Citizen science (formally public participation in science research) has emerged in recent years as an innovative and interactive tool for engaging many diverse groups in science and research. Defined as the collaboration of science professionals and the public in science research, citizen science has tremendously improved the reach of science....
Ammonia (NH₃) volatilization and loss from nitrogen (N) fertilizer in agriculture negatively impacts crops, farm profitability, human health and surrounding ecosystems where it is deposited. A significant source of NH₃ volatilization occurs from surface application of urea on sandy soils with low pH buffering capacity such as those in the...
As a result of a warming climate, subsequent declining snowpack, and a century of fire suppression, forest fires are increasing across the western United States. However, we still do not fully understand how forest fire effects snowpack energy balance, nor the volume and availability of snow melt and associated water...
Large numbers of reinforced concrete deck girder (RCDG) bridges were built during the highway infrastructure boom of the 1950's. The advent of standardized deformed steel reinforcing bars during this time allowed for straight bar terminations in flexural tension regions. Designers of the time terminated reinforcing bars where they were no...
This document describes the design and deployment of a first generation water vapor density sensing unit, the HumiSense. This device is based on an open, air-filled capacitor which is part of a resonant circuit. The frequency of the resonant circuit mixed with a fixed frequency oscillator is the basis of...
Pile caps are structural elements used to transmit loads from structural columns into pile groups. A pile cap is generally constructed of reinforced concrete and contains only minimal flexural reinforcing steel. Using modern design methods, the anchorage of the flexural steel may limit the design capacity of existing pile caps....
In a steady state, the Earth's absorbed solar radiation (ASR) balances the outgoing
longwave radiation (OLR) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). In response to a radiative
forcing, that is, an external perturbation to the top of the atmosphere energy balance, the
Earth's climate system adjusts until reaching a...
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play an important role in the innate immune system. Determining the pathways by which these proteins are regulated allows for modulation of their expression for better health. Two families of antimicrobial peptides have been studied in humans: cathelicidins and defensins. There is a single cathelicidin in humans...
Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) is a very interesting and challenging multi-disciplinary field involving interaction of a movable or deformable structure with an internal or surrounding fluid flow. FSI plays a pivotal role in many different types of real-world situations and practical engineering applications involving large structural deformation and material or geometric...
This thesis documents the evaluation of the initial performance of pavement
containing recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) in Oregon. The research was funded
by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Federal Highway
Administration and was conducted at Oregon State University. The key
objectives of this thesis are to document...