Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Resilin Distribution And Abundance In Apis Mellifera Across Biological Age Classes And Castes, Audrey Anderson, Noah Keime, Chandler Fong, Andrew Kraemer, Carol Fassbinder-Orth

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The presence of resilin, an elastomeric protein, in insect vein joints provides the flexible, passive deformations that are crucial to flapping flight. This study investigated the resilin gene expression and autofluorescence dynamics among Apis mellifera (honey bee) worker age classes and drone honey bees. Resilin gene expression was determined via ddPCR on whole honey bees and resilin autofluorescence was measured in the 1m-cu, 2m-cu, Cu-V, and Cu2-V joints on the forewing and the Cu-V joint of the hindwing. Resilin gene expression varied significantly with age, with resilin activity being highest in the pupae. Autofluorescence of the 1m-cu and the Cu-V …

Small-Scale Testing Of Passive Fire Protection Systems For Structures On The Wildland-Urban Interface, Makenzie Wilson, Thomas H. Fletcher, Taylor J. Sorensen

Faculty Publications

The average intensity and frequency of wildland fires have been on the rise over the years due to climate change. This, in combination with recent expansion and growth of rural areas, has led to an increased risk of wildfire damage for structures in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI). This paper proposes a permanent passive fire protection system that is built into the structure. A flame-resistant material would be attached to the sheathing underneath the roofing and siding material. This system would allow the easily replaceable exterior components of the structure to burn while leaving the interior of the structure protected. Small-scale …

Evaluating Effect Of Operating Speed On Crashes Of Rural Two-Lane Highways, Fahida Rahman, Xu Zhang, Mei Chen

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

Crashes on a roadway are influenced by various factors, including but not limited to road geometries, traffic volume, and environmental conditions. Among these factors, traffic volume and segment length are commonly used to predict crashes. Recently, the role of speed in crashes has been recognized as a significant factor, prompting its incorporation as a variable in crash modeling. Nevertheless, previous research studies that examined speed-related factors are mostly concentrated on higher functional class roads where speed data are abundant. Lack of actual speed data has limited the scope of such a study on rural two-lane highways. Due to recent advancements …

Water-Energy-Food Linkages In Community Smallholder Irrigation Schemes: Center Pivot Irrigation In Rwanda, Ankit Chandra, Derek M. Heeren, Lameck O. Odhiambo, N. Brozovic

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Water, energy, and food are linked in intricate ways in irrigated agriculture and understanding the interplay of these components is crucial for sustainable and profitable crop production, particularly in smallholder setting such as in sub-Saharan Africa. This study evaluates water-energy-food linkages, engineering and economic performance, irrigation decision making, and challenges faced around water management in a community-based mechanized irrigation scheme in Rwanda. The research is the first to analyze such as scheme, which uses technology typically used by large farmers in a smallholder setting. The study investigates the variation in water requirements and the relationship and impacts of this variability …

Reaction Steps In Heterogeneous Photocatalytic Oxidation Of Toluene In Gas Phase—A Review, Yerzhigit Tulebekov, Zhandos Orazov, Bagdat Satybaldiyev, Daniel D. Snow, Raphaël Schneider, Bolat Uralbekov

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

A review of the current literature shows there is no clear consensus regarding the reaction mechanisms of air-borne aromatic compounds such as toluene by photocatalytic oxidation. Potential oxidation reactions over TiO₂ or TiO₂-based catalysts under ultraviolet and visible (UV/VIS) illumination are most commonly considered for removal of these pollutants. Along the pathways from a model pollutant, toluene, to final mineralization products (CO₂ and H₂O), the formation of several intermediates via specific reactions include parallel oxidation reactions and formation of less-reactive intermediates on the TiO₂ surface. The latter may occupy active adsorption sites and …

Analysis Of Factors Affecting Construction And Demolition Waste Reduction In Egypt, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Ahmed Osama Daoud, Obas John Ebohon, Ali Bayyati

Architectural Engineering

Construction projects are associated with construction and demolition waste (CDW) generated at different stages. In Egypt’s case, the CDW problem has become a significant challenge, and the need to find sustainable solutions is overwhelming. Based on recent investigations in the literature, it was found that six main factors are affecting CDW reduction (CDWR) as follows: (1) waste-efficient materials procurement measures; (2) waste-efficient materials procurement models; (3) green materials procurement approach; (4) legislation; (5) culture & behaviour; and (6) awareness. In this study, a representative sample of Egyptian construction firms was screened to (1) investigate the applicability and effectiveness of CDWR …

Energy Dissipation Optimization For Circular Culverts, David M. Admiraal, Chi Zhang

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Two types of energy dissipation devices at circular culvert outlets were investigated: full-length weirs and staggered weirs. Related literature was reviewed; a model broken-back circular culvert and dissipation basin was built; instrumentation was installed to measure discharge, piezometric head, and velocities; and four sizes of full-length and staggered weirs were tested over a range of discharges and tailwaters. Weir heights ranged from D/8 to 4D/8, in which D was the culvert diameter. The two weir types were subjected to two styles of tests: (1) tests unaffected by tailwater and (2) tailwater-influenced tests. For tall full-length weirs (3D/8 and 4D/8), basin …

Introduction To 'Artificial Intelligence In Failure Analysis Of Transportation Infrastructure And Materials', Yue Hou, Qiao Dong, Dawei Wang, Jenny Liu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Transportation infrastructures, including roads, bridges, tunnels, stations, airports and subways, play fundamental roles in modern society. Engineering failures of transportation infrastructures may result in significant damage to the public. The traditional methods are to monitor, store and analyze the information during the infrastructure and material design, testing, construction, numerical simulations, evaluation, operation, maintenance and preservation, using mechanistic-based, material based and statistics-based approaches. In recent decades, artificial intelligence (AI) has drawn the attention of many researchers and has been used as a powerful tool to understand and analyze the engineering failures in transportation infrastructure and materials. AI has the advantages of …

Shrinkage And Consolidation Characteristics Of Chitosan-Amended Soft Soil: A Sustainable Alternate Landfill Liner Material, Romana Mariyam Rasheed, Arif Ali Baig Moghal, Sai Sampreeth Reddy Jannepally, Ateekh Ur Rehman, Bhaskar C. S. Chittoori

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Kuttanad is a region that lies in the southwest part of Kerala, India, and possesses soft soil, which imposes constraints on many civil engineering applications owing to low shear strength and high compressibility. Chemical stabilizers such as cement and lime have been extensively utilized in the past to address compressibility issues. However, future civilizations will be extremely dependent on the development of sustainable materials and practices such as the use of bio-enzymes, calcite precipitation methods, and biological materials as a result of escalating environmental concerns due to carbon emissions of conventional stabilizers. One such alternative is the utilization of biopolymers. …

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2022 Report, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Kenneth R. Agent, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky’s Traffic Collision Facts is based on collision reports submitted to the Kentucky State Police Records Branch. As required by Kentucky Revised Statute 189.635: “Every law enforcement agency whose officers investigate a vehicle accident of which a report must be made...shall file a report of the accident...within ten days after investigation of the accident upon forms supplied by the bureau.” The stated purpose of this requirement is to utilize data on traffic collisions to improve the Commonwealth’s traffic safety program. Unless otherwise noted, data in this publication are for public roads only. Data contained in this report are based solely …

In Situ Monitoring Of The Hydration Of Calcium Silicate Minerals In Cement With A Remote Fiber-Optic Raman Probe, Bohong Zhang, Wenyu Liao, Hongyan Ma, Jie Huang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study utilized a novel in situ fiber-optic Raman probe to continuously monitor the hydration progress of tricalcium silicate (C₃S) and dicalcium silicate (C₂S) without the need for sampling, from early hydration stage to later stages, and from fresh to hardened states of paste samples. By virtue of the remarkable ability of this technique in characterizing either dry or wet and crystalline or amorphous samples, the hydration processes of C₃S and C₂S pastes with different water-to-solid (w/s) ratios could be monitored from the start of the hydration reaction. The main hydration products, …

Data-Driven Analysis Of Construction Bidding Stage-Related Causes Of Disputes, Muaz O. Ahmed, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Construction bidding is a complex process that involves several potential risks and uncertainties for all the stakeholders involved. Such complexities, risks, and uncertainties, if uncontrolled, can lead to the rise of claims, conflicts, and disputes during the course of a project. Even though a substantial amount of knowledge has been acquired about construction disputes and their causation, there is a lack of research that examines the causes of disputes associated with the bidding phase of projects. This study addresses this knowledge gap within the context of infrastructure projects. In investigating and analyzing the causation of disputes related to the bidding …

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky 2018-2022, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report documents analysis of traffic crash data in Kentucky. A primary objective of this study was to determine average crash statistics for Kentucky highways. Where used, rates were calculated for various highway types and for counties and cities. Difference criteria were used for exposure. Average and critical numbers, SPFs, and crash rates were calculated for various highway types in rural and urban areas. These metrics rely on crashes identified on highways where Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) volumes were available. Data in this report may be used to help identify problem areas. The other primary objective of this study …

2023 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Erin Lammers-Staats, Derek S. Young, Kenneth R. Agent, Aidan Elias

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Data and results of a statewide observational survey used to establish the statewide usage rate for safety belts in Kentucky.

Evaluation Of Durable Pavement Striping, William Staats, Erin Lammers-Staats

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Roadway pavement markings, colloquially referred to as “striping”, can be made of various combinations of paint and reflective beads. In the interest of aligning Kentucky with the state-of-the-art durable pavement marking practices of other states, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) developed a research study aimed at improving pavement marking specifications and practices. This study reviewed current practices, identified potential improvements, and performed a systematic evaluation in a controlled environment on both asphalt and concrete roads. The state evaluated high-build waterborne paint, extruded and spray thermoplastic, polyurea, and preformed plastic tape, as well as several bead packages including M247, Missouri blend, …

Inspection Training Course On Bridge Preventive Maintenance Activities, Danny Wells, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Despite over 30 percent of bridges in the United States having exceeded their 50-year design lives, most state departments of transportation (DOTs) lack the funding needed to replace bridges on a large scale. In response, agencies have increasingly turned to bridge preventive maintenance activities to prolong bridge service lives. These activities provide a safe and cost-effective way to slow the rate at which structures deteriorate, mitigate the effects of aging, and improve bridge functional condition. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has become increasingly reliant on preventive maintenance to preserve and extend the service lives of its steel and concrete bridges. …

Enhancing The Co2 Trapping Capacity Of Saudi Arabian Basalt Via Nanofluid Treatment: Implications For Co2 Geo-Storage, Muhammad Ali, Nurudeen Yekeen, Mirhasan Hosseini, Ghazanfer R. Abbasi, Amer Alanazi, Alireza Keshavarz, Thomas Finkbeiner, Hussein Hoteit

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Mineralization reactions in basaltic formations have gained recent interest as an effective method for CO2 geo-storage in order to mitigate anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The CO2/rock interactions, including interfacial tension and wettability, are crucial factors in determining the CO2 trapping capacity and the feasibility of CO2 geological storage in these formations. The Red Sea geological coast in Saudi Arabia has many basaltic formations, and their wetting characteristics are rarely reported in the literature. Moreover, organic acid contamination is inherent in geo-storage formations and significantly impacts their CO2 geo-storage capacities. Hence, to reverse the organic effect, the influence of various SiO2 …

Harnessing The Power Of Computational Fluid Dynamics For Flow Coefficient And Rain Resistance Improvement Of Type 1 Natural Ventilators, Amin Roostaee, Mehdi Khiadani, Hussein A. Mohammed, Abdellah Shafieian

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Type 1 Natural Ventilators act like a shield protecting the building from rain intrusion while allowing air to flow from outside. Despite their wide applications, they are far from the ideal design, mainly due to a lack of data on their air discharge coefficient and rain defense effectiveness under different climatic conditions. According to ventilation standards, since experimental testing of different geometries and configurations of these ventilators are complex, difficult, and costly, this study aims to implement Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools to investigate their performance. To do this, a combination of 9 various louvre panels was designed with 1, …

