Strengthening concrete beams using fibre reinforced polymer

In the last decade, the use of fibre reinforced polymers (FRP’s) as a preferred method of retrofitting existing structures has dramatically increased. This has brought about improvements in the mechanical properties of the materials and greater options for engineers and designers. This research has determined the most suitable fibre material to provide a maximum increase in structural performance at the lowest possible cost. Carbon fibre sheet and yarn were used. A unidirectional CFRP sheet and yarn had a cotton sheath attached that was been designed to promote resin impregnation and thus improved bond performance. The test methodology was to statically test concrete beams with surface applied FRP to comparatively examine the flexural strength and toughness. Sixteen beams were manufactured, eight with rebar and eight plain. Carbon fibre sheet and carbon fibre yarn was applied to all beams in equal proportions. The theoretical moment capacity was calculated for the steel reinforced beams using Eurocode 2 and compared against the actual moment capacity derived from the three point loading test. The findings displayed a tendency for higher flexural strength, moment capacity and toughness due to the surface application of FRP composite sheet and yarn. The carbon fibre sheet provided the most suitable form of retrofitted reinforcement. However the loose yarn was 25% cheaper than the sheet and may be a consideration where maximum performance is not an issue. The beam performance was dependant upon the effective epoxy bond between the carbon fibre sheet and the concrete surface and this is a key area for further research

Classic features of primary systemic amyloidosis (AL amyloidosis) leading to diagnosis of plasma cell myeloma

The diagnosis of primary systemic amyloidosis, also known as AL (amyloid light-chain) amyloidosis, is often delayed owing to its nonspecific manifestations as well as its rarity. A 64-year-old woman presented with an eight-month history of significant weight loss, anemia, fatigue, and progressive painful cutaneous lesions on her hands, lips, back, perianal, and vulvar area that were originally treated unsuccessfully with antimalarials and systemic corticosteroids. Histopathological examination revealed an amorphous dermis with pale pink material that demonstrated positive birefringence with Congo red staining. Subsequently, the patient underwent a bone marrow biopsy, which uncovered a plasma cell myeloma, the source of her amyloidogenic protein production

A Nearly Optimal Algorithm for covering the interior of an Art Gallery

The problem of locating visual sensors can be often modeled as 2D Art Gallery problems. In particular, tasks such as surveillance require observing the interior of a polygonal environment (interior covering, IC), while for inspection or image based rendering observing the boundary (edge covering, EC) is sufficient. Both problems are NP-hard, and no technique is known for transforming one problem into the other. Recently, an incremental algorithm for EC has been proposed, and its near-optimality has been demonstrated experimentally. In this paper we show that, with some modification, the algorithm is nearly optimal also for IC. The algorithm has been implemented and tested over several hundreds of random polygons with and without holes. The cardinality of the solutions provided is very near to, or coincident with, a polygon-specific lower bound, and then suboptimal or optimal. In addition, our algorithm has been compared, for all the test polygons, with recent heuristic sensor location algorithms. In all cases, the cardinality of the set of guards provided by our algorithm was less than or equal to that of the set computed by the other algorithms. An enhanced version of the algorithm, also taking into account range and incidence constraints, has also been implemente

The effects of high and low repetition resistance training on the force profile of the rowing stroke

The effect of resistance training on the ability to generate force throughout the rowing stroke has to date been unreported. The purpose of this study therefore was to determine the changes that occur in the force profile of the rowing stroke, following low repetition strength (LRS) and high repetition endurance (HRE) resistance training. Eight female and 10 male sub elite heavy weight rowers matched according to gender, strength and anthropometric variables, completed 12 weeks of LRS or HRE resistance training. Pre and post testing was completed to determine changes in bench press and leg press repetition maximum (3RM) strength and strength endurance (repetitions to failure using 75% of 3RM). Changes in the force profile of the rowing stroke were determined by the changes in peak force, work per stroke and total work. All subjects completed a maximal and 3 minute effort biomechanica1 test on an instrumented Concept II rowing ergometer at 2 steps of increasing intensity. Significant difference (

A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE NOVELS OF JOHN FOWLES

This dissertation offers a prismatic view of John Fowles\u27s novels. My approach accords with his major theme: that true perception is seeing whole. My readings involve, first, a close textual analysis which demonstrates how Fowles uses patterning, counterpoint, symbol and image clusters to suggest the nature of reality. I also examine extensively Fowles\u27s use of rhetoric. The study of his artistry inevitably leads to a discussion of his themes. I have considered Fowles\u27s theory of history, his feeling that individual self-awareness is the key to the evolution of the species, and that one\u27s personal freedom should be unassailable. My work also considers meta-fictional subjects related to the novels. I have examined the nature of author-ity as Fowles sees it and the writer\u27s relationship to his reader\u27s freedom. I have explained Fowles\u27s feeling that the art of reading is much like the art of living. As the reading gropes his way through the multiple deceptions of each Fowles text, his activity mirrors the ways in which he must penetrate his own and others\u27 roles and games in real life. Each novel brings up new subjects and establishes its own relationship to being. In the chapter on The Magus I discuss the novel as an epistemology and an exploration of the relationship of generic conventions to quotidian reality. In The Collector chapter I show how Fowles uses the double point of view to reveal the many ways in which freedom may be abused. The chapter on The French Lieutenant\u27s Woman deals with Fowles\u27s understanding of history and his ideas about authorship. My reading of Daniel Martin considers how Fowles uses cinematic conventions as a foil for novelistic conventions in an examination of the nature of perception as it relates to personal identity. My discussion of Mantissa reveals Fowles\u27s lighthearted skepticism about novel-writing and academic criticism. My last chapter is an interview with Fowles, conducted in Lyme Regis, in which he talks about writing and being a writer

