Innovative Data Acquisition for Heavily Instrumented Flexible Pavements

A data acquisition program was written to allow independent triggering of multiple test sections of a thin flexible pavement. A total of 129 electronic sensors were installed in 17 test sections and subjected to 2,100 truck passes over several months immediately after construction. The measured strains were highly variable in the thin flexible pavement, but the program was still able to successfully trigger each section independently. The majority of signal processing was also performed within the program, which was written in Lab VIEW 7 Express. This approach significantly reduced the amount of postprocessing effort that would have otherwise been required. The quality of the triggering approach was compared to independently collected weigh in motion data. The majority of the test sections recorded within 0.5% of the number of vehicles recorded by the weigh in motion system. Key components of all major facets of the data acquisition and programming performed are discussed in detail.     

Characterization of polymeric film of a new manganese phthalocyanine complex octa-substituted with 2-diethylaminoethanethiol, and its use for the electrochemical detection of bentazon

Manganese acetate octakis-(2-diethyaminoethanethiol) phthalocyanine (AcMnODEAETPc) was newly synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. Solution electrochemistry of the complex showed three redox processes assigned to Mn^IIIPc⁻¹/Mn^IIIPc⁻², Mn^IIIPc⁻²/Mn^IIPc⁻² and Mn^IIPc⁻²/Mn^IIPc⁻³ species. The new molecule was polymerized onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to form thin films of different thickness, giving poly-10-AcMnODEAETPc-GCE, poly-20-AcMnODEAETPc-GCE and poly-30-AcMnODEAETPc-GCE, where 10, 20 and 30 represent the number of voltammetry scans during polymerization. Three distinct redox processes were observed on the modified electrode in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution, pH 5, which confirmed the formation of the polymer. The current signal due to the herbicide, bentazon, was dependent on film thickness; the best signal was obtained on poly-20-AcMnODEAETPc-GCE while poly-10-AcMnODEAETPc-GCE gave the least signal. However, the signals due to the herbicide were better on the different films compared to the bare electrode. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique revealed that differences in film thickness offered different charge transfer resistances, R_ct, hence difference in current signals for bentazon oxidation were observed on these films. A Tafel slope of 77 mV/decade, obtained for the herbicide on poly-20-AcMnODEAETPc-GCE, denotes a fast one electron transfer followed by a slow chemical step in the electro-oxidation of bentazon. The voltammetry signals of the herbicide on the films indicated the likely involvement of ring-based redox processes in the detection of the herbicide. A plot of background corrected current response, on this film, versus the concentration of bentazon was linear within the range 50–750 μM with a detection limit of 2.48 × 10⁻⁷ M.     

Real time virtual window management for bit mapped raster graphics

In this paper we present a hardware real time window system which uses a virtual address mapping scheme based on associative memory. Until now, bit block transfer operations were used to update screen contents from main memory window information. Since these operations transfer large blocks of data from main memory to the frame buffer whenever window parameters are changed, response times of window systems were slow. With the proposed approach, the frame buffer may be completely eliminated and replaced by a large virtual video memory which is capable of holding all the window data in non-overlapping locations. Mapping becomes now a dynamic real-time function which assigns screen addresses to different areas of the virtual video memory at different times.     

Reframing the Iraq War: Official Sources,Dramatic Events,and Changes in Media Framing

This study examines how official sources and dramatic events influence media framing of political issues, assessing the claims of the indexing hypothesis and event-driven models. Through an analysis of the New York Times' coverage of the Iraq War in late 2005 and early 2006, this study compares coverage from before and after the bombing of a major Shi'ite shrine in Iraq. The analysis shows that journalists avoided the preferred frame of the White House while amplifying the preferred frame of the military. It also shows that the bombing spurred journalists to reframe the conflict. These findings challenge parts of the indexing hypothesis and support a more event-driven model of media framing.     

Effect of cassava varieties on the sorption isotherm of tapioca grits

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Cranzt) deteriorates rapidly. Hence it is processed into various products within 2 to 3 days after harvesting. For this work, tapioca was produced from three different varieties of cassava. They are Odongbo, Okoiyawo and TMS30572. The sorption isotherm for the tapioca grits from three different varieties of cassava at temperatures 25, 32 and 45 °C were determined experimentally and modelled using five different models. Using analysis of variance at 0.01 level, it was shown that the experimental sorption isotherms of the tapioca from the various cassava varieties are not significantly different from each other. However, the Guggenheim (1966) , Anderson (1946) & de Boer (1953) (GAB) model gave the best fit for sorption isotherm of tapioca from either the Odongbo or Okoiyawo varieties, while the exponential model was the best for that from TMS30572 variety.     

