Structural Response of Nuclear Containment Shield Buildings with Construction Openings

Steam generator replacement at nuclear power plants requires large construction openings in nuclear containment structures. This study examines the effects of such openings placed in a 61?cm (2?ft) thick dome of a shield building. The dome is cast in two layers, and the limiting cases of the two layers acting as one and the lower layer carrying the entire load are considered. Without openings, the stresses due to dead load in the structure are very low when compared to the material strength. With openings, the loads are easily redistributed around the opening, and the maximum stresses for the conservative case are between three and four and one-half times larger than in the original structure with no openings. The extent of the affected area around the holes is relatively small. Smooth corners in the openings are necessary to avoid high local stress concentrations.     

Culture and region revisited

People in different regions of the world live under different cultural and religious orders and derive various practical ethics from them. Some of these moral and religious principles are clearly more favorable for economic development than others. Yet such ethnological differences are regrettably absent from our prevailing theories of regional economic development. In this paper, culture is defined as a system of relatively slow processes of change — known as cultural arenas. A complex interface exists between these slower processes and the relatively faster ones (known as games). In attempting to assess the development prospects of any region, a key point to grasp is that this cultural interface may be self-organizing. Its future trajectory will therefore be uncertain. To the extent that the proposed system of slow processes may be construed as a region's cultural base, they may control the nature and achievable pace of that region's development.An earlier version of this paper was presented at a Conference onThe Economics of the Cities of Art, held in Venice from 13–15 May 1991.     

Homophobia and psychoanalysis: A reply to Roughton.

Replies to R. E. Roughton's (see record 1994-27310-001) response to D. K. Flaks's (see record 1993-23357-001) article on homophobia and the psychologists's role in psychoanalytic training institutes. Flaks commends attempts by the American Psychoanalytic Association to combat homophobia within the organization but notes potential problems that might limit its success. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of pressure gradient on MHD boundary layer over a flat plate

Summary The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) boundary layer flow over a flat plate is examined here for two cases, viz. a uniform free-stream velocity and a uniform hydrostatic pressure. The nonlinear boundary layer equations are solved using a reliable finite-difference method. The boundary layer physical parameters such as skin-friction coefficient, displacement, momentum and energy thicknesses of the boundary layer are determined. It is found that the normal surface velocity gradient decreases with the local magnetic interaction parameter for the cases of a uniform hydrostatic pressure, whereas in the case of a uniform free-stream volocity it increases with the interaction parameter.     

Examination of the relationship between African American adolescents' condom use at sexual onset and later sexual behavior: implications for condom distribution programs

School-based condom distribution programs have generated considerable controversy across the country. In the present study 249 sexually active African American adolescents who did (n = 119) and did not (n = 130) use a condom during their initial sexual experience were compared to assess whether condom use at the onset of sexual activity was associated with later differences in sexual behavior. The results indicated that youths who used a condom from the onset of sexual activity were more likely to have used a condom in the most recent intercourse occasion, less likely to be diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or to combine substance use with sexual activity, endorsed more positive attitudes toward condoms, and were older when they initiated sexual activity. The findings have implications for condom availability programs and indicate that initial condom use was not associated with earlier onset of sexual activity and was associated with higher rates of precautionary behavior among sexually active minority adolescents.     

The greenhouse effect; Impact upon and the role to be played by construction

The authors highlight several possible ways in which the construction industry could lower present emissions of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. It is an excellent discussion document and is recommended reading.     

Systemised serendipity for producing computer art

Serendipity applied to Newton's method, and its derivative the Secant Method, produces unusual and beautiful fractal patterns. Serendipity may be systemised, for example, by the introduction of a perturbation parameter P1, [1] to facilitate searches for interesting pattern variations.