An investigation of the beneficial effects of adding carbon nanotubes to standard injection grout

Mortar grouting is often used in masonry constructions to mitigate structural decay and repair damage by filling cracks and voids, resulting in an improvement in mechanical properties. This paper presents an original experimental investigation on grout with added carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The samples were prepared with different percentages of CNTs, up to 1.2 wt% with respect to the binder, and underwent three‐point bending tests in crack mouth opening displacement mode and compressive tests. The results showed that very small additions (up to 0.12 wt% of CNTs) increased not only flexural and compressive strengths (+73% and 35%, respectively, in comparison with plain mortar) but also fracture energy (+80%). These results can be explained on the basis of a reduction in porosity, as evidenced by mercury intrusion porosimetry, as well as by a crack bridging mechanism and by the probable formation of nucleation sites for hydration products, as observed through scanning electron microscopy

Geoscience after IT: Part J. Human requirements that shape the evolving geoscience information system

The geoscience record is constrained by the limitations of human thought and of the technology for handling information. IT can lead us away from the tyranny of older technology, but to find the right path, we need to understand our own limitations. Language, images, data and mathematical models, are tools for expressing and recording our ideas. Backed by intuition, they enable us to think in various modes, to build knowledge from information and create models as artificial views of a real world. Markup languages may accommodate more flexible and better connected records, and the object-oriented approach may help to match IT more closely to our thought processes

Poznawcze przesłanki semiozy zorientowanej na mit

This article addresses the cognitive premises of designation units denoting mythic concepts in a variety of texts and discourses. The article focuses on myth-oriented semiosis as a cognitive and cultural phenomenon reflected in the semantic transformations of lingual signs, resulting in the development of noematic senses relevant to the states of affairs in diverse worldviews or modelled alternative realities. This article provides an analysis of the basic cognitive models and procedures responsible for irrational cognition. The reconstructed cognitive models are then discussed in terms of their correspondence with the universal patterns of open system interaction and information exchange.Ten artykuł dotyczy poznawczych przesłanek jednostek desygnacyjnych oznaczających mityczne pojęcia w różnych tekstach i dyskursach. Artykuł koncentruje się na semiozie zorientowanej na mit jako zjawisku poznawczym i kulturowym odzwierciedlonym w semantycznych przekształceniach znaków językowych, co skutkuje rozwojem noematycznych zmysłów związanych ze stanami rzeczy w różnych światopoglądach lub modelowanych alternatywnych rzeczywistościach. Ten artykuł zawiera analizę podstawowych modeli i procedur poznawczych odpowiedzialnych za irracjonalne poznanie. Zrekonstruowane modele poznawcze są następnie omawiane pod kątem ich zgodności z uniwersalnymi wzorcami interakcji otwartego systemu i wymiany informacji

Victorian Splendor: Analysis of the Late 19\u3csup\u3eth\u3c/sup\u3e Century Decorative Ceiling at Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion in Germantown, Pennsylvania

The decorative ceiling in the Stevenson Bedroom of the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion in Philadelphia is one of the most outstanding examples of post-Centennial ornamental designs. The exotic, stylized, geometric pattern of the ceiling illustrates ideals set forth during the Centennial International Exhibition, held in Philadelphia in 1876, and emphasizes Victorians’ predisposition to live à la mode. However, as a result of harsh treatment conducted in the 1970’s and ‘80s and damaging environmental conditions, the ceiling design only partially remains today. This thesis considers an approach for interpreting decorative paintings where the original fabric is altered or missing. It argues that, in the absence of material evidence, an accurate estimation of decorative painting can be achieved by consulting a wide range of sources. Recommendations provided in this thesis incorporate raw data to create an authentic representation of a late 19th century interior, contributing to the historic interpretation of the site

Relation Ontology II

Conceived as follow-up to recent efforts destined to supply .owl ontologies with relational tools of greater complexity, the present article focuses on four main paths, all of them consisting in providing biomedical ontologies with formal means to express (1) deviations from normality, (2) topological connectedness, (3) inherence and (4) causality and function

Modelling of Metal-Coating Delamination Incorporating Variable Environmental Parameters

A mathematical model for metal-coat delamination of degrading metal was developed incorporating multiple variable environmental parameters. Metal-coat delamination not only depends on the electrochemical reactions at metal-coat interface but also on the factors like the type of propagating metal ions and their varying concentration with annual weather changes, time of exposure of the coated objects, type of coated objects are stationary or mobile vehicles, frequency with which certain vehicles are operating in various environments e.g. controlled or uncontrolled in terms of environmental conditions. A cutting edge model has been developed to calculate the varying environmental conditions using iteration algorithm, time dependent uncertain position of objects like vehicle in various environments using stochastic approach, effect of seasonal changes on ionic compound's concentration using algebraic method and instantaneous failure probability due to varying conditions. Based on the developed model a detailed simulation study was conducted to investigate the metal-coat delamination process and the ways to regress the under coat metal corrosion