Other Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Elementary Implantable Force Sensor For Smart Orthopaedic Implants, Rebecca A. Wachs, David Ellstein, John Drazan, Colleen P. Healey, Richard L. Uhl, Kenneth A. Connor, Eric H. Ledet

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Implementing implantable sensors which are robust enough to maintain long term functionality inside the body remains a significant challenge. The ideal implantable sensing system is one which is simple and robust; free from batteries, telemetry, and complex electronics. We have developed an elementary implantable sensor for orthopaedic smart implants. The sensor requires no telemetry and no batteries to communicate wirelessly. It has no on-board signal conditioning electronics. The sensor itself has no electrical connections and thus does not require a hermetic package. The sensor is an elementary L-C resonator which can function as a simple force transducer by using a …

Effects Of Waste Placement Practices On The Engineering Response Of Municipal Solid Waste, Jason Taylor Cox

Master's Theses

An extensive laboratory and field investigation was conducted at Santa Maria Regional Landfill (SMRL) in Santa Maria, CA to determine the effects of waste placement practices on the engineering response of municipal solid waste (MSW). Laboratory and field testing was used to determine the engineering properties and monitor field response of MSW.

The specific gravity (G_s) of manufactured MSW (MMSW), fresh MSW (FMSW), and old MSW (OMSW) was determined experimentally using a modified version of standard soil testing procedures. Effects of particle size, compactive effort, and degradation on the specific gravity of waste were evaluated. Specific gravity …

Hydrogeological And Thermal Sustainability Of Geothermal Borehole Heat Exchangers, S. Emad Dehkordi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Assessment of the current approach taken by guidelines and design methods of vertical closed loop heat exchangers shows that often groundwater flow is either disregarded or is not methodically incorporated. The state of scientific research in this arena reveals that overlooking the groundwater flow in the design procedure may not always be a correct assumption. The significance of advective heat transport compared to conduction is defined by the groundwater flux or Darcy velocity which heavily depends on the hydraulic conductivity of the ground, followed by the hydraulic gradient which has a relatively limited range. A sensitivity analysis on ground and …

Compression Testing And Failure Modes Of Steel-Concrete Composite (Sc) Structures For Nuclear Containment, Patrick Michael Wanamaker, Amit H. Varma

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Although being able to provide much cleaner power than burning coal and other fossil fuels, nuclear power plants are still a tough sell to the general public due to their history of being spontaneously dangerous. The containment structures surrounding these nuclear plants, however, can play a huge role in reducing the risks associated with them. Relatively new designs for these containment assemblies, known as SC (steel-concrete composite) structures, aim to increase the strength and durability of the containment facilities while keeping costs down. By varying the spacing between shear studs, the ratio of concrete to steel, and the ratio of …

Passive Stormwater Samplers For Sampling Highway Runoff From Bmps: Feasibility Studies, Mitchell R. Klein

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Pollution from highway stormwater runoff has been an increasing area of concern within the environmental field. To respond to the need for reduced contamination within runoff many Best Management Practices (BMPs) have been implemented. One difficult aspect of BMPs is monitoring their effectiveness along with determining effluent concentrations. The current methods for stormwater sampling include sending technicians or installing an auto-sampler to collect either grab or composite samples. These methods become costly, cumbersome and infeasible due to the potentially large amount of BMPs across a region and the irregularity and difficulty of predicting storms. Passive samplers have proven themselves as …

Integration Of A Sedimentation Module To A Hydrologic Model And Its Application To A Mercury Tmdl Analysis, Lilian Marrero

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research is part of continued efforts to correlate the hydrology of East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) and Bear Creek (BC) with the long term distribution of mercury within the overland, subsurface, and river sub-domains. The main objective of this study was to add a sedimentation module (ECO Lab) capable of simulating the reactive transport mercury exchange mechanisms within sediments and porewater throughout the watershed. The enhanced model was then applied to a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) mercury analysis for EFPC. That application used historical precipitation, groundwater levels, river discharges, and mercury concentrations data that were retrieved from government …

Laboratory Evaluation Of A Turn Compensation Control System For A Ground Sprayer, W. M. Porter, J. A. Rascon, Yeyin Shi, Randal K. Taylor, Paul A. Weckler

