Self-Consolidating Concrete—Applications for Slip-Form Paving: Phase I (Feasibility Study), 2005

Over-consolidation is often visible as longitudinal vibrator trails in the surface of concrete pavements constructed using slip-form paving. Concrete research and practice have shown that concrete material selection and mix design can be tailored to provide a good compaction without the need for vibration. However, a challenge in developing self-consolidating concrete for slip-form paving (SF SCC) is that the new SF SCC needs to possess not only excellent self-compactibility and stability before extrusion, but also sufficient “green” strength after extrusion, while the concrete is still in a plastic state. The SF SCC to be developed will not be as fluid as the conventional SCC, but it will (1) be workable enough for machine placement, (2) be self-compacting with minimum segregation, (3) hold shape after extrusion from a paver, and (4) have performance properties (strength and durability) compatible to current pavement concrete. The overall objective of this project is to develop a new type of SCC for slip-form paving to produce more workable concrete and smoother pavements, better consolidation of the plastic concrete, and higher rates of production. Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of designing a new type of SF SCC that can not only self-consolidate, but also have sufficient green strength. In this phase, a good balance between flowability and shape stability was achieved by adopting and modifying the mix design of self-consolidating concrete to provide a high content of fine materials in the fresh concrete. It was shown that both the addition of fine particles and the modification of the type of plasticizer significantly improve fresh concrete flowability. The mixes used in this phase were also found to have very good shape stability in the fresh state. Phase II will focus on developing a SF SCC mix design in the lab and a performing a trial of the SF SCC in the field. Phase III will include field study, performance monitoring, and technology transfer.

Remote Sensing Change Analysis Methodology to Support Traffic Monitoring Programs: Phase 2, 2004

The Center for Transportation Research and Education (CTRE) issued a report in July 2003, based on a sample study of the application of remote sensed image land use change detection to the methodology of traffic monitoring in Blackhawk County, Iowa. In summary, the results indicated a strong correlation and a statistically significant regression coefficient between the identification of built-up land use change areas from remote sensed data and corresponding changes in traffic patterns, expressed as vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Based on these results, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) requested that CTRE expand the study area to five counties in the southwest quadrant of the state. These counties are scheduled for traffic counts in 2004, and the Iowa DOT desired the data to 1) evaluate the current methodology used to place the devices; 2) potentially influence the placement of traffic counting devices in areas of high built-up land use change; and 3) determine if opportunities exist to reduce the frequency and/or density of monitoring activity in lower trafficked rural areas of the state. This project is focused on the practical application of built-up land use change data for placement of traffic count data recording devices in five southwest Iowa counties.

Effectiveness of psychotropic medications in the maintenance phase of bipolar disorder:a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the efficacy of maintenance treatments for bipolar disorder. Placebo-controlled or active comparator bipolar maintenance clinical trials of ≥6 months' duration with at least 15 patients/treatment group were identified using Medline, EMBASE, clinicaltrials.gov, and Cochrane databases (1993 to July 2010). The main outcome measure was relative risk for relapse for patients in remission. Twenty trials (5,364 patients) were identified. Overall, lithium and quetiapine were the most studied agents (eight and five trials, respectively). The majority of studies included patients who had previously responded to treatment for an acute episode. All interventions, with the exception of perphenazine+mood stabilizer, showed a relative risk for manic/mixed or depressive relapse below 1.0, although there was variation in the statistical significance of the findings vs. placebo. No monotherapy was associated with a significantly reduced risk for both manic/mixed and depressed relapse. Of the combination treatments, only quetiapine+lithium/divalproex, was associated with a significantly reduced risk vs. comparator (placebo+lithium/valproate) for relapse at both the manic/mixed and depressed poles of bipolar illness. Limitations for the analysis include differences in study durations and definitions of relapse. In conclusion, available maintenance therapies show considerable variation in efficacy. The efficacy of lithium and divalproex has been confirmed, but newer therapies, such as a number of atypical antipsychotics were also shown to be effective in bipolar disorder. Efficacy of all maintenance interventions needs to be balanced against the safety and tolerability profiles of individual agents.

