Environmental factors and physical properties of latex modified concrete (LMC) are hypothesized to contribute to early age cracking in bridge deck overlays. Cracking permits the ingress of moisture and aggressive solutions into the substrate and may contribute to other subsequent distresses. Understanding the material properties and mechanisms involved is necessary to minimize these distresses. This research consisted of a two part study: first, the development of LMC strength and fracture properties at ages ranging from 5 hours to 28 days was studied, and secondly, the effects of the environment on LMC distresses were modelled. Environmental conditions: temperature, solar energy, and wind speed were determined from weather records. A fracture mechanics based model, the Fictitious Crack Model (FCM), incorporating finite element analyses and superposition techniques was employed with material properties from the first part of study on LMC performance. Different bilinear strain softening diagrams were used to predict fracture performance at different ages. The predictions agreed well with the test data. The impacts of temperature differentials on crack development were studied. The shrinkage effect was also indirectly incorporated through the temperature analysis. The material properties study indicated significant changes in strength, deformability and fracture properties, particularly during the early age. The developments differ slightly from conventional concrete. Test results indicated a significant improvement in reducing and bridging microcracks, especially in the prepeak-load region. Fracture toughness and deformability increased significantly with time. Fracture energy varied from 2.3 to 133.1 N/m, depending on age, and to some degree, on notch depth ratio. In the second stage, the FCM provided a reasonable prediction for crack initiation and propagation when only temperature effects are of concern. Age, surface conditions and structural restraint strongly affect crack resistance of the overlays. Only slight effects were observed from the overlay thickness in the study range (51-76 mm). Shallow preexisting cracks possibly reduce the crack resistance of the overlay about 30 percent. A prolonged moist cure for 48 hours after placing is suggested to reduce the risk of cracking. With available environmental information, it is possible to develop guidelines for appropriate environmental conditions for LMC bridge deck construction to minimize the risk of early age cracking. / Graduation date: 1997

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-64). Also available on the World Wide Web.

This thesis focuses on liquid redox electrolytes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). A liquid redox electrolyte, as one of the key constituents in DSCs, typically consists of a redox mediator, additives and a solvent. This thesis work concerns all these three aspects of liquid electrolytes, aiming through fundamental insights to enhance the photovoltaic performances of liquid DSCs. Initial attention has been paid to the iodine concentration effects in ionic liquid (IL)-based electrolytes. It has been revealed that the higher iodine concentration required in IL-based electrolytes can be attributed to both triiodide mobility associated with the high viscosity of the IL, and chemical availability of triiodide. The concept of incompletely solvated ionic liquids (ISILs) has been introduced as a new type of electrolyte solvent for DSCs. It has been found that the photovoltaic performance of ISIL-based electrolytes can even rival that of organic solvent-based electrolytes. And most strikingly, ISIL-based electrolytes provide highly stable DSC devices under light-soaking conditions, as a result of the substantially lower vapor pressure of the ISIL system. A significant synergistic effect has been observed when both guanidinium thiocyanate and N-methylbenzimidazole are employed together in an IL-based electrolyte, exhibiting an optimal overall conversion efficiency. Tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) has been investigated as an organic iodine-free redox couple in electrolytes for DSCs. An unexpected worse performance has been observed for the TTF system, albeit it possesses a particularly attractive positive redox potential. An organic, iodine-free thiolate/disulfide system has also been adopted as a redox couple in electrolytes for organic DSCs. An impressive efficiency of 6.0% has successfully been achieved by using this thiolate/disulfide redox couple in combination with a poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) counter electrode material under full sunlight illumination (AM 1.5G, 100 mW/cm2). Such high efficiency can even rival that of its counterpart DSC using a state-of-the-art iodine-based electrolyte in the systems studied.The cation effects of lithium, sodium and guanidinium ions in liquid electrolytes for DSCs have been scrutinized. The selection of the type of cations has been found to exert quite different impacts on the conduction band edge (CB) of the TiO2 and also on the electron recombination kinetics, therefore resulting in different photovoltaic behavior. / QC 20120124

Magnesium oxide-based additives have been used in kraft recovery boilers to minimize deposit accumulation on superheater and generating bank tubes. Due to inconclusive results observed in boilers and claims made for additive effectiveness backed by little scientific evidence, only a few mills still use the additives for fouling control. A systematic study was performed to examine the effect of MgO-based additives on deposit accumulation and removal under controlled laboratory conditions, and to evaluate the additive effect in a kraft recovery boiler. The results show that while the additive coating has no effect on deposition, it could ease deposit removal if a coating greater than 5 µm can be applied on the tube surface effectively. Separate injection of additive and black liquor had insignificant effect on deposition and removal. Results of the field study show that the amount of additive collected on the tube is too small to have an impact.

Magnesium oxide-based additives have been used in kraft recovery boilers to minimize deposit accumulation on superheater and generating bank tubes. Due to inconclusive results observed in boilers and claims made for additive effectiveness backed by little scientific evidence, only a few mills still use the additives for fouling control. A systematic study was performed to examine the effect of MgO-based additives on deposit accumulation and removal under controlled laboratory conditions, and to evaluate the additive effect in a kraft recovery boiler. The results show that while the additive coating has no effect on deposition, it could ease deposit removal if a coating greater than 5 µm can be applied on the tube surface effectively. Separate injection of additive and black liquor had insignificant effect on deposition and removal. Results of the field study show that the amount of additive collected on the tube is too small to have an impact.

The effect of additives on friction loss in upward turbulent flow was investigated in this experimental study. Additives such as air bubbles, frother and polymer were added to water flow to study their influence on the friction factor. In order to perform this research an experimental set-up was designed and developed. The test sections of the set-up consisted of three vertical pipes of different diameters. The set-up was equipped with three pressure transducers, a magnetic flowmeter, gas spargers and a gas rotameter. The first phase of the experimental program involved calibration of the various devices and pipelines test-sections. The single-phase pressure loss data obtained from the pipelines exhibited good agreement with the standard equations. The second phase of the experimental program dealt with the effect of air bubbles and additives (frother and polymer) on drag reduction in turbulent flows. The experimental results showed that bubbles in the range of 1 mm-3 mm increased the wall shear stress. Therefore, no drag-reduction effect was observed. On the contrary, a significant increase in friction factor was observed at low Reynolds numbers as a result of larger bubble sizes and lower turbulence intensities. The friction factor at low Reynolds numbers could be decreased by decreasing the bubble size by addition of frother to the flow system. The combination of polymer and air bubbles showed a drag reduction of up to 60%. It is also evident from the experiment results that the addition of polymer to bubbly flow system leads to fully homogeneous mixture.

The effect of additives on friction loss in upward turbulent flow was investigated in this experimental study. Additives such as air bubbles, frother and polymer were added to water flow to study their influence on the friction factor. In order to perform this research an experimental set-up was designed and developed. The test sections of the set-up consisted of three vertical pipes of different diameters. The set-up was equipped with three pressure transducers, a magnetic flowmeter, gas spargers and a gas rotameter. The first phase of the experimental program involved calibration of the various devices and pipelines test-sections. The single-phase pressure loss data obtained from the pipelines exhibited good agreement with the standard equations. The second phase of the experimental program dealt with the effect of air bubbles and additives (frother and polymer) on drag reduction in turbulent flows. The experimental results showed that bubbles in the range of 1 mm-3 mm increased the wall shear stress. Therefore, no drag-reduction effect was observed. On the contrary, a significant increase in friction factor was observed at low Reynolds numbers as a result of larger bubble sizes and lower turbulence intensities. The friction factor at low Reynolds numbers could be decreased by decreasing the bubble size by addition of frother to the flow system. The combination of polymer and air bubbles showed a drag reduction of up to 60%. It is also evident from the experiment results that the addition of polymer to bubbly flow system leads to fully homogeneous mixture.

Tissue, among the highest value added paper products, finds extensive application in modern society. Continued efforts are being made to further improve tissue properties, such as strength, softness and water absorbency. Besides the efforts on characterizing facial tissue softness, this study focuses on tissue quality improvement through chemical means. The application of a wet strength resin, Kymene1500 and a debonding agent, Softrite7516 onto cellulose fibers is considered. First, the adsorption kinetics of the two chemical additives onto cellulose fibers was studied. The adsorption mechanisms were proposed and validated by kinetic data. A novel apparatus was designed in this study, and represented the first in the field to collect real-time data, which has the potential to be applied to the adsorption kinetic study of other types of paper additives. Second, the effects of Kymene1500 and Softrite7516 on various sheet properties were studied. The results provide quantitative information on tissue additives effects on sheet properties. It is shown that the combined application of the additives can overcome the disadvantages of individual species and produce sheets with both wet strength and softness. Finally, environmental-benign debonding agents with polyoxyethylene chains were applied to the sheets, and the effects of two design parameters, i.e., fatty acid and degree of ethoxylation, on tissue properties were investigated.

Improvement of biodiesel’s cold flow properties still remains one of the major challenges for using it as an alternative fuel in diesel engines. Therefore, the main objective of the present research was to use newly developed liquid biofuels, 3-hydroxyl fatty acid esters and ethers, as an additive for improving biodiesel cold weather properties. Test results revealed that blending with 10% 3-hydroxyl fatty acid esters (C4, C6, C8 and C12) improved biodiesel volatility, cloud point, flash point and kinematic viscosity without a significant loss in LHV. However, blending biodiesel with 3-hydroxyl fatty acid esters negatively affected the oxidation stability which was then found to improve by blending with 3-hydroxyl fatty acid ethers (1,3-DMO and 1,3-DMD). The latter novel fuel substance (1,3-DMO and 1,3-DMD) exhibited much higher evaporation rate compared to biodiesel and only slightly lower than that of decane, gasoline or ethanol. Moreover, the LHV of 1,3-DMO and 1,3-DMD was found to be almost equal to that of canola biodiesel, and higher than that of methanol and ethanol. These findings suggest that 1,3-DMO and 1,3-DMD have the potential to be used as additive to improve biodiesel cold weather combustion performance or as standalone fuels. / February 2016

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. It is the most commonly diagnosed psychosocial problems in childhood with continuing impact into adulthood. This systematic review aims to identify the role of food additives, specifically artificial food coloring, in ADHD and its symptoms. PubMed, Sciencdirect, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar databases (1991-April 2012) were searched, which was supplemented by manual searches of the reference lists. Seven randomized or quasicontrolled trials of elimination diet were summarized. Six of these studies showed artificial food coloring was positively associated with ADHD and its symptoms. This review provides some evidence that artificial food coloring plays a role in ADHD and its symptoms. However, the studies reviewed only showed behavioral improvement after eliminating certain type of artificial food coloring, which does not imply artificial food colorings cause ADHD. Additionally, small sample size, inconsistent definition of artificial food colouring, subjectively reported ADHD using various assessment tools, and possibly publication bias limit the generalizability of the findings. If causal, reducing the intake of artificial food coloring could provide an alternative treatment of ADHD in the future. Understanding the mechanism underlying the association may provide insights into the developmental origins of ADHD. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health