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Attempting to encourage and retain male primary school teachers can lead to the 'glass escalator' phenomenon, the fast-tracked advancement that men receive in gender-atypical work. Currently, in primary schools, males are disproportionately represented in management positions making up 35% of senior staff, while conversely only making up 15% of the general teaching staff. This paper presents one main theme from current doctoral research exploring how the 'glass escalator' operates in English primary schools, presenting findings on gendered discourses on the role of 'promotion' for teachers. The identification of two conflicting views demonstrates a disparity between internal teaching pedagogies and external societal opinions upholding the 'glass escalator' phenomenon.

Bharat Venkat's book, "At the Limits of Cure," challenges the notion of a definitive cure for tuberculosis, highlighting the complexities and limitations of biomedical approaches. The book explores the historical, political, and economic contexts of TB, emphasizing structural factors over personal failures. Venkat's critique of "curative reason" calls for a reevaluation of how we conceptualize and approach cure, offering alternative perspectives on health and disease. The book blends ethnography, historiography, and philosophy of medicine to provide a nuanced understanding of TB and the global health landscape. [Extracted from the article]

The discovery of novel probiotic bacteria from free-ranging animals for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in domestic pets is a unique approach. The chloroform extraction of gastrointestinal (GI) tract material was used to inactivate vegetative cells and select for spore-forming bacteria. A bacterium identified as a novel Paenibacillus sp. strain via small ribosomal RNA (16S) gene sequencing was isolated from the GI tract of a gray wolf (Canis lupus). The bacterium was typed as Gram-variable, both catalase/oxidase-positive and positive via starch hydrolysis and lipase assays. The bacterium inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Micrococcus luteus. The draft whole genome sequence (WGS) assembly was 7,034,206 bp in length, encoding 6543 genes, and is similar in size and coding capacity to other closely related Paenibacillus spp. The isolate's genome encodes several germination and sporulation gene products along with antimicrobials such as a bacteriocin system and chitinase. Enzyme genes such as alpha amylase, cellulase, lipases and pectin lyase are also present in the genome. An incomplete lysogenic bacteriophage genome was also present in the isolate's genome. Phenotypic characteristics combined with a WGS genotype analysis indicate that this bacterium, designated Paenibacillus sp. ClWae2A, could be a potential candidate probiotic for domestic dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a detailed inspection of the deck panels of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge installed in 1982. The original cast-in-place concrete deck, constructed in 1962, was replaced with full-depth lightweight precast concrete deck panels that enabled rapid construction with minimal traffic disruption. The inspection of the Woodrow Wilson deck provides valuable information about the performance of the precast concrete panels, joints, and connections after 20 years of very harsh traffic loads and environmental stressors. The deck panels performed well overall, with the only serious problems at expansion and contraction joints. All of these joints exhibited cracking and rusting. The most prevalent type of cracking appeared to be due to restrained shrinkage between the new polymer concrete, the older precast panels, and the rigid steel joints. This location is more vulnerable to cracking and leaking because there is no prestress across the joint. The multilayered corrosion protection methods used for the transverse and longitudinal post-tensioning tendons were very successful. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000046 CE Database subject headings: Inspection; Lightweight concrete; Precast concrete; Post-tensioned concrete; Bridge decks; Panels; Bridges, highway; Virginia; Maryland.

In South Africa the racialized contours of economic life powerfully shape the distribution of who owns poultry enterprises, who is employed to labor in them, who consumes poultry products, and in which way. When, in late 2017, an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) decimated the South African poultry sector, it revealed the ontological transformations of industrial egg‐laying poultry into "cull birds" and then into imileqwa, the quintessential rural chicken. It thus showed how distinct regimes of value "articulate," blurring infectious and noninfectious concerns as new chains of conversion were inaugurated across domestic and global economies. Thanks to the mediations performed by the network of egg‐laying chickens, (White) farmers, (Black African) consumers, and state veterinarians, translations of value take place in which industrialized egg‐layer chickens turn into socially enlivened beings. Such beings sustain and nurture social reproduction in South Africa's postapartheid cities and beyond. [zoonosis, value, human‐animal relations, global health, one health, race, urbanism, South Africa] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of telecommunications access and use among rural poor in South Africa in relation to their influence on rural inequalities and in enhancing livelihood sustainability is discussed.