Electronic Reference Library Phase I Report, 1999

This report describes the first phase in a project to develop an electronic reference library (ERL) to help Iowa transportation officials efficiently access information in critical and heavily used documents. These documents include Standard Specifications for Bridge and Highway Construction (hereinafter called Standard Specifications), design manuals, standard drawings, the Construction Manual, and Material Instruction Memoranda (hereinafter called Material IMs). Additional items that could be included to enhance the ERL include phone books, letting dates, Internet links, computer programs distributed by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), and local specifications, such as the Urban Standard Specifications of Public Improvements. All cross-references should be hyper linked, and a search engine should be provided. Revisions noted in the General Supplemental Specifications (hereinafter called the Supplemental Specifications) should be incorporated into the text of the Standard Specifications. The Standard Specifications should refer to related sections of other documents, and there should be reciprocal hyper links in those other documents. These features would speed research on critical issues and save staff time. A master plan and a pilot version were both developed in this first phase of the ERL.

Highway Maintenance Concept Vehicle Final Report: Phase Three, 2001

This report documents Phase III of a four-phase project. The goals of the project are to study the feasibility of using advanced technology from other industries to improve he efficiency and safety of winter highway maintenance vehicle operations, and to provide travelers with the level of service defined by policy during the winter season at the least cost to the taxpayers. The results of the first phase of the research were documented in the Concept Highway Maintenance Vehicle Final Report: Phase One dated April 1997, which describes the desirable functions of a concept maintenance vehicle and evaluates its feasibility. Phase I concluded by establishing the technologies that would be assembled and tested on the prototype vehicles in Phase II. The primary goals of phase II were to install the selected technologies on the prototype winter maintenance vehicles and to conduct proof of concept in advance of field evaluations planned for Phase III. This Phase III final report documents the work completed since the end of Phase II. During this time period, the Phase III work plan was completed and the redesigned friction meter was field tested. A vendor meeting was held to discuss future private sector participation and the new design for the Iowa vehicle. In addition, weather and roadway condition data were collected from the roadway weather information systems at selected sites in Iowa and Minnesota, for comparison to the vehicles' onboard temperature sensors. Furthermore, the team received new technology, such as the mobile Frensor unit, for bench testing and later installation.

Prognostic factors affecting long-term outcomes in patients with resected stage IIIA pN2 non-small-cell lung cancer: 5-year follow-up of a phase II study.

The aim was to investigate the efficacy of neoadjuvant docetaxel-cisplatin and identify prognostic factors for outcome in locally advanced stage IIIA (pN2 by mediastinoscopy) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. In all, 75 patients (from 90 enrolled) underwent tumour resection after three 3-week cycles of docetaxel 85 mg m-2 (day 1) plus cisplatin 40 or 50 mg m-2 (days 1 and 2). Therapy was well tolerated (overall grade 3 toxicity occurred in 48% patients; no grade 4 nonhaematological toxicity was reported), with no observed late toxicities. Median overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) times were 35 and 15 months, respectively, in the 75 patients who underwent surgery; corresponding figures for all 90 patients enrolled were 28 and 12 months. At 3 years after initiating trial therapy, 27 out of 75 patients (36%) were alive and tumour free. At 5-year follow-up, 60 and 65% of patients had local relapse and distant metastases, respectively. The most common sites of distant metastases were the lung (24%) and brain (17%). Factors associated with OS, EFS and risk of local relapse and distant metastases were complete tumour resection and chemotherapy activity (clinical response, pathologic response, mediastinal downstaging). Neoadjuvant docetaxel-cisplatin was effective and tolerable in stage IIIA pN2 NSCLC, with chemotherapy contributing significantly to outcomes.

