Case Histories of Jet Grouting for Canal Excavations

This paper presents a several case histories of jet grouting for the slope protection on soft soil. The design concept and the method of analysis of jet grouting, the method of adopted installation and effectiveness of jet grouting are presented and discussed. The project site of this study is located at Nakornsrithamarat province, South of Thailand. The comparison of soil properties before and after improvement by the jet grouting is presented. The jet grouted was adopted to serve as firm foundations and increases the slope stability during the construction process. Finally, it can be concluded that this case study can be a case study adopted for the other\u27s similar projects

Use of Natural Rubber Latex (NRL) in Improving Properties of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP)

Many issues, especially cost, need to be looked at when a new asphalt materials are considered for road construction. One major factor that impacts the cost is the volatility in oil price and stock availability. Consequently, this factor affects both road construction and maintenance by creating uncertainty and financial challenge for Thai manufacturers. Furthermore, all economies, either national or local, depend on adequate road infrastructure and their sound maintenance for growth and development.  One strategy for reducing the overall cost of road construction is through reclamation of existing pavement surfaces that are being repaired or replaced. A process of recycling asphaltic concrete pavement known as Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) has been employed in many countries. However, one drawback associated with this practice is the costly investment in the mixing equipment which mechanically rejuvenates the old asphalt pavement by blending it with new asphalt binder. In addition to the high cost of investment, the required quality of the RAP has not been assured due to the lack of enough evidence. The addition of Natural Rubber Latex (NRL) to the process of the recycling asphalt pavement with the aim of reducing production costs and improving the quality of the RAP, offers a promising solution. This paper describes the results of an investigation into the properties of reclaimed asphaltic concrete mix with added NRL. The properties investigated include the Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) and California Bearing Ratio (CBR). The results show that properties of the NRL modified RAP mix meet the required engineering specifications. The results show that mixing NRL content of 5-15% by weight with RAP and cement content of 3-7% produced a mixture that meet the specification of Thailand Department of Highways in terms of UCS and CBR value for use in layers of pavement. Apart from the positive environmental impact of using recycle material of RAP, the economic and financial benefits to Thailand and  rubber farmers make it worthwhile to use this NRL modified RAP for road construction and maintenance

Development of Strength Model of Lateritic Soil-Cement

Since the shortage of crushed rock as base course in some regions of Thailand, the improvement of the lateritic soil-cement as pavement base course has been evaluated. Soil cement improvement has been used for many years because of the significant improvement in soil properties. The objective of the research effort is to investigate performance of Lateritic soil cement mixtures using experimental study. The experimental results in terms of unconfined compressive strength and elasticity modulus were improved significantly as the cement content is increased. The multiple regression models based on cement content and curing time parameters were proposed to predict the unconfined strength (UCS) and elastic modulus of Lateritic soil-cement. The proposed prediction models providing good correlations with the experimental data are presented in this study

An In-Depth Investigation of Roadside Crashes on Thai National Highways

The numbers of road crashes in Thailand, which result in about 12,000 deaths each year, about 12% of these crashes occur on national highways under the jurisdiction of the Department of Highways (DOH). For the past four years, 2007-2010, roadside crashes have constituted between 42.2 - 47.9 % of the total crashes on the DOH's highways. This paper aims to improve the roadside safety situation in Thailand. The cases involve vehicle hitting roadside trees, which is one of the most serious and common roadside crashes in Thailand. This paper provides overview details of the investigation into the cause of roadside crashes and to the strategies about how to deal with this serious problem. The strategies are described in the DOH Roadside Safety Strategic Plan 2009 - 2013 that the authors have contributed to its development

Investigating Lateritic Soil Properties and Impacts from Quarrying Activity on Communities in Southern Thailand: A Case Study

This paper details the impact arising from the lateritic soil quarrying activity in many communities within Songkhla province of Southern Thailand. The affected communities of Ban Khuan Chong, Ban Huay Oan and Ban Thung Don were selected as target areas for the study based on the suitability of their active quarry sizes and locations which are conspicuous on the aerial photographs of Google Maps, and where permission to collect data was forthcoming from the quarry operators. Assessments were made to determine the extent of impact on the communities in terms of the environment, people's health, and effects on transport infrastructure. Findings from the study are shown on the website: http://techno.nstru .ac.th/piti/project in order to help promote responsible quarrying and use of lateritic soil in the construction business. In addition to details of the likely impacts from various types of soil excavation, the website features a database of quarry sites in the province as well as engineering properties of the soils therefrom

Dual inhibition of AKT‐mTOR and AR signaling by targeting HDAC3 in PTEN‐ or SPOP‐mutated prostate cancer

Abstract AKT‐mTOR and androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathways are aberrantly activated in prostate cancer due to frequent PTEN deletions or SPOP mutations. A clinical barrier is that targeting one of them often activates the other. Here, we demonstrate that HDAC3 augments AKT phosphorylation in prostate cancer cells and its overexpression correlates with AKT phosphorylation in patient samples. HDAC3 facilitates lysine‐63‐chain polyubiquitination and phosphorylation of AKT, and this effect is mediated by AKT deacetylation at lysine 14 and 20 residues and HDAC3 interaction with the scaffold protein APPL1. Conditional homozygous deletion of Hdac3 suppresses prostate tumorigenesis and progression by concomitant blockade of AKT and AR signaling in the Pten knockout mouse model. Pharmacological inhibition of HDAC3 using a selective HDAC3 inhibitor RGFP966 inhibits growth of both PTEN‐deficient and SPOP‐mutated prostate cancer cells in culture, patient‐derived organoids and xenografts in mice. Our study identifies HDAC3 as a common upstream activator of AKT and AR signaling and reveals that dual inhibition of AKT and AR pathways is achievable by single‐agent targeting of HDAC3 in prostate cancer

Methods of reducing soil movements for deep excavations in soft clay

Excessive ground movements in deep excavations have always been a major concern in urban development. The reduction of wall and ground movements in a deep excavation in clay can be achieved by (i) varying the design configurations (ii) treating the clay with jet grouting and (iii) treating the clay with deep mixing.Master of Engineering (CSE

Chitin and Chitosan Derivatives as Biomaterial Resources for Biological and Biomedical Applications

Chitin is a long-chain polymer of N-acetyl-glucosamine, which is regularly found in the exoskeleton of arthropods including insects, shellfish and the cell wall of fungi. It has been known that chitin can be used for biological and biomedical applications, especially as a biomaterial for tissue repairing, encapsulating drug for drug delivery. However, chitin has been postulated as an inducer of proinflammatory cytokines and certain diseases including asthma. Likewise, chitosan, a long-chain polymer of N-acetyl-glucosamine and d-glucosamine derived from chitin deacetylation, and chitosan oligosaccharide, a short chain polymer, have been known for their potential therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiarrheal, and anti-Alzheimer effects. This review summarizes potential utilization and limitation of chitin, chitosan and chitosan oligosaccharide in a variety of diseases. Furthermore, future direction of research and development of chitin, chitosan, and chitosan oligosaccharide for biomedical applications is discussed

A Pricing Model of GPRS Networks with Wi-Fi integration for “Heavy” Data Users

Wi-Fi provides an appealing opportunity for the GSM/GPRS operators to enhance their data capability. By integrating both networks, operators are able to provide 3G-like services. However, both networks have different data rates and capacity, which makes pricing a challenging issue. In this paper we propose a pricing model for GPRS networks integrated with Wi-Fi, which applies to data users with high service demand (“heavy”). Through optimization technique, our proposed model identifies how the integration can play a significant role in increasing operators ’ overall revenue and potentially improving the performance of GPRS networks.