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Aggregates selected for Wisconsin transportation infrastructure must withstand harsh service conditions. In this paper, results of comprehensive statistical analyses on three sets of aggreg...

Deterioration of bridge decks in the United States is an important issue due to its major impact on bridge maintenance costs nationwide. In this paper, results of survival (reliability) analyses performed on bridge data for all fifty states and Puerto Rico are presented. Data were obtained from the 2011 National Bridge Inventory (NBI) database. The end of service life is defined as a recorded NBI bridge deck rating of 5. Only non-reconstructed bridges and conventional bridge types and decks were considered. The NBI-derived parameters included in the analyses were age, average daily traffic (ADT), deck surface area, and deck rating. Each state’s data were analyzed separately to assess and compare relative performance among the states. Deck reliability at an age of fifty years ranges from less than 20% to over 90% . The geographic regions with the highest overall 50-year reliability are generally in the northeastern and northern United States.

An accurate reliability model for bridge decks is important for effective long-term bridge deck management. The main objectives of this paper are to identify the most suitable reliability model for bridge decks in Wisconsin, and to utilize that model for detailed analyzes of bridge deck reliability and failure rates. The 2005 National Bridge Inventory (NBI) data for the State of Wisconsin were used. In this paper, the hypertabastic, Weibull, log logistic, and lognormal distributions are investigated. The end of service life is defined as the age of deck when rehabilitation or replacement is required (herein defined as a deck rating of between 4 and 5). The effects on NBI deck rating of average daily traffic (ADT), type of bridge superstructure (steel or concrete), and the deck surface area were considered. Based on the Akaike information criteria, the hypertabastic accelerated failure time model was selected as the most appropriate model for this study. Results show that deck area, type of superstructure ...

In this paper, both the comparison matrix method generated from eigenvalues and the D. (Degree) E. (Extent) R. (Relevancy) evaluation method were used to find the weighting value and ranking of damage evaluation for ten existing reinforced concrete (RC) bridges in Keelung, Taiwan. The evaluated repair order results obtained from the proposed method are : Fuh-min → Guan-in → Wuu-der → Dong-shyh → Jong-san → Jong-jeng → Guang-hwa → Shang-ren → Long-men → Jong-her bridges. However, the evaluated results obtained from the priority index (PI) of the D.E.R. evaluation method are Fuh-min → Guan-in → Wuu-der → Dong-shyh → Guang-hwa → Jong-jeng → Long-men → Jong-her -> Jong-san → Shang-ren bridges. The predicted difference between the proposed method and the PI of the D.E.R. evaluation method is caused by the detailed assessment items being merely considered by the PI of the D.E.R. evaluation method whereas the general assessment items are disregarded. It is perfectly plain that each bridge element weighting value, adopted by the D.E.R. evaluation method is reasonable and feasible. The results presented in this study can be used as a crucial reference for engineering decision making for repair, strengthening or demolition of existing RC bridges.

In this paper, the D. (Degree) E. (Extent) R. (Relevancy) evaluation criterion, in combination with the fuzzy optimum system hierarchy analysis selection method, is established as a newly proposed method. The evaluation factors for the entire bridge system are partitioned and combined by weighting values. Based on the proposed method, the best decision making repair order for bridge damages can be made according to the membership grade. The evaluated results using the D.E.R. evaluation criterion in combination with the multiple factors and layers fuzzy synthesis evaluation (MFLFSE) method were employed to compare the evaluation results obtained from both the proposed and D.E.R. evaluation methods. To verify the feasibility and reliability of the proposed method, ten existing RC bridges in Keelung, Taiwan were used for determining the repair order. The predicted results obtained from among the proposed and MFLFSE and the condition index (CI) of the D.E.R. evaluation methods have the same repair or...

Inflammation underlies the development and progression of coronary artery plaques. Haptoglobin (Hp) is an acute phase protein, the synthesis of which is increased during inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate plasma Hp concentrations and phenotype in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). We recruited 359 patients with fixed luminal stenosis ≥50% in at least one coronary artery (CAD group) and 83 patients with luminal stenosis ≤40%, normal ejection fraction, and normal regional wall motion (control group). Plasma Hp concentrations were measured using a phenotype-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Hp phenotype was determined by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Plasma lipid concentrations were measured. Plasma Hp concentrations were significantly higher in the CAD compared with the control group (262.4±144.2 vs 176.0±86.7 ng/mL, P