New prognostic factors and calculators for outcome prediction in patients with recurrent glioblastoma: A pooled analysis of EORTC Brain Tumour Group phase I and II clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Prognostic models have been developed to predict survival of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM). To improve predictions, models should be updated with information at the recurrence. We performed a pooled analysis of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) trials on recurrent glioblastoma to validate existing clinical prognostic factors, identify new markers, and derive new predictions for overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS).¦METHODS: Data from 300 patients with recurrent GBM recruited in eight phase I or II trials conducted by the EORTC Brain Tumour Group were used to evaluate patient's age, sex, World Health Organisation (WHO) performance status (PS), presence of neurological deficits, disease history, use of steroids or anti-epileptics and disease characteristics to predict PFS and OS. Prognostic calculators were developed in patients initially treated by chemoradiation with temozolomide.¦RESULTS: Poor PS and more than one target lesion had a significant negative prognostic impact for both PFS and OS. Patients with large tumours measured by the maximum diameter of the largest lesion (⩾42mm) and treated with steroids at baseline had shorter OS. Tumours with predominant frontal location had better survival. Age and sex did not show independent prognostic values for PFS or OS.¦CONCLUSIONS: This analysis confirms performance status but not age as a major prognostic factor for PFS and OS in recurrent GBM. Patients with multiple and large lesions have an increased risk of death. With these data prognostic calculators with confidence intervals for both medians and fixed time probabilities of survival were derived.

Concomitant Cisplatin and Hyperfractionated Radiotherapy in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: Ten-year Follow-up of a Randomized Phase III Trial (SAKK 10/94)

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S): To analyze the long-term outcome of treatment with concomitant cisplatin and hyperfractionated radiotherapy in locally advanced head and neck cancer compared with hyperfractionated radiotherapy alone. MATERIALS/METHODS: From July 1994 to July 2000 a total of 224 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were randomized to either hyperfractionated radiotherapy (median dose 74.4 Gy; 1.2 Gy twice daily) or the same radiotherapy combined with two cycles of concomitant cisplatin (20mg/m2 for 5 consecutive days of weeks 1 and 5). The primary endpoint was time to any treatment failure; secondary endpoints were locoregional failure, metastatic failure, overall survival, and late toxicity assessed according to RTOG criteria. The trial was registered at the National Institutes of Health (www.clinicaltrials.gov; identifier number: NCT00002654). RESULTS: Median follow-up was 9.5 years (range, 0.1 - 15.4 years). Median time to any treatment failure was not significantly different between treatment arms (p = 0.19). Locoregional control (p\0.05), distant metastasis-free survival (p = 0.02) and cancer specific survival (p = 0.03) were significantly improved in the combined treatment arm, with no difference in late toxicity between treatment arms. However, overall survival was not significantly different (p = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS: After long-term follow-up combined treatment with cisplatin and hyperfractionated, radiotherapy maintained an improved locoregional control, distant metastasis-free survival, and cancer specific survival as compared to hyperfractionated radiotherapy alone with no difference in late toxicity.

On-line desorption of dried blood spots coupled to hydrophilic interaction/reversed-phase LC/MS/MS system for the simultaneous analysis of drugs and their polar metabolites.

An assay for the simultaneous analysis of pharmaceutical compounds and their metabolites from micro-whole blood samples (i.e. 5 microL) was developed using an on-line dried blood spot (on-line DBS) device coupled with hydrophilic interaction/reversed-phase (HILIC/RP) LC/MS/MS. Filter paper is directly integrated to the LC device using a homemade inox desorption cell. Without any sample pretreatment, analytes are desorbed from the paper towards an automated system of valves linking a zwitterionic-HILIC column to an RP C18 column. In the same run, the polar fraction is separated by the zwitterionic-HILIC column while the non-polar fraction is eluted on the RP C18. Both fractions are detected by IT-MS operating in full scan mode for the survey scan and in product ion mode for the dependant scan using an ESI source. The procedure was evaluated by the simultaneous qualitative analysis of four probes and their relative phase I and II metabolites spiked in whole blood. In addition, the method was successfully applied to the in vivo monitoring of buprenorphine metabolism after the administration of an intraperitoneal injection of 30 mg/kg on adult female Wistar rat.

