Evaluating SmartRock Temperature Sensor Performance in Measuring Concrete Strength

Concrete testing is one of the most important parts of the concrete placement process. Traditionally, this is done through the use of 6x12 cylinders cured in a lab that are broken at various stages of the curing process. These cylinders are not necessarily representative of the in-situ concrete because of their differing curing conditions- indoors versus exposed to the elements. Wireless temperature sensors, like Giatec’s SmartRock, have the potential to determine concrete strength based off the temperature of the placed concrete over time, thus eliminating the need for cylinder breaks. Once calibrated to the specific mix design, these wireless sensors could prove to be a valuable tool to contractors as they could allow early stripping of forms or removal of concrete that is unlikely to make a specified strength. The accuracy of these sensors, and the difference between lab-cured and in-situ concrete, was tested against break tests performed using Cal Poly’s CM 114 Mix A. It was found that the sensors were within 7.7% of the broken results. The in-situ concrete compressive strength was within 3.6% of the lab-cured concrete. These results indicate no significant difference in compressive strength between sensors and cylinders, or between lab-cured and in-situ concrete

The Use of Mapping as an Instructional Technique with Difference Model Readers

Purpose: This study investigated the use of mapping as an instructional technique to improve reading comprehension in readers exhibiting word-calling behavior (difference model readers) . Mapping is a graphic display of the events and ideas in a passage, depicting sequence and subordination. It was hypothesized that mapping would provide means for processing information from the text at the levels of concept formation, association and integration. Procedure: Six students in grades 7 through 10 were selected as subjects. They received instruction in mapping in conjunction with their regular reading program. At the conclusion of each instructional unit, a test passage was administered to measure change in comprehension abilities. The study utilized a single case experimental design; specifically, multiple baseline across subjects. Treatment lasted between 17 and 21 weeks, depending on the subject. In addition, pre- and post-test scores on the Reading Miscue Inventory were compared. Graphs generated by the multiple baseline procedure were analyzed through visual interpretation and the Rn statistic. All other data were subjected to descriptive analysis. Conclusions: The Rn statistic approached but did not achieve significance. Visual interpretation of the graphs indicated two trends: (1) the decreasing of variability in passage scores, and (2) the decreasing of extremely low scores of the lowest functioning subjects. Data from the Reading Miscue Inventory indicated substantial positive change in the subjects\u27 comprehension abilities. These findings give preliminary, limited support to the effectiveness of mapping in improving comprehension with difference model readers

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationBioretention as a green approach to urban stormwater management has gathered a great deal of attention by researchers over the last 10 years, and implementation is becoming more widespread. However, much of the research and implementation of bioretention has occurred in mesic sites that receive over 100 cm of annual precipitation (such as Prince George's County, MD, and North Carolina) and a need has been identified to study these systems in other climates. To address this need, a new bioretention design is proposed for stormwater treatment facilities in water-limited climates based on research that describes biogeochemical processes such as vegetation evapotranspiration (ET) and nutrient cycling in water-limited ecosystems. The nutrient removal of this design was tested over 1 year and compared to the performance of the more commonly implemented wetland bioretention design and a media filter with no plants. Also, a 15N isotopic label was added to each treatment to verify that plants directly participate in the removal of nitrogen from stormwater inputs. The results of these studies demonstrate that a bioretention system designed to closely match arid ecosystem hydrology that includes the use of upland plants does remove more total nitrogen and phosphorus than the no-plant media filter, but the more commonly used wetland community removed the most total nitrogen and phosphorus of the tested designs. The added nitrogen label was identified in all vegetation in both the upland and wetland communities. Forty-six percent of the added 15N label was recovered in the effluent of the control cell within 1 month of the addition of the label; 21% and 7% of the added label was recovered in the same time period from the upland and wetland treatments, respectively. In conclusion, the proposed design does protect receiving waters from nutrient loading associated with stormwater runoff from urban landforms, but increasing planting densities by two or three times and expanding the palate of vegetation used may improve this performance

Anaplasmataceae as Human Pathogens : Biology, Ecology and Epidemiology

This review describes the biology, ecology, and epidemiology of known human pathogens in the family Anaplasmataceae that are transmitted by ticks and belong to the genus Anaplasma and genus Ehrlichia. We discuss the current status of diagnosis and surveillance of the diseases they cause, and address the challenges and new perspectives raised due to continuous recognition of new emerging human pathogens in the family Anaplasmataceae

Challenges Posed by Tick-borne Rickettsiae: Eco- Epidemiology and Public Health Implications

Rickettsiae are obligately intracellular bacteria that are transmitted to vertebrates by a variety of arthropod vectors, primarily by fleas and ticks. Once transmitted or experimentally inoculated into susceptible mammals, some rickettsiae may cause febrile illness of different morbidity and mortality, and which can manifest with different types of exhanthems in humans. However, most rickettsiae circulate in diverse sylvatic or peridomestic reservoirs without having obvious impacts on their vertebrate hosts or affecting humans. We have analyzed the key features of tick-borne maintenance of rickettsiae, which may provide a deeper basis for understanding those complex invertebrate interactions and strategies that have permitted survival and circulation of divergent rickettsiae in nature. Rickettsiae are found in association with a wide range of hard and soft ticks, which feed on very different species of large and small animals. Maintenance of rickettsiae in these vector systems is driven by both vertical and horizontal transmission strategies, but some species of Rickettsia are also known to cause detrimental effects on their arthropod vectors. Contrary to common belief, the role of vertebrate animal hosts in maintenance of rickettsiae is very incompletely understood. Some clearly play only the essential role of providing a blood meal to the tick while other hosts may supply crucial supplemental functions for effective agent transmission by the vectors. This review summarizes the importance of some recent findings with known and new vectors that afford an improved understanding of the eco-epidemiology of rickettsiae; the public health implications of that information for rickettsial diseases are also described. Special attention is paid to the co-circulation of different species and genotypes of rickettsiae within the same endemic areas and how these observations may influence, correctly or incorrectly, trends, and conclusions drawn from the surveillance of rickettsial diseases in humans

Energy Efficiency Improvements in Dry Drilling with Optimised Diamond-Like Carbon Coating

We demonstrate enhancements of performance and energy efficiency of cutting tools by deposition of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings on machine parts. DLC was deposited on steel drill bits, using plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) with the acetylene precursor diluted with argon, to produce a surface with low friction and low wear rate. Drill bit performance in dry drilling of aluminium was quantified by analysis of power consumption and swarf flow. Optimised deposition conditions produced drill bits with greatly enhanced performance over uncoated drill bits, showing a 25% reduction in swarf clogging, a 36% reduction in power consumption and a greater than five-fold increase in lifetime. Surface analysis with scanning electron microscopy shows that DLC coated drills exhibit much lower aluminium build up on the trailing shank of the drill, enhancing the anti-adhering properties of the drill and reducing heat generation during operation, resulting in the observed improvements in efficiency. Variation of drilling efficiency with argon dilution of precursor is related to changes in the microstructure of the DLC coating

The Biology and Taxonomy of Head and Body Lice— Implications for Louse-Borne Disease Prevention

Sucking lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura) are obligate blood-feeding ectoparasites of placental mammals including humans. Worldwide, more than 550 species have been described and many are specific to a particular host species of mammal [1]. Three taxa uniquely parasitize humans: the head louse, body louse, and crab (pubic) louse. The body louse, in particular, has epidemiological importance because it is a vector of the causative agents of three important human diseases: epidemic typhus, trench fever, and louse-borne relapsing fever. Since the advent of antibiotics and more effective body louse control measures in the 1940s, these diseases have markedly diminished in incidence. However, due to 1) increasing pediculicide resistance in human lice, 2) reemergence of body louse populations in some geographic areas and demographic groups, 3) persistent head louse infestations, and 4) recent detection of body louse-borne pathogens in head lice, lice and louse-borne diseases are an emerging problem worldwide. This mini-review is focused on human body and head lice including their biological relationship to each other and its epidemiological relevance, the status and treatment of human louse-borne diseases, and current approaches to prevention and control of human louse infestations