Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Setback Distance Requirements For Removal Of Swine Slurry Constituents In Runoff, John E. Gilley, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Kent M. Eskridge, Xu Li, Amy M. Schmidt, Daniel D. Snow

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The use of setback distances for manure application on cropland areas adjacent to surface water bodies could serve a function similar to vegetative filter strips. However, little information currently exists to identify the setback distances necessary to effectively reduce the transport of contaminants in runoff. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of setback distance and runoff rate on concentrations of selected constituents in runoff following land application of swine slurry to a no-till cropland area in southeast Nebraska. The study site had a residue cover of 7.73 Mg ha-1 and a slope gradient of 4.9%. The …

Quantifying Effectiveness Of Streambank Stabilization Practices On Cedar River, Nebraska, Naisargi Dave, Aaron R. Mittelstet

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Excessive sediment is a major pollutant to surface waters worldwide. In some watersheds, streambanks are a significant source of this sediment, leading to the expenditure of billions of dollars in stabilization projects. Although costly streambank stabilization projects have been implemented worldwide, long-term monitoring to quantify their success is lacking. There is a critical need to document the long-term success of streambank restoration projects. The objectives of this research were to (1) quantify streambank retreat before and after the stabilization of 18 streambanks on the Cedar River in North Central Nebraska, USA; (2) assess the impact of a large flood event; …

Spatial And Temporal Variation In Precipitation In Togo, Koffi Djaman, Vivek Sharma, Daran Rudnick, Komlan Koudahe, Suat Irkmak, Kokou Adambounou Amouzou, Jean Mianikpo Sogbedji

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Precipitation is one of the important variables in hydrological cycle and has important application in both irrigated and rainfed agricultural crop production. Better understanding of spatio-temporal variability of precipitation across Togo is important and useful for water users and most agricultural activities. Thus, the objective this study was to analyze the spatial and temporal variation in monthly and annual precipitation across Togo for the period of 1961-2001. Monthly precipitation data was provided by the national direction of meteorology. The performed analysis revealed a decline in annual total precipitation across almost all agro-ecological zones in Togo with the Maritime Region revealed …

Impact Of Macropores And Gravel Outcrops On Phosphorus Leaching At The Plot Scale In Silt Loam Soils, Derek M. Heeren, Garey A. Fox, Chad Penn, Todd Halihan, Daniel E. Storm, Brian Haggard

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

In response to increased nutrient loads in surface waters, scientists and engineers need to identify critical nutrient source areas and transport mechanisms within a catchment to protect beneficial uses of aquatic systems in a cost-effective manner. It was hypothesized that hydrologic heterogeneities (e.g., macropores and gravel outcrops) in the vadose zone play an integral role in affecting flow and solute transport between the soil surface and shallow alluvial aquifers. The objective of this research was to characterize phosphorus (P) leaching through silt loam soils to alluvial gravel aquifers in the floodplains of the Ozark ecoregion at the plot scale. Solute …

Geometry-Based Mass Grading Of Mango Fruits Using Image Processing, M. A. Momin, Md Towfiqur Rahman, M. S. Sultana, C. Igathinathane, A. T. M. Ziauddin, T. E. Grift

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Mango (Mangifera indica) is an important, and popular fruit in Bangladesh. However, the post-harvest processing of it is still mostly performed manually, a situation far from satisfactory, in terms of accuracy and throughput. To automate the grading of mangos (geometry and shape), we developed an image acquisition and processing system to extract projected area, perimeter, and roundness features. In this system, images were acquired using a XGA format color camera of 8-bit gray levels using fluorescent lighting. An image processing algorithm based on region based global thresholding color binarization, combined with median filter and morphological analysis was developed …

Sensor System, Implantable Sensor And Method For Remote Sensing Of A Stimulus In Vivo, Eric H. Ledet, Rebecca A. Wachs, Keegan Paul Cole, David Fiorella

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

A sensor system for sensing a stimulus in vivo includes an implantable sensor. The sensor comprises a passive resonator circuit having a resonant frequency and including at least a pair of generally parallel spirally wound unconnected conductive coils sandwiching a layer of solid dielectric material that manifest a change in property affecting the resonant frequency in response to application of the stimulus to the layer. A resonant frequency of the sensor is modulated by altering the spacing or gap between the coils or altering the overlapping area of the coils. The sensor is energized through application of radio frequency energy …

Supraspinatus Tendon Micromorphology In Individuals With Subacromial Pain Syndrome, Federico Pozzi, Amee L. Seitz, Hillary A. Plummer, Kira Chow, Gregory R. Bashford, Lori A. Michener

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Study Design: Cross-sectional cohort. Introduction: Tendon collagen organization can be estimated by peak spatial frequency radius (PSFR) on ultrasound images. Characterizing PSFR can define the contribution of collagen disruption to shoulder symptoms.

