New Quality Assurance Tests for Building Quality Concrete Pavement

Author(s):  
Jagan M. Gudimettla ◽  
Michael F. Praul ◽  
Jim Grove

Concrete materials and paving technologies have evolved considerably during the past century. However, testing technologies for concrete during construction have not kept pace. Some of the tests that are routinely used are not necessarily performance indicators and some are not made in real time. Seven new technologies are presented that are simple, real-time, field implementable, and economical and in many cases are performance indicators. Although some of these technologies could be used during the mixture design stage, others could be used during construction and some for both purposes. These technologies can be used to supplement or, in some cases, to replace the traditional tests for paving concrete. The discussion focuses on three items: ( a) traditional tests for paving concrete, ( b) new tests and technologies that could be used to supplement or replace the traditional tests, and ( c) suggested future specifications. Data collected by the FHWA Mobile Concrete Laboratory from its technology implementation efforts are presented to support the narrative on the benefits of these new technologies.

Philosophy ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-2

In the near universal dismay among ‘thinking’ Europeans at the re-election of President George W. Bush there has been one un-thinking notion which has reached cliché status so often has it been repeated.It is that what we saw in America on November 2nd was a manifestation, among 60 million Americans or so, of pre-Enlightened irrationality. Bush, this view has it, was elected by the religious right which, by definition, is anti-science. Ruling the roost in the world's only remaining super-power it is, almost by definition, dangerous. It is dangerously dogmatic in its opposition in principle to the progress made in moral matters by secularism over the past century or two, and dangerous in that it is a view which now has so much power behind it.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierfranco Lattanzi ◽  
Andrea Dini ◽  
Giovanni Ruggieri ◽  
Eugenio Trumpy

<p>Italy has never been a lithium (Li) producer, and the potential for “hard rock” deposits is moderate at best. On the other hand, the increasing demand for Li-based rechargeable batteries fostered new interest in this metal, and prompted the quest for alternative resources. The extraction of Li from geothermal brines (“geothermal lithium”) is currently considered in several countries, including, in Europe, France, Germany, and UK (EGEC, 2020).</p><p>Italy has vast geothermal resources, and there is a potential for “geothermal lithium” as well. A preliminary survey of literature data pointed out several occurrences of fluids with Li contents up to hundreds of mg/L. Among high-enthalpy fluids, we point out those of Cesano, Mofete, and Latera. At Cesano, geothermal fluids contain about 350 mg/L lithium (Calamai et al., 1976). Early studies conducted in the past century (Pauwels et al., 1990) suggested the feasibility of lithium recovery from these fluids. Even higher contents (480 mg/L) occur in the deep reservoir at Mofete (Guglielminetti, 1986), whereas fluids in the shallow and intermediate reservoir in the same field contain 28 to 56 mg/L. Geothermal fluids at Latera have somewhat lower contents (max 13.5 mg/L; Gianelli and Scandiffio, 1989). Several low-enthalpy thermal waters in Emilia-Romagna, Sardinia, Sicily and Tuscany also show significant (> 1 mg/L) Li contents (max 96 mg/L at Salsomaggiore; Boschetti et al., 2011). There are no published Li data for high-enthalpy fluids at Larderello; however, evidence of Li-rich fluids was found in fluid inclusions in hydrothermal minerals (Cathelineau et al., 1994). Moreover, the shallow (ca. 3.5 km) granitoid body underlying the field contains a Li-rich (about 1,000 ppm) biotite (A. Dini, unpublished data); it has been estimated that such rock may contain as much as 500 g Li per cubic meter.</p><p> </p><p>References</p><p>Boschetti T., et al. - Aquat Geochem (2011) 17:71–108</p><p>Calamai A., et al. <strong>- </strong>Proc. U.N. Symp. Development Use Geotherm. Energy, S. Francisco, USA (1976), 305-313</p><p>Cathelineau M., et al. – Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta (1994) 58: 1083-1099</p><p>EGEC (European Geothermal Council). https://www.egec.org/time-to-invest-in-clean-geothermal-lithium-made-in-europe/. Accessed December 2, 2020.</p><p>Gianelli G., Scandiffio G. - Geothermics (1989) 18: 447-463</p><p>Guglielminetti M. - Geothermics (1986) 15: 781-790</p><p>Pauwels H., et al. - Proc. 12th New Zealand Geothermal Workshop (1990), 117-123</p>


Author(s):  
H.E.M. Cool

Glass came of age during the Roman period. Within the ancient world it had been used from the mid-second millennium bce onwards, but only for jewellery and luxury items like small perfume bottles. This started to change in the late 2nd century bce, when the Hellenistic industries started to produce simple glass drinking vessels. In the early Imperial period there was an explosion in the vessel forms available, in part made possible by the discovery of how to blow glass. The new types included both the luxurious, such as exquisite cameo vessels, and the utilitarian, such as disposable packaging for cosmetics. A similar expansion was seen in its role in buildings, where glass went from luxurious interior decoration to structurally important window glass. References in literary works and depictions in wall paintings at the time attest to the considerable attention this new phenomenon attracted in the early to mid-1st century ce. Vessels, windows and other items spread widely throughout the empire and beyond, and to all levels of society. Over the next 400 years, how the material was used changed with time and place as the various regional industries responded to the needs and preferences of their communities. This was a major high-temperature industry which would have made considerable demands on resources such as fuel, but there are still many things that are unknown about it. Where, for example, was the glass itself made? Waste from secondary workshops producing vessels is regularly encountered, but evidence for the primary production is extremely rare. This has led to considerable debate, with competing models being proposed. Glass is not a material where scientific techniques such as those used to provenance pottery have proved very helpful. The composition of Roman glass is extremely uniform throughout the empire, and again there has been much debate about why this might be. Of late, some useful advances have started to be made in approaching these questions, and this may eventually disentangle what was going on. The study of Roman glass provides a unique window into the past. Through it the impact of new technologies and materials can be seen, as well as the choices people made about what was useful in their lives—all against the background of some of the most beautiful and skilful vessels ever made.


2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 357-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne MacDonald

Over the past century Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (MMK) has been translated, in part and in its entirety, into an array of languages. Although a number of English translations have appeared, a philologically reliable yet readable English rendering of the MMK has remained a desideratum. A new translation by Mark Siderits and Shōryū Katsura now supersedes Jay Garfield’s previously popular MMK translation, which, made in reliance on only the Tibetan version of the MMK, is often problematic (The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, Oxford, 1995). Siderits’ and Katsura’s attempt to improve upon previous translations of the MMK was recently acknowledged by the Khyentse Foundation, which at the 17th Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies awarded them its 2014 “Prize for Outstanding Translation.”


2011 ◽  
Vol 681 ◽  
pp. 461-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Berti ◽  
Francesco De Marco ◽  
S. Aldrighetti

The early stage diagnoses of material lattices is becoming a crucial requirement where investigation methods and technologies are faced with both aging of components and materials. The mixing effects of wear, fatigue, temperature variation and environment conditions translate into variations of the atomic flux rate and internal rearrangement of grain size and boundaries of lattices. The related lattice measurements (e.g. the d-.spacing is one important among others) become the only one usable for early stage diagnoses of the lattice structural integrity. When such a diagnoses are the base to identify the qualification of material for the use or the re-qualification for the maintenance in the use, new technologies are required, with methods and appropriate concepts shall be used. The authors bid here to describe shortly the historical evolution of methods and techniques since the 70’s, along with the basic tests performed during the early 90’s of the past century. The technological follow up from those tests is reported along with some results which indicate the significant step up of the most recent technology toward the early stage diagnosis of material via on site x-ray diffraction. Further foreseeable development and advances are also mentioned.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Alexis Laurent ◽  
Philippe Abdel-Sayed ◽  
Corinne Scaletta ◽  
Philippe Laurent ◽  
Elénie Laurent ◽  
...  

Empirically studied by Dr. Brown-Séquard in the late 1800s, cytotherapies were later democratized by Dr. Niehans during the twentieth century in Western Switzerland. Many local cultural landmarks around the Léman Riviera are reminiscent of the inception of such cell-based treatments. Despite the discreet extravagance of the remaining heirs of “living cell therapy” and specific enforcements by Swiss health authorities, current interest in modern and scientifically sound cell-based regenerative medicine has never been stronger. Respective progress made in bioengineering and in biotechnology have enabled the clinical implementation of modern cell-based therapeutic treatments within updated medical and regulatory frameworks. Notably, the Swiss progenitor cell transplantation program has enabled the gathering of two decades of clinical experience in Lausanne for the therapeutic management of cutaneous and musculoskeletal affections, using homologous allogeneic cell-based approaches. While striking conceptual similarities exist between the respective works of the fathers of cytotherapy and of modern highly specialized clinicians, major and important iterative updates have been implemented, centered on product quality and risk-analysis-based patient safety insurance. This perspective article highlights some historical similarities and major evolutive differences, particularly regarding product safety and quality issues, characterizing the use of cell-based therapies in Switzerland over the past century. We outline the vast therapeutic potential to be harnessed for the benefit of overall patient health and the importance of specific scientific methodological aspects.


