Influence of Different Drying Conditions on High Strength Concrete Compressive Strength

The influence of different drying conditions on the compressive strength and strength development rates of high strength concrete up to an age of 28 days was evaluated. Two HSC mixes with and without silica fume addition were used to cast cubes of 10 cm size. The cubes were stored in different drying conditions until the age of testing at 3, 7, 28 days

Experiments with Externally Prestressed Continuous Composite Girders

Steel-concrete composite girders have attractive potentials when applied in bridge construction. The serviceability performance of continuous composite girders is becoming more and more a deterministic parameter in the design of this type of structures. An effective method for improving this performance is to apply prestressing to control or completely eliminate concrete deck cracking caused by static and time dependent actions. Little literature has been found addressing the experimental analysis of continuous girders prestressed by means of external deviated tendons. The current research aims to investigate the behavior of a double-span steel composite beam externally prestressed by means of continuous tendons in terms of cracking characteristics, load deflection response, and load carrying capacity. The efficiency of prestressing is evaluated by comparing the results to those of a non-prestressed beam with similar cross sections and spans

Experimental Evaluation of Steel–Concrete bond Strength in Low-cost Self-compacting Concrete

The main objective of this research was to evaluate the potentials of self-compacting concrete (SCC) mixes to develop bond strength. The investigated mixes incorporated relatively high contents of dolomite powder replacing Portland cement. Either silica fume or fly ash was used along with the dolomite powder in some mixes. Seven mixes were proportioned and cast without vibration in long beams with 10 mm and 16 mm steel dowels fixed vertically along the concrete flow path. The beams were then broken into discrete test specimens. A push-out configuration was adopted for conducting the bond test. The variation of the bond strength along the flowing path for the different mixes was evaluated. The steel-concrete bond adequacy was evaluated based on normalized bond strength. The results showed that the bond strength was reduced due to Portland cement replacement with dolomite powder. The addition of either silica fume or fly ash positively hindered further degradation as the dolomite powder content increased. However, all SCC mixes containing up to 30% dolomite powder still yielded bond strengths that were adequate for design purpose. The test results demonstrated inconsistent normalized bond strength in the case of the larger bar diameter compared to the smaller one

Pros and cons of estimating the reproduction number from early epidemic growth rate of influenza A (H1N1) 2009

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In many parts of the world, the exponential growth rate of infections during the initial epidemic phase has been used to make statistical inferences on the reproduction number, <it>R</it>, a summary measure of the transmission potential for the novel influenza A (H1N1) 2009. The growth rate at the initial stage of the epidemic in Japan led to estimates for <it>R </it>in the range 2.0 to 2.6, capturing the intensity of the initial outbreak among school-age children in May 2009.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An updated estimate of <it>R </it>that takes into account the epidemic data from 29 May to 14 July is provided. An age-structured renewal process is employed to capture the age-dependent transmission dynamics, jointly estimating the reproduction number, the age-dependent susceptibility and the relative contribution of imported cases to secondary transmission. Pitfalls in estimating epidemic growth rates are identified and used for scrutinizing and re-assessing the results of our earlier estimate of <it>R</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Maximum likelihood estimates of <it>R </it>using the data from 29 May to 14 July ranged from 1.21 to 1.35. The next-generation matrix, based on our age-structured model, predicts that only 17.5% of the population will experience infection by the end of the first pandemic wave. Our earlier estimate of <it>R </it>did not fully capture the population-wide epidemic in quantifying the next-generation matrix from the estimated growth rate during the initial stage of the pandemic in Japan.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In order to quantify <it>R </it>from the growth rate of cases, it is essential that the selected model captures the underlying transmission dynamics embedded in the data. Exploring additional epidemiological information will be useful for assessing the temporal dynamics. Although the simple concept of <it>R </it>is more easily grasped by the general public than that of the next-generation matrix, the matrix incorporating detailed information (e.g., age-specificity) is essential for reducing the levels of uncertainty in predictions and for assisting public health policymaking. Model-based prediction and policymaking are best described by sharing fundamental notions of heterogeneous risks of infection and death with non-experts to avoid potential confusion and/or possible misuse of modelling results.</p