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this was to characterize the (1) supraspinatus tendon PSFR in participants with sub acromial pain syndrome (SPS) and healthy controls; (2) PSFR between participants grouped on a tendon visual quality score; and (3) relationship between PSFR with patient-reported pain, function, and shoulder strength.

Methods: Participants with SPS (n ¼ 20) and age, sex, and arm-dominance matched healthy controls (n ¼ 20) …

Method For The Production Of Substituted Polysaccharides Via Reactive Extrusion, Milford Hanna, Pratik Bhandari

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

A reactive extrusion process for the production of substituted polysaccharides, in particular, cellulose acetate, starch acetate, carboxymethyl cellulose, and carboxymethyl starch.

The present application claims the benefit of PCT/ US20111059785 filed on Nov. 8, 2011, which claimed the benefit of U.S. provisional application 611411,521, filed on Nov. 9, 2010, U.S. provisional application 611411,992, filed on Nov. 10, 2010, and U.S. provisional application 611472, 748, filed on Apr. 7, 2011, each of which is which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The production of substituted polysaccharides such as starch and cellulose acetates and carboxymethylated starches and celluloses have typically …

Center Pivot Irrigation Handbook (Ec3017), Derrel Martin, William Kranz, Tyler Smith, Suat Irmak, Charles Burr, Ron Yoder

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Center pivot irrigation has been the most rapidly expanding form of irrigation in the Central Great Plains and across the United States. The amount of land irrigated with sprinkler, gravity and drip or trickle systems was determined for all states in the USA in the Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey1 by the USDA in 2012. Results of the survey for the Great Plains States shows that approximately 85% of the land in Nebraska is irrigated with center pivots and that very little land was irrigated with drip systems in 2012 (Figure 1). The percentage of land irrigated with sprinklers in …

Tissue Decellularization Methods, Christine E. Schmidt, Rebecca A. Wachs, Robert Chase Cornelison

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Provided herein are methods of producing an acellular tissue product wherein the method can include the step of inducing apoptosis and washing the tissue after induction of apoptosis with a tonic solution. Also provided herein are acellular tissue products produced by the methods provided herein and methods of administering the acellular tissue products to a subject in need thereof.

Multiple Drivers Of Seasonal Change In Pri: Implications For Photosynthesis 1. Leaf Level, Anatoly A. Gitelson, John A. Gamon, Alexei E. Solovchenko

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The goal of this study was to explore the relationships between the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) at the leaf level and pigment pools, focusing on the constitutive role of pigments in influencing PRI over seasonal or ontogenetic time frames. The purpose was to re-evaluate the role of PRI as an indicator of seasonally shifting pigment (chlorophyll, carotenoid and anthocyanin) contents, and hence photosynthetic activity, across a range of tree and crop species. We studied natural vegetation — three tree species (maple, chestnut and beech) and two managed irrigated and rain-fed crop species (maize and soybean), contrasting in photosynthetic pathway and …

Comparison Of Four Nitrate Removal Kinetic Models In Two Distinct Wetland Restoration Mesocosm Systems, Tiffany L. Messer, Michael R. Burchell, François Birgand

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The objective of the study was to determine the kinetic model that best fit observed nitrate removal rates at the mesocosm scale in order to determine ideal loading rates for two future wetland restorations slated to receive pulse flow agricultural drainage water. Four nitrate removal models were investigated: zero order, first order decay, efficiency loss, and Monod. Wetland mesocosms were constructed using the primary soil type (in triplicate) at each of the future wetland restoration sites. Eighteen mesocosm experiments were conducted over two years across seasons. Simulated drainage water was loaded into wetlands as batches, with target nitrate-N levels typically …

Crop Classification And Lai Estimation Using Original And Resolution-Reduced Images From Two Consumer-Grade Cameras, Jian Zhang, Chenghai Yang, Biquan Zhao, Huaibo Song, Wesley Clint Hoffmann, Yeyin Shi, Dongyan Zhang, Guozhong Zhang

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Consumer-grade cameras are being increasingly used for remote sensing applications in recent years. However, the performance of this type of cameras has not been systematically tested and well documented in the literature. The objective of this research was to evaluate the performance of original and resolution-reduced images taken from two consumer-grade cameras, a RGB camera and a modified near-infrared (NIR) camera, for crop identification and leaf area index (LAI) estimation. Airborne RGB and NIR images taken over a 6.5-square-km cropping area were mosaicked and aligned to create a four-band mosaic with a spatial resolution of 0.4 m. The spatial resolution …

Correction: Messer, T.L.; Burchell, M.R.; Birgand, F. Comparison Of Four Nitrate Removal Kinetic Models In Two Distinct Wetland Restoration Mesocosm Systems. Water 2017, 9, 517, Tiffany L. Messer, Michael R. Burchell, François Birgand

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [1]:

(1): The author name “François Bírgand” should be François Birgand.