Control of vertebrate left-right asymmetry by a snail-related zinc finger gene

A gene encoding a zinc finger protein of the Snail family, cSnR, is expressed in the right-hand lateral mesoderm during normal chick development. Antisense disruption of cSnR function during the hours immediately preceding heart formation randomized the normally reliable direction of heart looping and subsequent embryo torsion. Implanted ectopic sources of intercellular signal proteins that are involved in establishing normal left-right information randomized the handedness of heart development and also altered the asymmetry of cSnR expression. cSnR thus appears to act downstream of these signals, or perhaps in parallel with the latest expressed of them, the Nodal protein, in controlling the anatomical asymmetry.     

Surface properties of self-assembled monolayer films of tetra-substituted cobalt, iron and manganese alkylthio phthalocyanine complexes

Self-assembled monolayer (SAM) films of iron (SAM-1), cobalt (SAM-2) and manganese (SAM-3) phthalocyanine complexes, tetra-substituted with diethylaminoethanethio at the non-peripheral positions, were formed on gold electrode in dimethylformamide (DMF). Electrochemical, impedimentary and surface properties of the SAM films were investigated. Cyclic voltammetry was used to investigate the electrochemical properties of the films. Ability of the films to inhibit common faradaic processes on bare gold surface (gold oxidation, solution redox chemistry of [Fe(H₂O)₆]³⁺/[Fe(H₂O)₆]²⁺ and underpotential deposition (UDP) of copper) was investigated. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), using [Fe(CN)₆]^3−/4− redox process as a probe, offered insights into the electrical properties of the films/electrode interfaces. Surface properties of the films were probed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The films were employed for the electrocatalytic oxidation of the pesticide, carbofuran. Electrocatalysis was evidenced from enhanced current signal and less positive oxidation potential of the pesticide on each film, relative to that observed on the bare gold electrode. Mechanism of electrocatalytic oxidation of the pesticide was studied using rotating disc electrode voltammetry.     

The influence of oxidation reduction potential and water treatment processes on quartz lamp sleeve fouling in ultraviolet disinfection reactors

Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems are incorporated into drinking water production facilities because of their broad-spectrum antimicrobial capabilities, and the minimal disinfection by-product formation that generally accompanies their use. Selection of an optimal location for a UV system within a drinking water treatment facility depends on many factors; a potentially important consideration is the effect of system location on operation and maintenance issues, including the potential for fouling of quartz surfaces. To examine the effect of system location on fouling, experiments were conducted at a groundwater treatment facility, wherein aeration, chlorination, and sand filtration were applied sequentially for treatment. In this facility, access to the water stream was available prior to and following each of the treatment steps. Therefore, it was possible to examine the effects of each of these unit operations on fouling dynamics within a UV system. Results indicated zero-order formation kinetics for the fouling reactions at all locations. Increases in oxidation reduction potential, caused by water treatment steps such as aeration and chlorination, increased the rate of sleeve fouling and the rate of irradiance loss within the reactor. Analysis of metals in the sleeve foulant showed that calcium and iron predominate, and relative comparisons of foulant composition to water chemistry highlighted a high affinity for incorporation into the foulant matrix for both iron and manganese, particularly after oxidizing treatment steps. Fouling behavior was observed to be in qualitative agreement with representations of the degree of saturation, relative to the metal:ligand combinations that are believed to comprise a large fraction of the foulants that accumulate on the surfaces of quartz jackets in UV systems used to treat water.     

Effects of processing conditions and packaging material on the quality attributes of dry‐roasted peanuts

Five different processing conditions of raw shelled unblanched peanuts were investigated. The first two treatments involved soaking the peanuts in tap water for 10 and 30 min respectively, then mixing thoroughly with dry NaCl before roasting. Another two treatments involved soaking the peanuts in saturated brine solution for 10 and 30 min respectively before roasting. Unsalted roasted peanuts served as the control. Packaging and storage studies were carried out by packaging the differently treated dry‐roasted peanuts in four different packaging materials and storing them under three different relative humidities for 3 months at ambient temperature. Proximate composition, NaCl content, peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid value were determined and sensory evaluation tests were carried out. Salting was found to improve the taste, flavour and overall acceptability of dry‐roasted peanuts but had no effect on shelf‐life. Peanuts treated in saturated brine solution for 30 min before roasting were the most preferred. The control packaging material, 18 µm transparent polyethylene, was found to be inadequate for protecting the quality attributes of dry‐roasted peanuts, with mould growth being observed on the 42nd day of storage at 80% relative humidity. However, acceptable results were obtained with 45 µm transparent polypropylene. The mean sensory scores and objective tests were found to be negatively correlated. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry