Effect of Size on the Failure of Geometrically Similar Concrete Beams Strengthened in Shear with FRP Strips

Fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) are commonly used for the strengthening of concrete members. For shear strengthening of beams, FRP strips can be bonded to the sides of the member alone, to both the sides and the bottom (i.e., the U configuration), or wrapped around the whole beam. For the various strengthening configurations, empirical equations have been proposed for predicting the contribution of strips to the shear capacity of the member. However, for the same strengthened member, the equations recommended by different design guidelines (American Concrete Institute, International Federation for Structural Concrete, and Japan Society for Civil Engineers) predict different shear capacities. Moreover, as the equations were obtained through the fitting of laboratory data on relatively small beams, their applicability to beams of practical sizes have not really been assessed. In the present investigation, geometrically similar beams with depth of 180, 360, and 720?mm were retrofitted in shear with carbon FRP strips in both the U configuration and fully wrapped configuration. The retrofitted members were tested to failure to (1) provide data on beams of practical sizes for verification of design equations and (2) investigate if the strengthening effectiveness is similar for small and large beams. Measured FRP contribution to the shear capacity is also compared to predictions from equations in the various guidelines. Based on our findings, for beams retrofitted with strips in the U configuration, the strengthening effectiveness may significantly decrease with member size, and none of the available design equations can consistently provide conservative values for the shear capacity. For beams with fully wrapped strips, strengthening effectiveness is independent of member size, and the FIB equation appears to be most appropriate for practical design.     

Multilingual resources for NLP in the lexical markup framework (LMF)

Optimizing the production, maintenance and extension of lexical resources is one the crucial aspects impacting natural language processing (NLP). A second aspect involves optimizing the process leading to their integration in applications. With this respect, we believe that a consensual specification on monolingual, bilingual and multilingual lexicons can be a useful aid for the various NLP actors. Within ISO, one purpose of Lexical Markup Framework (LMF, ISO-24613) is to define a standard for lexicons that covers multilingual lexical data.

Comparison of optical and physical measurements with sensory assessment of the ripeness of tomato fruit Lycopersicon esculentum

Knowledge of the inter-relationships among objective physical and optical measurements and their relation with sensory perception of foods can be applied to improve quality control and consumer acceptance. Changes in the optical and mechanical properties of tomatoes were found to be related to the perceived ripeness of the fruit over a storage period. The sensory attributes and instrumental parameters significant in the assessment of ripening tomatoes were translucency, green, orange, lightness, hue and chroma. The chromatic co-ordinate a^* was significantly correlated with the mechanical modulus of the fruit, which in turn was inversely related to ripening associated with colour changes from green to red. It is feasible that mechanical and optical data may be combined to provide an on-line system for the evaluation of ripeness of tomato fruit.     

Client-specific counselor self-efficacy in novice counselors: Relation to perceptions of session quality.

Two versions of a counselor self-efficacy (CSE) measure were administered to 110 prepracticum counselors: a general version, assessing perceived capability to perform basic helping skills and manage the session process with clients generally; and a client-specific version, tapping capability to perform the same behaviors with a specific, current client. Client-specific CSE was found to (a) relate moderately to strongly with general CSE over the course of four counseling sessions, (b) increase significantly over sessions, and (c) account for unique variance in counselors' evaluations of the quality of their sessions. Although it was not a useful direct predictor of clients' session ratings, higher client-specific CSE was associated with greater congruence between counselors' and clients' perceptions of session quality. Implications for further research and training are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Achievement Goals, Performance Contingencies, and Performance Attainment: An Experimental Test.

This research examines the effect of achievement goals on performance attainment and the moderating role of performance contingencies. Results from 3 experiments strongly support the authors' hypotheses. Performance-avoidance goals undermined performance relative to performance-approach and mastery goals, regardless of contingency condition. Performance-approach goals had a more positive effect on performance than did mastery goals in the presence, but not in the absence, of a contingency. Furthermore, the presence of a contingency accentuated the effects of performance-based goals on performance and had little impact on the effect of mastery goals on performance. These results speak directly to a current conundrum in the achievement goal literature and highlight the need for a rigorous, systematic examination of the link between achievement goals and performance that takes into consideration features of the achievement task, context, and situation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mealtime Behaviors and Food Consumption of Perceived Picky and Nonpicky Eaters through Home Use Test

Picky eating has been investigated through numerous surveys and food recalls, but few studies have applied in‐home meal evaluations as a method to investigate behaviors and food preferences of children perceived by their parent to be a picky eater (PE) or nonpicky eater (NPE). A 2‐wk in‐home meal study was completed to investigate differences in PE and NPE mealtime behaviors and food selections using real‐time parental observations. Parents (n = 170) and their 2‐ to 4‐y‐old children (83 PE and 87 NPE) evaluated 5 standardized meals in‐home. Parents recorded their child's and their own hedonic liking of the products and completed an assessment of their child's behavior and consumption at each meal. Significant differences were found between perceived PE and NPE children for all 16 behaviors assessed. On average, perceived NPE were assessed to consume a higher percentage of the meal served and to have higher acceptance scores for most of the foods evaluated. Some foods, though, like breaded chicken and plain pasta, were liked equally by PE and NPE. Several significant differences in hedonic liking were revealed when PE children were compared to their parents. Yet, few differences in liking occurred between NPE children and their parents or between the 2 parental groups. Because study participants evaluated meals real‐time rather than memory recall, the differences and similarities found between perceived PE and NPE may be considered direct experiential evidence with reduced subjective bias as created when subjects recall past experiences. Thus, findings from this study can provide the foundation to establish an objective definition and classification of PE and NPE.     

Excessive cross-linking of caseins by microbial transglutaminase and its impact on physical properties of acidified milk gels

By varying cross-linking intensity, the effect of microbial transglutaminase on acid gels made from casein solution and raw milk was studied. To avoid any impact of heating, N-ethylmaleimide was used for enzyme inactivation after appropriately checking its efficiency. Up to a specific degree of oligomerisation gel stiffness and firmness increased and tan δ, time at gelation onset and syneresis decreased. Above approximately 70% and 25% of cross-linked protein in casein solution and raw milk, respectively, these parameters showed an opposite behaviour, and weak gels with high syneresis were obtained. Substrate differences, such as preferred cross-linking of adjoining κ-caseins on the surface of the micelle enhanced the effect of steric hindrance in raw milk and impaired proper rearrangements upon acidification at a much lower level of oligomerised protein. It is mainly dimeric and trimeric casein that successfully contributed to the enhanced properties of milk protein gels.     

Mechanical,Thermal, and Morphological Behavior of Silicone Rubber during Accelerated Aging

An accelerated aging study on silicone rubber exploring the effects of exposure to a functional oil (polyalkylene glycol) at elevated temperature (195°C) is reported in this paper. Variations in mechanical (tensile, tear, hardness) and thermal (conductivity, specific heat capacity) properties were monitored versus aging time while permanent deformation of the rubber was evaluated through creep and recovery measurements. Morphology and surface chemistry of the aged rubber were also investigated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, respectively. Aging had a significant impact on the mechanical properties with the ultimate tensile strength and elongation at break decreasing from 7.4?MPa and 2250% in unaged samples to 1.5?MPa and 760% in 6-week aged samples, respectively. The tear strength and hardness exhibited an initial increase during the early stages of aging, followed by a decreasing trend. In contrast, the thermal properties did not change significantly and FTIR did not detect any changes in the surface chemistry of the rubber with aging. SEM however, provided evidence of an increase in brittle behavior from the morphology of the fractured surfaces.