98 research outputs found
Evaluate the Transfer Length and End Region Cracking of Prestressed Girders using 300ksi Strands
No full textThe primary goal of the project is to introduce 300ksi strands to TxDOT bridge design standards for I-girder design. The benefits of transitioning to 300ksi strands include material and labor cost savings, and increased design flexibility. Additionally, increased strength can allow for shallower girder depths while achieving equivalent or greater span lengths compared to girders utilizing 270ksi strands.TxDOT-0-7154Civil Engineerin
Data Quality Management Tool for Service Management Platform
No full textData is a crucial element in every information system and software application. Data quality concerns are not limited to Information Technology (IT) but involve various science realms. The growth of data is not a new phenomenon, “big data,” “data asset,” “data-driven business,” “data warehouses,” and “data lakes” are accepted as common terminologies. The value from data can only be harnessed if it meets specific standards and has the required characteristics. The investment in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation will go in vain if there are no data quality checks in place. Data quality management has long been studied in various fields. The studies have produced several frameworks and methodologies to work with data quality management. However, the service management domain of service science discipline, particularly IT Service Management (ITSM), has been challenged by data quality issues in recent years.
The ITSM implementation is facilitated and driven by platforms, such as ServiceNow. The capabilities of ServiceNow expand beyond the conventional ITSM platform. It aims to address IT concerns and service management of enterprises.
The thesis discusses and elaborates on data quality problems found in ServiceNow, an enterprise service management platform. It touches on available and applied solutions, then presents a pragmatic solution developed to address any data quality issues. It provides extensive details on the design and development of the tool, which forms a central part of the solution. Finally, concrete evaluations are presented using practical and real-world cases
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No full textI would like to thank Dr. Philip Kenkel, my thesis advisor for accepting me as a graduate research assistant during my hard times and allowing me to work on this project. Sincere thanks go to him for his guidance, encouragement and the valuable time that he has provided to me during the preparation of this thesis. I would also like to thank my committee members Dr. Damona Doye and Dr. Rodney Holcomb for their continuous support and advice during the thesis work. I would also like to remember my parents and thank them for their continuous support and for the burden they took to raise my academic career. I would also like to thank my sisters for their love and encouragement. I cannot forget my grandfather at this moment, without whom, I would not have reached at this position. Thanks also go to my girlfriend who continuously supported, encouraged and guided me whenever needed. I would also like to thank all the Nepalese friends and families in Stillwater, Oklahoma who made my stay in Stillwater as home away from home. I would also like to thank all my friends in the Department of Agricultural Economics from whom I have learned a lot and thanks to them for creating a friendly atmosphere
Understanding the causes of decline in the health of Rupa Lake, Nepal
Get PDFMeeting: Celebrating Dialogue : An International SAS2 Forum, November 3,
2008, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, CASAS reports are made available in order to provide timely access to the information by interested researchers. This report has been subject to an internal review process to ensure accuracy and quality.This report provides information on the Social Analysis System (SAS) through which local groups were enabled to analyze the degradation and decline of their lake ecosystem. Effects can be traced to government policies that shifted ownership and control of forests from local communities to government agencies. Slash-and-burn agriculture on national forest land became common; flooding and numerous landslides were provoked by land clearing. The surface area of the lake has declined by almost 50%. All stakeholders made a commitment to strengthen and revitalize people-centered efforts, so that actions would have more local ownership and continuity
Shear Strengthening and Rehabilitation of Normal Reinforced Concrete Beams: A Review
No full textThe structural integrity of reinforced concrete (RC) structures diminishes over time due to ageing, unexpected loads such as earthquakes, and corrosion-induced deterioration, necessitating rehabilitation or replacement. Insufficient shear capacity and lack of ductility in normal RC beams lead to extensive damage during earthquakes. Addressing shear deficiencies is critical as they are more hazardous and can lead to sudden failure. Shear strengthening of RC beams enhances their load-carrying capacity and prevents brittle shear failures. This paper reviews several methods of strengthening beams in shear, focusing on the Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) method for strengthening beams in shear as ACI 440.2R fully covers the design procedure. To enhance the shear strength of a concrete beam using FRP, the shear force contribution by the composite should be estimated, and a suitable system should be selected, such as two-sided, three-sided wraps or a fully wrap system of the application. Then, the spacing between the FRP strips should be found. The beam would be properly strengthened for shear using FRP sheets
Feasibility Assessment of Biomass Harvesting Cooperative
Get PDFThe paper summarizes the harvesting and transportation costs of biomass in an individual producer’s framework versus a cooperative framework using a feasibility template developed in MS Excel. The cost is compared between individual producer having 1000 acres of land and a cooperative with five members each having 1000 acres of land. The estimated total cost per ton for harvesting biomass and transporting it to a warehouse 20 mile far is 18.00 for cooperative. The mowing, raking and baling cost per ton is estimated to be 3.94 and 4.97, 5.85 respectively for cooperative
Analyzing Replacement and Expansion of Grain Storage in Oklahoma