The general objective of this research was tile construction and evaluation of a bridge using high-performance lightweight concrete (HPLWC). The resulting bridge over the Chickahominy River near Richmond, Va., consists of 15 prestressed American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Type IV girders made of HPLWC with a density of 1,920 kg/[m.sup.3] and a minimum required 28-day compressive strength of 55 MPa. The bridge also has a lightweight concrete (LWC) deck with a density of 1,850 kg/[m.sup.3] and a minimum required 28-day compressive strength of 30 MPa. This research study is chiefly concerned with investigating tile effects of using lightweight concrete in prestressed girders on transfer length, development length, flexural strength, girder live-load distribution factor, and dynamic load allowance. Transfer length was determined to be 432 mm, or 33 [d.sub.b], for several girders at the time of prestress transfer. The development length was determined to be between 1,830 and 2.440 ram, while the flexural strength ranged from 11 to 30% higher than tile AASHTO flexural capacity. The measured distribution factors and dynamic load allowance were smaller than the AASHTO standard and LRFD values. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0887-3828(2005) 19:2(146) CE Database subject headings: Bridge design Prestressed concrete; Lightweight concrete; High strength concretes; Load distribution; Flexural strength.

The Tom's Creek Bridge is a small-scale demonstration project involving the use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite girders as the main load-carrying members. The project is intended to serve two purposes. First, by calculating bridge design parameters such as the dynamic load allowance, transverse wheel load distribution, and deflections under service loading, the Tom's Creek Bridge aids in modifying current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials bridge design standards for use with FRP composite materials. Second, by evaluating the FRP girders after exposure to service conditions, the project begins to answer questions about the long-term performance of these advanced composite material beams when used in bridge design. This paper details the in-service analysis of the Tom's Creek Bridge. Five load tests, at 6-month intervals, were conducted on the bridge. Using midspan strain and deflection data gathered from the FRP composite girders during these tests, the aforementioned bridge design parameters have been determined. The Tom's Creek Bridge was determined to have a maximum dynamic load allowance, IM, of 0.90, a transverse wheel load distribution factor, g, of 0.101, and a maximum deflection of L/490. Two bridge girders were removed from the Tom's Creek Bridge after 15 months of service loading. These FRP composite girders were tested at the Structures and Materials Research Laboratory at Virginia Tech for stiffness and ultimate strength and compared to preservice values for the same beams. These measurements indicate that, after 15 months of service, the FRP composite girders have not significantly changed in stiffness or ultimate moment capacity. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0887-3828(2004)18:3(147) CE Database subject headings: Composite materials; Fiber reinforced polymers; Beams, structural; Load distribution; Deflection; Bridge design; Rehabilitation; Virginia.

Floor trusses are often used as primary load-carrying members in a bridge superstructure. Load is typically transferred to the floor truss from the concrete deck through the stringers. The floor truss can be supported by two or more plate girders or a pair of tied arches. Several assumptions are often made about the structural behavior of floor trusses in bridge superstructures to simplify the design process. This paper analyzes the validity of several of these assumptions based on field measurements. The measurements were made on three floor trusses in a tied-arch span over the Mobile River on I-65. The measurements were made as part of a larger research project conducted for the Alabama Department of Transportation. Floor trusses were instrumented with strain gauges and strain was recorded as test trucks of known weight either stopped over the floor trusses (static tests) or were driven across the span (dynamic tests) as well as when trucks in the normal traffic flow crossed the span (random tests). In addition, the results from a simple planar computer model of a floor truss were compared to the field measurements. The assumptions were found to be conservative and reasonable with the exception of one.

