Prioritizing Amd Impaired Watersheds For Watershed-Scale Restoration Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, James Nicholas Marino

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remains a significant environmental challenge in coal-mining and hard rock regions like West Virginia, degrading water quality and ecosystem health. Traditional site-specific remediation efforts often prove inefficient in addressing AMD at large scale. This study explores watershed-scale restoration as a more effective solution, leveraging centralized treatment facilities and multi-source pollution management. This study will follow Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), specifically the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), to develop a structured rubric for grading watersheds. The process involves identifying critical criteria, organizing them into a hierarchy, and generating weights for clusters of criteria through collaboration with decision makers. …

Quantifying Subsurface Pavement Temperatures Subject To Future Climates And Implications For Pavement Resilience, Austin Michael Jarrell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Assessment of anthropogenic climate change impacts in pavement design and analysis remains limited within engineering practice, despite growing recognition of the need for climate-resilient roadway infrastructure. Research efforts have increasingly focused on integrating future climate projections into mechanistic-empirical pavement design, which represents the leading edge of the state of practice. However, a lack of consensus persists regarding the optimal methods for incorporating climate projections, particularly in the selection of downscaling techniques and global climate models (GCMs) to ensure accuracy and applicability for pavement performance analysis. This research investigates the impact of statistical downscaling methodologies and GCM selection routines on subsurface …

Using Data Science And Sustainability Assessment Tools To Evaluate Wastewater Treatment Technologies, Haidar Shakuir Aldaach

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Wastewater management in small communities has faced numerous challenges in recent years, including population growth, limited budgets for operation and maintenance, and stringent effluent standards required by environmental regulations. These challenges motivate enhancing wastewater treatment processes to protect water quality. Wastewater treatment performance can be improved in small towns and rural regions by implementing data-driven strategies. Data science, life cycle assessment (LCA), and life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) are three data-driven decision-making tools that require data collection, modeling, computational models, and statistical analysis that could be utilized to improve wastewater treatment efficiencies. In this study, these three tools were adopted …

Watershed-Level Survey Of Antimicrobial Resistance From Onsite Wastewater Systems, Trey Franklin Clark

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has quickly become one of the largest global health and development threats. Research related to environmental modes of transmission of AMR has accelerated in recent years, and the US Environmental Protection Agency is particularly interested in this emerging contaminant. Knowledge of how onsite (decentralized) wastewater treatment systems contribute to this issue is lacking, so this research serves to analyze and quantify the environmental dissemination of AMR and fecal contamination from these sources at a watershed level while using statistical analysis to assess relationships between physiochemical, spatial, and sampling parameters. This research surveyed four watersheds …

Citizen-Centric Building Energy Retrofits: Understanding And Supporting Citizens As Occupants, Participants, Decision-Makers, And Learners In Home Energy Retrofits, Nikhil Singh Yaduvanshi

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Residential building retrofits remain significantly under-adopted despite substantial technological advances, economic incentives, and policy efforts, creating a critical gap between technical potential and actual implementation in achieving climate goals. Assessment of citizen involvement in building retrofit processes plays a critical role in formulating effective home retrofit program designs to ensure maximum adoption rates and avoid energy waste. Although, existing retrofit programs and decision-making models recognize the importance of citizen involvement, the extent of citizen capabilities and the effects of citizen-centered approaches on retrofit adoption and building performance has not been comprehensively examined. The adoption and success of retrofit programs depends …

Assessment Of The Feasibility Of Utilizing Plastic Waste In Infrastructure To Promote Circular Economy In Bangladesh, Md Lutfor Rahman

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This study presents a comprehensive assessment of municipal solid waste (MSW) and plastic waste characterization across Bangladesh, with a focus on circular economy opportunities and the long-term economic viability of plastic road. Using on-site waste characterization data for 13 major cities from four geographic zones of Bangladesh —Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast—the research identifies food waste as the dominant component of the national waste stream (67.3%), followed by plastic (12.4%), textiles (7.8%), and paper (4.7%). Among plastics, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) overwhelmingly dominates (89.7%), highlighting the continued prevalence of single-use flexible plastics.

A life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) was conducted comparing …

Implementation And Performance Evaluation Of Plastic Road Mix Design In Parking Lot, Ishraq Faruk

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The uncontrolled proliferation of plastic waste has emerged as a global environmental crisis, with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) constituting a substantial fraction of the waste stream due to its extensive use in packaging and its resistance to degradation. In parallel, asphalt pavements particularly in urban infrastructure such as parking lots experience accelerated deterioration from raveling, rutting, and cracking as a result of thermal cycling, repetitive loading, and inadequate drainage. These converging challenges present an opportunity for innovative, circular-economy-based sustainable pavement technologies that simultaneously improve surface durability and mitigate plastic waste accumulation.

This research investigates the full-scale implementation and monitoring of HDPE …

Leveraging Product And Process Characteristics Across The Concrete Pavement Life Cycle To Integrate Global Warming Potential Into Project Procurement Processes, Michelle Annette Cooper

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The objective of this research is to support sustainable procurement of concrete pavements by linking materials-level global warming potential (GWP) to the project-level. Infrastructure owners require reliable environmental product declarations (EPDs) and methodologies for integrating GWP into the procurement process to ensure equitable decision-making. This work provides insights into current EPD reliability by assessing the sensitivity of concrete GWP to materials-level contributors to recommend a level of supply chain specificity needed to effectively communicate GWP. A benchmarking methodology was developed and implemented to establish reference values for procuring sustainable products. Having provided evidence towards EPD reliability, this work presents a …

Ansi Z97 Impact Testing Of Thin Glass, Justin P. Anthony

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

To determine whether thin glass constructions can pass Z97 impact test to qualify as safety glass an extensive protocol was performed. Constructions including monolithic, chemically strengthened, filmed, laminated, and triple pane insulated glass units comprised of thin glass ranging in thickness between 0.50 mm and 1.6mm were evaluated. Test results indicate annealed specimens, and laminated specimens performed similar to constructions with 3 mm and 6 mm glass. Specimens with 0.2 mm film consistently performed as safety glass for thicknesses between 0.7 mm and 1.6 mm and similar performance for specimens with 0.1 mm film with thickness of 1.1 mm and …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Renewable Hydrocarbon Fuels Produced By The New Cool Gas To Liquid (Cool Gtl) Process, Elochukwu Okoye

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Cool Gas-to-Liquid (Cool GTL) process converts biogas and captured CO₂ into renewable hydrocarbon fuels, contributing to GHG emissions reduction in transportation. This report explains a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study that was completed to evaluate the environmental impact of different feedstocks, hydrogen sources, and electricity inputs. The analysis considers biogas from food waste, manure, and landfill sources, as well as biogenic, fossil, and direct air capture (DAC) CO₂ feedstocks. Results show that biogas pathways provide the greatest GHG reductions, with the best case (food and manure biogas + solar hydrogen + solar electricity) achieving a net-negative GWP …

Life Cycle Assessment And Life Cycle Cost Assessment Of A Floating Treatment Wetland In A Wastewater Lagoon Located In Copper Harbor, Michigan, Erin Browne

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A full-scale floating treatment wetland was implemented in a wastewater treatment lagoon in Copper Harbor, Michigan. Copper Harbor is a small, rural community located in a cold climate. Many studies have focused on the performance of floating treatment wetlands in mesocosm studies in warmer climates, but there is not a lot of research conducted on the feasibility and performance of full-scale floating treatment wetlands in wastewater lagoons, specifically in cold climates. The 2024 treatment season was the first season with the floating treatment wetland implemented in the wastewater lagoon. A preliminary assessment of the cost and environmental impacts of a …

Developing Inexpensive Sensors That Can Detect Roof Collapse From Snow Loads, Edward Sandy

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In cold regions in the United States, residential timber structures are susceptible to roof collapses due to heavy snow accumulation. The recent updates in ASCE 7-22 have introduced reliability-targeted ground snow loads, leading to significant increases in design snow loads for certain areas. Despite this development, existing buildings in these regions designed under historical code requirements may be under-designed for snow load. This fact provides motivation to owners of these structures to pursue effective monitoring and mitigation strategies to prevent structural failures. This research focuses on the development of an early warning system utilizing cost-effective slope monitoring sensors to estimate …