Peer state assessment of TxDOT maintenance program and practices : workshop and road rally findings

In an effort to evaluate and improve their practices to ensure the future excellence of the Texas highway system, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) sought a forum in which experts from other state departments of transportation could share their expertise. Thus, the Peer State Review of TxDOT Maintenance Practices project was organized and conducted for TxDOT by the Center for Transportation Research (CTR) at The University of Texas at Austin. The goal of the project was to conduct a workshop at CTR and in the Austin District that would educate the visiting peers on TxDOT’s maintenance practices and invite their feedback. CTR and TxDOT arranged the participation of the following directors of maintenance: Steve Takigawa, CA; Roy Rissky, KS; Eric Pitts, GA; Jim Carney, MO; Jennifer Brandenburg, NC; and David Bierschbach, WA. One of the means used to capture the peer reviewers’ opinions was a carefully designed booklet of 15 questions. The peers provided TxDOT with written responses to these questions, and the oral comments made during the workshop were also captured. This information was then compiled and summarized in the following report. An examination of the peers’ comments suggests that TxDOT should use a more holistic, statewide approach to funding and planning rather than funding and planning for each district separately. Additionally, the peers stressed the importance of allocating funds based on the actual conditions of the roadways instead of on inventory. The visiting directors of maintenance also recommended continuing and proliferating programs that enhance communication, such as peer review workshops.

Predictive factors of contact lens case contamination

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between contact lens (CL) case contamination and various potential predictive factors. METHODS: 74 subjects were fitted with lotrafilcon B (CIBA Vision) CLs on a daily wear basis for 1 month. Subjects were randomly assigned one of two polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) preserved disinfecting solutions with the corresponding regular lens case. Clinical evaluations were conducted at lens delivery and after 1 month, when cases were collected for microbial culture. A CL care non-compliance score was determined through administration of a questionnaire and the volume of solution used was calculated for each subject. Data was examined using backward stepwise binary logistic regression. RESULTS: 68% of cases were contaminated. 35% were moderately or heavily contaminated and 36% contained gram-negative bacteria. Case contamination was significantly associated with subjective dryness symptoms (OR 4.22, CI 1.37–13.01) (P<0.05). There was no association between contamination and subject age, ethnicity, gender, average wearing time, amount of solution used, non-compliance score, CL power and subjective redness (P>0.05). The effect of lens care system on case contamination approached significance (P=0.07). Failure to rinse the case with disinfecting solution following CL insertion (OR 2.51, CI 0.52–12.09) and not air drying the case (OR 2.31, CI 0.39–13.35) were positively correlated with contamination; however, did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that case contamination may influence subjective comfort. It is difficult to predict the development of case contamination from a variety of clinical factors. The efficacy of CL solutions, bacterial resistance to disinfection and biofilm formation are likely to play a role. Further evaluation of these factors will improve our understanding of the development of case contamination and its clinical impact.

Teaching tribology and maintenance-related subjects : a hands-on focus

In this paper different aspects of teaching tribology and maintenance-related subjects with a hands-on focus at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) are presented and discussed. As part of the study, a combination of data from core units, such as engineering design units, and elective units, was used, in addition to laboratory experiments, real-life projects, interactive software packages and industry visits. The mechanical engineering curriculum structure used at QUT, consisting of the main specialization (first major) and the second specialization (second major), is also discussed with specific emphasis on the teaching of tribology and maintenance-related subjects. To evaluate students' satisfaction with the novel teaching approaches used, tailored questionnaires were used as well as QUT's online learning experience survey (LEX). Statistical results of these sureveys are presented and discussed. In summary, these showed that students overwhelmingly support the hands-on and practical focus in teaching tribology and maintenance-related subjects and that the teaching approaches used shorten the learning curve and make students better prepared for integration in the workplace.

Fixing the city one photo at a time : mobile logging of maintenance requests

We have designed a mobile application that takes advantage of the built-in features of smart phones such as camera and GPS that allow users to take geo-tagged photos while on the move. Urban residents can take pictures of broken street furniture and public property requiring repair, attach a brief description, and submit the information as a maintenance request to the local government organisation of their city. This paper discusses the design approach that led to the application, highlights a built-in mechanism to elicit user feedback, and evaluates the progress to date with user feedback and log statistics. It concludes with an outlook highlighting user requested features and our own design aspirations for moving from a reporting tool to a civic engagement tool.

Infrastructure asset : developing maintenance management capability

Purpose Maintenance management is a core process in infrastructure asset management. Infrastructure organisations must constantly strive to ensure the effectiveness of this process in order to obtain the greatest lifetime value from their infrastructure assets. This paper aims to investigate how infrastructure organisations can enhance the effectiveness of their maintenance management process. Approach This study utilised multiple case studies as the research approach. The case organisations were asked to identify the challenges faced in the maintenance process and the approaches they have adopted to overcome these challenges. Analysis of these findings, together with deductive reasoning, leads to the development of the proposed capability needed for effective maintenance management process. Findings The case studies reveal that maintenance management process is a core process in ensuring that infrastructure assets are optimally and functionally available to support business operations. However, the main challenge is the lack of skilled and experienced personnel to understand and anticipate maintenance requirement. A second challenge is the reduced window of time available to carry out inspection and maintenance works. To overcome these challenges, the case organisations have invested in technologies. However, technologies available to facilitate this process are complex and constantly changing. Consequently, there is a need for infrastructure organizations to develop their technological absorptive capability, i.e. the ability to embrace and capitalize on new technologies to enhance their maintenance management process. Originality/Value This paper is original in that it provides empirical evidence to identify technological absorptive capability as core to improving the maintenance management process. The findings are valuable because it sheds light on where infrastructure organisation, regardless of whether they are privately or publicly owned, should channel their scarce resources. The development of the core capability will ensure that the maintenance process can contribute value to their organisation.

Clinical strategies for the alleviation of contractures from a predictive mathematical model of dermal repair

Hypertrophic scars arise when there is an overproduction of collagen during wound healing. These are often associated with poor regulation of the rate of programmed cell death(apoptosis) of the cells synthesizing the collagen or by an exuberant inflammatory response that prolongs collagen production and increases wound contraction. Severe contractures that occur, for example, after a deep burn can cause loss of function especially if the wound is over a joint such as the elbow or knee. Recently, we have developed a morphoelastic mathematical model for dermal repair that incorporates the chemical, cellular and mechanical aspects of dermal wound healing. Using this model, we examine pathological scarring in dermal repair by first assuming a smaller than usual apoptotic rate for myofibroblasts, and then considering a prolonged inflammatory response, in an attempt to determine a possible optimal intervention strategy to promote normal repair, or terminate the fibrotic scarring response. Our model predicts that in both cases it is best to apply the intervention strategy early in the wound healing response. Further, the earlier an intervention is made, the less aggressive the intervention required. Finally, if intervention is conducted at a late time during healing, a significant intervention is required; however, there is a threshold concentration of the drug or therapy applied, above which minimal further improvement to wound repair is obtained.

Predictive compensation for variable network delays and packet losses in networked control systems

Networked control systems (NCSs) offer many advantages over conventional control; however, they also demonstrate challenging problems such as network-induced delay and packet losses. This paper proposes an approach of predictive compensation for simultaneous network-induced delays and packet losses. Different from the majority of existing NCS control methods, the proposed approach addresses co-design of both network and controller. It also alleviates the requirements of precise process models and full understanding of NCS network dynamics. For a series of possible sensor-to-actuator delays, the controller computes a series of corresponding redundant control values. Then, it sends out those control values in a single packet to the actuator. Once receiving the control packet, the actuator measures the actual sensor-to-actuator delay and computes the control signals from the control packet. When packet dropout occurs, the actuator utilizes past control packets to generate an appropriate control signal. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated through examples.

Peer state assessment of TxDOT maintenance program and practices, part II : test section survey findings and recommendations

This paper presents a road survey as part of a workshop conducted by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to evaluate and improve the maintenance practices of the Texas highway system. Directors of maintenance from six peer states (California, Kansas, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, and Washington) were invited to this 3-day workshop. One of the important parts of this workshop was a Maintenance Test Section Survey (MTSS) to evaluate a number of pre-selected one-mile roadway sections. The workshop schedule allowed half a day to conduct the field survey and 34 sections were evaluated. Each of the evaluators was given a booklet and asked to rate the selected road sections. The goals of the MTSS were to: 1. Assess the threshold level at which maintenance activities are required as perceived by the evaluators from the peer states; 2. Assess the threshold level at which maintenance activities are required as perceived by evaluators from other TxDOT districts; and 3. Perform a pilot evaluation of the MTSS concept. This paper summarizes the information obtained from survey and discusses the major findings based on a statistical analysis of the data and comments from the survey participants.

