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Paws and Effect: Canine Companionship and Outcomes in the Chronic Health Condition Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
No full textEmerging research suggests canine companions may support the management of health conditions, yet evidence within complex, long-term conditions like hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) remains limited. hEDS is a multifaceted condition often associated with social withdrawal. Thus, the current research provided a high-powered investigation into whether the nonjudgmental support of canine companions could improve health and well-being outcomes for individuals with hEDS. An online survey of 401 participants was utilized to compare differences in health and well-being among individuals with hEDS who have a canine companion to those who do not. Results revealed that participants with canine companions experienced fewer difficulties in daily activities related to emotional issues, with some less robust evidence suggesting improvements in physical health and loneliness. However, most outcomes showed no significant differences between those with and without canine companions. Further analysis generally indicated better outcomes among individuals whose dogs exhibited fewer behavioral issues, highlighting the role of dog behavior in shaping outcomes. Moreover, participants who spent all their time with their dog reported worse outcomes, potentially reflecting the effects of severe symptomatology and limited mobility. These findings highlight the complex interplay between canine companionship and health. While canine companionship may offer specific benefits, particularly emotional support, it is not universally beneficial and may depend on nuanced factors such as dog behavior, the quality of the human–dog bond, and guardian expectations. Future research should explore these dynamics longitudinally and include broader considerations of dog-related and individual factors in both those with and without chronic health conditions
Numerical Study on the Flexural Behaviour of ASR-Affected Prestressed Concrete Girders Considering Crack Morphology
No full textThe alkali-silica reaction (ASR) significantly compromises the structural integrity of reinforced concrete members, underscoring the need for reliable computational models to assess ASR-affected infrastructure, especially in regions like Japan, where this issue is prevalent. Prestressed concrete (PC) girders develop anisotropic cracking under ASR-induced expansion, resulting in direction-dependent mechanical properties that can influence their global structural performance. In this study, the flexural behaviour of ASR-deteriorated PC girders with varying prestress and expansion levels is investigated numerically using the COM3 computational framework, which integrates constitutive laws for ASR-damaged concrete. The model’s ability to capture anisotropic mechanical behaviour is first evaluated by simulating compression loading on selected elements extracted in different orientations, representing the behaviour of core samples taken from actual girders. The flexural response of PC girders is then simulated and analysed incorporating insights from the core sample simulations, the results of which are consistent with experimental data. However, a discrepancy in initial stiffness is observed in the zero-prestress PC girder in which ASR-induced pore pressure causes axial expansion rather than compressive strain, leading to reduced stiffness through the recontact mechanism. These findings support a proposed hypothesis: ASR generates two distinct crack types: microcracks (small, gel-filled cracks with stiffness comparable to intact concrete) and macrocracks (mainly causes reduction in mechanical properties of concrete). Excluding microcrack strain from the constitutive models yields close alignment with the experimental results
Mechanical Behaviour of Cement-based Materials in Deep Seas: A Review
No full textThe ocean covers approximately 70% of the Earth’s surface, with over 80% categorized as deep sea. The deep sea, defined as depths greater than 200 m, is considered the most significant and last frontier within the marine environment. Emerging innovative projects have recently explored offshore wind power generation, seabed resource mining, carbon dioxide capture and storage, and deep-sea cities. One of the key challenges with construction in the deep sea is the high-water pressure, which increases by 1 MPa per 100 m of depth. The surrounding water pressure constrains concrete and increases its strength, but, because concrete is porous, seawater can permeate through the voids. This is particularly relevant when concrete manufactured on land is submerged in the deep sea. The strain behaviour due to high water pressure and the associated internal damage is significantly affected by water pressure acting as a constraint mechanism and water penetration acting as a stress relaxation mechanism. However, few studies have been available on the mechanical behaviour of concrete under high water pressure. Therefore, more research is required in this area to advance deep sea construction. This paper reviews available studies and provides the latest findings on the mechanical behaviour of concrete under high water pressure, based on laboratory and field tests. Prospects in this field are also described
Quantifying Tree Height Variation Using UAV and Airborne LiDAR
No full textForests are not uniform environments; variations in elevation, sunlight, and edge effects create distinct microhabitats that influence how trees grow and thrive. For example, trees in low-elevation natural forests may exhibit different growth conditions than those at higher elevations, even when other factors remain constant. Uneven sunlight distribution across the canopy further shapes growth patterns. In this pilot study, we compared tree height at forest edges and within the interior of a monoculture stand at the Wright Forestry Center. Tree height was measured from LiDAR and drone-based photogrammetry data. We envision future data collection from additional monocultures and the application of a linear mixed-effects model to further evaluate the robustness and accuracy of our findings
