Effect of dose rate and length of storage on the ESR signal strength in irradiated chicken bone

One hundred and twenty-five pairs of chicken drumsticks were randomly allocated to one of five dose rates: 5, 10, 15, 20 or 600 kGyh-. The highest dose rate was obtained using a linear accelerator whilst the remaining dose rates were provided using a ⁶⁰Co gamma source. Each batch of 25 pairs was further divided into groups five of which were stored at 4°C for 0, 7, 14, 21 or 28 days. ESR spectroscopy was used to measure the intensity of the radiation-induced signal. There was a quadratic relationship between ESR signal strength and dose rate, which although statistically significant is unlikely to be of practical importance. The magnitude of the ESR signal declined by about 20% over the first 14 days of storage at 4°C and thereafter the decrease was minimal.     

Mashing of rice with barley malt under non-conventional process conditions for use in food processes

Non-conventional mashing conditions are relevant in the development of a lactic acid-fermented soymilk beverage where mashed rice is the source of carbohydrates for the fermentation and sweetness of the beverage. Advantages in the process layout could be achieved by mashing at higher pH and lower malt concentrations than normally used in the brewing industry. the work reported here assessed the consequences of mashing under non-conventional conditions. Malt concentration in the cereal part was varied from 25% to 70% (w/w), pH was varied within 5.3 to 7.1, and prolongation of the holding times at 50°C and 62°C was investigated. Regression equations have been established for predicting yields of soluble protein, low molecular weight sugars and total fermentability as functions of pH and malt concentration. the results showed that the maltose yield was constant while glucose, maltotriose and total fermentable sugar yields decreased slightly with increasing pH and decreasing malt concentration. Prolonged mash holding times at 50°C and 62°C gave minor increases in protein yields only. It is concluded that it is quite acceptable to use non-conventional mashing conditions when a mashing step is integrated in other food processes.     

Evaluating Community Safety Programmes and Community Engagement: The Role of Qualitative Methods and Collaborative Approaches to Policy Research

This article explores the role of qualitative and collaborative methods when undertaking evaluation research into local community safety partnerships and neighbourhood strategies. It draws on recent examples of research and evaluation studies of regeneration and community safety programmes in a number of cities and towns in England. The discussion is set against the background of the major changes in policy relating to crime and community safety, particularly the introduction of Crime and Disorder Partnerships and their engagement with local communities. The value of qualitative methods in exploring some key questions is discussed, particularly within a collaborative approach to policy research.     

Discrete element approach for mine dump stability analysis

Mine overburden dumps have posed significant safety issues in the operations of various unit operations of open pit min-ing especially the external dumps. The external dumps are composed of a mixture of fragmented rocks and loose soil. Their charac-teristic is comparable to heavily discontinuous solid mass. The conventional approach of limit equilibrium methods provide safety factors for the slope but nothing about the stress-strain characteristics of the large dump mass. The designs of dump location and their respective geometry are integrated for the know-how of the stability characteristics of these dumps. The discrete element method uses a circular disk to represent the granular solid mass and their interactions are described by the Newton's third law of motion. The displacement is described by the sliding of the circular disk. This work is focused on the modeling efficiency of the discrete element methods to represent the behaviour of mine dump masses with the specified joint plane for the limit equilibrium method. The advantage of the work lies on the ease of information retrieval at any point at the dump mass concerning the stress and strain histories, displacement, failures etc. which when integrated produces a better understanding of the stability of the dump masses.     

