The College Station Residential Energy Compliance Code

The City of College Station, Texas adopted a new residential Energy Compliance Code in January, 1988. The code, which strengthens compliance requirements in several areas, has received broadly based support and acceptance from all major constituent groups. It is less than one-fourth the length of the code it replaced, and compliance is greatly simplified through use of a check-list compliance path supplemented by point system and energy analysis paths. Results of air leakage measurements used to justify the stronger infiltration requirements of the code are reported. The process used to develop consensus support and key features of the code are described

Mitigating Wind Induced Truck Crashes

Dangerous weather and high wind in particular, is a common contributing factor in truck crashes. High wind speeds have been documented as a perennial cause of truck crashes in Kansas and other Great Plains states. The possibility of reducing such crashes, combined with the installation of dynamic message signs along Interstate 70, created an opportunity for further research. To this end, crash data were obtained from the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Accident Records System for all heavy vehicle crashes on I-70 that involved strong winds. The data were analyzed to determine the correlations between the vehicle and freight characteristics, crash occurrences and weather conditions. The goal of this analysis was to construct a model that could predict the likelihood of such wind-induced truck crashes. Ideally, this model could furnish officials with a framework for preempting such crashes by imposing highway usage restrictions; thereby increasing safety for both truck drivers and the traveling public. After regressing the data into a model, however, it was found that wind speed was not a statistically significant factor in predicting such crashes. This finding agrees with some of the other literature on the subject and can be attributed to drivers altering their behavior as wind speeds change. From this research, we identified a dilemma zone of wind speeds in which drivers may not be making such a behavioral change. Furthermore, specific corridors in Kansas are identified as potential areas for the implementation of a warning system. It is recommended that Dynamic Message Signs be tied to weather data stations and/or lighted wind socks be installed on selected overpass bridges

Modeling Truck Speed in the Upstream of One-lane Two-way Highway Work Zones: Implications on Reducing Truck-Related Crashes in Work Zones

Truck-related crashes constitute a major safety concern for government agencies, the construction industry, and the traveling public. Due to the rising needs in highway maintenance and construction, the number of work zones is increasing throughout the United States, while at the same time freight movement using trucks is also increasing nationwide. Developing effective safety countermeasures to reduce the truck-related crashes is a major challenge in front of the government agencies and the construction industry. The main objectives of this research project are to discover truck-related crash characteristics and to model the truck speeds in the upstream of one-lane two-way rural highway work zones. Work zones on two-lane highway are particularly hazardous for trucks due to the disruption of regular traffic flow and restrictive geometry. The developed models can be utilized to discover possible associations between work zone design variables and truck speeds with the purpose of reducing truck-related crash risks. As a result, government agencies and the construction industry can apply the findings of this project to improve work zone design and mitigate the crash risks in work zones

Feasibility study of the solar scientific instruments for Spacelab/Orbiter

The feasibility and economics of mounting and operating a set of solar scientific instruments in the backup Skylab Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) hardware was evaluated. The instruments used as the study test payload and integrated into the ATM were: the Solar EUV Telescope/Spectrometer; the Solar Active Region Observing Telescope; and the Lyman Alpha White Light Coronagraph. The backup ATM hardware consists of a central cruciform structure, called the "SPAR', a "Sun End Canister' and a "Multiple Docking Adapter End Canister'. Basically, the ATM hardware and software provides a structural interface for the instruments; a closely controlled thermal environment; and a very accurate attitude and pointing control capability. The hardware is an identical set to the hardware that flow on Skylab

Developing a Sustainable Freight Transportation Framework with the Consideration of Improving Safety and Minimizing Carbon Emissions

Despite the difficulties of the American economy in recent years the transportation sector continues to expand. Freight transportation alone has been projected to increase enormously even if the economy as a whole only manages a very moderate growth. Not only does freight transportation use a large percentage of resources but it contributes significantly to America’s share of carbon emissions and affects the safety of the transportation system and all its users. These problems are only expected to increase as the volume of freight transportation is already reaching the limit of the American transportation infrastructure’s capacity and demand continues to increase. The primary objective of this research was to compile a list of technologies and practices that should be included in the sustainable freight transportation frameworks of government agencies and commercial fleets to reduce their carbon footprint and increase their safety by providing recommendations on promising legislation, research, technologies, and practices. Data was gathered through a literature review of available materials and a survey of the state Departments of Transportation. The success of this research project provides the needed knowledge for the development of a sustainable freight transportation framework

Application of firefly luciferase assay for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to antimicrobial drug sensitivity testing

The development of a rapid method for determining microbial susceptibilities to antibiotics using the firefly luciferase assay for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is documented. The reduction of bacterial ATP by an antimicrobial agent was determined to be a valid measure of drug effect in most cases. The effect of 12 antibiotics on 8 different bacterial species gave a 94 percent correlation with the standard Kirby-Buer-Agar disc diffusion method. A 93 percent correlation was obtained when the ATP assay method was applied directly to 50 urine specimens from patients with urinary tract infections. Urine samples were centrifuged first to that bacterial pellets could be suspended in broth. No primary isolation or subculturing was required. Mixed cultures in which one species was predominant gave accurate results for the most abundant organism. Since the method is based on an increase in bacterial ATP with time, the presence of leukocytes did not interfere with the interpretation of results. Both the incubation procedure and the ATP assays are compatible with automation

A mosaic maternal splice donor mutation in the EHMT1 gene leads to aberrant transcripts and to Kleefstra syndrome in the offspring

The euchromatic histone-lysine N-methyltransferase 1 (EHMT1) gene was examined in a 3-year-old boy with characteristic clinical features of Kleefstra syndrome. Sequencing of all 27 EHMT1 exons revealed a novel mutation, NM_024757.4:c.2712+1G>A, which affects the splice donor of intron 18. Whereas the index patient is heterozygous for that mutation, his phenotypically normal mother shows tissue-specific mosaicism. Sequencing of EHMT1 RT-PCR products revealed two aberrant transcript variants: in one variant, exon 18 was skipped; in the other, a near-by GT motif was used as splice donor and intronic sequence was inserted between exons 18 and 19. Both transcript variants were found in the patient and his mother. The latter had lower amounts of these transcripts consistent with mosaic status. This is the first description of an EHMT1 point mutation being inherited from a parent with verified mosaicism. The constitutive c.2712+1G>A splice site mutation in EHMT1 is fully pathogenic, and the transcript variants produced do not attenuate the severity of the disease.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 12 December 2012; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2012.267

Estimating Highway Pavement Damage Costs Attributed to Truck Traffic

Kansas is one of the leaders in meat production in the United States. In the southwest Kansas region, there are more than three hundred feed yards and several of the biggest meat processing plants in the nation. Heavy trucks (e.g., tractor-trailers) have been used primarily for transporting processed meat, meat byproducts, grain, and other related products. With the continuous growth of these industries, there will be more trucks on highways transporting meat and meat-related products in southwest Kansas. These trucks cause noteworthy damage to Kansas highway pavements, which in turn leads to more frequent maintenance actions and ultimately more traffic delays and congestion. The primary objective of this research was to estimate the highway damage costs attributed to the truck traffic associated with the processed meat (beef) and related industries in southwest Kansas. The researchers developed a systematic pavement damage estimation procedure that synthesized several existing methodologies including Highway Economic Requirements System (HERS) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) methods. In this research project, the highway section of US 50/400 between Dodge City and Garden City in Kansas was selected and its pavement data were collected for analysis. Outcomes of this research will be beneficial for the selection of cost-effective transportation modes for the meat processing and related industries in southwest Kansas. It will also help government agents to assess highway maintenance needs and to set up maintenance priorities. Meanwhile, the analysis results will be valuable for the determination of reasonable user costs. Based on findings of this research, recommendations on the selection of transportation modes are provided and promising future research tasks are suggested as well. PowerPoint presentation attached below as Related File. Link to Webinar video: http://vimeo.com/3739719