PREDICTIVE MODELING OF AUTOMATED BUILDING FACADE ELEMENTS TO ATTAIN THERMAL COMFORT IN PASSIVELY CONDITIONED BUILDINGS IN DIFFERENT CLIMATES

Climate change, along with corresponding weather extremes, are creating new and pressing problems for the built environment. Buildings are the largest contributor to climate change. The main hypothesis for this research work is that an automated dynamic façade can provide whole year thermal comfort in a passively heated and cooled building by using predictive modeling of short-term future weather conditions. The dynamic facade should be adaptable to different climates, weather extremes and climate change. Predictive simulation requires using a weather forecast to predict the performance of a building and then modify the shading and ventilation rate to optimize the building thermal comfort for a single day. The goal of the dissertation was to develop a method for designing dynamic predictive façades to maximize thermal comfort in most climates and weather conditions. The research for the dissertation was conducted through computer simulations in the 15 different climate zones of the United States (considering both historic climate data, as well as predicted climate change data for the years 2050 and 2080), and an experimental study. The computer simulations, using EnergyPlus and custom scripts, were used to optimize the façade for a scaled physical model of the façade and the individual building elements. EnergyPlus simulations were also used for the predictive modeling in the experimental study. A test cell with one of the designed façade systems and controls was studied during the winter, spring and summer and compared to simulation results. The results of both the simulation study and the test cell were similar so modifications to the predicted model and predicted control procedure can be studied further with simulation only. The simulations and the physical experiment results show that it is possible to achieve thermal comfort in a passively heated and cooled building in at least 10 of the 15 different climate zones in the United States

Convincing Oregon\u27s Dairy Industry They Have a Problem with Phosphorus

Dairy nutritionists historically balanced milk cow rations for phosphorus at .45 to .5 % DM of the total ration. New studies have shown a high producing milk cow only requires a diet at .38% DM. Thirty-seven farms were studied to determine and compare P feeding levels in Oregon. The results of the project were then incorporated into educational programs. The average farm studied was over feeding by 18%. Eighty-nine percent of producers surveyed indicated this project increased their understanding of the problem we face as an industry. Approximately 50% of producers participating reduced P feeding on their farm

Irrigation Water Loss and Recovery in Utah

When deciding which irrigation systems to adopt, permit, or promote, it is important to consider how their efficiency and losses affect the water balance of Utah’s watersheds and drainage basins. Irrigators have no control over precipitation and only limited control of surface waters entering and leaving the state, as most of those are controlled by legal agreements. However, Utah’s water managers, elected officials, and water users can consider how surface water flows and groundwater storage is affected by using more efficient irrigation systems. Sprinkler, surface, or drip irrigation systems each have trade-offs in irrigation application efficiency, cost, and other factors. To make comparisons between systems, this fact sheet will define irrigation application efficiency, describe the destinations of irrigation water losses, and discuss how the fraction of recoverable water losses differ for various irrigation delivery systems and what that means for the overall water balance in Utah

Precision Irrigation Guide for Center Pivots

This factsheet discusses the different variable rate irrigation (VRI) options for center pivots, when they might reduce water use and energy, produce higher crop yields, and when it might be unreasonable to expect these kinds of benefits

Guide to Pivot Track Management

Irrigation uniformity can be reduced by wheel track rutting because of tire slippage (Meyer & Hoffman, 1983). These impacts can result in costly repairs to equipment, including gear boxes (about $700 each) and center-drive motors (about$550 each), or hydraulic pumps and motors on certain makes of pivot. Labor and crop damage associated with freeing or repairing a pivot or caused by downtime can also be a great expense to the farmer. This guide covers different strategies for managing wheel track rutting for center pivots and lateral-move systems

Sprinkler irrigation system field checklist

This recommendation came out of a noted need by the ASABE NRES-241 sprinkler irrigation committee in 2019 committee meeting for a simple checklist to quickly educate new center pivot operators on what to look for to determine if a center pivot is operating at designed performance. This checklist is meant to be simple and user friendly. Simple and clear language was incorporated purposefully. It is intended as a quick guide to new irrigators, or as a reminder to more experienced irrigators as to what to check to ensure efficient and effective center pivot and linear move irrigation system operation for optimal performance. Different checklists were developed for various frequencies of system evaluation. This was done as a cooperative project of the sprinkler irrigation committee members as an outcome of this stated need. It is hoped that this checklist can be adapted and used by growers, consultants, and other irrigators

A phage-based assay for the rapid, quantitative, and single CFU visualization of E. coli (ECOR #13) in drinking water

Drinking water standards in the United States mandate a zero tolerance of generic E. coli in 100mL of water. The presence of E. coli in drinking water indicates that favorable environmental conditions exist that could have resulted in pathogen contamination. Therefore, the rapid and specifc enumeration of E. coli in contaminated drinking water is critical to mitigate signifcant risks to public health. To meet this challenge, we developed a bacteriophage-based membrane fltration assay that employs novel fusion reporter enzymes to fully quantify E. coli in less than half the time required for traditional enrichment assays. A luciferase and an alkaline phosphatase, both specifcally engineered for increased enzymatic activity, were selected as reporter probes due to their strong signal, small size, and low background. The genes for the reporter enzymes were fused to genes for carbohydrate binding modules specifc to cellulose. These constructs were then inserted into the E. coli-specifc phage T7 which were used to infect E. coli trapped on a cellulose flter. During the infection, the reporters were expressed and released from the bacterial cells following the lytic infection cycle. The binding modules facilitated the immobilization of the reporter probes on the cellulose flter in proximity to the lysed cells. Following substrate addition, the location and quantifcation of E. coli cells could then be determined visually or using bioluminescence imaging for the alkaline phosphatase and luciferase reporters, respectively. As a result, a detection assay capable of quantitatively detecting E. coli in drinking water with similar results to established methods, but less than half the assay time was developed