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The ability to compensate sprayer nozzle flow across a horizontal boom has the potential to mitigate the problem of inaccurate chemical application rate due to lateral speed differences when sprayers are turning. A laboratory testing platform and procedure were developed and tested with a commercial turn compensation control system for a ground sprayer. Virtual paths consisting of simulated GPS signals representing right and left turns separated by straight segments were simulated with four turning radii (75%, 125%, 250%, and 500%) based on boom width. Actual application rates from 11 nozzles spread across the boom were measured using load cells in …

University Of Massachusetts Amherst 2012-2021 Capital Improvement Projects, Douglas Vigneau, Juanita Holler, University Of Massachusetts Building Authority, John Mathews, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Ezra Small

Campus Planning Master Plans

In 2013 the University of Massachusetts, on behalf of the University of Massachusetts Building Authority and Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), submitted an Expanded Environmental Notification Form for the University's 2012 - 2021 Capital Improvement Plan to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office (MEPA).

Taken individually, the majority of the Projects, comprising of 13 building/space, 7 site/landscape, and 5 facility/ utility scale improvement projects, do not require MEPA review as most of the Project sites are confined to infill areas on campus that are currently or …

Umass Amherst Green Building Guidelines 2013, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Ted Mendoza, Ezra Small, Patricia O'Flaherty, Nariman Mostafavi, Mohamed Farzinmoghadam, Somayeh Tabatabaee Pozveh

Campus Planning Reports and Plans

Facilities & Campus Services, Sustainable UMass and Campus Planning support sustainability and energy conservation initiatives by providing in-house resources to campus staff as well as designers and contractors working with the University. The UMass Amherst Green Building Guidelines provide a framework for approaching new construction and major renovation projects at UMass Amherst that are undergoing LEED certification by focusing the conversation on green building aspects that are most important to the campus. They are intended to be the beginning of a dynamic conversation between designers, environmental consultants and constructors, university stakeholders, and users of new high performance buildings.

Impact Of Water And Nitrogen Management Strategies On Maize Yield And Water Productivity Indices Under Linear-Move Sprinkler Irrigation, Daran Rudnick, Suat Irmak

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

With uncertainty in future irrigation water availability and regulations on nutrient application amounts, experimentally determined effects of “controllable” management strategies such as nitrogen (N), water, and their combination on crop water productivity (CWP, also known as crop water use efficiency) and actual evapotranspiration (ET_a) are essential. The effects of various N application rates (0, 84, 140, 196, and 252 kg ha^-1) under fully irrigated (FIT), limited irrigation (75% FIT), and rainfed conditions on maize (Zea mays L.) yield and various CWP indices were investigated in 2011 and 2012 growing seasons under linear-move sprinkler irrigation in south …

Use Of A Surrogate To Evaluate The Impact Of Tillage On The Transport Of Steroid Hormones From Manure-Amended Agricultural Fields, Sagor Biswas, William L. Kranz, Charles A. Shapiro, Mitiku Mamo, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Daniel D. Snow, David P. Shelton, David D. Tarkalson, Terry L. Mader, Simon J. Van Donk, Tian C. Zhang

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Beef feedlot manure distributed to row crop production areas is a potential surface water contaminant source of the steroid hormones commonly used in beef cattle production. This article reports on research conducted at the University of Nebraska Haskell Agricultural Laboratory near Concord, Nebraska, in July 2009. Manure, collected from beef feedlot pens, was stockpiled for ten months prior to application to a row crop field. Previous research identified that the detection frequency of steroid hormones in beef manure varies greatly. Thus, a surrogate (17α-ethynylestradiol, EE2) was applied at a rate of 75 g ha^-1 to ensure detectable concentrations in …

Hourly And Daily Single And Basal Evapotranspiration Crop Coefficients As A Function Of Growing Degree Days, Days After Emergence, Leaf Area Index, Fractional Green Canopy Cover, And Plant Phenology For Soybean, Suat Irmak, Lameck O. Odhiambo, James Specht, Koffi Djaman

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Hourly evapotranspiration (ET) crop coefficients (K_c) are needed to optimize the effectiveness and efficiency of high-frequency micro- and sprinkler irrigation practices involving the application of water multiple times a day. However, not much is known about the daily and seasonal patterns and magnitudes in hourly K_c values for soybean. In addition, locally developed K_c values are necessary for more robust within-season irrigation management, crop ET estimation, and water balance analyses. Hourly and daily Kc functions were developed for soybean in south-central Nebraska through extensive field research. Actual crop evapotranspiration (ET_a) was measured using a …

Evapotranspiration And Surface Energy Balance Of A Common Reed-Dominated Riparian System In The Platte River Basin, Central Nebraska, Isa Kabenge, Suat Irmak, John E. Gilley, George E. Meyer, Stevan Z. Knezevic, Timothy J. Arkebauer, Duane Woodward, Milton Moravek

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Quantifying actual evapotranspiration (ET_a) of riparian zones is important for more robust water balance analyses that will enable better planning, managing, and allocating of water resources as well as developing strategies to protect delicate riparian ecosystem functions. The ET_a, sensible heat flux (H), net radiation (R_n), soil heat flux (G), meteorological variables (air temperature, T_a; incoming shortwave radiation, R_s; wind speed, u₃; relative humidity, RH; vapor pressure deficit, VPD; precipitation, etc.), and albedo were measured on an hourly time step, and leaf area index (LAI) and plant height …

Assessing Climate Change Impacts On Water Balance, Runoff, And Water Quality At The Field Scale For Four Locations In The Heartland, Michael W. Van Liew, Song Feng, T. B. Pathak

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

This study employed the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to evaluate the impacts of projected future climate change scenarios on water balance, runoff, sediment, total nitrogen (N), and total phosphorus (P) at the field scale for four locations in the Heartland region: Sioux City (Iowa) and Columbus, Mullen, and Harrison (Nebraska). A conventional two-year corn-soybean rotation was assumed to be grown on each field. All fields were simulated identically in terms of topographic and cover/land management conditions. Model inputs for the fields differed in only

three ways: the forcing conditions for existing and future climatic scenarios (SRES A2, A1B, …

Development And Evaluation Of Ordinary Least Squares Regression Models For Predicting Irrigated And Rainfed Maize And Soybean Yields, Vivek Sharma, Daran R. Rudnick, Suat Irmak

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Understanding the relationships between climatic variables and soil physical and chemical properties with crop yields on large scales is critical for evaluating crop productivity to make better assessments of local and regional food security, policy, land and water resource allocation, and management decisions. In this study, ordinary least squares(OLS) regression models were developed to predict irrigated and rainfed maize and soybean yields at the county level as a

function of explanatory variables [precipitation (P), actual crop evapotranspiration (ETa), organic matter content (OMC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), clay content (CC), and available soil water capacity (ASW)] of the dominant soil type …

Transport Of Steroid Hormones In The Vadose Zone After Land Application Of Beef Cattle Manure, Simon Van Donk, Sagor Biswas, William L. Kranz, Daniel D. Snow, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Terry L. Mader, Charles A. Shapiro, David P. Shelton, David D. Tarkalson, Tian .. Zhang, Steve Ensley

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Few studies have been conducted to investigate the potential contamination of groundwater from manureborne steroid hormones. The objective of this study was to monitor leaching of steroid hormones at the bottom of 2.4 m deep percolation lysimeters installed in plots treated with beef cattle manure. Soil samples were also collected from surrounding field plots. Treatments consisted of application of manure from two treatment methods (stockpiling and composting) or no manure application. Laboratory analyses of manure, soil, and leachate samples used liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry to identify 17 steroid hormones and metabolites. Progesterone, estrone, β-zearalenol, and 4-androstenedione were detected …

Network Analysis Of Endogenous Gene Expression Profiles After Polyethyleneimine-Mediated Dna Delivery, Timothy M. Martin, Sarah A. Plautz, Angela K. Pannier

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Background—DNA delivery systems, which transport exogenous DNA to cells, have applications that include gene therapy, tissue engineering and medical devices. Although the cationic nonviral DNA carrier polyethyleneimine (PEI) has been widely studied, the molecular factors and pathways underlying PEI-mediated DNA transfer remain largely unknown, preventing the design of more efficient delivery systems.