(2): Reference 38 should be the following:

Birgand, F.; Aveni-Deforge, K.; Smith, B.; Maxwell, B.M.; Horstman, M.; Gerling, A.B.; Carey, C.C. First report of a novel multiplexer pumping system coupled to a water quality probe to collect high temporal frequency in situ water chemistry measurements at multiple sites. Limnol. Oceanogr. Methods 2016, 14, 767–783, doi:10.1002/lom3.10122.

(3): Reference 49 should be the following:

Christensen, P.B.; Nielsen, L.P.; Sørensen, J.; Revsbech, N.P. Denitrification in Nitrate-Rich Streams: Diurnal and Seasonal Variation …

Spatial And Temporal Changes In Maize And Soybean Grain Yield, Precipitation Use Efficiency, And Crop Water Productivity In The U.S. Great Plains, Meetpal S. Kukal, S. Irmak

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Sustainable agricultural utilization of the limited water resources demands improvements in understanding the changes in crop water productivity (CWP) in space and time, which is often presented as a potential solution to relieve the growing pressure on fresh water resources. In addition, crop yield needs to be studied in relation to precipitation received annually and during the growing season for its contribution to reduce irrigation water requirements, which is quantified through precipitation use efficiency (PUE). Hence, systematic quantifications, mapping, and analyses of large-scale CWP and PUE levels are needed. This study aims to quantify long-term (1982-2013) information on grain yield, …

Fuel Consumption Models For Tractor Test Reports, Michael F. Kocher, Bryan J. Smith, Roger M. Hoy, Jeffrey C. Woldstad, Santosh Pitla

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Five models for estimating fuel consumption for agricultural tractors with partial drawbar loads were compared. Data were collected from eight John Deere tractors, JD 7230R (e23), 7250R (e23), 7270R (e23), 7290R (e23), 8320R (16 speed), 7290R (IVT), 8345RT (IVT), 8370R (IVT), on the drawbar test track at the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab. The tractors were tested with seven load levels per speed at three different travel speeds as close as possible to 7.5, 10, and 13 km h-1. The IVT tractors were operated in auto mode, and the geared tractors were shifted up three gears and throttled back to the …

Creation Of An Injectable In Situ Gelling Native Extracellular Matrix For Nucleus Pulposus Tissue Engineering, Rebecca A. Wachs, Ella N. Hoogenboezem, Hammad I. Huda, Shangjing Xin, Stacy L. Porvasnik, Christine E. Schmidt

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Background Context: Disc degeneration is the leading cause of low back pain and is often characterized by a loss of disc height, resulting from cleavage of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) present in the nucleus pulposus. Intact CSPGs are critical to water retention and maintenance of the nucleus osmotic pressure. Decellularization of healthy nucleus pulposus tissue has the potential to serve as an ideal matrix for tissue engineering of the disc because of the presence of native disc proteins and CSPGs. Injectable in situ gelling matrices are the most viable therapeutic option to prevent damage to the anulus fibrosus and future …

Tractor Power Take-Off Torque Measurement And Data Acquisition System, James B. W. Roeber, Santosh K. Pitla, R. M. Hoy, J. D. Luck, Michael F. Kocher

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

With the mechanization of agricultural operations, agricultural machinery management has become an extensive research field. Sizing tractors and implements to provide the most efficient power transfer has become an ongoing process with advances in technology. Utilization of the rotational power transferred through gear trains from the tractor engine to the power take-off (PTO) shaft is one of the most efficient methods of power transfer to an implement. This research used commercially available torque sensors that were installed on a tractor PTO shaft for measuring the torque delivered to an implement. The torque sensor was calibrated using the Nebraska Tractor Test …

A Geospatial Variable Rate Irrigation Control Scenario Evaluation Methodology Based On Mining Root Zone Available Water Capacity, K. A. Miller, Joe Luck, Derek M. Heeren, T. Lo, Derrel Martin, J. B. Barker

