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Adapting foamed bitumen stabilisation is considered as the most cost effective approach in Queensland to expedite the rehabilitation works, especially after the major flood devastation in 2011. This paper presents the key changes made as well as the recent practices adapted during a road rehabilitation work to increase the return from the investment. In this process, initially, the designed width for subgrade lime stabilisation has been modified to minimize the moisture entry into the pavement. The dry modulus, three days soaked resilient modulus and retain modulus were used to identify the suitable base material for construction. In addition, a trail site was used to examine the bulking effect on base layer when adding lime as secondary agent, which helped to estimate the exact depth for foamed stabilisation. A few innovative techniques such as a two-layer compaction to effectively condense stabilised subgrade, was used to improve the quality of the outcome were also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Condensation resulting in the formation of water films or droplets is an unavoidable process on the cuticle or skin of many organisms. This process generally occurs under humid conditions when the temperature drops below the dew point. In this study, we have investigated dew conditions on the skin of the gecko Lucasium steindachneri. When condensation occurs, we show that small dew drops, as opposed to a thin film, form on the lizard's scales. As the droplets grow in size and merge, they can undergo self-propulsion off the skin and in the process can be carried away a sufficient distance to freely engage with external forces. We show that factors such as gravity, wind and fog provide mechanisms to remove these small droplets off the gecko skin surface. The formation of small droplets and subsequent removal from the skin may aid in reducing microbial contact (e.g. bacteria, fungi) and limit conducive growth conditions under humid environments. As well as providing an inhospitable microclimate for microorganisms, the formation and removal of small droplets may also potentially aid in other areas such as reduction and cleaning of some surface contaminants consisting of single or multiple aggregates of particles., (© 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.)