Calibration of Resistance Factors for Driven Piles using Static and Dynamic Tests

The field of geotechnical engineering has evolved from Allowable Stress Design (ASD) to Load Factor and Resistance Design (LRFD) which has led to a need to quantify the measures of uncertainty and the level of reliability associated with a project. The measures of uncertainty are quantified by load and resistance factors, while the level of reliability is driven by the amount of risk an owner is willing to take and is quantified by the reliability index. The load factors are defined through structural design codes, but the resistance factors have uncertainties that can be mitigated through reliability based design. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) have recommended resistance factors that are dependent on the type of load tests conducted and are available as a reference to state agencies. The objective of this study was to improve the AASHTO recommended resistance factors used by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD), thereby, increasing allowable pile capacity and reducing deep foundation costs. Revised resistance factors for field acceptance based on dynamic testing were established through the analysis of pile load test data where both static and dynamic load testing was conducted. Pile load tests were separated by pile type and soil type. It was important that the load test data analyzed represented soil and geologic conditions similar to those found in Arkansas. The resistance factors determined from this analysis improved AHTD current practice, but indicated that the factors recommended by AASHTO may be unconservative for this region

Structure and correlation effects in semiconducting SrTiO₃

We have investigated the effects of structure change and electron correlation on SrTiO₃ single crystals using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We show that the cubic to tetragonal phase transition at 105 K is manifested by a charge transfer from in-plane (dyz and dzx) bands to out-of-plane (dxy) band, which is opposite to the theoretical predictions. Along this second-order phase transition, we find a smooth evolution of the quasiparticle strength and effective masses. The in-plane band exhibits a peak-dip-hump lineshape, indicating a high degree of correlation on a relatively large (170 meV) energy scale, which is attributed to the polaron formation

Cure Violence: A Public Health Model to Reduce Gun Violence

Scholars and practitioners alike in recent years have suggested that real and lasting progress in the fight against gun violence requires changing the social norms and attitudes that perpetuate violence and the use of guns. The Cure Violence model is a public health approach to gun violence reduction that seeks to change individual and community attitudes and norms about gun violence. It considers gun violence to be analogous to a communicable disease that passes from person to person when left untreated. Cure Violence operates independently of, while hopefully not undermining, law enforcement. In this article, we describe the theoretical basis for the program, review existing program evaluations, identify several challenges facing evaluators, and offer directions for future research

Kohn anomaly and interplay of electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions in epitaxial graphene

The interplay of electron-phonon (el-ph) and electron-electron (el-el) interactions in epitaxial graphene is studied by directly probing its electronic structure. We found a strong coupling of electrons to the soft part of the A1g phonon evident by a kink at 150+/-15 meV, while the coupling of electrons to another expected phonon E2g at 195 meV can only be barely detected. The possible role of the el-el interaction to account for the enhanced coupling of electrons to the A1g phonon, and the contribution of el-ph interaction to the linear imaginary part of the self energy at high binding energy are also discussed. Our results reveal the dominant role of the A1g phonon in the el-ph interaction in graphene, and highlight the important interplay of el-el and el-ph interactions in the self energy of graphene.Comment: accepted to Phys. Rev.

Polarization control at the microscopic and electronic structure observatory

The new Microscopic and Electronic Structure Observatory (MAESTRO) at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) in Berkeley provides X-rays of variable polarization, produced by an elliptically polarized undulator (EPU), for angle resolved photoemission (ARPES) and photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) experiments. The interpretation of photoemission data, in particular of dichroism effects in ARPES, requires the precise knowledge of the exact polarization state. Numerical simulations show that the first harmonics of the EPU at MAESTRO provides soft X-rays of almost 100% on axis polarization. However, the higher harmonics as well as the downstream optical elements of the beamline, have a considerable impact on the polarization of the light delivered to the experimental end-station. Employing a simple reflective polarimeter, the polarization is characterized for variable EPU and beamline settings and the overall degree of polarization in the MAESTRO end-stations is estimated to be on the order of 83%

Morphology of graphene thin film growth on SiC(0001)

Epitaxial films of graphene on SiC(0001) are interesting from a basic physics as well as applications-oriented point of view. Here we study the emerging morphology of in-vacuo prepared graphene films using low energy electron microscopy (LEEM) and angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES). We obtain an identification of single and bilayer of graphene film by comparing the characteristic features in electron reflectivity spectra in LEEM to the PI-band structure as revealed by ARPES. We demonstrate that LEEM serves as a tool to accurately determine the local extent of graphene layers as well as the layer thickness

Dirac dispersion and non-trivial Berry's phase in three-dimensional semimetal RhSb3

We report observations of magnetoresistance, quantum oscillations and angle-resolved photoemission in RhSb$_3$, a unfilled skutterudite semimetal with low carrier density. The calculated electronic band structure of RhSb$_3$ entails a $Z_2$ quantum number $\nu_0=0,\nu_1=\nu_2=\nu_3=1$ in analogy to strong topological insulators, and inverted linear valence/conduction bands that touch at discrete points close to the Fermi level, in agreement with angle-resolved photoemission results. Transport experiments reveal an unsaturated linear magnetoresistance that approaches a factor of 200 at 60 T magnetic fields, and quantum oscillations observable up to 150~K that are consistent with a large Fermi velocity ($\sim 1.3\times 10^6$ ms$^{-1}$), high carrier mobility ($\sim 14$ $m^2$/Vs), and small three dimensional hole pockets with nontrivial Berry phase. A very small, sample-dependent effective mass that falls as low as $0.015(7)$ bare masses scales with Fermi velocity, suggesting RhSb$_3$ is a new class of zero-gap three-dimensional Dirac semimetal.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Visualizing Atomic-Scale Negative Differential Resistance in Bilayer Graphene

We investigate the atomic-scale tunneling characteristics of bilayer graphene on silicon carbide using the scanning tunneling microscopy. The high-resolution tunneling spectroscopy reveals an unexpected negative differential resistance (NDR) at the Dirac energy, which spatially varies within the single unit cell of bilayer graphene. The origin of NDR is explained by two near-gap van Hove singularities emerging in the electronic spectrum of bilayer graphene under a transverse electric field, which are strongly localized on two sublattices in different layers. Furthermore, defects near the tunneling contact are found to strongly impact on NDR through the electron interference. Our result provides an atomic-level understanding of quantum tunneling in bilayer graphene, and constitutes a useful step towards graphene-based tunneling devices. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.036804X11109sciescopu

Report in the Grand River Eagle

A report in the Grand River Eagle that a committee was organized in Grand Rapids to help the worthy and enterprising pastor, the Rev. A. C. Van Raalte, and his people in their settlement. Some members of the committee were appointed to visit Holland. E. B. Bostwick was chairman and A. D. Rathbone, secretary.https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/vrp_1840s/1138/thumbnail.jp