Electronic Construction Collaboration System – Final Phase, SPR RB02-008, 2014

This phase of the research project involved two major efforts: (1) Complete the implementation of AEC-Sync (formerly known as Attolist) on the Iowa Falls Arch Bridge project and (2) develop a web-based project management system (WPMS) for projects under $10 million. For the first major effort, AEC-Sync was provided for the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) in a software as a service agreement, allowing the Iowa DOT to rapidly implement the solution with modest effort. During the 2010 fiscal year, the research team was able to help with the implementation process for the solution. The research team also collected feedback from the Broadway Viaduct project team members before the start of the project and implementation of the solution. For the 2011 fiscal year, the research team collected the post-project surveys from the Broadway Viaduct project members and compared them to the pre-project survey results. The result of the AEC-Sync implementation in the Broadway Viaduct project was a positive one. The project members were satisfied with the performance of AEC-Sync and how it facilitated document management and transparency. In addition, the research team distributed, collected, and analyzed the pre-project surveys for the Iowa Falls Arch Bridge project. During the 2012 fiscal year, the research team analyzed the post-project surveys for the Iowa Falls Arch Bridge project AEC-Sync implementation and found a positive outcome when compared to the pre-project surveys. The second major effort for this project involved the identification and implementation of a WPMS solution for smaller bridge and highway projects. During the 2011 fiscal year, Microsoft SharePoint was selected to be implemented on these smaller highway projects. In this year, workflows for the shop/working drawings for the smaller highway projects specified in Section 1105 of the Iowa DOT Specifications were developed. These workflows will serve as the guide for the development of the SharePoint pages. In order to implement the Microsoft SharePoint pages, the effort of an integrated team proved to be vital because it brought together the expertise required from researchers, programmers, and webpage developers to develop the SharePoint pages.

Efectes que tenen les jugades posteriors a la primera en els gols de la Premier League en la temporada 2011-2012 Estudi de la relació entre la posició final a la taula de classificació i els gols encaixats en jugades posteriors a la primera

L’objectiu d’aquest estudi ha estat comprovar si existeix una relació significativa entre els gols encaixats de jugades posteriors a la primera i la posició final en la taula de classificació de la Premier League durant la temporada 2011-2012. Per verificar-ho es van analitzar durant 30 jornades de la Premier League els gols que encaixaven els tres equips capdavanters i els tres últims classificats. Es va determinar com a variable independent el gol, i com a variable dependent quantes jugades s’han produït abans del gol, és a dir, si el gol és de primera jugada o de jugada posterior a la primera. Els resultats obtinguts indiquen que no hi ha una correlació significativa en els gols encaixats de jugades posteriors a la primera i la posició final a la classificació. Tot i no existir aquesta relació s’ha observat que entre un 24% i un 31% dels gols s’encaixen en jugades posteriors a la primera.

Evaluation of Recycled Rubber in Asphalt Cement Concrete - Field Testing, Final Report for HR-330, 330A, 330B, 330C, 330D, 2002

Roughly 242 million used tires are generated annually in the United States. Many of these tires end up being landfilled or stockpiled. The stockpiles are unsightly, unsanitary, and also collect water which creates the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, some of which carry disease. In an effort to reduce the number of used tire stockpiles the federal government mandated the use of recycled rubber in federally funded, state implemented department of transportation (DOT) projects. This mandate required the use of recycled rubber in 5% of the asphalt cement concrete (ACC) tonnage used in federally funded projects in 1994, increasing that amount by 5% each year until 20% was reached, and remaining at 20% thereafter. The mandate was removed as part of the appropriations process in 1994, after the projects in this research had been completed. This report covers five separate projects that were constructed by the Iowa Department Of Transportation (DOT) in 1991 and 1992. These projects had all had some form of rubber incorporated into their construction and were evaluated for 5 years. The conclusion of the study is that the pavements with tire rubber added performed essentially the same as conventional ACC pavement. An exception was the use of rubber chips in a surface lift. This performed better at crack control and worse with friction values than conventional ACC. The cost of the pavement with rubber additive was significantly higher. As a result, the benefits do not outweigh the costs of using this recycled rubber process in pavements in Iowa.

Field Evaluation of Engineering Fabrics for Asphalt Concrete Resurfacing - Audubon County, HR-360, Final Report, 2001

An ACC overlay is most often the rehabilitative effort used to maintain the serviceability of either an ACC or PCC pavement. The major problem in durability of this ACC overlay comes from reflective cracking. These cracks usually open, allowing water to enter the unsealed crack and strip the ACC in the overlay. The stripping of the ACC allows accelerated deterioration at the crack. Two engineering fabrics were evaluated in this project in order to determine their effectiveness in reducing reflective cracking. These two materials are: • PavePrep, Contech Construction Products Inc. • ProGuard, Phillips Fiber Corporation The data indicated a statistically significant decrease in reflective crack formation in the ProGuard fabric sections compared to control. There was little evidence of a similar effect from the PavePrep fabric sections compared to control. However, the rate of cracking (the rate of formation of new cracks) for both fabrics and control tended to be similar after three years. The benefits of using these fabrics (possible delay of some crack formation by two years) on this project did not outweigh the costs of up to $4200.00 per mile.

Asphalt Cement Containing AC-13, HR-522, Final Report, 1988

Stopping and turning maneuvers on high traffic volume asphalt cement concrete surfaced roads and streets often cause distortion of the pavement. Distortion may show up as excessive rutting in the wheel path, shoving of the pavement and/or rippling of the surface. Often times repeated corrective work such as cold milling or heater planing is required in these areas to maintain the pavement surface in a reasonable condition. In recent years polymer additives have been developed for asphalt cement concrete paving mixes that show promise in improving the inplace stability of the pavements. AC-13 (Styrelf 13) available from Bitucote Products Company, St. Louis, Missouri is an asphalt cement that has been modified by an additive to exhibit characteristics of very high stability in asphalt mixes.

Asphalt Rubber Cement Concrete Webster County, HR-555, Final Report, 2003

Discarded tires have become a major disposal problem in the U.S. Different techniques of recycling these discarded tires have been tried. The state of Iowa has evaluated the use of discarded tires ground into crumb rubber and blending it with asphalt to make asphalt rubber cement (ARC). This was the sixth project using this process. The project is located on US 169 from the east junction of IA 175 west and north to US 20. Only the binder course was placed during this research with the surface course to be let at a later date. There were four test sections, two sections with conventional mixtures and two with ARC mixtures. There were no significant differences in placement or performance between the two mix types. The cost of the ARC mixture was significantly higher.

Thin Bonded Overlay Evaluation, HR-559, Final Report, 2001

In 1994 the Iowa Department of Transportation constructed a 7.2-mile Portland Cement Concrete overlay project in Iowa County on Iowa Highway 21. The research work was conducted in cooperation with the Department of Civil Engineering and the Federal Highway Administration under the Iowa Highway Research Board project HR-559. The project was constructed to evaluate the performance of an ultrathin concrete overlay during a 5-year period. The experiment included variables of base surface preparation, overlay depth, joint spacing, fiber reinforcement, and the sealed or non-sealed joints. The project was instrumented to measure overlay/base interface temperatures and strains. Visual distress surveys and deflection testing were also used to monitor performance. Coring and direct shear testing was accomplished 3 times during the research period. Results of the testing and monitoring are identified in the report. The experiment was very successful and the results provide an insight into construction and design needs to be considered in tailoring a portland cement concrete overlay to a performance need. The results also indicate a method to monitor bond with nondestructive methods.

Microstructure and magnetic properties of Ni50 Mn37 Sn13 Heusler alloy ribbons

The Heusler alloy Ni50 Mn37 Sn13 was successfully produced as ribbon flakes of thickness around 7-10 μm melt spinning. Fracture cross section micrographs in the ribbon show the formation of a microcrystalline columnarlike microstructure, with their longer axes perpendicular to the ribbon plane. Phase transition temperatures of the martensite-austenite transformation were found to be MS =218 K, Mf =207 K, AS =224 K, and Af =232 K; the thermal hysteresis of the transformation is 15 K. Ferromagnetic L 21 bcc austenite phase shows a Curie point of 313 K, with cell parameter a=0.5971 (5) nm at 298 K, transforming into a modulated 7M orthorhombic martensite with a=0.6121 (7) nm, b=0.6058 (8) nm, and c=0.5660 (2) nm, at 150 K

Pooled Fund Study of Premature Concrete Pavement Deterioration, HR-1063, Final Report, 1997

Recently, a number of roads have begun to exhibit the onset of deterioration at relatively early ages. Since this deterioration appears to be the result of materials issues, data concerning raw materials, design, and paving conditions have been collected and analyzed for correlation between independent variables and deterioration. This analysis shows that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between deterioration and the following variables: alkali and sulfate content of the cementitious materials, impermeable base course, paving temperature, and the presence of fly ash. This study also concludes that there is a significant need for improvement in data collection and maintenance by many organizations responsible for the production of concrete

Widespread age-related differences in the human brain microstructure revealed by quantitative magnetic resonance imaging.

A pressing need exists to disentangle age-related changes from pathologic neurodegeneration. This study aims to characterize the spatial pattern and age-related differences of biologically relevant measures in vivo over the course of normal aging. Quantitative multiparameter maps that provide neuroimaging biomarkers for myelination and iron levels, parameters sensitive to aging, were acquired from 138 healthy volunteers (age range: 19-75 years). Whole-brain voxel-wise analysis revealed a global pattern of age-related degeneration. Significant demyelination occurred principally in the white matter. The observed age-related differences in myelination were anatomically specific. In line with invasive histologic reports, higher age-related differences were seen in the genu of the corpus callosum than the splenium. Iron levels were significantly increased in the basal ganglia, red nucleus, and extensive cortical regions but decreased along the superior occipitofrontal fascicle and optic radiation. This whole-brain pattern of age-associated microstructural differences in the asymptomatic population provides insight into the neurobiology of aging. The results help build a quantitative baseline from which to examine and draw a dividing line between healthy aging and pathologic neurodegeneration.

Características do pasto de capim-tanzânia adubado com nitrogênio no final do verão

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a massa de forragem, os componentes morfológicos e o valor nutritivo de Panicum maximum cultivar Tanzânia, com aplicação de uma segunda dose de adubação nitrogenada em março, no final do verão. Anualmente, foram aplicados em cobertura 50, 17,5 e 33,2 kg ha-1 de N, P e K, respectivamente, em novembro. Além disso, a metade da área recebeu 50 kg ha-1 de N adicional, em março. Os tratamentos foram doses de 50 e 100 kg ha-1 de N em pastos de capim-tanzânia. Os piquetes foram subdivididos em seis e submetidos ao pastejo rotacionado. Foram avaliados a massa de forragem, os componentes morfológicos e o valor nutritivo. A aplicação adicional de N, em março, promoveu aumento nas taxas de acúmulo de matéria seca verde e de lâmina foliares, com maiores efeitos no outono. Houve acréscimos nos teores de proteína bruta e de digestibilidade in vitro da matéria orgânica da forrageira logo após a aplicação do N. A adubação com 50 kg ha-1 por ano de N foi suficiente para manter a produção de forragem estável durante três anos, sob pastejo. A aplicação de 50 kg ha-1 por ano de N adicional, em março, diminuiu a estacionalidade da produção forrageira, além de produzir forragem de maior valor nutritivo durante o outono.

Iowa Mass Concrete for Bridge Foundation Study - Phase II, Final Report, 2014

The early-age thermal development of structural mass concrete elements has a significant impact on the future durability and longevity of the elements. If the heat of hydration is not controlled, the elements may be susceptible to thermal cracking and damage from delayed ettringite formation. In the Phase I study, the research team reviewed published literature and current specifications on mass concrete. In addition, the team observed construction and reviewed thermal data from the westbound (WB) I-80 Missouri River Bridge. Finally, the researchers conducted an initial investigation of the thermal analysis software programs ConcreteWorks and 4C-Temp&Stress. The Phase II study is aimed at developing guidelines for the design and construction of mass concrete placements associated with large bridge foundations. This phase included an additional review of published literature and a more in-depth investigation of current mass concrete specifications. In addition, the mass concrete construction of two bridges, the WB I-80 Missouri River Bridge and the US 34 Missouri River Bridge, was documented. An investigation was conducted of the theory and application of 4C-Temp&Stress. ConcreteWorks and 4C-Temp&Stress were calibrated with thermal data recorded for the WB I-80 Missouri River Bridge and the US 34 Missouri River Bridge. ConcreteWorks and 4C-Temp&Stress were further verified by means of a sensitivity study. Finally, conclusions and recommendations were developed, as included in this report.

Using STD occurence to monitor AIDS prevention : final report of the Working Group on STD Surveillance.

The overall aim of the project has been to assess the extent to which data on the frequency of occurence of STDs [Sexually transmitted diseases] might be useful in the monitoring and evaluation of AIDS prevention programmes. The objectives have been to answer the following questions: (a) Can measures of STD occurence be used as an outcome measure of AIDS/HIV preventive efforts ? In particular: -> which diseases might be useful ? -> in what ways could they be used ? (b) If measures of STD occurence can be used in this way, is existing surveillance data in Western Europe adequate for the purpose ? If not why not ? (c) What do data from existing STD surveillance systems tell us about the success or failure of AIDS prevention to date ? (d) What needs to be done in order taht STD surveillance data in the countries of Western Europe could be used for this purpose ? [Authors, p. 4]

Superpave Mix Designs for Low-Volume Roads, TR-414, Final Report, 2004

Most research current to the time of these projects was focused on use of Superpave mix designs on higher volume roads. Low volume roads have different requirements in terms of mix design, aggregate types, aggregate sources and project budgets. The purpose of this research was to determine if the Superpave mix design strategy for low volume roads was practical and economical. Eight projects were selected in five counties. The projects were completed in the summer of 1998. Performance evaluation of the resulting pavements was carried out annually. There was no significant increase in costs related to the use of Superpave. Nor were there any significant construction issues. There were some differences noted in placement and compaction in the field, but these were not serious.