DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A MECHANISTIC AND EMPIRICAL DESIGN GUIDE (MEPDG) FOR RIGID PAVEMENTS — PHASE 2

The work investigates the impact of curing methods and their impact on subsequent curling in both the laboratory and the field in different drying environments. Results are also presented for a field instrumentation of a CRCP pavement in Tulsa, Oklahoma that uses a number of different curing methods. Next, a sensitivity analysis is completed for typical Oklahoma jointed and continuously reinforced pavements with different base friction parameters. Then the results from Darwin-ME are compared with field performance of CRCP and JPC pavements in Oklahoma. Finally, the shrinkage and coefficient of thermal expansion of concrete pavement mixtures are investigated with different past contents.Final report, October 2012-October 2014N

INVESTIGATION OF OPTIMIZED GRADED CONCRETE FOR OKLAHOMA - PHASE 2

Optimizing aggregate usage has been a subject widely discussed through the history of concrete. Since aggregates make up over 70% of the volume in a concrete mixture, the aggregate gradation is critical to the strength, workability, and durability of concrete. In practice, there is little quantitative guidance given to practitioners on aggregate proportioning in a mixture to meet the desired performance. The ACI 211 Mixture Design Procedure maybe the most widely taught mixture design method, but still is not widely used in practice due to limitations with the method. In fact, the ACI 211 method only contains a handful of aggregate parameters that many argue about the validity. One of the largest obstacles preventing the development of aggregate parameters and guidance comes from only a few test methods that are capable of providing quantitative data about the workability of concrete. This work focused on creating practical test methods and using them to understand how the aggregate gradation changes the workability of concrete.A series of workability tests for concrete were developed/used to investigate mixtures for bridge deck applications. Each test is used to evaluate various aggregate gradations and develop a new set of design recommendations and specifications.The ultimate product of this work is a new specification for the state of Oklahoma for mixtures with a greater durability at reduced cost and with improved sustainability. Based on 2015 production this design method has the potential to save the state of Oklahoma over $1.5 million per year, enough power for 440 Oklahoma homes, and reduce long term costs through reduced maintenance from durability issues.Final report, October 2013-October 2015N

Detecting the direction of a signal on high-dimensional spheres: Non-null and Le Cam optimality results

We consider one of the most important problems in directional statistics, namely the problem of testing the null hypothesis that the spike direction $\theta$ of a Fisher-von Mises-Langevin distribution on the $p$-dimensional unit hypersphere is equal to a given direction $\theta_0$. After a reduction through invariance arguments, we derive local asymptotic normality (LAN) results in a general high-dimensional framework where the dimension $p_n$ goes to infinity at an arbitrary rate with the sample size $n$, and where the concentration $\kappa_n$ behaves in a completely free way with $n$, which offers a spectrum of problems ranging from arbitrarily easy to arbitrarily challenging ones. We identify various asymptotic regimes, depending on the convergence/divergence properties of $(\kappa_n)$, that yield different contiguity rates and different limiting experiments. In each regime, we derive Le Cam optimal tests under specified $\kappa_n$ and we compute, from the Le Cam third lemma, asymptotic powers of the classical Watson test under contiguous alternatives. We further establish LAN results with respect to both spike direction and concentration, which allows us to discuss optimality also under unspecified $\kappa_n$. To investigate the non-null behavior of the Watson test outside the parametric framework above, we derive its local asymptotic powers through martingale CLTs in the broader, semiparametric, model of rotationally symmetric distributions. A Monte Carlo study shows that the finite-sample behaviors of the various tests remarkably agree with our asymptotic results.Comment: 47 pages, 4 figure

Use of a Novel Controlled Release Surface Curing Agent for Bridge Decks Phase 2

ODOT SPR Item Number 2258This report focuses on establishing methods to compare different curing methods and then determining how the timing of wet curing impacts the quality of the concrete in different evaporation environments. Chapter 2 uses electrical resistivity to non-destructively measure the moisture within concrete as it hydrates and correlates this to other measurements. Chapter 3 extends the electrical resistivity to evaluate how delays in the application of wet curing will impact the performance of bridge decks. The resistivity measurements provide new insights that are not easily obtained with other techniques and provide direct insights into the moisture change. The resistivity measurements over time are shown to correlate with the porosity, degree of saturation (DOS), and a novel tensile strength test. Chapter 4 provides an update on the use of Pulp Cure in the field and how modifications to the equipment can be used to make the application easier and more practical

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Expected life of silane water repellent treatments on bridge decks phase 2 / M. Tyler Ley, Mehdi Khanzadeh Moradllo.

This report outlines the investigation of the service life of silane sealers on Oklahoma bridge decks as well as laboratory investigation of a silane sealer and a two part sealer that uses both silane and epoxy. The performance of silanes on bridge decks was completed on 60 bridges that were in service between 5 to 20 years. Samples were taken from the travel lane and the shoulder. The work found that after 12 years that 100% of the silane applications were effective. By 15 years then only 68% were still effective and between 17 to 20 years then only 16% were still effective. The investigations suggest that abrasion was not a major deterioration mechanism; instead, deterioration from the high alkaline pore solution is suggested to be of importance. This work goes on to investigate a two part system of silane and epoxy sealer, a silane, and then a control sample and their resistance to chloride penetration. Both sealers show improved performance over the sample with just concrete. Additionally, a new experimental technique is presented that is capable of non-destructively imaging the penetration of external fluids into paste and mortar. This test is rapid, accurate, and can be used for in-situ testing. This test method again shows that the silane investigated was effective at reducing the ingress of ions.Final report, October 2013 _ September 2015N