Learning in models with discrete latent variables is challenging due to high variance gradient estimators. Generally, approaches have relied on control variates to reduce the variance of the REINFORCE estimator. Recent work (Jang et al., 2016; Maddison et al., 2016) has taken a different approach, introducing a continuous relaxation of discrete variables to produce low-variance, but biased, gra...

Concrete guideways for proposed MAGLEV vehicles may be reinforced with electrically conducting and magnetizable steel rebars. Transient magnetic fields due to passing MAGLEV vehicles will then induce transient currents in the rebars leading to power dissipation and temperature rise as well as Lorentz and magnetization forces on the rebars. In order to evaluate if this heating and force on the r...

Cement-based composites are among the most widely-used construction materials due to their low cost, high compressive strength, high durability, versatility, and easy-handling. Unfortunately, cement-based composites are intrinsically porous and may deteriorate as a result of exposure to harsh environments or poor construction quality. Over the last few decades, most research has focused on the ...

Abstract—Corrosion inhibitors are widely used in concrete industry to reduce the corrosion rate of steel rebar which is present in contact with aggressive environments. The present work aims to using Zamzam water from well located within the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia 20 m (66 ft) east of the Kaaba, the holiest place in Islam as corrosion inhibitor for steel in rain water and simula...

From all bridge components, concrete bridge decks in most cases deteriorate the fastest. Theretransportation agency budgets for bridges. The current practice of bridge deck inspection typically provides information when the deterioration is already in its latest stage. Main reductions in the expenditures can be achieved through their monitoring and assessment using nondestructive evaluation (ND...

This paper describes the development of new air-coupled ultrawideband ground-penetrating radar (GPR) for highway pavement and bridge deck inspections that can achieve high spatial resolution and high inspection performance while operating on vehicles driving at regular highway speeds. Themajor design features include dual-frequency band operation, 8 gigasamples per second high-speed real-time d...