Background:Methamphetamine dependence lead to the compulsive use, loss of control, and social and occupational dysfunctions. This study aimed to compare the effect of valproate in reducing the craving in methamphetamine dependents.Materials and Methods:This is a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial on 40 men of 18–40 years old referred to Noor Hospital during December 2012–September 2013 in Isfahan, Iran. The subjects participated in matrix program and randomly were divided into two groups of valproate and placebo. A 4-months program of intervention with valproate or placebo was arranged for each group. The rate of craving to methamphetamine and positive methamphetamine urine tests were evaluated in both groups every 2 weeks using cocaine craving questionnaire-brief (CCQ-Brief) and urine test. After the 4 months (active treatment with valproate and placebo), the drug was tapered and discontinued within 10 days, and patients were introduced to self-help groups and monitored regularly on a weekly basis over another 3 months. Collected data were analyzed with SPSS 20 using analysis of covariance repeated measure, Chi-square, and t-test.Results:CCQ score of the intervention group was significantly less than the placebo group (P < 0.001), except on weeks 1, 3, and 28. The ratio of a positive urine test for methamphetamine in the intervention group was significantly lower than the control group in all screenings except weeks 3 and 28.Conclusion:Adding valproate to matrix program in the treatment of methamphetamine dependence showed significant effect on the reduction of the craving to methamphetamine.
Moisture can significantly affect flexible pavement performance. As such, it is crucial to remove moisture as quickly as possible from the pavements, mainly to avoid allowing moisture into the pavement subgrade. In the 1990s the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) adopted an asphalt pavement drainage system consisting of an open-graded asphalt drainage layer connected to edge drains and collector pipes to remove moisture from the pavement system. However, over the intervening two decades, asphalt pavement materials and designs have dramatically changed in Indiana, and the effectiveness of the pavements drainage system may have changed. Today, in-place field densities achieved during construction make asphalt mixtures less susceptible to moisture intrusion than their 1990s counterparts. Additionally, there are challenges involved in producing and placing open-graded asphalt drainage layers, they can potentially increase costs, and they tend to have lower strength than traditional dense-graded asphalt pavement layers. Given the potential difficulties, the overall objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of INDOT's current flexible pavement drainage systems given the changes to pavement cross-sections and materials that have occurred since the open-graded drainage layer was adopted. Additionally, the effectiveness of the filter layer and edge drains were examined. Laboratory experiments were performed to obtain the hydraulic properties of field-produced asphalt mixture specimens meeting INDOT's current specifications and the results used in finite element modeling of moisture flow through pavement sections. Modeling was also performed to investigate the rutting performance of the drainage layer in flexible pavements under various traffic loads and subgrade moisture conditions in combination with typical Indiana subgrade soils. The results were used to develop design graphs to assist the pavement designer in more accurately assessing the need for a pavement drainage system in any given flexible pavement. In general, the results indicate that drainage layers do effectively lower the subgrade moisture content and act to maintain subgrade moisture contents at native levels, while flexible pavements without drainage layers result in fully saturated subgrades. Also, while the results show that either a dense-graded aggregate or a dense-graded asphalt mixture can be used as a filter layer between the subgrade and the open-graded drainage layer, the subgrade tends to have lower moisture content when a granular filter is used. Moreover, the results indicate that edge drains have a positive effect on flexible pavement performance, especially those that do not contain a drainage layer. As expected, the modeling results showed an increase in pavement rutting whenever high moisture levels are present in the pavement system.
Construction practice is a key factor in building high quality pavement. Unfortunately failure and distresses frequently develop shortly after construction. These distresses may be due to the contractors failing to follow the guidelines and specifications. Monitoring pavement construction provides information for evaluating contractors' practices relative to the best practices as documented in various training courses. Accordingly, the West Virginia Department of Highways (WVDOH) decided to review construction practices. The WVDOH hired 4 coops during summer 2012 and 2 coops during summer 2013 to document asphalt pavement construction projects. The coops were assigned to observe and record pavement construction practices. Observations were documented on forms with supporting photographs and video records. West Virginia University was contracted to train and monitor the coops and gather and analyze the construction monitoring information. All the observations data were put into and analyzed using a Microsoft Access database. The results for summer 2012 shows that plant operations comply with best management practices in most areas. However, the observations did indicate several opportunities for improvement in the hauling, placement and compaction of the asphalt concrete. Observations from summer 2013 showed plant operations remained "good", the performance of hauling, surface preparation, placement and compaction of the asphalt concrete were better than observed in 2012. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS
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