Bridges Structural Health Monitoring and Deterioration Detection Synthesis of Knowledge and Technology

INE/AUTC 10.0

The impact of resources on decision making

Decision making is a significant activity within industry and although much attention has been paid to the manner in which goals impact on how decision making is executed, there has been less focus on the impact decision making resources can have. This article describes an experiment that sought to provide greater insight into the impact that resources can have on how decision making is executed. Investigated variables included the experience levels of decision makers and the quality and availability of information resources. The experiment provided insights into the variety of impacts that resources can have upon decision making, manifested through the evolution of the approaches, methods, and processes used within it. The findings illustrated that there could be an impact on the decision-making process but not on the method or approach, the method and process but not the approach, or the approach, method, and process. In addition, resources were observed to have multiple impacts, which can emerge in different timescales. Given these findings, research is suggested into the development of resource-impact models that would describe the relationships existing between the decision-making activity and resources, together with the development of techniques for reasoning using these models. This would enhance the development of systems that could offer improved levels of decision support through managing the impact of resources on decision making

Life Cycle Costs for Alaska Bridges

INE/AUTC 15.0

Dark matter as a cancer hazard

We comment on the paper "Dark Matter collisions with the Human Body" by K. Freese and C. Savage (Phys. Lett. B 717, 25 (2012) [arXiv:1204.1339]) and describe a dark matter model for which the results of the previous paper do not quite apply. Within this mirror dark matter model, potentially hazardous objects, mirror micrometeorites, can exist and may lead to diseases triggered by multiple mutations, such as cancer, though with very low probability.Comment: 7 pages, revtex4, some text and references added, version to be published in Physics Letters

Regional biomechanical and histological characterisation of the passive porcine urinary bladder: Implications for augmentation and tissue engineering strategies

The aim of this study was to identify and quantify potential regional and directional variations in the quasistatic uniaxial mechanical properties of the passive urinary bladder wall. Overall, the lower body and trigone regions demonstrated the highest degree of directional anisotropy, whereas the ventral region demonstrated the least directional anisotropy. Significant regional anisotropy was found only along the apex-to-base direction. The dorsal and ventral regions demonstrated a significantly increased distensibility along the apex-to-base direction compared to the other bladder regions, whereas the trigone and lower body regions demonstrated the least distensibility. The trigone, lower body and lateral regions also demonstrated the highest tensile Strength both at regional and directional levels. The study detected significant regional and directional anisotropy in the mechanical properties of the bladder and correlated this anisotropy to the distended and non-distended tissue histioarchitecture and whole organ mechanics. By elucidating the inhomogeneous nature of the bladder, the results from this study will aid the regional differentiation of bladder treatments in terms of partial bladder replacement with suitable natural or synthetic biomaterials, as well as the development of more realistic constitutive models of bladder wall biomechanics and improved computational simulations to predict deformations in the natural and augmented bladder. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Evaluation of techniques to reduce respirable dust exposure during asphalt-cutting

Includes bibliographical references

A Review of FRP Repair and Strengthening Methods for Application to Indiana Bridges

According to the most recent ASCE Infrastructure Report Card, many of the bridges in the United States are approaching the end of their design lives. For these bridges, reparative action needs to be taken to ensure the structural performance is adequate for the demand imposed. If repair or rehabilitation is not feasible, then replacement of a component or structure is necessary. To avoid the costly process of component or system replacement, methods of rehabilitation have been established using conventional materials and procedures. Although these industry-proven methods are useful, many of the procedures have issues with long-term performance and constructability. An alternative method of bridge repair and strengthening using fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) has become a popular option. The use of FRP can effectively rehabilitate a structurally deficient bridge for many scenarios of damage and degradation. Recognizing the potential benefits of the widespread use of FRP, a research project was initiated to determine the applicability of FRP application in Indiana. Using the current body of knowledge of FRP applications from Departments of Transportation across the United States, damage scenarios were determined along with the methods of application of FRP systems for proper repair and/or strengthening. Aspects such as flexural strengthening, shear strengthening, and column confinement were explored for superstructure and substructure components. Durability, anchorage, quality assurance-quality control, and design and application were other topics that were investigated for bridge elements in need of repair or strengthening. Following the literature review, a series of case studies was initiated to investigate the bridges in Indiana that have already received FRP repairs. The purpose of these case studies was to develop a timeline of structural issues each bridge had experienced prior to the repair, ascertain how and why the repairs were employed for each structure, and determine common issues found with each of the repairs. The information gathered from the case studies will be used to generate recommendations for INDOT to improve FRP repairs in the future. Finally, industry surveys were distributed to neighboring Midwestern DOTs and engineers within Indiana to gauge the current level of knowledge and usage of FRP. These surveys will help target gaps in knowledge and accurately determine how designers can more effectively use FRP in Indiana

The Benefits of Port Liberalization: A Case Study from India

In contrast to the rest of India, where it is the government that predominantly owns and manages ports, the Indian state of Gujarat has implemented various forms of port liberalization since the 1990s. This has helped it become the country's fastest growing state. Gujarat's economy has grown at an average of 10.14 percent per year from fiscal year 2001 to fiscal year 2006, the last five years for which data are available. This is comparable with China's average growth rate since 1978, and is distinctly faster than the growth of the other Asian tigers in the 15 years before the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Gujarat has broken new ground with different forms of privatization, ranging from private provision of port services to completely private ownership of new ports. The process started in the 1980s and gathered momentum rapidly after the central government in New Delhi enacted major economic reforms in the early 1990s. Gujarat has taken advantage of a constitutional loophole to convert its minor ports into some of the biggest ports in the country, vastly improved the availability and efficiency of port infrastructure, and facilitated the development of industrial centers that otherwise would not have existed. Gujarat's port liberalization, along with its status as one of the economically freest states in India, should serve as a model for the rest of India and other developing countries, which can also benefit from the dynamic gains of port privatization

Rebuilding Household Wealth: Implications for Economic Recovery

[Excerpt] Congress was an active participant in the policy responses to the 2007-2009 recession and its aftermath and has an ongoing interest in macro-economic conditions. Current macroeconomic concerns include whether the economy is in a sustained recovery, rapidly reducing unemployment, and speeding a return to normal output and employment growth. Faced with fiscal consolidation and limited further impetus from monetary policy, the momentum of the current economic recovery will likely be determined by the strength of spending by the private economy, particularly the strength of consumer spending. In the aftermath of the deep 2007-2009 recession, involving a huge loss of net worth and a large increase in the burden of debt, households’ actions to repair their balance sheets is thought by many economists to be a key factor dissipating the strength of consumer spending and, in turn, slowing economy-wide recovery and job creation. Where households currently stand in repairing their balance sheets is likely to have a strong effect on the strength of consumer spending. If substantially complete, it would point to the prospect of stronger consumer spending and increased momentum of the economic recovery; but if substantial wealth building is still needed, it would diminish that prospect. This report begins with a discussion (accompanied by graphics) of the slower than normal pace of the ongoing economic recovery and the likely role in that of weak consumer spending forced by a sharp loss of household net worth during the recession and the subsequent need to rebuild that lost wealth. Next, the report examines (also accompanied by graphics) where balance sheet repair currently stands, paying particular attention to the composition of assets that have been accumulated and the degree of debt reduction achieved. The report then considers the near-term prospect for stronger consumer spending and more rapid economic recovery. The report concludes with a discussion of the possible implications of household balance sheet repair for economic policy