On the anisotropic character of material hardening during loading with partial unloading

Mining Institute, Siberian Branch, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Novosibirsk. Translated from Fiziko-Tekhnicheskie Problemy Razrabotki Poleznykh Iskopaemykh, No. 6, pp. 57-64, November-December, 1991.     

Experience and perspectives of application of gasdynamic coatings in space technology

The given work deals with the results of the research carried out by the “Salute“ DB of the Khrunichev State research-and-production space center concerning the development of special equipment and improvement of the technique of the “cold“ gasdynamic method of application of coating for the accomplishment of several specific tasks: (1) development of the technique of application of a fireproof heat-radiating coating to screens made from stainless steel with coefficient of thermal radiation ε≥0.7; (2) development of technique of sealing (“curing“) of microleaks on the weld joints of the propellant tanks made of aluminum alloys; (3) study of the opportunity of sealing of joints of parts made from heterogeneous materials; (4) development of process for copper and nickel coating application for aluminium heat exchangers soldering.……     

Minimierung der Umbauzeiten bei Stahlwerksmodernisierungen am Beispiel eines Stranggießanlagen-Umbaues

In November 2000 the Belgian stainless steel producer UGINE & ALZ Belgium nv, a company of the Arcelor Group, awarded VAI a contract for the upgrading and expansion of their steelmaking plant. The overall project included the revamping and supply of new equipment and systems for the steelmaking, continuous casting and environmental protection facilities. An essential part of this ambitious modernization program was the upgrading and expansion of the existing single-strand slab caster, with an output of 600 000 t/a, to a combined single- or twin-strand slab caster with a nominal production capacity of 1.2 million tons — the world’s largest stainless steel slab caster. All upgrading and installation activities had to be carried out within an extremely tight caster shut-down period of 21 days only in order to minimize production losses. This paper discusses the innovative project management solutions implemented in combination with extensive preassembly activities and workshop testing to assure the successful outcome of this project.     

Attitudes towards regionalism in a rapid growth suburb

A key issue confronting our newer suburbs is the stance they should take towards efforts at regional cooperation and coordination of major policy areas. This article analyzes the preferences on this issue held by residents in a rapid growth suburb in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Through factor analysis, four identifiable dimensions of regionalist preferences were obtained from questionnaire responses--administrative cooperation, land-use cooperation, mass transit cooperation, and regional basic services cooperation. Correlational analyses between these dimensions of regionalist preferences and selected community status characteristics, social situation characteristics, and local political participation status of respondents reveal no systematic covariation. Thus municipal policies which influence the population mix within a community with respect to the life situation characteristics measured in this study are not likely to be useful instruments for influencing the preferences, pro or con, of the community towards regionalist policies. Further, local political participants are found to be representative of the larger community's regionalist policy preferences.     

Modeling investment priorities for national road improvements: A case study of Korea

The paper addresses specific problems associated with formulating investment priorities for national road improvements in Korea. More specifically, the objectives of the paper are (1) to present a model for formulating investment priorities for road improvements that may be useful to developing countries, (2) to test the model with simplified data for deriving investment priorities for Korea's road improvements, and (3) to learn lessons that can be applicable to other developing countries with particular respect to recommending investment priorities for road improvements. The study results are useful for planners, in developing countries, and also for evaluation analysts in funding institutions who are confronted with evaluating investment priorities for deteriorating road conditions.     

Indoor air quality in the 21st century: search for excellence

Field studies demonstrate that there are substantial numbers of dissatisfied people in many buildings, among them those suffering from sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms, even though existing standards and guidelines are met. The reason is that the requirements specified in these standards are rather low, allowing a substantial group of people to become dissatisfied and to be adversely affected. A paradigm shift from rather mediocre to excellent indoor environments is foreseen in the 21st century. Based on existing information and on new research results, five principles are suggested as elements behind a new philosophy of excellence: 1) better indoor air quality increases productivity and decreases SBS symptoms; 2) unnecessary indoor pollution sources should be avoided; 3) the air should be served cool and dry to the occupants; 4) "personalized air", i.e. a small amount of clean air, should be served gently, close to the breathing zone of each individual; and 5) individual control of the thermal environment should be provided. These principles of excellence are compatible with energy efficiency and sustainability.     

Mobilization of lead from human bone tissue during pregnancy and lactation--a summary of long-term research

The skeleton is potential endogenous source of lead during pregnancy and lactation. We have undertaken a longitudinal investigation into the mobilization of lead from the human maternal skeleton to determine whether lead is mobilized from the maternal skeleton during pregnancy and lactation, and if so, when and how much is released. Subjects in the study were migrants to Australia (n=15) whose skeletal lead isotopic composition (endogenous lead) was different to that prevailing in the Australian environment (exogenous lead). This migrant cohort was compared with 6 multi-generational Australian controls. Biological and environmental samples were taken pre-pregnancy where possible, throughout pregnancy and postpartum for at least 6 months. Newly-born infants of the migrant and Australian mothers were monitored for 6 months. Blood lead concentrations for the migrant mothers ranged from 1.5 to 20 microg/dl (geometric mean 2.8) and for Australian mothers ranged from 1.9 to 4.3 microg/dl (geometric mean 2.9). There was minimal change in lead isotopic composition of the Australian pregnant controls although there were increases of approximately 40% in blood lead concentration in 3 of 6 cases during the postpartum period and from 0 to 12% in the other 3. In the migrant pregnant subjects, the geometric mean skeletal lead contribution to blood lead using the isotopic composition was approximately 33% (range 10-88%) for 14 subjects using a revised estimate for exogenous lead. Skeletal contribution to blood lead during the postpartum period was significantly greater than during pregnancy (P<0.001). The skeletal contributions to blood lead are higher and the changes are more consistent in those subjects who conceived within 100 days of arrival in Australia compared with those who conceived longer than 100 days. In the migrant subjects, changes in blood lead concentration during pregnancy and postpartum varied from subject to subject with an overall 20% increase; the increases during the postpartum period were greater than during pregnancy (P<0.001). It was estimated that the amount of maternal skeletal lead mobilized during pregnancy and transferred to the infant via cord blood averaged approximately 79%. The increased skeletal contribution to blood lead is attributed to a low daily calcium intake of approximately 500 mgCa/day, a condition which was present in both migrant and Australian subjects. An ongoing clinical trial is providing a new cohort with calcium supplements. A summary of other aspects of the study is included and covers: additional flux released from the skeleton during pregnancy and postpartum; XRF bone lead results; urinary excretion of lead during pregnancy and postpartum; dietary contribution to blood lead in female adults and children; comparison of rates of exchange of lead in blood of newly-born infants and mothers; relationships of lead in breast milk to lead in blood, urine and diet of the infant and mother; changes in blood lead after cessation of breastfeeding; urinary lead isotopes during pregnancy and postpartum indicate no preferential partitioning of endogenous lead into plasma; a comparison of some aspects of the nonhuman primate and human pregnancy studies.