Civil and Environmental Engineering
Recent Submissions
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Overview of surface measurements and spatial characterization of submicrometer particulate matter during the DISCOVER-AQ 2013 campaign in Houston, TX
(2017)The sources of submicrometer particulate matter (PM1) remain poorly characterized in the industrialized city of Houston, TX. A mobile sampling approach was used to characterize PM1 composition and concentration across ... -
Valuing the Air Quality Effects of Biochar Reductions on Soil NO Emissions
(2017)While it is clear that biochar can alter soil N2O emissions, data on NO impacts are scarce. Reports range from 0 to 67% soil NO emission reductions postbiochar amendment. We use regional air quality and health cost models ... -
1,4-Dioxane-degrading consortia can be enriched from uncontaminated soils: prevalence of Mycobacterium and soluble di-iron monooxygenase genes
(2017)Two bacterial consortia were enriched from uncontaminated soil by virtue of their ability to grow on 1,4-dioxane (dioxane) as a sole carbon and energy source. Their specific dioxane degradation rates at 30°C, pH = 7 (i.e. ... -
Sparse and low-rank methods in structural system identification and monitoring
(2017)This paper presents sparse and low-rank methods for explicit modeling and harnessing the data structure to address the inverse problems in structural dynamics, identification, and data-driven health monitoring. In particular, ... -
Whole-Genome Sequence of the 1,4-Dioxane-Degrading Bacterium Mycobacterium dioxanotrophicus PH-06
(2017)We report here the complete genome sequence of Mycobacterium dioxanotrophicus PH-06, which is capable of using 1,4-dioxane as a sole source of carbon and energy. The reported sequence will enable the elucidation of this ... -
Diffusive, Displacive Deformations and Local Phase Transformation Govern the Mechanics of Layered Crystals: The Case Study of Tobermorite
(2017)Understanding the deformation mechanisms underlying the mechanical behavior of materials is the key to fundamental and engineering advances in materials' performance. Herein, we focus on crystalline calcium-silicate-hydrates ... -
Interannual Variability and Seasonal Predictability of Wind and Solar Resources
(2017)Solar and wind resources available for power generation are subject to variability due to meteorological factors. Here, we use a new global climate reanalysis product, Version 2 of the NASA Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis ... -
Sunlight Promotes Fast Release of Hazardous Cadmium from Widely-Used Commercial Cadmium Pigment
(2017)Cadmium pigments are widely used in the polymer and ceramic industry. Their potential environmental risk is under debate, being the major barrier for appropriate regulation. We show that 83.0 ± 0.2% of hazardous cadmium ... -
Fast approximations of dynamic stability boundaries of slender curved structures
(2017)Curved beams and panels can often be found as structural components in aerospace, mechanical and civil engineering systems. When curved structures are subjected to dynamic loads, they are susceptible to dynamic instabilities ... -
Relationship between Euler buckling and unstable equilibria of buckled beams
(2017)Classic snap-through of curved beams, plates, and shells has long been an object of attention in structural engineering. Euler buckling under axial loading is perhaps an even more entrenched part of the canon of engineering ... -
Hydrogen peroxide detection with quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy using a distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser
(2014)A quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy sensor system was developed for the sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) using its absorption transitions in the v6 fundamental band at ∼7.73 μm. The recent availability ... -
Regional background O3 and NOx in the Houston–Galveston–Brazoria (TX) region: a decadal-scale perspective
(2017)Ozone (O3) in the lower troposphere is harmful to people and plants, particularly during summer, when photochemistry is most active and higher temperatures favor local chemistry. Local precursor emissions, such as those ... -
Compact CH4 sensor system based on a continuous-wave, low power consumption, room temperature interband cascade laser
(2016)A tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy-based methane sensor, employing a dense-pattern multi-pass gas cell and a 3.3 μm, CW, DFB, room temperature interband cascade laser (ICL), is reported. The optical integration ... -
Enhanced representation of soil NO emissions in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model versionﾠ5.0.2
(2016)Modeling of soil nitric oxide (NO) emissions is highly uncertain and may misrepresent its spatial and temporal distribution. This study builds upon a recently introduced parameterization to improve the timing and spatial ... -
Development of aroCACM/MPMPO 1.0: a model to simulate secondary organic aerosol from aromatic precursors in regional models
(2016)The atmospheric oxidation of aromatic compounds is an important source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in urban areas. The oxidation of aromatics depends strongly on the levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx). However, details ... -
Nitrate radicals and biogenic volatile organic compounds: oxidation, mechanisms, and organic aerosol
(2017)Oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) by the nitrate radical (NO3) represents one of the important interactions between anthropogenic emissions related to combustion and natural emissions from the biosphere. ... -
Differences in BVOC oxidation and SOA formation above and below the forest canopy
(2017)Gas-phase biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are oxidized in the troposphere to produce secondary pollutants such as ozone (O3), organic nitrates (RONO2), and secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Two coupled ... -
Toward Practical Non-Contact Optical Strain Sensing Using Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
(2016)Progress is reported in an emerging non-contact strain sensing technology based on optical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). In this strain-sensing smart skin (“S4”) method, nanotubes are dilutely ... -
A compact mid-infrared dual-gas CH4/C2H6 sensor using a single interband cascade laser and custom electronics
(2017)A compact mid-infrared (MIR) dual-gas sensor system was demonstrated for simultaneous detection of methane (CH4) and ethane (C2H6) using a single continuous-wave (CW) interband cascade laser (ICL) based on tunable laser ... -
CW DFB-QCL and EC-QCL based sensor for simultaneous NO and NO2 measurements via frequency modulation multiplexing using multi-pass absorption spectroscopy
(2017)Nitrogen oxides (NOx), including nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) play important roles in determining the photochemistry of the ambient atmosphere, controlling the production of tropospheric ozone, affecting ...
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