Laboratory study on the performance of recycled concrete aggregates blended with reclaimed asphalt pavement as pavement granular material

Production of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) from construction and demolition (C&D) waste has become popular all over the world since the availability of land spaces are limited to dispose. Therefore it is important to seek alternative applications for RCA. The use of RCA in base and sub-base layers in granular pavement is a viable solution. In mechanistic pavement design, rutting (permanent deformation) is considered as the major failure mechanisms of the pavement. The rutting is the accumulation of permanent deformation of pavement layers caused by the repetitive vehicle load. In Queensland, Australia, it is accepted to have the maximum of 20% of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) in RCA and therefore, it is important to investigate the effect of RAP on the permanent deformation properties of RCA. In this study, a series of repeated load triaxial (RLT) tests were conducted on RCA blended with different percentage of RAP to investigate the permanent deformation and resilient modulus properties of RCA. The vertical deformation and resilient modulus values were used to determine the response of RCA for the cyclic loading under standard pressure and loading conditions.

An alternate learning approach for destructive testing in civil engineering - Benefits from remote laboratory experimentation

An alternative learning approach for destructive testing of structural specimens in civil engineering is explored by using a remote laboratory experimentation method. The remote laboratory approach focuses on overcoming the constraints in the hands-on experimentation without compromising the understanding of the students on the concepts and mechanics of reinforced concrete structures. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether or not the remote laboratory experimentation approach can become a standard in civil engineering teaching. The teaching activity using remote-laboratory experimentation is presented here and the outcomes of this activity are outlined. The experience and feedback gathered from this study are used to improve the remote-laboratory experimentation approach in future years to other aspects of civil engineering where destructive testing is essential.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder diagnosis and counselling

The Foetal Alcohol Syndrome has long gone unrecognised and undiagnosed in Australia. In the last few years of the 21st Century (2010-14) health practitioners are finally seeking ways of diagnosing the effects of alcohol in pregnancy on the next generation. The author offers a power point presentation which gives guidance on making an accurate diagnosis.

Application of machine learning technique in wind turbine fault diagnosis

In this study, a machine learning technique called anomaly detection is employed for wind turbine bearing fault detection. Basically, the anomaly detection algorithm is used to recognize the presence of unusual and potentially faulty data in a dataset, which contains two phases: a training phase and a testing phase. Two bearing datasets were used to validate the proposed technique, fault-seeded bearing from a test rig located at Case Western Reserve University to validate the accuracy of the anomaly detection method, and a test to failure data of bearings from the NSF I/UCR Center for Intelligent Maintenance Systems (IMS). The latter data set was used to compare anomaly detection with SVM, a previously well-known applied method, in rapidly finding the incipient faults.

Fault diagnosis of low speed bearing based on acoustic emission signal and multi-class relevance vector machine

This study presents an acoustic emission (AE) based fault diagnosis for low speed bearing using multi-class relevance vector machine (RVM). A low speed test rig was developed to simulate the various defects with shaft speeds as low as 10 rpm under several loading conditions. The data was acquired using anAEsensor with the test bearing operating at a constant loading (5 kN) andwith a speed range from20 to 80 rpm. This study is aimed at finding a reliable method/tool for low speed machines fault diagnosis based on AE signal. In the present study, component analysis was performed to extract the bearing feature and to reduce the dimensionality of original data feature. The result shows that multi-class RVM offers a promising approach for fault diagnosis of low speed machines.

Comparison of high sensitivity troponin T and I assays in the diagnosis of non-ST elevation acute myocardial infarction in emergency patients with chest pain

Objectives: Concentrations of troponin measured with high sensitivity troponin assays are raised in a number of emergency department (ED) patients; however many are not diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Clinical comparisons between the early use (2 h after presentation) of high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and I (hs-cTnI) assays for the diagnosis of AMI have not been reported. Design and methods: Early (0 h and 2 h) hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI assay results in 1571 ED patients with potential acute coronary syndrome (ACS) without ST elevation on electrocardiograph (ECG) were evaluated. The primary outcome was diagnosis of index MI adjudicated by cardiologists using the local cTnI assay results taken ≥6 h after presentation, ECGs and clinical information. Stored samples were later analysed with hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI assays. Results: The ROC analysis for AMI (204 patients; 13.0%) for hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI after 2 h was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.94–0.97) and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.97–0.99) respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PLR, and NLR of hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI for AMI after 2 h were 94.1% (95% CI: 90.0–96.6) and 95.6% (95% CI: 91.8–97.7), 79.0% (95% CI: 76.8–81.1) and 92.5% (95% CI: 90.9–93.7), 4.48 (95% CI: 4.02–5.00) and 12.86 (95% CI: 10.51–15.31), and 0.07 (95% CI: 0.04–0.13) and 0.05 (95% CI:0.03–0.09) respectively. Conclusions: Exclusion of AMI 2 h after presentation in emergency patients with possible ACS can be achieved using hs-cTnT or hs-cTnI assays. Significant differences in specificity of these assays are relevant and if using the hs-cTnT assay, further clinical assessment in a larger proportion of patients would be required.

Prenatal diagnosis, genetics and reproductive decision-making

Recent developments in genetic science will potentially have a significant impact on reproductive decision-making by adding to the list of conditions which can be diagnosed through prenatal diagnosis. This article analyses the jurisdictional variations that exist in Australian abortion laws and examines the extent to which Australian abortion laws specifically provide for termination of pregnancy on the grounds of fetal disability. The article also examines the potential impact of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis on reproductive decision-making and considers the meaning of reproductive autonomy in the context of the new genetics.

Framework of a process laboratory for the operational control of service processes

Service processes such as financial advice, booking a business trip or conducting a consulting project have emerged as units of analysis of high interest for the business process and service management communities in practice and academia. While the transactional nature of production processes is relatively well understood and deployed, the less predictable and highly interactive nature of service processes still lacks in many areas appropriate methodological grounding. This paper proposes a framework of a process laboratory as a new IT artefact in order to facilitate the holistic analysis and simulation of such service processes. Using financial services as an example, it will be shown how such a process laboratory can be used to reduce the complexity of service process analysis and facilitate operational service process control.

Recursive actuator fault detection and diagnosis for emergency landing of UASs

This paper presents a practical recursive fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) scheme for online identification of actuator faults for unmanned aerial systems (UASs) based on the unscented Kalman filtering (UKF) method. The proposed FDD algorithm aims to monitor health status of actuators and provide indication of actuator faults with reliability, offering necessary information for the design of fault-tolerant flight control systems to compensate for side-effects and improve fail-safe capability when actuator faults occur. The fault detection is conducted by designing separate UKFs to detect aileron and elevator faults using a nonlinear six degree-of-freedom (DOF) UAS model. The fault diagnosis is achieved by isolating true faults by using the Bayesian Classifier (BC) method together with a decision criterion to avoid false alarms. High-fidelity simulations with and without measurement noise are conducted with practical constraints considered for typical actuator fault scenarios, and the proposed FDD exhibits consistent effectiveness in identifying occurrence of actuator faults, verifying its suitability for integration into the design of fault-tolerant flight control systems for emergency landing of UASs.

Multiphase experiments with at least one later laboratory phase. I. orthogonal designs

The paper provides a systematic approach to designing the laboratory phase of a multiphase experiment, taking into account previous phases. General principles are outlined for experiments in which orthogonal designs can be employed. Multiphase experiments occur widely, although their multiphase nature is often not recognized. The need to randomize the material produced from the first phase in the laboratory phase is emphasized. Factor-allocation diagrams are used to depict the randomizations in a design and the use of skeleton analysis-of-variance (ANOVA) tables to evaluate their properties discussed. The methods are illustrated using a scenario and a case study. A basis for categorizing designs is suggested. This article has supplementary material online.

Unlocking the "reminder" potential when viewers pause programs : results from a laboratory test of a new online medium

The branded pause advertisement is a recently developed online television-advertising format that displays a full-screen still-image banner ad whenever a viewer pauses a streaming-video program. This study used a controlled lab experiment to compare the effectiveness of branded pause advertisements with normal online television advertisements. The results demonstrate that branded pause advertisements are effective but only when combined with a long-exposure advertisement for the same brand. Despite their short exposure time, pause advertisements function as effective reminders, building awareness through repeat exposure. The findings of the current study were similar regardless of whether pause advertisements were activated as a result of viewers’ pausing at a time of their own choosing or whether viewers were interrupted.

Condition monitoring and fault diagnosis of diesel engines using instantaneous angular speed analysis

Continuous monitoring of diesel engine performance is critical for early detection of fault developments in an engine before they materialize into a functional failure. Instantaneous crank angular speed (IAS) analysis is one of a few nonintrusive condition monitoring techniques that can be utilized for such a task. Furthermore, the technique is more suitable for mass industry deployments than other non-intrusive methods such as vibration and acoustic emission techniques due to the low instrumentation cost, smaller data size and robust signal clarity since IAS is not affected by the engine operation noise and noise from the surrounding environment. A combination of IAS and order analysis was employed in this experimental study and the major order component of the IAS spectrum was used for engine loading estimation and fault diagnosis of a four-stroke four-cylinder diesel engine. It was shown that IAS analysis can provide useful information about engine speed variation caused by changing piston momentum and crankshaft acceleration during the engine combustion process. It was also found that the major order component of the IAS spectra directly associated with the engine firing frequency (at twice the mean shaft rotating speed) can be utilized to estimate engine loading condition regardless of whether the engine is operating at healthy condition or with faults. The amplitude of this order component follows a distinctive exponential curve as the loading condition changes. A mathematical relationship was then established in the paper to estimate the engine power output based on the amplitude of this order component of the IAS spectrum. It was further illustrated that IAS technique can be employed for the detection of a simulated exhaust valve fault in this study.

BRAF inhibitors : from the laboratory to clinical trials

BRAF is one of the most commonly mutated proto-oncogenes and plays a significant role in the development of numerous cancers of high clinical impact. Due to the commonality of BRAF mutations, a number of BRAF inhibitors have been developed as tools in the management of patients with cancers dependent on the action of mutant BRAF to drive cellular proliferation. In this review, we examine the current state of clinical trials and laboratory research concerning BRAF inhibitors in development and available for clinical use. We contrast the effectiveness of type-I and type-II BRAF inhibitors, the former typically showing much more restricted inhibitory selectivity and greater patient response rates.

A review of the effects of sedation on thermoregulation : insights for the cardiac catheterisation laboratory

Purpose To examine the effects that the sedative and analgesic medications which are commonly used in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory have on thermoregulation. Design A structured review strategy was used. Methods Medline and CINAHL were searched for published studies and reference lists of retrieved studies were scrutinized for further research. Data were extracted using a standardised extraction tool. Results A total of nine studies examined the effect that sedative and analgesic medications have on thermoregulation. Midazolam has minimal impact on thermoregulation while opioids, dexmedetomidine and propofol markedly decrease vasoconstriction and shivering thresholds. Conclusions Patients who receive sedation in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory may be at risk of hypothermia, due to the use of medications that impair thermoregulation. Further research is required to identify the prevalence of unplanned hypothermia during sedation in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory.