Development of LRFD Procedures for Bridge Pile Foundations in Iowa: Volume I: An Electronic Database for PIle LOad Tests, September 2011

• Examine current pile design and construction procedures used by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT). • Recommend changes and improvements to these procedures that are consistent with available pile load test data, soils information, and bridge design practice recommended by the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) approach.

Mycobactéries non tuberculeuses maladie pulmonaire: quoi de neuf [Non tuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease: what's new?].

The incidence of NTM (non tuberculous mycobacteria) pulmonary disease is increasing. The diagnosis must be established in the presence of clinical, radiological and microbiological findings. Groups at risk to contract pulmonary disease due to NTM are patients with underlying structural lung disease. Treatment of NTM is long and requires multiple drugs combinations. Relapses and re-infection are not rare. Our understanding in many matters of NTM pulmonary disease is incomplete. Further research is necessary in order to understand the host's defense mechanisms against NTM, and the factors that influence the evolution to lung disease.

Mutations in penicillin-binding protein (PBP) genes and in non-PBP genes during selection of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus gordonii.

Penicillin resistance in Streptococcus spp. involves multiple mutations in both penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) and non-PBP genes. Here, we studied the development of penicillin resistance in the oral commensal Streptococcus gordonii. Cyclic exposure of bacteria to twofold-increasing penicillin concentrations selected for a progressive 250- to 500-fold MIC increase (from 0.008 to between 2 and 4 microg/ml). The major MIC increase (> or = 35-fold) was related to non-PBP mutations, whereas PBP mutations accounted only for a 4- to 8-fold additional increase. PBP mutations occurred in class B PBPs 2X and 2B, which carry a transpeptidase domain, but not in class A PBP 1A, 1B, or 2A, which carry an additional transglycosylase domain. Therefore, we tested whether inactivation of class A PBPs affected resistance development in spite of the absence of mutations. Deletion of PBP 1A or 2A profoundly slowed down resistance development but only moderately affected resistance in already highly resistant mutants (MIC = 2 to 4 microg/ml). Thus, class A PBPs might facilitate early development of resistance by stabilizing penicillin-altered peptidoglycan via transglycosylation, whereas they might be less indispensable in highly resistant mutants which have reestablished a penicillin-insensitive cell wall-building machinery. The contribution of PBP and non-PBP mutations alone could be individualized in DNA transformation. Both PBP and non-PBP mutations conferred some level of intrinsic resistance, but combining the mutations synergized them to ensure high-level resistance (> or = 2 microg/ml). The results underline the complexity of penicillin resistance development and suggest that inhibition of transglycosylase might be an as yet underestimated way to interfere with early resistance development.

Classification of urban multi-angular image sequences by aligning their manifolds

When dealing with multi-angular image sequences, problems of reflectance changes due either to illumination and acquisition geometry, or to interactions with the atmosphere, naturally arise. These phenomena interplay with the scene and lead to a modification of the measured radiance: for example, according to the angle of acquisition, tall objects may be seen from top or from the side and different light scatterings may affect the surfaces. This results in shifts in the acquired radiance, that make the problem of multi-angular classification harder and might lead to catastrophic results, since surfaces with the same reflectance return significantly different signals. In this paper, rather than performing atmospheric or bi-directional reflection distribution function (BRDF) correction, a non-linear manifold learning approach is used to align data structures. This method maximizes the similarity between the different acquisitions by deforming their manifold, thus enhancing the transferability of classification models among the images of the sequence.

Serrated polyps of the colon: how reproducible is their classification?

For several years, the lack of consensus on definition, nomenclature, natural history, and biology of serrated polyps (SPs) of the colon has created considerable confusion among pathologists. According to the latest WHO classification, the family of SPs comprises hyperplastic polyps (HPs), sessile serrated adenomas/polyps (SSA/Ps), and traditional serrated adenomas (TSAs). The term SSA/P with dysplasia has replaced the category of mixed hyperplastic/adenomatous polyps (MPs). The present study aimed to evaluate the reproducibility of the diagnosis of SPs based on currently available diagnostic criteria and interactive consensus development. In an initial round, H&E slides of 70 cases of SPs were circulated among participating pathologists across Europe. This round was followed by a consensus discussion on diagnostic criteria. A second round was performed on the same 70 cases using the revised criteria and definitions according to the recent WHO classification. Data were evaluated for inter-observer agreement using Kappa statistics. In the initial round, for the total of 70 cases, a fair overall kappa value of 0.318 was reached, while in the second round overall kappa value improved to moderate (kappa = 0.557; p < 0.001). Overall kappa values for each diagnostic category also significantly improved in the final round, reaching 0.977 for HP, 0.912 for SSA/P, and 0.845 for TSA (p < 0.001). The diagnostic reproducibility of SPs improves when strictly defined, standardized diagnostic criteria adopted by consensus are applied.

Variability between laboratories performing coagulation tests with identical platforms: a nationwide evaluation study.

