Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

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https://hdl.handle.net/10919/23747
The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, which is ranked in the top 10 accredited civil and environmental engineering departments by the US News and World Report survey, is one of the largest programs in the United States. The Department has 46 full-time faculty, 657 undergraduate, and 400 graduate students. Civil engineers are the principal designers, constructors, operators, and caretakers of many of the constructed facilities and systems that contribute to the high quality of life enjoyed in the United States. The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers educational programs in all areas of civil engineering practice.

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Browsing Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering by Subject "06 Biological Sciences"

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    Fecal Indicator Bacteria and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Storm Runoff from Dairy Manure and Compost-Amended Vegetable Plots
    Jacobs, Kyle; Wind, Lauren L.; Krometis, Leigh-Anne H.; Hession, W. Cully; Pruden, Amy (American Society for Agronomy, 2019-07-01)
    Given the presence of antibiotics and resistant bacteria in livestock manures, it is important to identify the key pathways by which land-applied manure-derived soil amendments potentially spread resistance. The goal of this field-scale study was to identify the effects of different types of soil amendments (raw manure from cows treated with cephapirin and pirlimycin, compost from antibiotic-treated or antibiotic-free cows, or chemical fertilizer only) and crop type (lettuce [Lactuca sativa L.] or radish [Raphanus sativus L.]) on the transport of two antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs; sul1 and ermB) via storm runoff from six naturally occurring storms. Concurrent quantification of sediment and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB; Escherichia coli and enterococci) in runoff permitted comparison to traditional agricultural water quality targets that may be driving factors of ARG presence. Storm characteristics (total rainfall volume, storm duration, etc.) significantly influenced FIB concentration (two-way ANOVA, p < 0.05), although both effects from individual storm events (Kruskal-Wallis, p < 0.05) and vegetative cover influenced sediment levels. Composted and raw manure-amended plots both yielded significantly higher sul1 and ermB levels in runoff for early storms, at least 8 wk following initial planting, relative to fertilizer-only or unamended barren plots. There was no significant difference between sul1 or ermB levels in runoff from plots treated with compost derived from antibiotic-treated versus antibiotic-free dairy cattle. Our findings indicate that agricultural fields receiving manure-derived amendments release higher quantities of these two “indicator” ARGs in runoff, particularly during the early stages of the growing season, and that composting did not reduce effects of ARG loading in runoff.
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    How mobility restrictions policy and atmospheric conditions impacted air quality in the State of Sao Paulo during the COVID-19 outbreak
    Rudke, A. P.; Martins, J. A.; de Almeida, D. S.; Martins, L. D.; Beal, A.; Hallak, R.; Freitas, E. D.; Andrade, M. F.; Foroutan, Hosein; Baek, B. H.; Albuquerque, T. T. de A. (Academic Press-Elsevier, 2021-07-01)
    Mobility restrictions are among actions to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and have been pointed as reasons for improving air quality, especially in large cities. However, it is crucial to assess the impact of atmospheric conditions on air quality and air pollutant dispersion in the face of the potential variability of all sources. In this study, the impact of mobility restrictions on the air quality was analyzed for the most populous Brazilian State, São Paulo, severely impacted by COVID-19. Ground-based air quality data (PM10, PM2.5, CO, SO2, NOx, NO2, NO, and O3) were used from 50 automatic air quality monitoring stations to evaluate the changes in concentrations before (January 01 - March 25) and during the partial quarantine (March 16 - June 30). Rainfall, fires, and daily cell phone mobility data were also used as supplementary information to the analyses. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to assess the heterogeneity of the air quality data during and before mobility restrictions. In general, the results demonstrated no substantial improvements in air quality for most of the pollutants when comparing before and during restrictions periods. Besides, when the analyzed period of 2020 is compared with the year 2019, there is no significant air quality improvement in the São Paulo State. However, special attention should be given to the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP), due to the vast population residing in this area and exposed to air pollution. The region reached an average decrease of 29% in CO, 28% in NOx, 40% in NO, 19% in SO2, 15% in PM2.5, and 8% in PM10 concentrations during the mobility restrictions period compared to the same period in 2019. The only pollutant that showed an increase in concentration was ozone, with a 20% increase compared to 2019 during the mobility restrictions period. Before the mobility restrictions period, the region reached an average decrease of 30% in CO, 39% in NOx, 63% in NO, 12% in SO2, 23% in PM2.5, 18% in PM10, and 16% in O3 concentrations when compared to the same period in 2019. On the other hand, Cubatão, a highly industrialized area, showed statistically significant increases above 20% for most monitored pollutants in both periods of 2020 compared to 2019. This study reinforces that the main driving force of pollutant concentration variability is the dynamics of the atmosphere at its various time scales. An abnormal rainy season, with above average rainfall before the restrictions and below average after it, generated a scenario in which the probable significant reductions in emissions did not substantially affect the concentration of pollutants.
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    A Paradigm Shift to Align Transmission Routes with Mechanisms
    Marr, Linsey C.; Tang, Julian W. (Oxford University Press, 2021-08-20)
    Current infection control guidelines subscribe to a contact/droplet/airborne paradigm that is based on outdated understanding. Here, we propose to modify and align existing guidelines with a more accurate description of the different transmission routes. This will improve the effectiveness of control measures as more transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge.