The dogs that didn't bark in the Blitz: transpecies and transpersonal emotional geographies on the British home front

This paper uses a case study of animals in wartime to ask how historical animal geographers might approach the historical geography of emotions. Its substantive focus is the entangled emotional experiences of humans and companion animals during the Second World War on the British home front. Arguing against a focus on the practical and political difficulties of keeping pets, this paper moves away from the preemptive killing of pets during the phoney war of 1939-40 to evidence for the value placed on pets by pet owners, civilians in general and the British state. Drawing principally on Mass-Observation surveys, this paper investigates the complexities of the emotional dynamics of the home front, where affect and emotion between people and individual companion animals were transmitted and amplified. Moreover, it is emphasised that transpecies emotions were portrayed as valuable to wartime morale, and thus became part of governmental calculation. Taking morale as a distinct form of collective affect targeted by the wartime state, we can thus add a more-than-human dimension to historical geographies of emotion. In sum, this paper argues that emotion should be considered as both a transpersonal and a transpecies phenomenon: transpersonal because collectively mediated, and transpecies because of the emotional interactions between people and nonhuman animals

Edge Drain Performance

Edge drain systems are used on new highway construction projects and rehabilitation projects to reduce the moisture content of the pavement block and subgrade. Maintaining dry conditions in and around these components increases the subgrade strength and extends a pavement’s surface life. Edge drain systems can only operate effectively, however, if the entire subsurface drainage system functions properly. While many studies have demonstrated the benefits of edge drain systems, no comprehensive investigation of their performance has been undertaken in the state of Kentucky in over 20 years. After the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) identified problems with an edge drainage system along a segment of Interstate 275 in Kenton County, the agency commissioned researchers at the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) to evaluate the performance of edge drains on roadway segments that will be resurfaced in the coming years. Researchers comprehensively inspected 10 roadway segments, assessing several components of their edge drain systems. For edge drain systems with headwalls, researchers found that all headwalls (n =126) were in good condition and free of structural issues. Roughly 29% of the outfall waterways prevented the flow of water from the headwall, while 65% of the outlet waterways were blocked to some extent by gravel, mud, silt, or other debris, and 61% of the outlet pipes were obstructed. Of the edge drain systems draining to catch basin inserts or ditch bottom inlets (n = 110), outfall waterways were clear on 97% of the systems, but just 14% of the edge drains were unobstructed. Based on inspections, edge drain systems were classified as good, compromised, or undetermined (the final designation being used if conditions prevented a full inspection) and identified a probable failure mode. Approximate 75% of the problems found during inspections were related to maintenance, with the remainder the product of construction activities. To preserve edge drains in a functional condition, post-installation inspections should be conducted, and yearly inspections and cleanings of headwalls and outlet pipes completed. Other methods for outletting water (e.g., dry wells) can also be explored

Determination of Constructed Pavement Layer Thicknesses Using Nondestructive Testing (NDT)

Using nondestructive testing (NDT) to measure the thickness of pavement layers can improve the overall life of a new concrete and/or asphalt pavement. Conventional test methods require the extraction of a core from the pavement section to verify its thickness. Currently, two NDT technologies are commercially available which eliminate or reduce the need to core the existing pavement for thickness verification. The MIT-Scan-T2 (T2) utilizes magnetic pulse induction coupled with preset metal plates to obtain a thickness value. Measurements can be obtained quickly to an accuracy of +/– 2 mm. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) uses electromagnetic radiation to determine pavement layer thickness. However, GPR data need to be calibrated with an actual core during the post-processing phase to obtain the highest accuracy. Additionally, the dielectric properties of pavement sections being assessed with GPR must first stabilize to accurately measure thickness. Generally, stabilization occurs approximately 28 days after the initial placement of the pavement

Horace H. Comstock, John Kean, and William Baker with Norman Little, August 2, 1836

Indenture for the sale of land in Saginaw, Michigan from Norman Little to Horace H. Comstock, John Kean, and William Baker.https://digitalcommons.kean.edu/lhc_1830s/1112/thumbnail.jp

AID Project Summary Report for Intelligent Compaction

This study reviews data from five roadway construction projects on which intelligent compaction (IC) techniques were used to achieve the more uniform compaction of road-building materials. Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) researchers looked at IC data collected from these projects — resulting in the production of eight analyzable data sets — to determine whether they complied with the special construction note included in contract documents. The report also compares the intelligent compaction measurement value (ICMV) collected on each project to traditional laboratory results. Researchers used Veta software to analyze geospatial data collected from IC machines during construction work. Of the data sets, three indicated the required minimum coverage pass count had been achieved, although these did not attain the required minimum coverage for ICMV. Three other data sets achieved minimum ICMV coverage, while the final two data sets did not reach minimum coverage for either metric. Regression analysis found no meaningful relationship between density and ICMV. Attention is also paid to challenges which arose during the review of IC data and feedback received from contractors about the use of IC. Contractors appreciate that IC is able to transmit real-time data to operators and provides access to the mat temperature, however they observed inconsistencies with the ICMV for mill/fill projects and on new construction. These inconsistencies are the product of several factors, including cuts, fills, soil types, and the amount of water in the roller. A special construction note with instructions for using IC on Federal-aid projects is included as well. It specifies materials and equipment requirements, contractor responsibilities, construction methods, payment, and performance measures

Periodic and discrete Zak bases

Weyl's displacement operators for position and momentum commute if the product of the elementary displacements equals Planck's constant. Then, their common eigenstates constitute the Zak basis, each state specified by two phase parameters. Upon enforcing a periodic dependence on the phases, one gets a one-to-one mapping of the Hilbert space on the line onto the Hilbert space on the torus. The Fourier coefficients of the periodic Zak bases make up the discrete Zak bases. The two bases are mutually unbiased. We study these bases in detail, including a brief discussion of their relation to Aharonov's modular operators, and mention how they can be used to associate with the single degree of freedom of the line a pair of genuine qubits.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures; displayed abstract is shortened, see the paper for the complete abstrac

Sloped and Mitered Concrete Headwalls

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) currently uses several pipe culvert end treatments, including standard headwalls, slope and flared headwalls, sloped and parallel headwalls, and safety metal ends. These treatments, however, can pose a safety hazard to motorists and those performing landscaping work (e.g., mowing). Crash statistics from 2012 through 2016 for Kentucky reveal that 49 fatalities and 148 incapacitating injuries occurred in incidents where culverts/headwalls were coded as the first harmful event on the police report. One solution to the safety hazards associated with standard pipe culvert headwalls is to use sloped and mitered concrete headwalls instead. To evaluate the viability of sloped and mitered concrete headwalls for widespread use, Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) researchers reviewed industry guidance and best practices; observed, documented, and analyzed several projects on which sloped and mitered concrete headwalls were used; developed cost comparisons for sloped and mitered concrete headwalls and conventional headwalls, and evaluated specifications for sloped and mitered concrete headwalls adopted by other states. Sloped and mitered concrete headwalls conform with industry guidance and protect against significant vehicle damage. Observations of sloped and mitered concrete headwalls used on KYTC projects attested to the importance of establishing and applying unambiguous design and construction criteria. Specifically, the grade should be set before a slope and mitered headwall is installed. Furthermore, adding grate bars will improve performance as will securing pipe ends to the headwall. A sample of headwalls should be chosen for long-term monitoring purposes, with inspections conducted each year. Overall, sloped and mitered concrete headwalls are an attractive option given they can be installed quickly and without special equipment, their robust performance, and low cost compared to standard pipe culvert headwalls

Non-Nuclear Methods for Compaction Control of Unbound Soil and Granular Layers

In highway construction, the nuclear density gauge (NDG) is the industry standard for measuring soil density and moisture. They are widely used at state transportation agencies, however, because of their reliance on radiation, NDGs are expensive to maintain and have unique storage requirements. Operators must also earn specialized certifications and adhere to rigorous safety protocols. Equipment manufacturers have developed several non-nuclear density gauges which are more user friendly, however, their accuracy has sometimes not equaled NDGs. This comparative study evaluated the performance of the eGauge (a relatively new device) to NDGs. Over 100 soil density and moisture measurements were collected from nine field sites throughout Kentucky. At sites characterized by silt/clay and shale or stabilized clay, NDGs and the soil density eGauge produced statistically similar soil density readings, while significant differences were observed for clays and full depth reclamation (FDR). Across all sites, 82.5% of the NDG and eGauge density readings were within +/- 5% of one another. For soil moisture, readings from NDGs and the eGauge were compared to samples dried in an oven laboratory. At sites characterized by silt/clay and shale, the NDGs, eGauge, and lab samples yielded significantly different measurements, while at sites with clay the eGauge measures differed significantly from those acquired via NDGs and the lab samples. No significant differences were noted for stabilized clays. Based on raw data, 88.2% of NDG and 48.0% of eGauge soil moisture readings were within +/- 5 percentage points of the corresponding lab measurement. For most soil types, the eGauge produces sufficiently accurate readings for field use, although further study of clays and FDR is needed

Longer Lasting Bridge Deck Overlays

The objective of this report is to determine the most effective method for bridge deck overlay construction and repair by assessing current practices; examining new products and technologies; and reviewing NCHRP (National Cooperative Highway Research Program) guidelines, state standard specifications, ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) infrastructure ratings, and original bridge core chloride penetration data. Based on the review, this report offers the following conclusions. Latex modified concrete (LMC) overlays perform well, provide a long service life, and are the most commonly used method of bridge deck rehabilitation. Ohio considers microsilica concrete (MSC) overlays as state of the art due to their lower permeability. Superplasticized dense concrete (SDC), fly-ash modified concrete (FAMC), and polymer modified concrete (PMC) are other acceptable choices for bridge deck overlays. Silane or epoxy sealers may be used as a low-cost preventative approach to slow the deterioration of concrete bridge decks. Waterproofing membranes have produced mixed results but have the potential to be an effective system if installed correctly. Rosphalt® can be an expensive material but offers benefits such as minimizing traffic disruption due to shorter installation periods and increased durability. The two most important conclusions drawn from this research are the importance of a comprehensive approach when selecting a bridge deck rehabilitation method, and the importance of properly following instructions when installing overlays or waterproofing membrane systems