Oscillations, phase-of-firing coding, and spike timing-dependent plasticity: an efficient learning scheme

Recent experiments have established that information can be encoded in the spike times of neurons relative to the phase of a background oscillation in the local field potential—a phenomenon referred to as “phase-of-firing coding” (PoFC). These firing phase preferences could result from combining an oscillation in the input current with a stimulus-dependent static component that would produce the variations in preferred phase, but it remains unclear whether these phases are an epiphenomenon or really affect neuronal interactions—only then could they have a functional role. Here we show that PoFC has a major impact on downstream learning and decoding with the now well established spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). To be precise, we demonstrate with simulations how a single neuron equipped with STDP robustly detects a pattern of input currents automatically encoded in the phases of a subset of its afferents, and repeating at random intervals. Remarkably, learning is possible even when only a small fraction of the afferents (~10%) exhibits PoFC. The ability of STDP to detect repeating patterns had been noted before in continuous activity, but it turns out that oscillations greatly facilitate learning. A benchmark with more conventional rate-based codes demonstrates the superiority of oscillations and PoFC for both STDP-based learning and the speed of decoding: the oscillation partially formats the input spike times, so that they mainly depend on the current input currents, and can be efficiently learned by STDP and then recognized in just one oscillation cycle. This suggests a major functional role for oscillatory brain activity that has been widely reported experimentally.

Multi institutional phase II study of concomitant stereotactic reirradiation and cetuximab for recurrent head and neck cancer.

PURPOSE: Recurrent head and neck cancer is associated to a poor survival prognosis. A high toxicity rate is demonstrated when surgery and/or radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy are combined. Furthermore, the duration of treatment is often not ethically compatible with the expected survival (median survival<1year). Normal tissues tolerance limits the use of reirradiation and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) could offer precise irradiation while sparing healthy tissues. After completion of a feasibility study, results of a multicentric study (Lille, Nancy & Nice) using SBRT with cetuximab are reported. The aim of the study was to deliver non toxic short course SBRT (2weeks) in order to get the same local control as the one demonstrated with longer protocols. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients with inoperable recurrent, or new primary tumor in a previously irradiated area, were included (WHO<3). Reirradiation (RT) dose was 36Gy in six fractions of 6Gy to the 85% isodose line covering 95% of the PTV with 5 injections of concomitant cetuximab (CT). All patients had previous radiotherapy, 85% had previous surgery and 48% previous chemotherapy. RESULTS: Between 11/2007 and 08/2010, 60 were included (46 men and 14 women), 56 received CT+RT, 3 were not treated and 1 received only CT. Median age was 60 (42-87)) and all 56 patients had squamous carcinoma and received concomitant cetuximab. Mean time between previous radiotherapy and the start of SBRT was 38months. Cutaneous toxicity was observed for 41 patients. There was one toxic death from hemorrhage and denutrition. Median follow-up was 11.4months. At 3months, response rate was 58.4% (95% CI: 43.2-72.4%) and disease control rate was 91.7% (95% CI: 80.0-97.7%). The one-year OS rate was 47.5% (95% CI: 30.8-62.4). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that short SBRT with cetuximab is an effective salvage treatment with good response rate in this poor prognosis population with previously irradiated HNC. Treatment is feasible and, with appropriate care to limiting critical structure, acute toxicities are acceptable. This combination may be the reference treatment is this population.