Get PDFA mixed integer programming model was developed using General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) to forecasts grain facility replacement in Oklahoma. The results indicated regionalization in grain storage with fewer but larger capacity structures. The results of sequential replacement overtime indicated that there would be some abandonment of facilities and some shift to larger capacity structures. Producer’s transportation cost did not increase with sequential replacement as expected because storage were added in places to the current deficits. The results were not sensitive to crop production, fuel and construction cost and amortization factors. Cost comparison per bushel between configuration after sequential replacement and unrestricted replacement show that transportation cost was 0.02 higher than unrestricted replacement. The findings of the study are important to grain firms and producers considering replacement of obsolete facilities
Feasibility Assessment of Biomass Harvesting Cooperative
Get PDFThe paper summarizes the harvesting and transportation costs of biomass in an individual producer’s framework versus a cooperative framework using a feasibility template developed in MS Excel. The cost is compared between individual producer having 1000 acres of land and a cooperative with five members each having 1000 acres of land. The estimated total cost per ton for harvesting biomass and transporting it to a warehouse 20 mile far is 18.00 for cooperative. The mowing, raking and baling cost per ton is estimated to be 3.94 and 4.97, 5.85 respectively for cooperative.Biomass, Switchgrass, Harvesting, Transportation, Cooperative, Agricultural and Food Policy, Financial Economics, Production Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,
Assessment of the Required Subdivision Index for autonomous ships based on equivalent safety
No full textIn recent years, a significant amount of research has been conducted on autonomous ships. Since it is assumed that these ships will sail with a significantly reduced crew or even without people on board, the design of the ship needs reconsideration. The absence of people on board and the associated safety measures could result in a more efficient design. However, to achieve the required design freedom, the existing regulatory framework will have to be amended. In this article, we will focus on potential changes in the Convention for Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) and in particular on the Required Subdivision Index. The evaluation is performed by using the principle of equivalent safety, which will ensure that unmanned ships will be at least as safe as manned ships. The index gives a requirement for the allowed probability of sinking when a ship is damaged due to collision or contact. The safety level is related to the safety of ship, cargo, environment and crew. If the crew is no longer present, the consequences of an incident will be less severe, since the probability of casualties is no longer present. If the principle of equivalent safety is applied, a lower subdivision index can be accepted for unmanned autonomous vessels. In this article, the level of risk that a manned ship is subjected to will be derived by means of a risk analysis. In this risk analysis all logical consequences of a collision will be taken into account, covering both the probability of losing the entire ship and the consequences of the cases where the ship will not sink. Thereafter, the Required Subdivision Index for unmanned ships, which ensures an equivalent safety level to an equivalent manned ship, is established. The sensitivity of the result to changes in the data is discussed as well.Ship Design, Production and Operation
Paraganglioma Masquerading as Neurological Symptoms: A Rare Case Presentation
No full textIntroduction: Paragangliomas (PG) are rare tumors of neural crest origin. We report an unusual case of a PG wherein the patient presented to the hospital with complaints of bilateral numbness, tingling, and intermittent difficulty in grasping objects. Case presentation: A 51-year-old female with a prior history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome and hypertension presented to the hospital due to bilateral numbness, tingling, and intermittent difficulty grasping objects in her hands for four weeks. At presentation, her vitals were stable, and her physical examination was positive, only for diminished sensation in her upper extremities. Lab work, including TSH, B12/Folic Acid/ANA, was unremarkable at presentation. CT head and MRI brain were negative for acute intracranial pathology. MRI of the cervical spine showed multilevel degenerative changes (C5-6) and a 1.9 cm soft tissue mass just above the left carotid bifurcation. CTA of the neck revealed a 2.7 x 1.6 x 1.7 cm enhancing mass at the left carotid bifurcation and a contralateral 5 x 3 mm lesion at the right carotid bifurcation. EMG/NCS was performed, which did not meet the diagnostic criteria for Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP/GBS) or cervical radiculopathy. Biochemical workup with plasma metanephrine, 24-hour urine catecholamines/metanephrine/normetanephrine, and 24-hour vanillylmandelic acid was normal. She underwent resection of the left carotid body tumor. The histopathology was consistent with PG. Following the diagnosis, blood tests with PTH, calcium, and calcitonin were performed and were normal. The thyroid ultrasound did not show any thyroid nodules. The patient is scheduled to follow up with Endocrinology as an outpatient to complete genetic testing. Discussion: PG of the head and neck are rare. PG are benign in most cases, but 10% are reported to be malignant. PG may occur sporadically or as inherited familial tumors. Classic tumor syndromes associated with PG include MEN 2A and 2B, von Hippel-Lindau disease, Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1), and Carney-Stratakis dyad. Most cases are non-functional, and symptoms result from mass effects. A preoperative diagnosis usually involves biochemical and radiographic (CT/MRI/PET/MIBG) testing. Biochemical evaluation with measurement of urinary and/or plasma fractionated metanephrines and catecholamines is indicated for all PG, even if clinically non-functional. The definitive diagnosis is histopathological. Treatment options include surgical resection, radiation, and stereotactic radiosurgery
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