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Increasing concern for sustainable water use has the agriculture industry working toward higher efficiency in use of irrigation water. Recent advancements have improved the capabilities of center pivot irrigation systems to vary water application depths across the field, a technology known as variable rate irrigation (VRI). The goal of this study was to provide a geospatial method for potential VRI technology adopters to evaluate control scenarios and potential water savings using freely available datasets. Root zone available water capacity (R) was estimated spatially across two case study fields using the Natural Resources Conservation Service Gridded Soil Survey Geographic Database. The …

Performance Of Twelve Mass Transfer Based Reference Evapotranspiration Models Under Humid Climate, Koffi Djaman, Komlan Koudahe, Mamadou Sall, Isa Kabenge, Daran Rudnick, Suat Irkmak

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Reference evapotranspiration is very important parameter in the hydrological, agricultural and environmental studies and is accurately estimated by the FAO Penman-Monteith equation (FAO-PM) under different climatic conditions. However, due to data requirement of the FAO-PM equation, there is a need to investigate the applicability of alternative ETo equations under limited data. The objectives of this study were to evaluate twelve mass transfer based reference evapotranspiration equations and determine the impact of ETo equation on long term water management sustainability in Tanzania and Kenya. The results showed that the Albrecht, Brockamp-Wenner, Dalto, Meyer, Rohwer and Oudin ETo equations systematically overestimated the …

Trend Analysis In Rainfall, Reference Evapotranspiration And Aridity Index In Southern Senegal: Adaptation To The Vulnerability Of Rainfed Rice Cultivation To Climate Change, Komlan Koudahe, Koffi Djaman, Ansoumana Bodian, Suat Irkmak, Mamadou Sall, Lamine Diop, Alpha B. Balde, Daran Rudnick

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Rainfall and evapotranspiration are two vital elements for food production under rainfed agriculture. This study aims at investigating the combined changes in these variables in the form of aridly index in the southern Senegal. The temporal trends in annual and monthly (from May to October) aridity index, rainfall and evapotranspiration are examined and adaptation strategies to the vulnerability of rainfed rice cultivation to the changes are developed. The results show a significant decreasing trend in annual rainfall at all study locations for the period 1922-2015. When analyzing the trends in sub-periods, there are two clear patterns in the annual rainfall …

Chitosan-Zein Nano-In-Microparticles Capable Of Mediating In Vivo Transgene Expression Following Oral Delivery, Eric Farris, Deborah M. Brown, Amanda Ramer-Tait, Angela K. Pannier

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The oral route is an attractive delivery route for the administration of DNA-based therapeutics, specifically for applications in gene therapy and DNA vaccination. However, oral DNA delivery is complicated by the harsh and variable conditions encountered throughout gastrointestinal (GI) transit, leading to degradation of the delivery vector and DNA cargo, and subsequent inefficient delivery to target cells. In this work, we demonstrate the development and optimization of a hybrid-dual particulate delivery system consisting of two natural biomaterials, zein (ZN) and chitosan (CS), to mediate oral DNA delivery. Chitosan-Zein Nano-in-Microparticles (CS-ZN-NIMs), consisting of core Chitosan/DNA nanoparticles (CS/DNA NPs) prepared by ionic …

Moving Integrated Weed Management From Low Level To A Truly Integrated And Highly Specific Weed Management System Using Advanced Technologies, S. L. Young, S. K. Pitla, F. K. Van Evert, J. K. Schueller, F. J. Pierce

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Integrated weed management (IWM) is one of the most commonly referred to approaches for sustainable and effective weed control in agriculture, yet it is not widely practiced, likely because current IWM systems fail to meet performance expectations of growers. The effectiveness and value of IWM systems should increase with increasing application specificity and true integration made possible with contemporary advances in technology, information systems and decision support. IWM systems can be classified based on their degree of application specificity and level of integration of tactics. In the application specificity pathway, a tactic is applied at a range of scales, from …

Runoff Water Quality Characteristics Following Swine Slurry Application Under Broadcast And Injected Conditions, Nicole R. Schuster, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Lisa M. Durso, John E. Gilley, Xu Li, David B. Marx, Amy M. Schmidt, Daniel D. Snow

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

This study was conducted to measure the effects of swine slurry application method, time following slurry application, and runoff rate on selected water quality characteristics. Slurry from a commercial swine operation was broadcast or injected on field plots at a rate required to meet annual nitrogen requirements for corn. Rainfall simulation tests were conducted at five varying periods following slurry application. During each study period, three simulated rainfall events, separated by 24 h intervals, were applied for 30 min duration at an intensity of approximately 70 mm h^-1. Following the third rainfall simulation event, inflow was applied at …