Ecosystem governance is a highly contested issue where competing human stakeholder groups wield unequal power over nonhuman species. Pluralistic approaches to ecosystem governance consider a diversity of voices and disciplines to apply translational ecological knowledge to policy. However, the rights, agency, and welfare of nonhuman species - at the abstract (macro) and individual (micro) levels - are rarely considered, distancing nonhumans from human interests. This 'othering', results in nonhumans being treated as subservient to humans in power relations, which can result in poor welfare and even death. This study draws on multispecies ethnography, posthumanism, multispecies livelihoods, decolonial ecology, and translational ecology literature to critically review current paradigms in ecosystem governance and questions how to represent nonhumans equitably in ecosystem governance. This essay also considers qualitative data collected during 15 months of a multi-sited, multispecies ethnographic study that explored wolf-human (Canis lupus) relations in the western United States during the Trump Administration. A pluralistic posthumanist wildlife-human coexistence framework for translational ecology is presented that emphasizes nonhumans' rights, welfare, and agency in ecosystem governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A live-load test was conducted on an in-service bridge containing flat precast concrete slabs. The purpose of the test was to evaluate transverse load distribution and efficiency of the longitudinal slab-to-slab joints. The precast slabs spanned 4.6 m (15 ft) and were 1.7 m (5.5 ft) wide. Slab-to-slab joints consisted of V-shaped interlocking shear keys. The live-load test measured vertical displacement of the slabs at several critical locations under a crawling (<5 mi/h) loaded dump truck. From the deflection data, joint efficiency and experimental distribution factors for moments (DFMs) were calculated. The test results demonstrated that the joints were no longer capable of distributing loads transversely, and each slab acted independently. Based on the test results, it is recommended that 0.55 should be the minimum distribution factor used when calculating moment demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental program investigating the behavior of single adhesive anchors embedded in precast concrete sandwich wall panel systems under tension loading. Variables included concrete thickness, concrete compressive strength, anchor diameter, and adhesive manufacturer. Anchors were embedded in the full thickness of the concrete member, and the effects of back-face blowout due to drilling were considered. The results showed that the concrete capacity design model with an effective embedment depth equal to the concrete layer thickness can be used to calculate the tensile capacity of adhesive anchors with full-thickness installation in thin concrete members. The average experimental-to-calculated ratio for the test program was 1.1 with a coefficient of variation of 0.2. Based on the experimental results, behavioral and design models are proposed. The proposed model results in levels of accuracy and variability that are consistent with other types of anchorage and the associated models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental program investigating the behavior of single screw and adhesive anchors embedded in thin concrete with full thickness embedment depth subjected to shear load toward the free edge. Variables included: concrete thickness, concrete compressive strength, anchor diameter, anchor type, and edge distance. Anchors were embedded through the full thickness of the concrete member and the effects of back-face blowout due to drilling were considered. Based on the experimental results of 149 tests, it was shown that concrete capacity design (CCD) method underestimates the shear capacity of the anchors. Application of the thickness modification factor from ACI 318-14 overcorrects for the conservatism in the CCD approach and can lead to unconservative calculated capacities. An alternative thickness modification factor is presented which results in more accurate calculations of shear capacity. Finally, a design model is proposed for shear capacity of a single anchor installed in thin uncracked concrete members with full thickness embedment. The design model is based on 5% fractile of the experimental capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is known for its high strength and advanced durability. Due to the unique formulation of this material, including a fine cementitious matrix and distributed steel fibers, UHPC displays different material behavior than conventional concrete. This paper examines the biaxial tension-compression behavior of UHPC using a novel biaxial test method and compares results to biaxial failure criterion of conventional concrete. A total of 62 specimens were tested to evaluate the effects of curing regimes and fiber orientations. While the compressive strength of UHPC increased significantly when steam treated, tensile strength did not increase to the same degree. Controlled fiber orientation provided more compressive stress resistance than random fiber orientation with the presence of increasing tensile stress. Comparing UHPC results to biaxial failure criterion recognized for conventional concrete, the Mohr-Coulomb biaxial failure criterion was shown to be a conservative model for UHPC for all fiber orientations and curing regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental program investigating the behavior of single screw anchors embedded in thin concrete members under tension loading. Variables included: concrete thickness, concrete compressive strength, anchor diameter, and anchor manufacturer. Anchors were embedded in the full thickness of the concrete member and the effects of back-face "blowout" due to drilling were considered. The results show that concrete strength, anchor diameter, and anchor brand have a statistically significant influence on the capacity of anchors embedded in 4 in. (102 mm) thick concrete. However, these factors make no significant difference to the capacity of screw anchors in 2 in. (51 mm) thick concrete members. Based on the experimental results, a behavioral and design models are proposed. These models use a reduced embedment depth to address the back-face concrete blowout due to drilling. The proposed model results in levels of accuracy and variability that are consistent with other types of anchorage and the associated models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epigenetic and microbiomic imaginaries that animate public health discourse on perinatal nutrition and the infant gut in South Africa offer a case study through which to reconsider the ontological presuppositions of 'space' that frame epigenetic biopolitics. We suggest that the mutual constitution of the relations at stake in and around questions of nutrition, mothers and infants, the gut and sanitation in Khayelitsha, can be understood through a Deleuzian geomorphological image of 'strata of the political'. Strata are conjunctural entanglements that temporarily stabilise when distinctions hold briefly, and that bring into alignment particular relations and forces that distribute life and non-life. This analytic makes visible and available to political life the spatio-temporal, socio-natural blurring of categories that epigenetic and microbiomic discourses could afford. Grounded ethnographic descriptions of these processes of 'mattering' can challenge political epistemologies and take further critical perspectives on space to open up possibilities for a robust postgenomic politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current editions of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications and ACI 318-14 are based on years of experimental research and use the traditional 270 ksi (1860 MPa) prestressing strand. Recent developments have resulted in a higher-strength strand with an ultimate tensile strength of 300 ksi (2070 MPa). This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation looking at the behavior of pretensioned, prestressed concrete members containing 300 ksi prestressing strands. Eighteen T-beam test specimens were fabricated and used to evaluate the effects of using the higher-strength strand on transfer and development lengths as well as flexural capacity and ductility. The results from 35 transfer zones and 35 flexural tests are compared with a variety of known influential factors and the current code provisions for transfer and development length and nominal moment capacity. The results are also evaluated with respect to the tensile strength of the strand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How might we understand and respond to the new forms of hunger that arise with the massive rollout of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV in southern Africa? Rather than ‘merely’ a technical problem of measurement, medicine or infrastructure, I suggest that a philosophical question arises concerning the relationship between the experience of hunger, the utterances that communicate that experience, and the bodily regimes of well-being and ill-being indexed by such utterances. Taking the gut as a particular kind of mediator of experience, I draw on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to open up a set of questions on acknowledgment and avoidance. The central question concerns the divergent concepts of ‘grammar’ that confront the relationship between hunger and ART. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article, I describe the practice of a “game” of marriage between women labourers in the timber plantations of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, calledumshado wokudlala. I describe the ritualised game in order to follow the ways in which kin terms operated in daily usage among the labourers.Umshado wokudlalashows how a form of “play” opens out and re-imagines possibilities for organising care, intimacy and relatedness under conditions of late capitalism. I suggest that the use of kin terms in this “game” indexes shifting material conditions for mutuality, intimacy and relatedness, and thus reveals the qualities of kinship, sex and gender as systems of signs tethered to the material conditions that make possible language-in-use. If anthropology understands kin terms to be laminated onto systems of gender, kinship and sex, it is because it is the dominant mode through which it understands life. I have sought to show that the modalities of comprehending obligation, relatedness and reproduction undergo a degree of “torsion” in the practices and utterances of the game’s participants, and that securing their meanings and referents is a much trickier affair than many accounts of marriage would have us believe. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This investigation includes the effect of vertical casting position on transfer and development lengths of prestressing strand. Current code provisions account for the top-bar effect in the calculation of development length for standard reinforcing bars, but fail to recognize the phenomenon when calculating transfer and development lengths of prestressing strand. Historically, this phenomenon has been dependent on the amount of concrete cast below a bar or strand. Recent research shows the amount of concrete cast above a strand to be more influential. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the influence of vertical casting position of prestressing strand on transfer and development lengths. The study includes data from 20 T-beam test specimens and four sets of top-strand blocks. The results from 119 transfer zones and 39 flexural tests were evaluated and compared to vertical casting position along with current code provisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article seeks to develop an account of the transformation of hunger and the structural violence of Apartheid into biopolitical concerns in South Africa from 1994 to 2010. I argue that the post-Apartheid politics of hunger and nutrition make no sense in South Africa outside of the politics of HIV, and that those histories of hunger and malnutrition have been radically transformed during this period such that it is now not possible to think about nutrition beyond or apart from biomedicalised knowledge of nutrition, immune system functioning and the gut. I show that the gastrointestinal tract has emerged as a central object of concern for the making of credible scientific advances, and at the same time for articulating the symbolic importance of the belly in the development of a biopolitical concern with food, nutrition and HIV. By focusing on one locale in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in which hunger, diet, nutrition and food are conjoined with immune system functioning, treatment regimes and bodily capacity, the article parses out the matters of concern that have produced nutrition, the immune system and the gut as specific nodes of action and enquiry within the particularities of post-Apartheid, 'epidemic' South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a numerical modeling approach that accounts for slip between prestressing strands and the surrounding concrete within the transfer zone. The objective of the study was to develop a modeling approach that can accurately and efficiently predict member behavior based on specified transfer lengths. The modeling approach uses three components: a matrix of solid elements to represent the concrete, truss elements to represent the prestressing strand, and nonlinear springs accounting for the interface between the prestressing strand and surrounding concrete. The force-versus-displacement curves for the nonlinear springs are based on the known relationship between end slip and transfer length. The results of 23 numerical models are included and compared with experimental data from corresponding test specimens. The study confirms the practicality and accuracy of the modeling approach to predict member behavior based on specified transfer lengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precast, posttensioned concrete deck panels can be used for rapid replacement of bridge decks; however, the appropriate initial stress to avoid cracking and leaking in bridge deck panels remains a question. This paper uses the age-adjusted effective modulus method to account for creep, shrinkage, and stress redistribution in the composite system. A parametric study was conducted on simple- and continuous-span bridge configurations with steel girders using the maximum tensile stress limit from the companion paper (maximum tensile stress of 3.0 √fc psi [0.25 √fc MPa]). For simple-span bridges, an initial precompression of 200 to 300 psi (1.38 to 2.07 MPa) was adequate. In continuous three-span bridges, the recommended stress was typically achieved with 200 to 750 psi (5.17 MPa) of initial prestress. Two-span systems were most critical; some bridges required close to 1000 psi (6.90 MPa) of initial prestress. For continuous-span bridges, the initial compressive stress required increased substantially for accelerated construction schedules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research was performed to investigate the performance of transverse panel-to-panel connections for full-depth concrete bridge deck panels on continuous steel girder bridges. Two nonprestressed and four posttensioned connections were designed and tested in cyclic loading. Each connection was tested on a full-scale two-girder specimen in negative bending with a simulated HS-20 vehicle loading. The nonprestressed connections and the two posttensioned connections with 170 psi (1.2 MPa) of initial stress exhibited cracking and leaked water by the end of the tests. The two posttensioned connections with 340 psi (2.3 MPa) initial precompression performed well, with no leaking and no full-depth cracking. It is recommended that panel-to-panel connections be designed so that the net tension, which is the applied tensile stress minus the initial precompression, at service load moment be less than 3√fc, with fc being the smaller of the deck concrete and connection grout compressive strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Leidenfrost effect occurs when a drop of liquid (or a sublimating solid) is levitated above a sufficiently hot surface through the action of an insulating vapour layer flowing from its bottom surface. When such a drop is levitated above a surface with parallel, asymmetric sawtooth-shaped ridges it is known to be propelled in a unique direction, or ratcheted, by the interaction of the vapour layer with the surface. Here we exploit this effect to construct a ‘ratchet trap’ for Leidenfrost drops: a surface with concentric circular ridges, each asymmetric in cross-section. A combination of experiment and theory is used to study the dynamics of drops in these traps, whose centre is a stable fixed point. Numerical analysis of the evaporating flows over a ratchet surface suggests new insights into the mechanism of motion rectification that are incorporated into the simplest equations of motion for ratchet-driven motion of a Leidenfrost body; these resemble a central force problem in celestial mechanics with mass loss and drag. A phase-plane analysis of experimental trajectories is used to extract more detailed information about the ratcheting phenomenon. Orbiting drops are found to exhibit substantial deformations; those with large internal angular momentum can even undergo binary fission. Such ratchet traps may thus prove useful in the controlled study of many properties of Leidenfrost drops. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lightweight self-consolidating concrete (LWSCC) is advantageous in the bridge industry because members made with this material have a significantly lower self-weight, and in its fresh state, LWSCC has a low viscosity which eliminates the need for vibration during fabrication. A composite section was fabricated with a single precast bulb-tee LWSCC beam and a lightweight concrete cast-in-place deck. A simply supported test configuration was constructed with two point loads to quantify the web-shear strength of the girder. The experimental shear strength is compared to four analytical models from different AASHTO specifications. Based on the results of this limited study, the theoretical predictions for the web-shear strength of this girder were all conservative when compared to the experimentally measured failure strength. With these results in mind, further research is recommended on the use of LWSCC girders in the bridge industry to better understand the material properties, structural properties, and cost advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are increasingly being used in bridge deck applications. However, there are currently only fledgling standards to design and characterize FRP deck systems. One area that should be addressed is the loading method for the FRP deck. It has been observed that the type of loading patch greatly influences the failure mode of a cellular FRP deck. The contact pressure distribution of a real truck loading is nonuniform with more concentration near the center of the contact area as a result of the conformable contact mechanics. Conversely, the conventional rectangular steel patch on a FRP deck act like a rigid flat punch and produces stress concentration near the edges. A proposed simulated tire patch has been examined for loading a cellular FRP deck with the load distribution characterized by a pressure sensitive film sensor and three-dimensional contact analysis using ANSYS. A loading profile is proposed as a design tool for analyzing FRP deck systems for strength and durability. Local top surface strains and displacements of the cellular FRP deck are found to be higher with proposed loading profile compared to those for the conventional uniformly distributed loading. Parametric studies on the deck geometry show that the global displacement criterion used for characterizing bridge deck is inadequate for a cellular FRP deck and that the local effects must be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of bridges are being designed with continuous spans instead of simple spans. By reducing the number of joints in a bridge, the traveling public receives a better riding surface and corrosion caused by leaking joints can be reduced. Also, redundancy is created when the system is made continuous, producing a tougher structure. However, a continuous system is more complicated to design and secondary restraint moments due to creep, shrinkage, and thermal effects can develop at the connection. This paper presents results from an experimental study done to monitor the early age restraint moments that develop in a two-span continuous system made of full-depth precast concrete bulb tee girders. The restraint moments observed were compared to the predicted restraint moments using the RMCalc program . The observed restraint moments were significantly lower than predicted by the program. Expansion of the deck during curing, which is generally not considered in the predictions, significantly influenced the early age restraint moments. A simplified model to predict the restraint moments considering thermal effects is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite cellular deck system was used to rehabilitate a historical cast iron thru-truss structure (Hawthorne St. Bridge in Covington, Va.). The most important characteristic of this application is reduction in self-weight, which raises the live load-carrying capacity of the bridge by replacing the existing concrete deck with a FRP deck. This bridge is designed to HL-93 load and has a 22.86 m clear span with a roadway width of 6.71 m. The panel-to-panel connections were accomplished using full width, adhesively (structural urethane adhesive) bonded tongue and groove splices with scarfed edges. To ensure proper construction, serviceability, and strength of the splice, a full-scale two-bay section of the bridge with three adhesively bonded panel-to-panel connections was constructed and tested in the Structures Laboratory at Virginia Tech. Test results showed that no crack initiated in the joints under service load and no significant change in stiffness or strength of the joint occurred after 3,000,000 cycles of fatigue loading. The proposed adhesive bonding technique was installed in the bridge in August 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines urban telecommunications access and use by poor households in the township of Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa. Analysis draws upon a broad range of quantitative and qualitative data and in doing so seeks to reveal the complexities of how this access and use underpins a wide range of social and economic processes critical to processes of social development. By way of example, the issue of informal urbanisation and housing tenure is addressed, as is the critical role that telecommunications play in facilitating and maintaining important social networks, both across Cape Town and beyond. Further, this article gives consideration to how telecommunication support and enhance livelihood opportunities, and the fact that they are embedded in existing modes of social communication and manifestations of social, cultural and symbolic capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses two case studies drawn from in-depth ethnographic research in South Africa's Eastern Cape to interrogate and problematise the often simplistic or reductive ways in which the concept of social capital is used in debates about development and poverty alleviation. It argues that if the concept is to be useful at all, it needs to be used in ways that are sensitive to the fact that social capital inheres in social relations; that these social relations cannot be understood separately from the meaning-giving practices and discourses with which they are entangled; that the analysis of social capital requires an agent-centred approach that is alive to the way in which it is used, transformed, created, made and remade; and that such an analysis furthermore needs to be alive to the nature of power relations both on the micro-level and the macro-level of political economy. The analysis of social capital therefore should be linked to a careful account of the practices, networks, systems and processes that empower some and enable them to climb out of poverty, but which also marginalise and trap others in poverty that is deep-seated and chronic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the laboratory and field performance of multicellular fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite bridge deck systems produced from adhesively bonded pultrusions. Two methods of deck contact loading were examined: a steel patch dimensioned according to the AASHTO Bridge Design Specifications, and a simulated tire patch constructed from an actual truck tire reinforced with silicon rubber. Under these conditions, deck stiffness, strength, and failure characteristics of the cellular FRP decks were examined. The simulated tire loading was shown to develop greater global deflections given the same static load. The failure mode is localized and dominated by transverse bending failure of the composites under the simulated tire loading as opposed to punching shear for the AASHTO recommended patch load. A field testing facility was designed and constructed in which FRP decks were installed, tested, and monitored to study the decks’ in-service field performance. No significant loss of deck capacity was observed after more than one year of field service. However, it was shown that unsupported edges (or free edges) are undesirable due to transitional stiffness from approach to the unsupported deck edge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A composite bridge deck system assembled from glass/polyester pultruded components has been developed. This system utilizes square tubes running transverse to the traffic direction, mechanically fastened and bonded together, and flat cover plates bonded to the tubes with an epoxy adhesive and through-anchored to the deck support structure using mechanical connectors. A 4.27 × 1.22 m section of the deck system integrally connected to the superstructure at a 1.2 m girder spacing was tested to failure under a single patch loading. The results indicate a factor of safety of 4 on strength and a deflection-to-span ratio of about L/300. Another section of the deck was fatigued to 3,000,000 cycles under service loading at a load ratio of R = 0.1 and a nominal frequency of 3 Hz. Results from these tests indicate no loss in stiffness up to 3,000,000 cycles. Following the fatigue testing, this section was also tested to failure; no loss in strength was observed. In addition, a finite-element model of the laboratory tests was developed. The results from the model showed good correlation to deflections and longitudinal strains measured during the tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines rural telecommunications access and use among poor village households in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Discussion is based upon a content analysis of 165 telephone calls, as well as a broader information and communication technology (ICT) ownership, access and use survey undertaken in 50 poor households within a number of rural villages in the Mount Frere district. These data are complimented and supported by qualitative data emerging from a longer-term UK Department for International Development-funded study of ICT use and social communication practices among the urban and rural poor in South Africa. The purpose of the article is to: (i) question existing notions of telecommunications access; (ii) assess the extent to which rural inequalities are exacerbated or ameliorated by telecommunications access; and (iii) examine the extent to which telecommunications are enlisted as a strategic tool by poor households for maintaining kin-based redistributive networks and enhancing livelihood sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.