Behavior of externally bonded fiber reinforced polymer systems for strengthening concrete girders in shear

Deficiencies in shear resistance are a primary concern in concrete members due to the sudden and unpredictable nature of shear failures. Shear deficiencies in concrete structures can arise due to improper design, long-term deterioration, man-made damages, increases in loads, or as a result of over strengthening in flexure. A number of shear strengthening techniques offer a cost effective means for restoring or enhancing the shear capacity of a concrete member. The use of externally bonded fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) is one such technique that has gained recent recognition for its high strength-to-weight ratio and simplicity of application. The development of this technique relies on experimental testing to better understand the behavior and failure mechanisms. Previous experimental investigations and analytical models/design guidelines were studied to identify and understand the parameters influencing the shear strengthening effect of externally bonded fiber reinforced polymers (FRP). The knowledge acquired from the literature was used to design and carryout a full-scale experimental investigation for further evaluating the effectiveness of externally bonded FRP for shear strengthening. Test specimens consisted of reinforced concrete (RC) and prestressed concrete (PC) girders. Parameters of interest included the effects of: pre-existing damage (cracks), transverse steel (stirrup) reinforcement ratio, FRP strengthening scheme, and methods of FRP anchorage. The experimental results were compared with predictions from existing analytical models and design guidelines. Lastly, an alternative analytical approach was developed which takes into consideration multiple parameters shown to have influence on the FRP shear strengthening effectiveness, but which have not been collectively incorporated in previous models --Abstract, page iii

Betrayal of Love and Volitional Necessity

In his early work, Frankfurt conceives of the will as a set of hierarchically organized desires. I argue that the hierarchical model fails to provide an adequate account of free will because it does not render the will determinate. In Frankfurt’s later work, he contends that love establishes the boundaries of the will by giving rise to a volitional necessity. I take this to suggest that the notion of love is introduced, in part, to eliminate the problematic indeterminacy implied by the hierarchical model. However, I argue that the necessities of love may be understood in two importantly different ways, and on either interpretation of Frankfurt’s considered view, love does not provide the resources to account for the phenomenon of betrayal of love. I conclude that the introduction of love does not render the will determinate, and therefore fails to resolve a problem that beset the hierarchical model of the will

Pre-prison, prison, post-prison: post traumatic stress symptoms

Those sentenced to prison bring with them individual characteristics acquired prior to incarceration. This study assesses the effect of pre-prison experiences on adjustment to the prison environment. Regression analysis indicates that pre-prison experiences are significantly related to the likelihood of participating in, or being exposed to, elements of the incarceration experience that may cause post traumatic stress symptoms. A second component of this study assesses the relationship between elements of the incarceration experience and post traumatic stress symptoms. Regression analysis indicates that aspects of the incarceration experience constitute traumatic stressors that cause post traumatic stress symptoms in some individuals. This study also assesses the relationship between pre-prison experiences and post traumatic stress symptoms, independent of the incarceration experience, as well as assessing the relationship between a combination of the pre-prison and in-prison independent variables with development of post traumatic stress symptoms. Data for this study are drawn from surveys administered to 208 men recently released from prison in a mid-western state

The Dyslexic Issue: Resources for Parents, Teachers, and Related Professionals

This handbook and website project gives a thorough explanation of dyslexia, the history of dyslexia, and the latest resources available for parents, teachers, and related professionals who support students with dyslexia. The handbook and webpage will provide parents, teachers, and related professionals information which they may access in order to support students with dyslexia throughout their academic career. These resources will offer much-needed support for parents, teachers, and related professionals in learning how to properly identify the characteristics which are most often associated with dyslexia. Furthermore, they will provide an important myriad of resources for intervention for students with dyslexia for parents, teachers, and related professionals

The emergence of the Digital Humanities in Ireland

Tracing the emergence of academic disciplines in a national context is a useful undertaking, as it goes beyond the definition of a field to an assessment of its evolution within a more specific cultural context. This is particularly the case in the Digital Humanities, where the infrastructural requirements are such that the development of the field is strongly connected to social and economic trends. This paper outlines the emergence of the Digital Humanities in Ireland, detailing the history and key milestones of the field’s development, while delineating those particularities that are culturally significant in contrast with the global pictur