2020 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Cambré ◽  
Abram Aertsen

SUMMARY The rise in fluorescence-based imaging techniques over the past 3 decades has improved the ability of researchers to scrutinize live cell biology at increased spatial and temporal resolution. In microbiology, these real-time vivisections structurally changed the view on the bacterial cell away from the “watery bag of enzymes” paradigm toward the perspective that these organisms are as complex as their eukaryotic counterparts. Capitalizing on the enormous potential of (time-lapse) fluorescence microscopy and the ever-extending pallet of corresponding probes, initial breakthroughs were made in unraveling the localization of proteins and monitoring real-time gene expression. However, later it became clear that the potential of this technique extends much further, paving the way for a focus-shift from observing single events within bacterial cells or populations to obtaining a more global picture at the intra- and intercellular level. In this review, we outline the current state of the art in fluorescence-based vivisection of bacteria and provide an overview of important case studies to exemplify how to use or combine different strategies to gain detailed information on the cell’s physiology. The manuscript therefore consists of two separate (but interconnected) parts that can be read and consulted individually. The first part focuses on the fluorescent probe pallet and provides a perspective on modern methodologies for microscopy using these tools. The second section of the review takes the reader on a tour through the bacterial cell from cytoplasm to outer shell, describing strategies and methods to highlight architectural features and overall dynamics within cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-16
Author(s):  
Sandra Milena Tellez- Gutierrez ◽  
Oscar German Duarte Velasco ◽  
Javier Rosero García

This paper sets out features of traditional Energy Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) employed in energy management programs; then, new indicators are proposed based on Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) usage. These indicators make it possible to directly relate the amount of energy, type of end use and user consumption patterns. Analysis of AMI system information enables planning for differentiated Demand-Side Management (DSM) strategies. A case study developed at Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Bogotá campus is presented, which proposes new Energy Key Performance Indicators in Real Time. These indicators enable information analysis and DSM strategies that are appropriate for new technologies and that are aimed at increasing energy efficiency. Additionally, this paper presents the factors that have to be taken into account when implementing KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and the decision-making process. This results in variable overall energy savings between 5 and 40%, according to the DSM strategy implemented.


2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-118
Author(s):  
Marcin Michał Wiszowaty

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to answer the main research question “is there a constitutional continuity in Poland or even the Polish constitutional identity or rather there was a permanent discontinuation in last 100 years of Polish history of state?” For this purpose, the Polish constitutional history in the 20th and 21st centuries has been analyzed with respect to the changes made in the Polish political system over the past century from republican and democratic governments with a strong parliament to governments more akin to the monarchy, with a strong presidency, and even autocratic. Looking for sources of Polish political inspiration references are made to the legacy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.


2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (10) ◽  
pp. 46-48
Author(s):  
Chris Carpenter

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 202353, “Drilling-Performance and Risk-Management Optimization Offshore Australia: Improving Overall Safety and Efficiency of the Well-Construction Process,” by Chandrasekhar Kirthi Singam, Farshid Hafezi, and Clyde Rebello, Schlumberger, et al., prepared for the 2020 SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, originally scheduled to be held in Perth, Australia, 20–22 October. The paper has not been peer reviewed. The emergence of real-time well construction performance-monitoring centers has improved the service delivery for operators across numerous offshore oil fields in Australia significantly. The complete paper details new technologies and work flows implemented for three Australian offshore wells, with the primary objective of improving drilling efficiency while managing associated risks. Additional objectives included optimizing daily operational performance, thus delivering time savings for the operator and highlighting areas of possible improvements. Introduction The paper describes a successful drilling campaign in a challenging field in the Timor Sea. It describes how data analysis, risk evaluation, and real-time performance monitoring can be influential in saving rig time and project success. As part of this project, a major operator in Australia decided to perform an infill drilling campaign involving three high-angle directional wells (J type) in a saturated, complex field. The campaign design stage was initiated in 2017 with a main objective of delivering the project within authority-for-expenditure (AFE) budget and with planning for all potential challenges. Technical Overview The technical solution (Fig. 1) was deployed using drilling-interpretation software and executed its work flows to achieve the required objectives.


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