The Long Term Effects of the Reading Intervention Program, an Early Intervention Program Similar to Reading Recovery

During the 1995-1997 school years, 35 students were identified at Holmes Road School (in Greece, NY) as being in the lowest 20% of their peer group in reading and related skills during first or second grade. These students received 12-16 weeks of individualized, one-on-one, reading instruction in a program similar to Reading Recovery called the Reading Intervention Program (RIP). During this program, students made significant gains. The purpose of this study was to determine if RIP has had a lasting effect on the performance of students who have had the \u27treatment as compared to their peers. Standardized test scores of the treatment group were compared to their peer group. If no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups at the time of the testing, then the treatment (RIP) was proven effective. Data were analyzed against the median scoring levels of students at the local and national levels. The findings were calculated including the scores of the students later identified and classified as Special Education and excluding those scores of the students placed in Special Education. Using the Chi square calculations and a significance level of .05, the RIP students\u27 scores were not statistically significantly different from the median level of students at the national level. The RIP students\u27 median DRP scores remained significantly different from the Greece median scores on these DRP tests

The Long Term Effects of the Reading Intervention Program, an Early Intervention Program Similar to Reading Recovery

During the 1995-1997 school years, 35 students were identified at Holmes Road School (in Greece, NY) as being in the lowest 20% of their peer group in reading and related skills during first or second grade. These students received 12-16 weeks of individualized, one-on-one, reading instruction in a program similar to Reading Recovery called the Reading Intervention Program (RIP). During this program, students made significant gains. The purpose of this study was to determine if RIP has had a lasting effect on the performance of students who have had the 'treatment" as compared to their peers. Standardized test scores of the treatment group were compared to their peer group. If no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups at the time of the testing, then the treatment (RIP) was proven effective. Data were analyzed against the median scoring levels of students at the local and national levels. The findings were calculated including the scores of the students later identified and classified as Special Education and excluding those scores of the students placed in Special Education. Using the Chi square calculations and a significance level of .05, the RIP students' scores were not statistically significantly different from the median level of students at the national level. The RIP students' median DRP scores remained significantly different from the Greece median scores on these DRP tests.SUNY BrockportEducation and Human DevelopmentMaster of Science in Education (MSEd)Education and Human Development Master's These

Language and Foreign Policy: The Kyrgyz Experience

This senior thesis describes the role and usage of different languages in Kyrgyzstan from the 1920s to present, with specific reference to government policy regarding language usage. In the thesis, I argue how the pervasive presence of Russian in Kyrgyzstan is indicative of broader Kyrgyz foreign policy goals

Effect of Unsaturated Soil Properties on Piping Susceptibility in Water Retaining Structures

Background This research focuses on the Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD) and the soil it was built with. The HHD is a 143 mile earthen dam in South Florida around Lake Okeechobee. It was constructed in the 1920s by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) after thousands in the area were killed in a flood. It has been under various repairs since 2001 and USACE has invested 1.4 billion to make improvements to the seepage barriers (cutoff walls) and the water control structures (culverts). This is because the original dam was built on coarse grained materials including gravel, rock, limestone, sand, and shells, which are very erodible materials. Climate models have suggested that climate change will cause an increase in lake levels and will expose the unsaturated soil of the embankment which could cause potential failure through piping and erosion. The completed research will help to fill the gap of knowledge about the susceptibility of such materials to piping and erodibility. Methodology This research will consist of two experiments with the soil samples taken from the dike. The first test is the filter paper test for characterizing the soil water characteristic curve (SWCC). The curve describes the relationship between the matric suction and water content of unsaturated soils. This information is needed to analyze seepage, erosion, and volume change problems with the soil. To perform this experiment, a direct contact between the filter paper and the soil sample is obtained. Water will transfer from the soil sample to the dry filter paper during a minimum period of seven days. The filter paper can then be weighed to determine its moisture content and therefore the matric suction which will be equal to that of the soil. By testing multiple samples at different drying periods, a drying curve can be obtained. The second experiment is the small scale piping model. This experiment is performed to correlate piping susceptibility with the SWCC. A Plexiglass box will be constructed with two compartments. One compartment is for water to keep a constant head and the other will be for the soil. A pipe will be inserted in the middle of the soil, packed down,and the pipe will then be removed to leave behind a hole. The water will be released and allowed to run through the hole and the effects of the water on the soil will be recorded with a camera. Progress Currently, we have submitted orders for the supplies needed in both the filter paper test and the small scale piping model experiments. Once we have received the purchased items, the box can be built. Bill Russo who is a lab manager on campus will be building the box for us. A site trip to the dike is set in order to view the area and visit the nearby quarry where we will be collecting buckets of the soil needed for the experiments. During these trips, we will also be meeting with one of the engineers who works on the dike, in order to gather more information. Updated Progress To this point we have purchased the supplies required for the filter paper tests and small scale piping model experiment. We took a trip to the Herbert Hoover Dike and visited the engineers from the Army Corps of Engineers that are working on the dike repairs. During this trip to Lake Okeechobee, we collected 10 buckets of soil from a nearby quarry, which will be used to complete our future experiments.This soil is close to the exact soil being used on the HHD project. In addition, we were given soil samples from the site by the representatives of the USACE. All collected samples from both the quarry and the site itself have been placed in the civil engineering laboratory. With the collected soil samples, we have performed initial index testing, including a sieve analysis test in order to determine the size distribution and we have begun to prepare for specific gravity, hydraulic conductivity, compaction and a direct shear test. All index tests are to be completed prior to our filter paper testing which will occur soon given our recent collection of the ordered items, and then the final experiment will be the small-scale piping experiment