Antibiotic Resistance In Urban Stormwater: A Review Of The Dissemination Of Resistance Elements, Their Impact, And Management Opportunities, Kassidy N. O'Malley, Walter M. Mcdonald, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The public health crisis of antibiotic resistance is a growing threat across the world that is only expected to intensify in the coming years. The cycling of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment via urban stormwater runoff is one means by which humans are exposed to resistant bacteria as traditional gray stormwater infrastructure facilitates the transport of resistance elements into water bodies utilized by the public. In this review, existing research on the occurrence of ARGs in urban stormwater runoff is critically reviewed with the goal of determining the role of stormwater in the dissemination and development of antibiotic …

Impact Of Corrosion Inhibitors On Antibiotic Resistance, Metal Resistance, And Microbial Communities In Drinking Water, Lee K. Kimbell, Emily Lou Lamartina, Stan Kohls, Yin Wang, Ryan J. Newton, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Corrosion inhibitors, including zinc orthophosphate, sodium orthophosphate, and sodium silicate, are commonly used to prevent the corrosion of drinking water infrastructure. Metals such as zinc are known stressors for antibiotic resistance selection, and phosphates can increase microbial growth in drinking water distribution systems (DWDS). Yet, the influence of corrosion inhibitor type on antimicrobial resistance in DWDS is unknown. Here, we show that sodium silicates can decrease antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs), while zinc orthophosphate increases ARB and ARGs in source water microbial communities. Based on controlled bench-scale studies, zinc orthophosphate addition significantly increased the abundance of ARB …

Predicting University Campus Parking Demand Using Machine Learning Models, Sohil Paudel, Matthew Vechione, Okan Gurbuz

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Parking demand at university campuses has been an issue for decades and is gradually increasing each year. With limited capacity, space, and funds to expand parking facilities, there is a dire need to better understand parking behavior on a university campus so that universities can better utilize the limited resources available. One methodology that has been used by Metropolitan Planning Organizations to predict traveler behavior is known as travel demand modeling, where the most common modeling technique is a four-step procedure that utilizes socioeconomic data to predict current and future traffic volumes in a network (e.g., a city). This study …

In Situ Monitoring Of The Hydration Of Calcium Silicate Minerals In Cement With A Remote Fiber-Optic Raman Probe, Bohong Zhang, Wenyu Liao, Hongyan Ma, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study utilized a novel in situ fiber-optic Raman probe to continuously monitor the hydration progress of tricalcium silicate (C3S) and dicalcium silicate (C2S) without the need for sampling, from early hydration stage to later stages, and from fresh to hardened states of paste samples. by virtue of the remarkable ability of this technique in characterizing either dry or wet and crystalline or amorphous samples, the hydration processes of C3S and C2S pastes with different water-to-solid (w/s) ratios could be monitored from the start of the hydration reaction. the main hydration products, calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) and portlandite/calcium hydroxide (CH), …

Sensitivity Analysis Of The Ideal Ct Test Using The Distinct Element Method, Shadi Saadeh, Maria El Asmar

Mineta Transportation Institute

Cracking is a primary mode of failure for asphalt concrete (AC), resulting in road damage and deterioration, and leading to an increase in road hazards and fatalities. Studying the fracture behavior of AC is an effective way to learn how to best enhance their cracking resistance. To do this, the indirect tensile cracking laboratory test (IDEAL-CT) was developed and used to assess the AC cracking behavior by defining a unique index that allows the ranking of different mixes’ cracking resistance. The sensitivity of the test results to the test parameters is needed to monitor the test’s performance. Several parameters impact …

Colloidal Behavior Of Nanobubbles And Their Application In Enhancing Plant Growth: Mechanisms Of Nanobubble Interactions With Microbial And Soil Species, Shan Xue

Dissertations

Climate change has resulted in increasing uncertainties of water resources and disturbance on agricultural activities. For example, the shortage of water resources, land erosion and pollution from runoff significantly affect agricultural sustainability. This dissertation research focuses on the fundamental studies of nanobubble (NB) water and explores the benefits for irrigation to enhance plant germination and growth. Unlike bulk bubbles, NBs exhibit prolonged stability in water and possess large surface areas that facilitate efficient mass transfer and potential tailored reactions (e.g., disinfection). However, the enhancement mechanisms for NBs on seed germination and plant growth remain elusive.