Peer state assessment of TxDOT maintenance program and practices, part I : workshop findings and recommendations

To assess and improve their practices, and thus ensure the future excellence of the Texas highway system, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) sought a forum in which experts from other State Departments of Transportation could evaluate the TxDOT maintenance program and practices based on their expertise. To meet this need, a Peer State Review of TxDOT Maintenance Practices project was organized and conducted by the Center for Transportation Research (CTR) at The University of Texas at Austin. CTR researchers, along with TxDOT staff, conducted a workshop to present TxDOT’s maintenance practices to the visiting peer reviewers and invite their feedback. Directors of maintenance from six different states—California, Kansas, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, and Washington—participated in the workshop. CTR and TxDOT worked together to design a questionnaire with 15 key questions to capture the peers’ opinions on maintenance program and practices. This paper compiles and summarizes this information. The examination results suggested that TxDOT should use a more state-wide approach to funding and planning, in addition to funding and planning for each district separately. Additionally, the peers recommended that criteria such as condition and level of service of the roadways be given greater weight in the funding allocation than lane miles or vehicle miles traveled (VMT). The Peer Reviewers also determined that TxDOT maintenance employee experience and communications were strong assets. Additional strengths included the willingness of TxDOT to invite peer reviews of their practices and a willingness to consider opportunities for improvement.

Ingroup and role identity influences on the initiation and maintenance of students' voluntary attendance at peer study sessions for statistics

Background: Although class attendance is linked to academic performance, questions remain about what determines students’ decisions to attend or miss class. Aims: In addition to the constructs of a common decision-making model, the theory of planned behaviour, the present study examined the influence of student role identity and university student (in-group) identification for predicting both the initiation and maintenance of students’ attendance at voluntary peer-assisted study sessions in a statistics subject. Sample: University students enrolled in a statistics subject were invited to complete a questionnaire at two time points across the academic semester. A total of 79 university students completed questionnaires at the first data collection point, with 46 students completing the questionnaire at the second data collection point. Method: Twice during the semester, students’ attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, student role identity, in-group identification, and intention to attend study sessions were assessed via on-line questionnaires. Objective measures of class attendance records for each half-semester (or ‘term’) were obtained. Results: Across both terms, students’ attitudes predicted their attendance intentions, with intentions predicting class attendance. Earlier in the semester, in addition to perceived behavioural control, both student role identity and in-group identification predicted students’ attendance intentions, with only role identity influencing intentions later in the semester. Conclusions: These findings highlight the possible chronology that different identity influences have in determining students’ initial and maintained attendance at voluntary sessions designed to facilitate their learning.

Maintenance test section survey : data collection and analysis

A Maintenance Test Section Survey (MTSS) was conducted as part of a Peer State Review of the Texas Maintenance Program conducted October 5–7, 2010. The purpose of the MTSS was to conduct a field review of 34 highway test sections and obtain participants’ opinions about pavement, roadside, and maintenance conditions. The goal was to cross reference or benchmark TxDOT’s maintenance practices based on practices used by selected peer states. Representatives from six peer states (California, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Washington) were invited to Austin to attend a 3-day Peer State Review of TxDOT Maintenance Practices Workshop and to participate in a field survey of a number of pre-selected one-mile roadway sections. It should be emphasized that the objective of the survey was not to evaluate and grade or score TxDOT’s road network but rather to determine whether the selected roadway sections met acceptable standards of service as perceived by Directors of Maintenance or senior maintenance managers from the peer states...

When non-significance may be significant : lessons learned from a study of the development, implementation and evaluation of a fleet risk assessment tool

This paper reports on the development and implementation of a self-report risk assessment tool that was developed in an attempt to increase the efficacy of crash prediction within Australian fleet settings. This study forms a part of a broader program of research into work related road safety and identification of driving risk. The first phase of the study involved a series of focus groups being conducted with 217 professional drivers which revealed that the following factors were proposed to influence driving performance: Fatigue, Knowledge of risk, Mood, Impatience and frustration, Speed limits, Experience, Other road users, Passengers, Health, and Culture. The second phase of the study involved piloting the newly developed 38 item Driving Risk Assessment Scale - Work Version (DRAS-WV) with 546 professional drivers. Factor analytic techniques identified a 9 factor solution that was comprised of speeding, aggression, time pressure, distraction, casualness, awareness, maintenance, fatigue and minor damage. Speeding and aggressive driving manoeuvres were identified to be the most frequent aberrant driving behaviours engaged in by the sample. However, a series of logistic regression analyses undertaken to determine the DRAS-WV scale’s ability to predict self-reported crashes revealed limited predictive efficacy e.g., 10% of crashes. This paper outlines proposed reasons for this limited predictive ability of the DRAS-WV as well as provides suggestions regarding the future of research that aims to develop methods to identify “at risk” drivers.