Field testing of stiffened deep cement mixing piles under lateral cyclic loading

Construction of seaside and underground wall bracing often uses stiffened deep cement mixed columns （SDCM）. This research investigates methods used to improve the level of bearing capacity of these SDCM when subjected to cyclic lateral loading via various types of stiffer cores. Eight piles, two deep cement mixed piles and six stiffened deep cement mixing piles with three different types of cores, H shape cross section prestressed concrete, steel pipe, and H-beam steel, were embedded though soft clay into medium-hard clay on site in Thailand. Cyclic horizontal loading was gradually applied until pile failure and the hysteresis loops of lateral load vs. lateral deformation were recorded. The lateral carrying capacities of the SDCM piles with an H-beam steel core increased by 3-4 times that of the DCM piles. This field research clearly shows that using H-beam steel as a stiffer core for SDCM piles is the best method to improve its lateral carrying capacity, ductility and energy dissipation capacity.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF FREE MIXING LAYER WITH CROSS SHEAR

A spectrum method is used to simulate the time-developing free mixing layerwith cross shear which is introduced in different stages. The results show that the properties of flow are nearly the same for situations whether the cross shear is introduced in theinitial time or in early stage. If cross shear is introduced in the stage that the roll-up ofmixing layer occurs, the turbulent intensities of now will increase and mixture of now willbe enhanced.

Rheological properties of warm mix asphalt binder by DSR test at medium temperature

The rheological properties including the complex modulus G＊ and the phase angle δof matrix and warm mix asphalt （WMA）binders were measured by using the dynamic shear rheometer （DSR ） test at the medium temperature ranging from 16 to 40 ℃,and the relationships between the fatigue factor G＊ sinδand the matrix binder property,WMA additive and test temperature were established.It is found that G＊ decreases with the increasing temperature while δincreases inversely,and G＊ of the asphalt binder with high WMA additive dosage is large,and δis small.G＊sinδexponentially decreases with the increasing temperature and linearly increases with the increase in additive dosage,and the amplitudes of variation are large at low temperatures and high additive dosages.The effect of WMA additive on the rheological property is more remarkable for the matrix asphalt binder with low G＊.Besides,aging has a great effect on the property of matrix asphalt binder,and a slight effect on the interaction between asphalt and additive.The high additive dosage can increase the fatigue cracking potential of the asphalt binder.

Mixed programming with LabVIEW & Matlab and its application in explosion field test

Several methods of mixed programming with LabVIEW and Matlab are introduced.Taking explosin test as application background,the design method and implementation process using MathScript node and COM technology are mainly discussed.Based on this,the advantages of LabVIEW＇s interface development and Matlab＇s rich data operation functions are combined to achieve the fitting of explosion pressure field and dynamic compensation of temperature measured.

Flow pattern visualization and nonlinear analysis of gas-liquid mixing process with top-blowing gas stirring

The evaluation of the mixing effect of gas-liquid two-phase flow during the top-blown gas agitation mixing is one of the difficulties in the testing field, especially in the process of using the model method to study the metallurgical top-blowing process. In order to evaluate the effect of gas-liquid two-phase flow mixing, a gas chromatography simulation based on capacitance tomography was used to visualize the flow pattern and analyze the mixed characteristics. A gas top-blown agitation test rig was set up, the gas phase was air-selected, and the liquid phase was selected from synthetic heat-conducting oil. The top-blown stirring test process was measured and imaged by electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) equipment from ECT Instruments Ltd (UK). The MATLAB program was used to identify the mixing areas of the images to obtain the distribution of gas-liquid two-phase. The flow pattern of the gas-liquid mixing region was obtained. The chaotic detection of the gas-liquid mixing process was performed by the three-state test method;the images were processed by the counting box dimension-corrosion method to obtain the mixing uniformity time of gas-liquid flow. Results show that it is feasible to use the capacitance tomography technique to visualize the gas-liquid two-phase distribution. The uniformity time quantification of the gas-liquid mixing process is also achieved.