Methods—HEK 293 T cells were treated with polyplexes formed with PEI and pEGFPLuc encoding for green fluorescent protein (GFP). Transfected cells expressing GFP were flowseparated from treated, untransfected cells. Gene expression profiles were obtained using Affymetrix HG-U133 2.0 microarrays and differentially expressed genes were identified using R/ Bioconductor. …

Using Gis To Delineate Headwater Stream Origins In The Appalachian Coal-Belt Region Of Kentucky, Jonathan A. Villines

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Human activity such as surface mining can have substantial impacts on the natural environment. Performing a Cumulative Hydrologic Impact Assessment (CHIA) of such impacts on surface water systems requires knowing the location and extent of these impacted streams. The Jurisdictional Determination (JD) of a stream’s protected status under the Clean Water Act (CWA) involves locating and classifying streams according to their flow regime: ephemeral, intermittent, or perennial. Due to their often remote locations and small size, taking a field inventory of headwater streams for surface mining permit applications or permit reviews is challenging. A means of estimating headwater stream location …

Hydrologic Characterization Of A Rain Garden Mitigating Stormwater Runoff From A Commercial Area, John T. Mcmaine

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Impervious surfaces such as roads, sidewalks, and roofs increase the volume of runoff generated in a watershed. Traditional stormwater management techniques emphasize conveyance of runoff away from impervious surfaces in order to reduce flooding. Rain gardens are becoming popular as a different means to manage stormwater in such a way that runoff is captured and infiltrated onsite rather than conveyed offsite. A stormwater management system consisting of a rainwater harvest system, rain garden, and infiltration chamber was built at the Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc. distribution center in Lexington, Kentucky during the fall of 2011. Precipitation, inflow, and water level were …

Runoff Nutrient Transport As Affected By Land Application Method, Swine Growth Stage, And Runoff Rate, J. E. Gilley, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, S. J. Lamb, X. Li, D. B. Marx, D. D. Snow, D. B. Parker, B. L. Woodbury

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

This study was conducted to measure the effects of slurry application method, swine growth stage, and flow rate on runoff nutrient transport. Swine slurry was obtained from production units containing grower pigs, finisher pigs, or sows and gilts. The swine slurry was applied using broadcast, disk, or injection methods at a rate required to meet annual nitrogen requirements for corn. Three 30 min simulated rainfall events, separated by 24 h intervals, were applied to the experimental plots at an intensity of 70 mm h^-1. Inflow was applied at the top of each plot in four successive increments after …

Transferability Of Jarvis-Type Models Developed And Re-Parameterized For Maize To Estimate Stomatal Resistance Of Soybean: Analyses On Model Calibration, Validation, Performance, Sensitivity, And Elasticity, Denis Mutiibwa, Suat Irmak

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

In a previous study by the same authors, a new modified Jarvis model (NMJ-model) was developed, calibrated, and validated to estimate stomatal resistance (rs) for maize canopy on an hourly time step. The NMJ-model’s unique subfunctions, different from the original Jarvis model (J-model), include a photosynthetic photon flux density

(PPFD)-r_s response subfunction developed from field measurements and a new physical term, Aexp(1/LAI), where A is the minimum stomatal resistance and LAI is the green leaf area index, to account for the influence of canopy development on r_s, especially during partial canopy stage in the early season and …

Water Productivity Of Corn And Dry Bean Rotation On Very Fine Sandy Loam Soil In Western Nebraska, William E. Spurgeon, C. Dean Yonts

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) was used to irrigate corn and dry beans in a crop rotation study for four years from 2005 to 2008 to evaluate the accumulative effect of irrigation amount on yield and irrigation water use efficiency (I_WUE). This study was conducted on a very fine sandy loam soil using a short season corn hybrid typical for the area. Four irrigation treatments based on providing a fraction of the estimated crop evapotranspiration (ET_c) were evaluated. The treatments were designed to replace a certain percentage of ET_c and were denoted as I₁₂₅, …

Implementation Of A ”Rapid Design Challenge” In A Cross-Disciplinary Senior Capstone Course And Evaluation Of Device Performance, Abby M. Kelly, Austin Lammers, David D. Jones, Richard Stowell, Roger Hoy, Evan Curtis, Angela K. Pannier

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The senior capstone experience within the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a two-semester, two-course sequence intended to give senior students realistic design experience, working with real projects, real clients, faculty consultants, and teammates to produce a deliverable that meets the client’s needs. Students within this course sequence come from two different degree programs (agricultural engineering and biological systems engineering) and within each degree program from a variety of “emphasis areas”, e.g. biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, machine design. While the goal of this course is for students to experience a “real” design project, we felt …

Acetyl-Coa Carboxylases Are Checkpoints In Adipocyte Differentiation, Elizabeth Lyn Cordonier, Daniel Camara Teixeira, Zhonghi Han, Angela K. Pannier, Janos Zempleni

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

No abstract provided.

