Asset Management for Mobility and ITS

MoDOT project # TR202117The Federal Highway Administration currently requires pavement and bridge National Highway System assets to be managed through a formal plan at the statewide level regardless of ownership. The methods for Transportation Asset Management planning for pavements and bridges are relatively well defined and mature. To incorporate evolving technologies and new industry standards, methods and practices need to continue to progress and evolve. New Intelligent Transportation System and Transportation Systems Management and Operations assets must be managed and maintained, with similar methods to bridges and pavements, to keep the asset management processes consistent. This project outlined a literature review, a state of the practice survey, an assessment of several state-published Transportation Asset Management Plans, and the development and application of a tool for use in varied settings across the Missouri to manage Intelligent Transportation Systems and other new mobility assets and highlights the importance of a common asset management approach, risk management, and quality data management plans. Future recommendations and strategies are provided to the Missouri Department of Transportation to improve and incorporate new mobility assets into existing transportation asset management plans

Project Report No. 62, Site Index Equations for Loblolly and Slash Pine Plantations in East Texas, Update: Fall 1998

This update utilizes height-age pairs measured from 1982 - 1998. As a result, the number of observations available for analysis is 1,814 loblolly and 788 slash. It is anticipated that the equations in this Fall 1998 update may quantify the productivity of East Texas loblolly and slash pine plantations in a more accurate and reliable manner than the seven previous sets of equations

Social dimensions of fertility behavior and consumption patterns in the Anthropocene.

We consider two aspects of the human enterprise that profoundly affect the global environment: population and consumption. We show that fertility and consumption behavior harbor a class of externalities that have not been much noted in the literature. Both are driven in part by attitudes and preferences that are not egoistic but socially embedded; that is, each household's decisions are influenced by the decisions made by others. In a famous paper, Garrett Hardin [G. Hardin, Science 162, 1243-1248 (1968)] drew attention to overpopulation and concluded that the solution lay in people "abandoning the freedom to breed." That human attitudes and practices are socially embedded suggests that it is possible for people to reduce their fertility rates and consumption demands without experiencing a loss in wellbeing. We focus on fertility in sub-Saharan Africa and consumption in the rich world and argue that bottom-up social mechanisms rather than top-down government interventions are better placed to bring about those ecologically desirable changes

Evidence-based Kernels: Fundamental Units of Behavioral Influence

This paper describes evidence-based kernels, fundamental units of behavioral influence that appear to underlie effective prevention and treatment for children, adults, and families. A kernel is a behavior–influence procedure shown through experimental analysis to affect a specific behavior and that is indivisible in the sense that removing any of its components would render it inert. Existing evidence shows that a variety of kernels can influence behavior in context, and some evidence suggests that frequent use or sufficient use of some kernels may produce longer lasting behavioral shifts. The analysis of kernels could contribute to an empirically based theory of behavioral influence, augment existing prevention or treatment efforts, facilitate the dissemination of effective prevention and treatment practices, clarify the active ingredients in existing interventions, and contribute to efficiently developing interventions that are more effective. Kernels involve one or more of the following mechanisms of behavior influence: reinforcement, altering antecedents, changing verbal relational responding, or changing physiological states directly. The paper describes 52 of these kernels, and details practical, theoretical, and research implications, including calling for a national database of kernels that influence human behavior

Beyond Lattice Matching: The Role of Hydrogen Bonding in Epitaxial Nucleation of Poly(hydroxyalkanoates) by Methylxanthines

Xanthine and a series of its methylated derivatives were evaluated as nucleating agents for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx), and the kinetics of isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization of neat and compounded samples were evaluated via differential scanning calorimetry. Xanthine and theobromine were effective as nucleating agents, whereas caffeine and theophylline were not. Xanthine and theobromine shortened the crystallization half-lives for isothermal crystallization and decreased the ΔEa of the combined crystallization and nucleation process from −51 to −160 kJ mol–1. The efficacy of methylxanthine derivatives in poly(hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) nucleation correlates to the presence or absence of a hydrogen bond-donating imide nitrogen along specific crystal surface planes that may template periodic interactions within the melt despite marginal crystalline lattice parameter matching between nucleating agent and polymer crystal. The results indicate that the nucleation of PHBHHx by these imide-containing compounds is governed by periodic hydrogen bonding motifs, which do not necessarily correspond with crystalline lattice parameters

Balancing Melt Solubility and Morphology in Epitaxial Nucleation: The Case of Nicotinic Acid and Poly(hydroxybutyrate-<i>co</i>-hydroxyhexanoate)

Nicotinic acid was evaluated as a melt-soluble nucleator for a poly(hydroxy­butyrate-co-hydroxy­hexanoate) (PHBHHx) copolymer for melt-processing applications. A series of nicotinic acid concentrations (1–5 wt %) were analyzed to determine the best concentration for overall nucleation performance. 2 w/w% nicotinic acid was found to be the optimal concentration, successfully crystallizing PHBHHx at a peak temperature of 73 °C under nonisothermal conditions. When extrusion is performed at 150 °C, 2 w/w% of nicotinic acid occupies an optimal concentration within the polymer where all the nicotinic acid is dissolved in the PHBHHx matrix, which is not the case at higher concentrations. 2 w/w% also recrystallizes rapidly to produce many fine, needle-like crystals that are highly active toward PHBHHx nucleation, which is not observed with other concentrations. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis of the differing nicotinic acid crystals determined that the (110) and (120) faces are likely responsible for nucleation. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis revealed a modest degradation of molecular weight, likely due to the E1cb degradation mechanism common in PHAs

Data rescue: saving environmental data from extinction.

Historical and long-term environmental datasets are imperative to understanding how natural systems respond to our changing world. Although immensely valuable, these data are at risk of being lost unless actively curated and archived in data repositories. The practice of data rescue, which we define as identifying, preserving, and sharing valuable data and associated metadata at risk of loss, is an important means of ensuring the long-term viability and accessibility of such datasets. Improvements in policies and best practices around data management will hopefully limit future need for data rescue; these changes, however, do not apply retroactively. While rescuing data is not new, the term lacks formal definition, is often conflated with other terms (i.e. data reuse), and lacks general recommendations. Here, we outline seven key guidelines for effective rescue of historically collected and unmanaged datasets. We discuss prioritization of datasets to rescue, forming effective data rescue teams, preparing the data and associated metadata, and archiving and sharing the rescued materials. In an era of rapid environmental change, the best policy solutions will require evidence from both contemporary and historical sources. It is, therefore, imperative that we identify and preserve valuable, at-risk environmental data before they are lost to science.Open access articleThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]