Application of Nonlinear Lamb Wave Mixing Method for Residual Stress Measurement in Metal Plate

Harmonic nonlinear ultrasound can offer high sensitivity for residual stress measurements;however,it cannot be used for local stress measurements at a point in space and exhibits nonlinear distortions in the experimental system.This paper presents a feasibility study on the measurement of residual stress in a metal plate using a nonlinear Lamb wave-mixing technique.The resonant conditions for two Lamb waves to generate a mixing frequency wave are obtained via theoretical analysis.Finite element simulations are performed to investigate the nonlinear interactions between the two Lamb waves.Results show that two incident A0 waves interact in regions of material nonlinearity and generate a rightward S0 wave at the sum frequency.Residual stress measurement experiments are conducted on steel plate specimens using the collinear Lamb wave-mixing technique.By setting different delays for two transmitters,the generated sum-frequency component at different spatial locations is measured.Experimental results show that the spatial distribution of the amplitude of the sum-frequency component agrees well with the spatial distribution of the residual stress measured using X-rays.The proposed collinear Lamb wave-mixing method is effective for measuring the distribution of residual stress in metal plates.

Assessing the host genetic background effects on type 2 diabetes and obesity development in response to mixed–oral bacteria and high-fat diet using the collaborative cross mouse model

Background: Host genetic background and sex, play central roles in defining the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes(T2 D), obesity and infectious diseases. Our previous studies demonstrated the utilization of genetically highly diverse inbred mouse lines, namely collaborative cross(CC), for dissecting host susceptibility for the development of T2 D and obesity, showing significant variations following high-fat(42% fat) diet(HFD). Here, we aimed to assessing the host genetic background and sex effects on T2 D and obesity development in response to oral-mixed bacterial infection and HFD using the CC lines.Materials and Methods: Study cohort consists of 97 mice from 2 CC lines(both sexes), maintained on either HFD or Standard diet(CHD) for 12 weeks. At week 5 a group of mice from each diet were infected with Porphyromonas gingivalis(Pg) and Fusobacterium nucleatum(Fn) bacteria(control groups without infection). Body weight(BW) and glucose tolerance ability were assessed at the end time point of the experiment.Results: The CC lines varied(P <.05) at their BW gain and glucose tolerance ability(with sex effect) in response to diets and/or infection, showing opposite responses despite sharing the same environmental conditions. The combination of diet and infection enhances BW accumulation for IL1912, while restraints it for IL72. As for glucose tolerance ability, only females(both lines) were deteriorated in response to infection.Conclusions: This study emphasizes the power of the CC mouse population for the characterization of host genetic makeup for defining the susceptibility of the individual to development of obesity and/or impaired glucose tolerance.

Study of Neutron Cross Talk Rejection Based on Testing Experiment and Simulation

Experimental data analysis and simulation calculations were performed in order to evaluate the cross-talk rejection performance of a typical neutron detection array. For very closely packed scintillation bars, the CT rejection may rely on the position relation between the two signals. The criteria ｜△x｜≤ 15 cm and ｜△y｜≤12 cm are currently proposed for a rejection rate higher than 90%. For signals coming from distanced bars, the energy conservation relationship can be applied to reject the CT events with a similar performance. In both cases the results of simulation agree very well with the experimental data, assuring their applicability to other detection systems and physics problems.

On the Analysis Method of the Triple Test Cross Design

The analysis method of the triple test cross design has been discussed carefully from the two factor experiment design and the genetic models of additive dominant effect and of epistasis effect.Two points different from the previous reports have been concluded: (1)both the degrees of freedom of the orthogonal terms C2 and C3 are m, (2)the denominator in the F test to C2 and C3 is the error mean of square between plots.

Analysis of College Students’ Test Scores Based on Two-Component Mixed Generalized Normal Distribution

In order to improve the fitting accuracy of college students’ test scores, this paper proposes two-component mixed generalized normal distribution, uses maximum likelihood estimation method and Expectation Conditional Maxinnization (ECM) algorithm to estimate parameters and conduct numerical simulation, and performs fitting analysis on the test scores of Linear Algebra and Advanced Mathematics of F University. The empirical results show that the two-component mixed generalized normal distribution is better than the commonly used two-component mixed normal distribution in fitting college students’ test data, and has good application value.