Book Review of Go West! A Memoir for My Sons: Our Family Journey and Khmer Rouge Life Experiences
No full textI came to Go West! A Memoir for My Sons not as a detached reader but as someone who holds Cambodia within me. Like Sideth D. Niev, I am a survivor of the Khmer Rouge, a child who grew up in exile and a mother now raising children in Minnesota, the same state where Niev rebuilt his life. Reading his memoir is like walking through a mirror: his words reflecting the past my family endured, my life reflecting the future his sons now inhabit. Both of us live in the long aftermath of genocide, where silence is both a burden and a form of protection
Applied Research in Field Crop Pathology for Indiana, 2022
No full textApplied Research in Field Crop Pathology for Indiana, 2022 serves as a summary of the applied field crop pathology research trials conducted in 2022 under the direction of the Purdue Field Crop Pathology program in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University. In Indiana, there are more than 57,600 farms, 16,000 crop producers, and 900 certified crop advisers, Extension educators, and crop-protection industry representatives who manage more than 11.4 million crop-production acres with a total value of 400 million, making disease identification and management a primary concern. The goal of this book is to share some of the most current, nonbiased, research-based information to address the management of field crop diseases. This data will support individuals engaged in crop production, helping them select effective, sustainable, and economically sound disease-management practices to implement on their farms.https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/purduepress_ebooks/1100/thumbnail.jp
Fundamental Hydraulics Principles for Agricultural Systems Management and Technology
No full textHydraulic systems have spread throughout modern technology, particularly in mobile equipment. The exercises presented in Fundamental Hydraulic Principles for Agricultural Systems Management and Technology are designed for the second-generation Parker Hydraulic Trainer to provide a basic understanding of hydraulic components and systems for technology and engineering students. Readers will learn how hydraulic pumps function, how linear actuators and their control circuits work, and how hydraulic motors operate and are controlled. Readers are also provided with the opportunity to attempt more advanced exercises. Aligned with beginning technology-based experiential hydraulics courses, this book emphasizes familiarity with common hydraulic components and circuit diagrams, while guiding learners through a fundamental, hands-on exposure to modern hydraulic systems.https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/purduepress_ebooks/1102/thumbnail.jp
30 Tips, Tricks, and Ways to Use Your New Intern Called AI
No full textA way to use Artifical intelligence in meaningful ways. The presentation will show a variety of different ways to “simply” use AI to get your first draft 80% there, to treat as a sounding board, and to look for patterns and “unnoticable items” in data, text, and designs
The Effectiveness of Longitudinal Rumble Strips on Indiana Roads
No full textRumble strips are designed and deployed to reduce run-off-road and head-on crashes by alerting drivers about near-lane departures. Although they have been widely used, their operational safety effectiveness still needs to be investigated under various operational conditions. Rumble strips may have different widths and be installed on edge, shoulder, center, or in any combination of these locations. To perform a comprehensive analysis of rumble strips’ safety effectiveness on rural two-lanes roads across Indiana, both statistical analysis and field test were performed. To statistically analyze this problem, a dataset for road segments with installed rumble strips including crash data, strips’ locations, types, dimensions, and road geometry were extracted. The 2015–2022 crash data was assigned to over 5,600 road segments with homogeneous rumble strip arrangement (including no strips), traffic, and cross-section, yielding more than 20,000 miles-years of observations. To account for the potential overdispersion of crash counts and heterogeneity among segments from the same road, the random effect negative binomial model and random effect ordered logit model were estimated. The estimation results indicated that rumble strips significantly reduced the crash rates for run-off-road and head-on crashes. For roadside-only and center-only designs, the Crash Modification Factor (CMF) for target crashes at all severity levels was 0.87; the CMF (KABC) for target crashes was 0.75, and the CMF (PDO) for target crashes was 0.92. When both roadside and centerline rumble strips are present, the all-severity CMF for target crashes was 0.79; the CMF (KABC) for target crashes was 0.68, and the CMF (PDO) for target crashes was 0.84. To test the produced noise and vibration from conventional and sinusoidal rumble strips, field tests were carried out with instrumented vehicles. The observations showed that both conventional and sinusoidal rumble strips meet the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recommendation of a minimum 3dB increase in sound pressure level. Conventional rumble strips increase sound levels by 4.6–7.5 dB, while sinusoidal rumble strips provide a higher increase of 5.1–11 dB. For both types of rumble strips, the magnitude of vibration also fulfills the requirements for in-cabin vibration. Higher vibration intensities were found for sinusoidal rumble strips compared to conventional ones
