Lime or Chloride Treatment of Granular Base Course Materials, HR-99

Results are presented of triaxial testing of three crushed limestones to which either hydrated high-calcium lime, sodium chloride or calcium chloride had been added. Lime was added at rates of 1, 3, 10 and 16 percent, chlorides were added at 0.5 percent rate only. Speciments were compacted using vibratory compaction apparatus and were tested in triaxial compression using lateral pressures from 10 to 100 psi. Triaxial test results indicate that: (1) sodium chloride slightly decreased the angle of internal friction and increased cohesion, (2) calcium chloride slightly increased the angle of internal friction and decreased cohesion, and (3) lime had no appreciable effect on angle of internal friction but increased cohesion, decreased density and increased pore water pressure.

Cooperatives and Contracting in Agriculture: The Case of West Liberty Foods, October 2005

The West Liberty Foods turkey cooperative was formed in 1996 to purchase the assets and assume operations of Louis Rich Foods (an investor-owned processing rm), which, at the time, announced the imminent shutdown of its West Liberty, Iowa, processing facility. We study the creation and performance of this �new generation� cooperative using eld interviews with grower members and company management. We describe changes, before and after the buyout, in the contractual apparatus used for procuring live turkeys, and in the communication requirements, work expectations, and nancial positions of growers. During the private ownership period, most of the inputs (except labor and facilities) were provided by the rm; there was substantial supervision of the growers' actions; growers faced little price and production risk; and growers' equity was due largely to ownership of land and other farm assets. Our interviews reveal that, after cooperative formation, growers were exposed to considerable additional risk; monitoring of growers by the rm was less intensive; grower time and effort commitments to turkey production increased substantially; and a signicant fraction of rm (cooperative) equity came from growers' willingness to leverage their farm and personal assets (and hence indirectly their existing relationships with local lenders). We argue that some of these changes are consistent with a nancial contract where asset pledging and its corollary risk generate higher work effort by growers and a reduction in agency rents. These economies likely compensate for an organizational deadweight loss traditionally associated with cooperative governance.

Major Home Appliances,2008

If you haven’t been in the market for new appliances during the past several years, you’re going to be surprised at how innovative and energy-efficient appliances have become. You’ll find energy-smart appliance choices in almost all price ranges. Before heading to the local appliance retailer or “big-box” store, measure the space the new appliance will occupy to make sure it will fit—and that there’s enough room to fully open the door (or lid), as well as adequate clearances for ventilation, plumbing connections and other hookups. Then go to the appliance manufacturers’ Web sites to look at product information, and make a list of questions and “must-have” and “nice-to-have-but-not-essential” features.

Major Home Appliances, 2011

If you haven’t been in the market for new appliances during the past several years, you’re going to be surprised at how innovative and energy-efficient appliances have become. You’ll find energy-smart appliance choices in almost all price ranges. Before heading to the local appliance retailer or “big-box” store, measure the space the new appliance will occupy to make sure it will fit—and that there’s enough room to fully open the door (or lid), as well as adequate clearances for ventilation, plumbing connections and other hookups. Then go to the appliance manufacturers’ Web sites to look at product information, and make a list of questions and “must-have” and “nice-to-have-but-not-essential” features.

Field Evaluation of Electro-Reflective Measuring Apparatus (ERMA), MLR-81-01, 1981

The Electro-Reflective Measuring Apparatus (ERMA) was developed by the Minnesota Department of Highways in 1974 to measure the retro-reflective characteristics of pavement marking materials. Minnesota researchers recommended that due to the increased cost of pavement marking materials and reduced availability of these materials, ERMA can and should be used as a maintenance management tool to determine when painting is necessary rather than according to a fixed time schedule. The Iowa DOT Office of Materials built an ERMA device patterned after Minnesota's design in 1976. Subsequent efforts to calibrate and correlate this ERMA device to District Paint Foremen ratings proved unsuccessful, and ERMA modification or abandonment was recommended in 1979. Lyman Moothart, Materials Lab. Tech. 4, modified the ERMA device in 1980 and correlation attempts to District Paint Foremen ratings conducted in November 1980 have been moderately successful. A Paint/No Paint ERMA value has been established which will identify about 90% of the painting needs but will also include about 40% of the marking lines not needing repainting. The Office of Maintenance should establish a trial ERMA program to study the accuracy and potential cost savings of using ERMA to identify pavement marking needs.

Evaluation of the Baladi Indirect Tensile Apparatus, MLR-89-08, 1990

Dr. Gilbert Y. Baladi of Michigan State University has developed a new device intended for reliable determination of asphalt concrete mechanical properties such as Poisson's ratio, resilient modulus, and indirect tensile strength. The device is the result of an effort to improve upon procedures and equipment currently available for evaluation of mechanical properties. A duplicate of this device was fabricated in the Iowa Department of Transportation, Materials Lab Machine Shop in 1989. This report details the results of an evaluation of the effectiveness of the device in testing Marshall specimens for indirect tensile strength as compared to results obtained with standard equipment described in AASHTO T-283. Conclusions of the report are: l. Results obtained with the Baladi device average 6 to 8 percent higher than those obtained with the standard device. 2. The standard device exhibited a slightly greater degree of precision than did the Baladi device. 3. The Baladi device is easier and quicker to use than the standard apparatus. 4. It may be possible to estimate indirect tensile strength from the stability/flow ratio by dividing by factors of 1.8 and 1.5 for 50 blow and 75 blow mixes respectively.