Devolving Housing Policy and Practice in Northern Ireland 1998-2002

This paper reviews the effect of devolution on housing policy and practice in Northern Ireland. It outlines the history and context of devolution and housing policy in Northern Ireland, including the legacy and persistence of intense social conflict. Current devolution arrangements are reviewed, including the implications of enforced coalition for policy governance. The paper focuses on three dimensions of housing and housing-related policy development and implementation: social housing, especially the distinctive history and changing organisation of social housing provision; policies affecting the housing market, including the changing regime for spatial planning; and, regeneration and tenant participation. The paper argues that housing policy has tended to converge with policies in England, rather than moving towards a distinctively local agenda. Local political agendas remain dominated by disagreements over constitutional status thus policy formulation is determined more by officials than by elected politicians.     

THE IMPACT FATIGUE PROPERTIES OF PEARLITIC PLAIN CARBON STEELS

A literature search has revealed that the most extensive study of impact fatigue reported is still that of Stanton and Bairstow (1908) who were the first to work on this topic. Their results, which were on pearlitic plain carbon steels, have been reanalyzed in an attempt to deduce from them the effects of chemical composition on impact fatigue in this class of materials. The results show that when the number of impacts to failure, N_f, is greater than about 10³, N_f and the energy absorbed per impact, E_i, are related by the equation: E_i, =E_o+E_kN_f^?p, where E_o appears to be the impact endurance limit. It is suggested that E_k and p be named respectively the “impact fatigue parameter” and “impact fatigue exponent”. E_k is independent of composition except that it is lower by a factor of about four for two materials which probably failed by an intercrystalline rather than transcrystalline fracture; p has a value of 0.6; and E_o increases monotonically with silicon content but does not vary systematically with the carbon, manganese, sulphur or phorphorus contents. The significance of these results is discussed.     

Compass: an expert system for telephone switch maintenance

Abstract: GTE's Compass (Central Office Maintenance Printout Analysis and Suggestion System) is an expert system that aids in the maintenance of a telephone switching system. It analyzes maintenance printouts of telephone company central office switching equipment and suggests maintenance actions to be performed. The results from several field trials indicate that the current version of Compass performs well in identifying system faults and in suggesting corresponding maintenance actions. An expanded version of the expert system is under development while the present version is being put into field use.     

The shelf-life of dairy products: 1. Factors influencing raw milk and fresh products

This review forms the first part of a series of four articles which will consider factors affecting the shelf-life of dairy products. In this report factors influencing the shelf-life of raw milk and fresh products are highlighted. Potential methods of controlling bacterial growth are discussed in detail.     

The lipolytic and proteolytic activity of bacteria isolated from blended raw milk

Psychrotrophic bacteria have been isolated from supplies of blended raw milk over a period of 14 months. The isolates were partially classified and their ability to degrade milk fat and protein (at 6C) examined. Pseudomonads were the predominant bacterial type and on average 43 per cent of these isolates were of the fluorescent type. These latter isolates together with isolates classified as Flavobacterium and Alcaligenes had associated with them the highest levels of lipase and protease activity.     

THE QUALITY OF BLENDED RAW MILK IN CREAMERIES IN SOUTH-WEST SCOTLAND

The quality of raw blended milk going to manufacture at five creameries in southwest Scotland has been surveyed over a two-year period. Analyses of gross composition, somatic cell count, numbers and types of bacteria present and the concentration of free fatty acid in the milk show that milk quality was of a high standard. However, extended storage of the milk at 6°C indicated that the bacteria in the milk were actively multiplying and the results showed that extended storage of milk at creameries could seriously jeopardize milk quality. The development of lipolysis on extended storage of the milks was associated with the numbers and types of bacteria present in the milk before storage.     

DELAY OF GRATIFICATION, PORTEUS MAZE TEST PERFORMANCE, AND BEHAVIORAL ADJUSTMENT IN A DELINQUENT GROUP.

EXPLORED THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG A BEHAVIORAL AND VERBAL MEASURE OF DELAY OF GRATIFICATION, PORTEUS MAZE TEST MEASURES OF PLANNING ABILITY AND FORESIGHT (TEST QUOTIENT SCORE; TQ) AND IMPULSE CONTROL (QUALITATIVE SCORE), AND RATINGS OF ADJUSTMENT IN A SCHOOL FOR DELINQUENT ADOLESCENT MALES. BOTH MEASURES OF DELAY OF GRATIFICATION WERE SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO THE PORTEUS MEASURES AND THE ADJUSTMENT RATINGS. DELAY OF GRATIFICATION WAS PARTIALLY RELATED TO AGE AND ETHNIC GROUP MEMBERSHIP, BUT NOT IQ. FINDINGS WERE REPLICATED IN A SPANISH-AMERICAN SUBGROUP OF THE TOTAL SAMPLE EXCEPT FOR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TQ AND THE BEHAVIORAL MEASURE OF DELAY. (16 REF.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress Relief Mechanisms in Magnesia- and Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia

Stabilized zirconias exhibit pronounced photoelastic effects when viewed with transmitted polarized light. Thin sections reveal stress concentrations around pores and inclusions and at grain boundaries. The yield point of these materials, at some high temperature, is exceeded and plastic deformation tends to relieve these stress concentrations. The microhardness measurements of magnesia-stabilized zirconia indicate both solution hardening and solute segregation and help to explain the physical behavior of this system as the amount of MgO is varied.