Nonequilibrium phase transition in a model for the propagation of innovations among economic agents

We characterize the different morphological phases that occur in a simple one-dimensional model of propagation of innovations among economic agents [X. Guardiola et al., Phys. Rev E 66, 026121 (2002)]. We show that the model can be regarded as a nonequilibrium surface growth model. This allows us to demonstrate the presence of a continuous roughening transition between a flat (system size independent fluctuations) and a rough phase (system size dependent fluctuations). Finite-size scaling studies at the transition strongly suggest that the dynamic critical transition does not belong to directed percolation and, in fact, critical exponents do not seem to fit in any of the known universality classes of nonequilibrium phase transitions. Finally, we present an explanation for the occurrence of the roughening transition and argue that avalanche driven dynamics is responsible for the novel critical behavior.

Ultimate Load Behavior of Full-Scale Highway Truss Bridges: Phase I - Ultimate Load Tests of the Hubby Bridge - Boone County, Interim Report, HR-169, 1975

As a result of the construction of the Saylorville Dam and Reservoir on the Des Moines River, six highway bridges crossing the river were scheduled for removal. One of these, an old pinconnected high-truss single-lane bridge, was selected for a testing program which included ultimate load tests. The purpose of the ultimate load tests, which are summarized in this report, was to relate design and rating procedures presently used in bridge design to the field behavior of this type of truss bridge. The ultimate load tests consisted of ultimate load testing of one span of the bridge, of two I-shaped floorbeams, and of two panels of the timber deck. The theoretical capacity of each of these components is compared with the results from the field tests.

GIS-Based Accident Location and Analysis System (GIS-ALAS) Project Report: Phase 1, 1998

This report summarizes progress made in Phase 1 of the GIS-based Accident Location and Analysis System (GIS-ALAS) project. The GIS-ALAS project builds on several longstanding efforts by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), law enforcement agencies, Iowa State University, and several other entities to create a locationally-referenced highway accident database for Iowa. Most notable of these efforts is the Iowa DOT’s development of a PC-based accident location and analysis system (PC-ALAS), a system that has been well received by users since it was introduced in 1989. With its pull-down menu structure, PC-ALAS is more portable and user-friendly than its mainframe predecessor. Users can obtain accident statistics for locations during specified time periods. Searches may be refined to identify accidents of specific types or involving drivers with certain characteristics. Output can be viewed on a computer screen, sent to a file, or printed using pre-defined formats.

Radiotherapy and temozolomide for newly diagnosed glioblastoma: recursive partitioning analysis of the EORTC 26981/22981-NCIC CE3 phase III randomized trial.

PURPOSE: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer and National Cancer Institute of Canada trial on temozolomide (TMZ) and radiotherapy (RT) in glioblastoma (GBM) has demonstrated that the combination of TMZ and RT conferred a significant and meaningful survival advantage compared with RT alone. We evaluated in this trial whether the recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) retains its overall prognostic value and what the benefit of the combined modality is in each RPA class. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Five hundred seventy-three patients with newly diagnosed GBM were randomly assigned to standard postoperative RT or to the same RT with concomitant TMZ followed by adjuvant TMZ. The primary end point was overall survival. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer RPA used accounts for age, WHO performance status, extent of surgery, and the Mini-Mental Status Examination. RESULTS: Overall survival was statistically different among RPA classes III, IV, and V, with median survival times of 17, 15, and 10 months, respectively, and 2-year survival rates of 32%, 19%, and 11%, respectively (P < .0001). Survival with combined TMZ/RT was higher in RPA class III, with 21 months median survival time and a 43% 2-year survival rate, versus 15 months and 20% for RT alone (P = .006). In RPA class IV, the survival advantage remained significant, with median survival times of 16 v 13 months, respectively, and 2-year survival rates of 28% v 11%, respectively (P = .0001). In RPA class V, however, the survival advantage of RT/TMZ was of borderline significance (P = .054). CONCLUSION: RPA retains its prognostic significance overall as well as in patients receiving RT with or without TMZ for newly diagnosed GBM, particularly in classes III and IV.