Large Co2 And Ch4 Emissions From Polygonal Tundra During Spring Thaw In Northern Alaska, Naama Raz-Yaseef, Margaret S. Torn, Yuxin Wu, David P. Billesbach, Anna K. Liljedahl, Timothy J. Kneafsey, Vladimir E. Romanovsky, David R. Cook, Stan D. Wullschleger

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The few prethaw observations of tundra carbon fluxes suggest that there may be large spring releases, but little is known about the scale and underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon. To address these questions, we combined ecosystem eddy flux measurements from two towers near Barrow, Alaska, with mechanistic soil-core thawing experiment. During a 2 week period prior to snowmelt in 2014, large fluxes were measured, reducing net summer uptake of CO₂ by 46% and adding 6% to cumulative CH₄ emissions. Emission pulses were linked to unique rain-on-snow events enhancing soil cracking. Controlled laboratory experiment revealed that as surface ice …

Multiple Drivers Of Seasonal Change In Pri: Implications For Photosynthesis 2. Stand Level, Anatoly A. Gitelson, John A. Gamon, Alexei E. Solovchenko

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The goal of this study was to explore the relationships between stand-level photochemical reflectance index (PRI) and canopy structure/ pigment pools, as well as light use efficiency (LUE) of photosynthetically active vegetation focusing on seasonal or ontogenetic time frames. PRI was originally designed as a means of assessing the xanthophyll cycle and LUE over short (e.g. diurnal) time frames, and few studies have explored the drivers of PRI over longer, seasonal time frames, particularly in crops having different photosynthetic pathways or canopy structures. Consequently, our purpose was to understand and quantify the drivers of PRI responses over seasonal time scales …

Optical Probing Of Gastrocnemius In Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease Characterizes Myopathic Biochemical Alterations And Correlates With Stage Of Disease, Ryan A. Becker, Kim Cluff, Nithyanandhi Duraisamy, Hootan Mehraein, Hussam Farhoud, Tracie Collins, George P. Casale, Iraklis I. Pipinos, Jeyamkondan Subbiah

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a condition caused by atherosclerotic blockages in the arteries supplying the lower limbs and is characterized by ischemia of the leg, progressive myopathy, and increased risk of limb loss. The affected leg muscles undergo significant changes of their biochemistry and metabolism including variations in the levels of many key proteins, lipids, and nucleotides. The mechanisms behind these changes are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to correlate the severity of the PAD disease stage and associated hemodynamic limitation (determined by the ankle brachial index, ABI) in the legs of the patients with alterations …

Soil Water Content Monitoring For Irrigation Management: A Geostatistical Analysis, J. Burdette Barker, Trenton E. Franz, Derek M. Heeren, Christopher M.U. Neale, Joe D. Luck

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

With the increasing attention to site-specific or variable rate irrigation management, it is helpful to reconsider the quantity and placement of soil water monitoring locations in this context. Volumetric soil water content (θ_v) was monitored using a neutron probe (NP) at 72 locations in a center pivot irrigated field in eastern Nebraska. Variance reduction and temporal stability analyses were performed on θ_v from shallow (∼top 46 cm) and full profile (∼122 cm) readings for four monitoring cycles in the 2015 growing season and 2016 preseason. Eleven additional cycles were included for a subset of the data for …

In Vitro Porcine Blastocyst Development In Three-Dimensional Alginate Hydrogels, Jeremy R. Miles, Taylor D. Laughlin, Catherine Sargus-Patino, Angela K. Pannier

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Appropriate embryonic and fetal development significantly impact pregnancy success and, therefore, the efficiency of swine production. The pre-implantation period of porcine pregnancy is characterized by several developmental hallmarks, which are initiated by the dramatic morphological change that occurs as pig blastocysts elongate from spherical to filamentous blastocysts. Deficiencies in blastocyst elongation contribute to approximately 20% of embryonic loss, and have a direct influence on within-litter birth weight variation. Although factors identified within the uterine environment may play a role in blastocyst elongation, little is known about the exact mechanisms by which porcine (or other species’) blastocysts initiate and progress through …

Tractor Power Take-Off Torque Measurement And Data Acquisition System, James Bw Roeber, Santosh Pitla, Roger M. Hoy, Joe D. Luck, Michael F. Kocher

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

With the mechanization of agricultural operations, agricultural machinery management has become an extensive research field. Sizing tractors and implements to provide the most efficient power transfer has become an ongoing process with advances in technology. Utilization of the rotational power transferred through gear trains from the tractor engine to the power take-off (PTO) shaft is one of the most efficient methods of power transfer to an implement. This research used commercially available torque sensors that were installed on a tractor PTO shaft for measuring the torque delivered to an implement. The torque sensor was calibrated using the Nebraska Tractor Test …