关于构建长庆油田生产建设和谐安全监管的思考

通过对长庆油田生产建设和谐安全监管意义的思考,分析当前在生产建设中存在的不和谐因素,指出构建和谐安全监管的切入点,进而提出构建长庆油田生产建设和谐安全监管的建议。     

1553B通信协议的可依赖性讨论

1553B是飞机电传系统的通信协议,由于硬件上抗干扰仅考虑了系统内部自生的干扰,实际环境要严重得多;因为只按奇偶位作校验,所以错字漏检的概率比较大;由于回传状态字内容不全面,在漏检错字时会发生假冒错;由于指令字出错不易纠正,最好情况下靠2次重传,丢帧可能性大.漏检错帧和丢帧多会使多重冗余的表决机制失效,也会使网络管理类指令失效,成为潜伏的故障.通过定量分析,确定了一些情况下的失效率,例如假定取CAN,Profesafe同样的误码率ber=0.01时,除去最大值/最小值再取均值时的4冗余系统因错字漏检引起的每小时失效可达2×10-1次.     

Predicting dam failure risk for sustainable flood retention basins: A generic case study for the wider Greater Manchester area

This study aims to provide a rapid screening tool for assessment of sustainable flood retention basins (SFRBs) to predict corresponding dam failure risks. A rapid expert-based assessment method for dam failure of SFRB supported by an artificial neural network (ANN) model has been presented. Flood storage was assessed for 110 SFRB and the corresponding Dam Failure Risk was evaluated for all dams across the wider Greater Manchester study area. The results show that Dam Failure Risk can be estimated by using the variables Dam Height, Dam Length, Maximum Flood Water Volume, Flood Water Surface Area, Mean Annual Rainfall (based on Met Office data), Altitude, Catchment Size, Urban Catchment Proportion, Forest Catchment Proportion and Managed Maximum Flood Water Volume. A cross-validation R² value of 0.70 for the ANN model signifies that the tool is likely to predict variables well for new data sets. Traditionally, dams are considered safe because they have been built according to high technical standards. However, many dams that were constructed decades ago do not meet the current state-of-the-art dam design guidelines. Spatial distribution maps show that dam failure risks of SFRB located near cities are higher than those situated in rural locations. The proposed tool could be used as an early warning system in times of heavy rainfall.     

Denotation and connotation in the human – computer interface: The ‘Save as …’ command

This paper presents a semiotic technique as a means of exploring meaning and understanding in interface design and use. This is examined through a study of the interaction between the ‘file’ metaphor and ‘save as’ command metaphor. The behaviour of these (from a functional or computational basis) do not exactly match, or map onto, the meaning of the metaphor. We examine both the denotation of a term to the user, i.e. its literal meaning to that person, and the term's connotations, i.e. any other meanings associated with the term. We suggest that the technique applied is useful in predicting future problems with understanding the use of metaphor at the interface and with designing appropriate signification for human-computer interaction. Variation in connotation was expected but a more fundamental difference in denotation was also uncovered. Moreover, the results clearly demonstrate that consistency in the denotation of a term is critical in achieving a good user understanding of the command.     

An ergonomic comparison of firearm safety mechanisms

As with most machines, the integral safety mechanism on firearms is vital to injury or fatality free operation. Presently, there is little or no standardisation in the design of these mechanisms. In this investigation, five existing designs found on both military and commercial rifles were evaluated ergonomically to determine the most effective characteristics for incorporation into future designs. The designs were evaluated experimentally on ease of use, visual effectiveness and operational impact. Three groups, representing a total of 30 subjects with widely varying experience, were selected. Results strongly suggest that safeties whose actuators are mounted within easy reach of the trigger finger are preferred and have the least operational impact. Subjects also preferred and were more adept at recognising safety status when the indicator was located on the receiver/barrel along the normal line of sight. Subjects more often correctly identified safety status when the indicator utilised colouring, was clearly marked and/or was in the normal line of sight. The results of this research prove that ergonomics can contribute to the understanding of firearm safety dynamics. The two essential components of safety mechanism design identified in this investigation, unambiguous status visibility and impact-free operation, are also likely to have implications in non-firearm safety mechanism design. This is particularly true for devices whose inadvertent operation can cause injury, as well as systems in which operational effectiveness can be jeopardised when attentiveness or operational control are lost in the process of actuating a poorly designed safety mechanism.