This research first evaluated the …

Integrated Land Use And Transportation Modeling Considering The Impact Of Autonomous Vehicles, Roksana Asadi

Dissertations

The advent of autonomous urban mobility is expected to effect changes in land use patterns and urban development. A new framework for integrated land use and transportation system models that incorporate Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) and Shared Autonomous Vehicles (SAVs) will be needed to investigate the development of transportation and land use plans and policies. This study aims to analyze the impacts of AVs and SAVs on land use changes by defming scenarios that consider different shares of these emerging transportation modes. Also, this study explores the corollary effects of various land use factors by applying them to a case study …

Challenges In Optimization For The Performance On Sustainability Dimensions In Reverse Logistics Social Responsibility, Sumarsono Sudarto, Katsuhiko Takahashi, Mochammad Dewo

Makara Journal of Technology

Reverse logistics social responsibility is preferred as the most acceptable solution for addressing the challenges in stakeholders’ debate regarding social responsibility in supply chains because it involves as many actors as possible in the supply chain to perform social responsibility to achieve sustainability. This paper explores the challenges in achieving optimal policies in sustainability dimensions for collection and recycling facilities in reverse logistics. Sustainability dimensions include economic, environmental, and social aspects. The reverse logistics is modeled on System Dynamics, and a simplified statistical analysis using a contour chart is employed in numerical experiments. Results show a narrow area of optimal …

Molecular Dynamics Simulation Of Interfacial Tension Of The Co2-Ch4-Water And H2-Ch4-Water Systems At The Temperature Of 300 K And 323 K And Pressure Up To 70 Mpa, Quoc Truc Doan, Alireza Keshavarz, Caetano R. Miranda, Peter Behrenbruch, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Subsurface geologic formations such as depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, deep saline aquifers and shale formations have been considered promising targets for carbon dioxide and hydrogen storage. A solid understanding of the interfacial properties of multiphase systems, including binary (pure gas-water) and ternary (gas mixtures and water), is vital to assess for reliability and storage capacity of the geological formations. However, most previous experimental and simulation studies for interfacial properties have mainly focused on binary systems at low-medium pressure. Only a few experimental and simulation studies investigated the interfacial tension at high pressure (above 20 MPa) for the CO₂-CH_{4 …}

Investigating The Resistance Properties Of Concrete Containing Waste Carpet Fibers, Faezeh Nejati, Ali Mahboobi

Makara Journal of Technology

This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the use of waste carpet fiber (WCF) and assessing the resistance properties of concrete. The main goal of this study was to investigate the effect of the internal processing of concrete containing WCF on increasing its resistance properties. At the same time, the secondary goals pursued in the research included determining the optimal percentages of carpet fibers in improving compressive strength, tensile strength, and bending strength. The materials used included cement, aggregates, water, WCF, and super lubricant. This research applied seven mixing designs: A, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, and D2. …

Permeability Prediction For Expansive Soil Based On Physical Properties Using Artificial Neural Networks, Ferry Fatnanta, Imam Suprayogi, Nicola Rabb Ranata, Soewignjo Agus Nugroho, Agus Ika Putra

Makara Journal of Technology

Permeability is a soil parameter related to the construction industry to understand the processes of infiltration, runoff, and settlement. The risk of testing errors is inevitable in permeability investigations, especially in expansive soils. Trial and error in permeability testing becomes difficult due to soils with small pore sizes and large shrinkage expansion. Several studies related to soil physical properties that affect permeability have been conducted. However, the correlation results obtained still have poor accuracy. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are machine learning systems that can change their structure to solve problems that are included in the system. The use of ANNs …

Reconstructing 42 Years (1979–2020) Of Great Lakes Surface Temperature Through A Deep Learning Approach, Miraj Kayastha, Tao Liu, Daniel Titze, Timothy C. Havens, Chenfu Huang, Pengfei Xue

Michigan Tech Publications

Accurate estimates for the lake surface temperature (LST) of the Great Lakes are critical to understanding the regional climate. Dedicated lake models of various complexity have been used to simulate LST but they suffer from noticeable biases and can be computationally expensive. Additionally, the available historical LST datasets are limited by either short temporal coverage (<30 >years) or lower spatial resolution (0.25° × 0.25°). Therefore, in this study, we employed a deep learning model based on Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural networks to produce a daily LST dataset for the Great Lakes that spans an unparalleled 42 years (1979–2020) at …