Performance of Beams Made of Low-cost Self-compacting Concrete in an Aggressive Environment

Self-Compacting Concrete mixes (SCC) incorporating silica fume, fly ash and dolomite powder were used in casting two groups of beams. The beams in one group were stored in an open environment, while those in the other group were subjected to salt attack and successive wet/drying cycles. The beams were stored for about one year under a sustained load. The structural performance of the stored beams was evaluated by testing the specimens under four-point loading until failure. The results indicated that the low-cost SCC mixes showed comparable structural behavior with respect to the corresponding control mixes in a normal environment. Different SCC mixes in a corrosive environment yielded a different structural performance, depending on the composition of the fillers

Influence of Different Drying Conditions on High Strength Concrete Compressive Strength

The influence of different drying conditions on the compressive strength and strength development rates of high strength concrete up to an age of 28 days was evaluated. Two HSC mixes with and without silica fume addition were used to cast cubes of 10 cm size. The cubes were stored in different drying conditions until the age of testing at 3, 7, 28 days

The minimum effort required to eradicate infections in models with backward bifurcation

We study an epidemiological model which assumes that the susceptibility after a primary infection is r times the susceptibility before a primary infection. For r = 0 (r = 1) this is the SIR (SIS) model. For r > 1 + (μ/α) this model shows backward bifurcations, where μ is the death rate and α is the recovery rate. We show for the first time that for such models we can give an expression for the minimum effort required to eradicate the infection if we concentrate on control measures affecting the transmission rate constant β. This eradication effort is explicitly expressed in terms of α,r, and μ As in models without backward bifurcation it can be interpreted as a reproduction number, but not necessarily as the basic reproduction number. We define the relevant reproduction numbers for this purpose. The eradication effort can be estimated from the endemic steady state. The classical basic reproduction number R 0 is smaller than the eradication effort for r > 1 + (μ/α) and equal to the effort for other values of r. The method we present is relevant to the whole class of compartmental models with backward bifurcation

The minimum effort required to eradicate infections in models with backward bifurcation

We study an epidemiological model which assumes that the susceptibility after a primary infection is r times the susceptibility before a primary infection. For r = 0 (r = 1) this is the SIR (SIS) model. For r > 1 + (μ/α) this model shows backward bifurcations, where μ is the death rate and α is the recovery rate. We show for the first time that for such models we can give an expression for the minimum effort required to eradicate the infection if we concentrate on control measures affecting the transmission rate constant β. This eradication effort is explicitly expressed in terms of α, r, and μ. As in models without backward bifurcation it can be interpreted as a reproduction number, but not necessarily as the basic reproduction number. We define the relevant reproduction numbers for this purpose. The eradication effort can be estimated from the endemic steady state. The classical basic reproduction number R0 is smaller than the eradication effort for r > 1 + (μ/α) and equal to the effort for other values of r. The method we present is relevant to the whole class of compartmental models with backward bifurcation

The minimum effort required to eradicate infections in models with backward bifurcation

We study an epidemiological model which assumes that the susceptibility after a primary infection is r times the susceptibility before a primary infection. For r = 0 (r = 1) this is the SIR (SIS) model. For r > 1 + (μ/α) this model shows backward bifurcations, where μ is the death rate and α is the recovery rate. We show for the first time that for such models we can give an expression for the minimum effort required to eradicate the infection if we concentrate on control measures affecting the transmission rate constant β. This eradication effort is explicitly expressed in terms of α, r, and μ. As in models without backward bifurcation it can be interpreted as a reproduction number, but not necessarily as the basic reproduction number. We define the relevant reproduction numbers for this purpose. The eradication effort can be estimated from the endemic steady state. The classical basic reproduction number R0 is smaller than the eradication effort for r > 1 + (μ/α) and equal to the effort for other values of r. The method we present is relevant to the whole class of compartmental models with backward bifurcation