Computing Health Quality Measures Using Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside

Background: The Health Quality Measures Format (HQMF) is a Health Level 7 (HL7) standard for expressing computable Clinical Quality Measures (CQMs). Creating tools to process HQMF queries in clinical databases will become increasingly important as the United States moves forward with its Health Information Technology Strategic Plan to Stages 2 and 3 of the Meaningful Use incentive program (MU2 and MU3). Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) is one of the analytical databases used as part of the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC)’s Query Health platform to move toward this goal. Objective: Our goal is to integrate i2b2 with the Query Health HQMF architecture, to prepare for other HQMF use-cases (such as MU2 and MU3), and to articulate the functional overlap between i2b2 and HQMF. Therefore, we analyze the structure of HQMF, and then we apply this understanding to HQMF computation on the i2b2 clinical analytical database platform. Specifically, we develop a translator between two query languages, HQMF and i2b2, so that the i2b2 platform can compute HQMF queries. Methods: We use the HQMF structure of queries for aggregate reporting, which define clinical data elements and the temporal and logical relationships between them. We use the i2b2 XML format, which allows flexible querying of a complex clinical data repository in an easy-to-understand domain-specific language. Results: The translator can represent nearly any i2b2-XML query as HQMF and execute in i2b2 nearly any HQMF query expressible in i2b2-XML. This translator is part of the freely available reference implementation of the QueryHealth initiative. We analyze limitations of the conversion and find it covers many, but not all, of the complex temporal and logical operators required by quality measures. Conclusions: HQMF is an expressive language for defining quality measures, and it will be important to understand and implement for CQM computation, in both meaningful use and population health. However, its current form might allow complexity that is intractable for current database systems (both in terms of implementation and computation). Our translator, which supports the subset of HQMF currently expressible in i2b2-XML, may represent the beginnings of a practical compromise. It is being pilot-tested in two Query Health demonstration projects, and it can be further expanded to balance computational tractability with the advanced features needed by measure developers

The Emergence of the Digital Humanities in Ireland

Tracing the emergence of academic disciplines in a national context is a useful undertaking, as it goes beyond the definition of a field to an assessment of its evolution within a more specific cultural context. This is particularly the case in the Digital Humanities, where the infrastructural requirements are such that the development of the field is strongly connected to social and economic trends. This paper outlines the emergence of the Digital Humanities in Ireland, detailing the history and key milestones of the field’s development, while delineating those particularities that are culturally significant in contrast with the global picture

Regulation of major histocompatibility complex class II gene expression in trophoblast cells

Trophoblast cells are unique because they are one of the few mammalian cell types that do not express major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigens, either constitutively or after exposure to IFN-γ. The absence of MHC class II antigen expression on trophoblast cells has been postulated to be one of the essential mechanisms by which the semi-allogeneic fetus evades immune rejection reactions by the maternal immune system. Consistent with this hypothesis, trophoblast cells from the placentas of women suffering from chronic inflammation of unknown etiology and spontaneous recurrent miscarriages have been reported to aberrantly express MHC class II antigens. The lack of MHC class II antigen expression on trophoblast cells is due to silencing of expression of the class II transactivator (CIITA), a transacting factor that is essential for constitutive and IFN-γ-inducible MHC class II gene transcription. Transfection of trophoblast cells with CIITA expression vectors activates both MHC class II and class Ia antigen expression, which confers on trophoblast cells both the ability to activate helper T cells, and sensitivity to lysis by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Collectively, these studies strongly suggest that stringent silencing of CIITA (and therefore MHC class II) gene expression in trophoblast cells is critical for the prevention of immune rejection responses against the fetus by the maternal immune system. The focus of this review is to summarize studies examining the novel mechanisms by which CIITA is silenced in trophoblast cells. The elucidation of the silencing of CIITA in trophoblast cells may shed light on how the semi-allogeneic fetus evades immune rejection by the maternal immune system during pregnancy