Analysis of Corrosion Mechanisms of Low-cement or No-cement Al_(2)O_(3)-MgO Gunning Mix with Special Calcined Alumina in Rotary Slag Test

Al_(2)O_(3)-MgO and Al_(2)O_(3)-spinel low cement castables(LCC-AM and LCC-AS)have been extensively used in steel ladles as working linings.Nevertheless,the use of alumina-magnesia gunning mixes has been mainly kept for maintaining these castable linings,because of high rebound loss,poor green strength,high porosity and short life-span.Thanks to a high BET alumina(MC-G),it is now possible to develop a series of high-performance no-cement or low-cement Al_(2)O_(3)-MgO gunning mixes(NCG-AM or LCG-AM).The paper focuses on the BOF slag resistance of NCG-AM,LCG-AM,LCC-AM and LCC-AS.The corrosion mechanisms of rotary slag samples were studied by scanning electron microscopy(SEM/EDS).The results reveal different microstructures around MgO particles,depending on the four used compositions.Continuous and thicker spinel phases were formed in NCG-AM,which was proved to have the best corrosion resistance after the dynamic slag test.MC-G can provide a high diffusion flux of Al^(3+)in terms of kinetics and hence inhibits Kirkendall porosity around MgO particles.In addition,a continuous spinel phase acts like a pinning nail to reinforce the matrix and thus decreases erosion by slag.In contrast to NCG-AM,the porous spinel phase was found around unreacted MgO particles and some particles were carried away near the interface of LCC-AM and slag.The NCG-AM containing MC-G had been tested in two steel plants,and it extended the service life of the ladles up to 50%.In addition,this study suggests the potential application of NCG-AM as steel ladle linings.

Mixing Zone Guidelines Application in a Smelter in Northern Sweden with Discharge to the Baltic Sea

This pilot study intended to investigate the application of Mixing Zone Guidelines in northern Sweden. The EC （European Commission）-Mixing Zone Guidelines were applied to seven effluent discharges. The effluents were from industrial processes used in the Ronnskar smelter, in northern Sweden. Each outlet in the smelter area discharges water into the Bothnian bay of the Baltic Sea. Cadmium （Cd）, mercury （Hg）, nickel （Ni） and lead （Pb） were the primary substances present in the effluents. A ＂Tiered Approach＂ was followed for mixing zone assessments in each of the discharge points. Discharge Test was used at Tier 2 and CORMIX （Cornell Mixing Zone Expert System model）, version 7, at Tier 3. At each discharge point, the AA-EQS （annual average-environmental quality standard） for each metal was met within a distance of 500 m from the outfalls. This distance was exceeded to meet the MAC-EQS （maximum allowable concentration-environmental quality standard） criteria at points 1 and 3 for total Hg concentrations. However, for the proper application of Mixing Zone Guidelines, a version of the Discharge Test for coastal waters should be developed and used. The decision at which tier the dissolved metal concentration should be compared with EQS values could depend on the effluent characteristics. For Swedish coastal waters, some consideration should be given to the background concentration of metals.

Addressing the Fuel Resistance of Hot Mix Asphalt by an Enhanced Test Method

In areas where hot mix asphalt(HMA)is likely to be exposed by any form of mineral oil the layer has to withstand the attack of these substances in order not to damage the construction.The European Standard EN 12697-43 provides a test procedure to determine the resistance of HMA to fuel.The paper reviews this method thoroughly.A completely revised and simplified test device for the brush test was developed meeting the requirements of the standard and creating results with a high repeatability at the same time.The test conditions given by the standard such as the exposure to fuel,cleaning of the specimen after exposure or the contact pressure of the brush were varied to isolate those test conditions with a substantial influence on the result.The research revealed that in the standard some conditions with a rather small influence are set quite strictly while other conditions with a distinct influence on the result are not defined with the required accuracy to obtain comparable and repeatable results.The paper presents suggestions for the improvement of the test method and the standard itself in respect to the layout of the test device and the definition of important test conditions to enhance the outcome of the EN 12697-43.

Characteristics of the Variation of Cross Fault Short-Baseline and Short-Range Leveling in Western Yunnan Earthquake Test Site Before Lijiang M_S7.0 Earthquake

Results of analysis of variation of cross fault short-baseline and short-range leveling in Western Yunnan Earthquake Test Site (WYETS), results show that among five observation stations of cross fault short-baseline and short-range leveling in WYETS before the Lijiang MS7.0 Earthquake occurred in February 1996 only Yongsheng observation station (epicentral distance 82 km) located at Chenghai fault shows great variation about one year before the earthquake. And the nearest observation station, Lijiang (epicentral distance 42 km); presents great coseismic variation, but does not show obvious anomalous variation before the earthquake. There are no significant variations related to the earthquake at the other three observation stations. Two methods are used in analysis of the observed data and some valuable results have been obtained.

The Shaking Table Test on the Performance of Cement-mixed Piles in Liquefiable Railway Foundations

Cement-mixed piles,as countermeasure against liquefaction of silt and sand ground,can improve the shear strength and bearing capacity of foundation soil,meaning cement-mixed piles are capable of resisting displacement when an earthquake happens. However,investigations of cement-mixed piles by experimental methods such as the shaking table test is few and far between. It is especially true for the seismic performance of cement-mixed piles in liquefiable railway foundations in high seismic intensity regions. To this end,a cross-section of the Yuxi-Mengzi railway was selected as the prototype and studied by the shaking table test in this study. The results showed that composite foundation of cementmixed piles was not liquefied when the seismic acceleration was lower than 0. 30g. In the process of acceleration increasing from 0. 30g at 2Hz to 0. 60g at 3Hz,the upper middle silt outside slope toe was partly liquefied. The foundation soil under the shoulders and center of subgrade was far from the initial liquefaction criterion during the test. Cementmixed piles can effectively reduce the embankment settlement and differential settlement. It can be concluded that, the design of cement-mixed piles can ensure the seismic performance of the subgrade,and satisfy the seismic design requirements of the YuxiMengzi railway in areas of VIII degrees seismic fortification intensity.

l-Mixing Collision in Presence of Microwave Field

We have studied excitation of multilevel Na-Rydberg atom due to collision with proton in the presence of variable laser field. The interaction of laser field and Na-Rydberg atom is explored using non perturbative Floquet technique. The transition probability is calculated at different laser frequencies (GHz), projectile velocities and impact-parameter. We have also calculated total cross-section for near resonant energy transfer collision of proton with Na-Rydberg atom at different frequencies.

Pd-Catalyzed Unprecedented Cross-Coupling of Mixed Phenols and Halides for the Synthesis of Aromatic Ethers

Phenolic compounds present in medicinal and edible plants such as flavonoids, chalcones, coumarins, quinones, and phenolic acids. The antioxidant potential of phenolic compounds shows potent activities for cancer prevention and its treatment. From a green chemistry point of view, cascade (tandem) reactions are ideal techniques in organic synthesis for building complex structures. Cascade techniques are sometimes observed in coupling reactions under mild conditions with a tolerance of multifunctional groups. It will be interesting to find a cascade type reaction to synthesize polyphenolic ethers. This research project achieves a new cross-coupling method for establishing polyphenolic ethers from mixed phenols and halides in the presence of palladium catalyst in moderate to good yields.

The “Colour Family Drawing Test”: Assessing Children’s Perception of Family Relationships. Studies on Mental Health and Cross-Cultural Comparisons

We apply the Colour Family Drawing Test, as a development of the traditional black and white test, for cross-cultural comparison. The participants, aged 7 - 10 years, both genders, were examined individually. Each subject sat at a single table with a white rectangular card of standard size, 24 well-sharpened colour pencils, a black pencil, an eraser and other appropriate tools. S/he received this verbal instruction: “Draw your family”. The procedure was firstly applied to 120 participants attending primary schools of Rome (Biasi, Bonaiuto and Levin, 2014). The families were evaluated through a semi-structural interview conducted with the children’s teachers and divided into: Harmonious versus Very Conflictual Families. The drawings made by children of Harmonious Families consistently used “Reassuring and Playful Colours” (Pink, Orange, Sky Blue, Light Green, Light Yellow, other pastel colours);and were larger, tidier and more proportioned to respect the opposite group. Children belonging to Conflictual Families used mostly “Alarming and Serious Colours” (Grey, Black, Dark Bleu, Violet, Olive Green) and their drawings were less extended, more often disordered and had typical deformations such as figures too thin. A second investigation examined 120 participants belonging to Asian immigrant families residing in Italy. A third investigation examined 120 participants belonging to Russian families of Moscow. Both last two investigations obtained very similar results on the use of colours, and gave a confirmation of the relevance of the Colour Family Drawing Test.

Testing for Cross-Sectional Dependence in a RandomEffects Model

This paper extends and generalizes the works of [1,2] to allow for cross-sectional dependence in the context of a two-way error components model and consequently develops LM test. The cross-sectional dependence follows the first order spatial autoregressive error (SAE) process and is imposed on the remainder disturbances. It is important to note that this paper does not consider alternative forms of spatial lag dependence other than SAE. It also does not allow for endogeneity of the regressors and requires the normality assumption to derive the LM test.