Case for Expanding the Claim Dispute Resolution Training of TxDOT Personnel

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) currently uses general alternative dispute resolution and dispute management tactics to resolve construction claims. The successful application by TxDOT of project partnering methods, critical path management, and the Contract Claims Committee has resulted in a relatively low number of claims filed. However, one weakness in TxDOT’s current methodology is the lack of specific protocol for project-level personnel and administrators. The following survey of TxDOT dispute resolution methods emphasizes the importance of developing a personnel training catalog for Area Engineers in order to avoid costly claim dispute escalation. As the individual primarily responsible for resolving project and district-level disputes, the Area Engineer should be equipped with dispute resolution training if TxDOT wishes to improve the efficiency of its alternative dispute resolution protocol.     

Functional MR of frontal lobe activation: comparison with Wada language results

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to determine the utility of functional MR imaging in conjunction with a word-generation paradigm in the assessment of language lateralization. METHODS: Functional MR imaging and Wada testing for language lateralization was performed in patients with complex partial seizures during the performance of word-generation tasks. A language lateralization quotient was calculated from the number of activated pixels in the right and left hemispheres. A language laterality score was derived from the Wada results as the percentage of correct responses during right internal carotid artery injection minus the percentage of correct responses during left internal carotid injection. A correlation coefficient between the functional MR imaging results and the Wada language laterality scores was calculated. RESULTS: In 13 patients, hemispheric dominance based on Wada testing was confirmed by functional MR imaging during silent word generation. The Wada laterality scores varied from 100 to -100 and the functional MR imaging scores varied from 100 to -10. The language lateralization scores determined by functional MR imaging correlated significantly with the language lateralization scores derived from Wada testing. CONCLUSION: Functional MR imaging performed during word generation is an accurate method for lateralizing language function in patients with complex partial epilepsy.     

Size optimization of a PV/wind hybrid energy conversion system with battery storage using response surface methodology

This paper aims to show the use of the response surface methodology (RSM) in size optimization of an autonomous PV/wind integrated hybrid energy system with battery storage. RSM is a collection of statistical and mathematical methods which relies on optimization of response surface with design parameters. In this study, the response surface, output performance measure, is the hybrid system cost, and the design parameters are the PV size, wind turbine rotor swept area and the battery capacity. The case study is realized in ARENA 10.0, a commercial simulation software, for satisfaction of electricity consumption of the global system for mobile communications (GSM) base station at Izmir Institute of Technology Campus Area, Urla, Turkey. As a result, the optimum PV area, wind turbine rotor swept area, and battery capacity are obtained to be 3.95 m², 29.4 m², 31.92 kWh, respectively. These results led to $37,033.9 hybrid energy system cost, including auxiliary energy cost. The optimum result obtained by RSM is confirmed using loss of load probability (LLP) and autonomy analysis.     

Pavement smoothness of asphalt concrete overlays

Nine asphalt concrete overlays were prepared using three different mix designs: Type C, 12.5 mm Superpave, and Coarse Matrix High Binder Hot-Mix (CMHB-C) mixtures and three different coarse aggregate: siliceous gravel, quartzite and sandstone. Pavement overlays were placed on field sections constructed along IH-20 in Harrison County, Texas. Field sections included each of the nine different surface mixture types. The base course was the same for all surface mixtures and was designed with 90% limestone and 10% local field sand. For all mixtures including the base course, PG 76-22 binder was used. Three pavement condition surveys were conducted on the outside lanes of eastbound and westbound field sections; immediately after, after two years, and after three years of the construction of asphalt concrete pavement system. IRI values were estimated from the left and right wheel paths. Each data-set was analysed separately to compare the pavement smoothness of different asphalt concrete overlays. Section 3 (Superpave quartzite mix) in the westbound lanes and Section 4 (CMHB-C gravel mix) in the eastbound lanes showed the best ride qualities. A paired t-test was conducted for each section in order to assess changes in IRI values with time under real traffic conditions. Test results and statistical analyses indicated that except for the IH-20 westbound left lanes of field Section 3 (i.e. Superpave quartz mix) the IRI values of the asphalt concrete overlays were time stable over the research period of three years.     

Efficient sleep spindle detection algorithm with decision tree

In this study, an efficient sleep spindle detection algorithm based on decision tree is proposed. After analyzing the EEG waveform, the decision algorithm determines the exact location of sleep spindle by evaluating the outputs of three different methods namely: Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT), Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm and Teager Energy Operator (TEO).The EEG records collected from patients used in this study have been recorded at the Sleep Research Center in Department of Psychiatry of Gülhane Military Medicine Academy. The obtained results are in agreement with the visual analysis of EEG evaluated by expert physicians. The method is applied to 16 distinct patients, 420,570 minutes long EEG records and the performance of the algorithm was assessed for the sleep spindles detection with 96.17% sensitivity and 95.54% specificity. As a result, it is found that the proposed sleep spindle detection algorithm is an efficient method to detect sleep spindles on EEG records.     

Performance evaluation of AVS/RS under various design scenarios: a case study

In this study, performance evaluation of an autonomous vehicle storage and retrieval system (AVS/RS) is completed under various pre-defined design scenarios. Design scenarios are considered based on the rack configuration of the warehouse, namely the number of aisles, bays, and tiers, number of autonomous vehicles (AVs), and number of lifts. The system is simulated using ARENA 12—a commercial software. Seven performance measures are observed from the simulation results. These are: the average cycle time, average utilization of the AVs, average utilization of the lifts, average waiting time in the AVs’ queue, average waiting time in the lifts’ queue, average number of transactions waiting in the AVs’ queue, and average number of transactions waiting in the lifts’ queue. Total cost of the system is also integrated into the analysis. The results are analyzed via graphs. Various design options and their costs facilitate the evaluation of the best design for the warehouse manager. The case study is completed for a company that utilizes AVS/RS in France.     

Novel 3D electrospun polyamide scaffolds prepared by 3D printed collectors and their interaction with chondrocytes

Electrospinning is significantly one of the simple and versatile methods for producing micro- and nanofibrous scaffolds. Its assembly can be modified in different ways to combine material properties with different morphological structures for biomedical applications. In this process, collector design plays an important role to determine the nanofiber orientation in electrospun nanoweb. In this work, 3D patterned scaffolds were produced by electrospinning of polyamide-66 solution on different 3D collectors that have been obtained. The aim of this work is to investigate the attachment of the chondrocyte cells on the prepared electrospun scaffolds that have different types of nanofiber orientations that could be used in tissue engineering applications.