BACKGROUND: While the assessment of analytical precision within medical laboratories has received much attention in scientific enquiry, the degree of as well as the sources causing variation between them remains incompletely understood. In this study, we quantified the variance components when performing coagulation tests with identical analytical platforms in different laboratories and computed intraclass correlations coefficients (ICC) for each coagulation test. METHODS: Data from eight laboratories measuring fibrinogen twice in twenty healthy subjects with one out of 3 different platforms and single measurements of prothrombin time (PT), and coagulation factors II, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI and XIII were analysed. By platform, the variance components of (i) the subjects, (ii) the laboratory and the technician and (iii) the total variance were obtained for fibrinogen as well as (i) and (iii) for the remaining factors using ANOVA. RESULTS: The variability for fibrinogen measurements within a laboratory ranged from 0.02 to 0.04, the variability between laboratories ranged from 0.006 to 0.097. The ICC for fibrinogen ranged from 0.37 to 0.66 and from 0.19 to 0.80 for PT between the platforms. For the remaining factors the ICC's ranged from 0.04 (FII) to 0.93 (FVIII). CONCLUSIONS: Variance components that could be attributed to technicians or laboratory procedures were substantial, led to disappointingly low intraclass correlation coefficients for several factors and were pronounced for some of the platforms. Our findings call for sustained efforts to raise the level of standardization of structures and procedures involved in the quantification of coagulation factors.

Development of a Database for Drilled Shaft Foundation Testing (DSHAFT), June 2012

Drilled shafts have been used in the US for more than 100 years in bridges and buildings as a deep foundation alternative. For many of these applications, the drilled shafts were designed using the Working Stress Design (WSD) approach. Even though WSD has been used successfully in the past, a move toward Load Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) for foundation applications began when the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a policy memorandum on June 28, 2000.The policy memorandum requires all new bridges initiated after October 1, 2007, to be designed according to the LRFD approach. This ensures compatibility between the superstructure and substructure designs, and provides a means of consistently incorporating sources of uncertainty into each load and resistance component. Regionally-calibrated LRFD resistance factors are permitted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to improve the economy and competitiveness of drilled shafts. To achieve this goal, a database for Drilled SHAft Foundation Testing (DSHAFT) has been developed. DSHAFT is aimed at assimilating high quality drilled shaft test data from Iowa and the surrounding regions, and identifying the need for further tests in suitable soil profiles. This report introduces DSHAFT and demonstrates its features and capabilities, such as an easy-to-use storage and sharing tool for providing access to key information (e.g., soil classification details and cross-hole sonic logging reports). DSHAFT embodies a model for effective, regional LRFD calibration procedures consistent with PIle LOad Test (PILOT) database, which contains driven pile load tests accumulated from the state of Iowa. PILOT is now available for broader use at the project website: http://srg.cce.iastate.edu/lrfd/. DSHAFT, available in electronic form at http://srg.cce.iastate.edu/dshaft/, is currently comprised of 32 separate load tests provided by Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska state departments of transportation and/or department of roads. In addition to serving as a manual for DSHAFT and providing a summary of the available data, this report provides a preliminary analysis of the load test data from Iowa, and will open up opportunities for others to share their data through this quality–assured process, thereby providing a platform to improve LRFD approach to drilled shafts, especially in the Midwest region.

Ranking of HMA Moisture Sensitivity Tests in Iowa, RB00-012, 2012

Several agencies specify AASHTO T283 as the primary test for field acceptance of moisture susceptibility in hot mix asphalt. When used in this application, logistical difficulties challenge its practicality, while repeatability is routinely scrutinized by contractors. An alternative test is needed which can effectively demonstrate the ability to screen mixtures based on expected performance. The ideal replacement can be validated with field performance, is repeatable, and allows for prompt reporting of results. Dynamic modulus, flow number, AASHTO T283, Hamburg wheel tracking device (HWTD), and the moisture induced sensitivity test (MIST) were performed on plant produced surface mixes in Iowa. Follow-up distress surveys were used to rank the mixes by their performance. The rankings indicate both the quantity of swelling from MIST conditioning and submersed flow number matched the performance ranking of all but one mixture. Hamburg testing parameters also appear effective, namely the stripping inflection point and the ratio between stripping slope and the creep slope. Dynamic modulus testing was ineffective, followed by AASHTO T283 and ratios produced from flow number results of conditioned samples.

Monitoring network optimisation for spatial data classification using support vector machines

The paper presents a novel method for monitoring network optimisation, based on a recent machine learning technique known as support vector machine. It is problem-oriented in the sense that it directly answers the question of whether the advised spatial location is important for the classification model. The method can be used to increase the accuracy of classification models by taking a small number of additional measurements. Traditionally, network optimisation is performed by means of the analysis of the kriging variances. The comparison of the method with the traditional approach is presented on a real case study with climate data.

Classification and Pay Plans FY2014, June 2013

This document Classifications and Pay Plans is produced by the State of Iowa Executive Branch, Department of Administrative Services. Informational document about the pay plan codes and classification codes, how to use them.