Avhrr-Ndvi-Based Crop Coefficients For Analyzing Long-Term Trends In Evapotranspiration In Relation To Changing Climate In The U.S. High Plains, Denis Mutiibwa, Suat Irmak

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Studies in regions of extensive irrigation practices have revealed a significant influence of evaporative cooling on regional temperatures as a result of surface energy redistribution during evaporation. In the U.S. High Plains, maximum temperatures during the last quarter of the 20th century have been decreasing. We investigated the trends in evapotranspiration (ET or latent heat) fluxes originating from increasing irrigation practices in the High Plains region from 1981 to 2008. We estimated actual ET (ETc) over the entire High Plains from the spatial crop coefficients (Kc) and spatial reference (potential) ET (ETref). We proposed …

Transient And Quasi-Steady Thermal Behaviour Of A Building Envelope Due To Retrofitted Cavity Wall And Ceiling Insulation, Aimee Byrne, Gerard Byrne, Anna Davies, Anthony Robinson

Articles

Accurate understanding of the thermal behaviour of building components is essential for predicting heat-ing or cooling needs and facilitates the implementation of more successful energy saving strategies and retrofits. This paper focuses on a specific measure commonly introduced through the residential energy efficiency retrofit programmes in Ireland–insulation. Traditionally, assessments of the performance of building envelopes have been based on assumed thermal resistances of the materials involved, labora-tory tests and computer modelling. The aim of the present work is to investigate the in situ thermal behaviour of a case study building and its components under transient and quasi-steady environmental conditions, comparing …

Variability Of Extreme Precipitation In Coastal River Basins Of The Southern Mexican Pacific Region, Nancy Perez-Morga, Thomas Kretzschmar, Tereza Cavazos, Stephen V. Smith, Francisco Munoz-Arriola

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Extreme wet and dry years (± 1 standard deviation, respectively), as well as the top 95 percentile (P95) of daily precipitation events, derived from tropical cyclone (TC) and nontropical cyclone (NTC) rainfall, were analyzed in coastal river basins in Southern Oaxaca, Mexico (Río Verde, Río Tehuantepec, and the Southern Coast). The study is based on daily precipitation records from 47 quality-controlled stations for the 1961 to 1990 period and TC data for the Eastern Tropical Pacific (EPAC). The aim of this study was to evaluate extreme (dry and wet) trends in the annual contribution of daily P95 precipitation events and …

Use Of A Surrogate To Evaluate The Impact Of Tillage On The Transport Of Steroid Hormones From Manure-Amended Agricultural Fields, Sagor Biswas, William Kranz, Charles A. Shapiro, Mitiku Mamo, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Daniel D. Snow, David P. Shelton, David D. Tarkalson, Terry L. Mader, Simon J. Van Donk, Tian C. Zhang

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Beef feedlot manure distributed to row crop production areas is a potential surface water contaminant source of the steroid hormones commonly used in beef cattle production. This article reports on research conducted at the University of Nebraska Haskell Agricultural Laboratory near Concord, Nebraska, in July 2009. Manure, collected from beef feedlot pens, was stockpiled for ten months prior to application to a row crop field. Previous research identified that the detection frequency of steroid hormones in beef manure varies greatly. Thus, a surrogate (17α-ethynylestradiol, EE2) was applied at a rate of 75 g ha^-1 to ensure detectable concentrations in …

Maize Evapotranspiration, Yield Production Functions, Biomass, Grain Yield, Harvest Index, And Yield Response Factors Under Full And Limited Irrigation, Koffi Djaman, Suat Irmak, William R. Rathje, Derrel L. Martin, Dean E. Eisenhauer

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

South-central Nebraska is one of the most extensively irrigated areas in the U.S., with over 65,000 active irrigation wells, and maize is the major agronomical crop produced. Maize production in this region requires supplementary irrigation for maximum productivity. Effective on-farm implementation of full and limited irrigation practices for potential improvements of crop productivity requires knowledge of locally developed crop yield response to water functions. In this study, the effects of full and limited irrigation practices on maize (Zea mays L.) plant height, leaf area index (LAI), grain yield and biomass production, actual crop evapotranspiration (ET_a), yield production functions, …