Continuous Improvement Methodology Applied to United Kingdom Academic Library Websites Via National Survey Results

This article analyzes the possibilities of applying Continuous Improvement principles to the management and maintenance of academic library websites. Current practice is mapped onto Continuous Improvement principles, with evidence distilled from a United Kingdom national survey of academic library web practitioners. The survey data informs a website organizational framework and operational model. The framework describes the setting within which library websites are managed, while the model focuses on library specific aspects to the management and development of their site.     

Synaptic plasticity based model for epileptic seizures

In this paper, a new dynamic model describing the epileptic seizure initiation through transition from interictal to ictal state in a brain predisposed to epilepsy is suggested. The model follows Freeman’s approach where the brain is viewed as a network of interconnected oscillators. The proposed nonlinear model is experimentally motivated and relies on changes in synaptic strength in response to excitatory spikes. This model exhibits a threshold beyond which a bifurcation toward a short-term plasticity state occurs leading to seizure onset. A resulting explanatory assumption is that when considering epilepsy, brain regions are characterized by abnormally low thresholds toward short-term synaptic plasticity. It is shown by simulation that the proposed model enables some experimentally observed qualitative features to be reproduced. Moreover, a preliminary discussion on the impact of the underlying assumptions on the fundamental issue of seizure control is proposed through an EEG based feedback control scheme.     

An experimental study of factors associated with driver frustration and overtaking intentions

This study examined directly the impact of various factors associated with driving on ‘A-class’ roads in the United Kingdom (specifically length of platoon, proportion of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), speed and opportunities for overtaking) on self-reported frustration and overtaking intentions. The impact of situational variables (being under time pressure, and time behind a slower moving platoon) were also examined, as was the association between frustration and self-reported overtaking intentions. 183 members of the public from the areas around Perth and Inverness, Scotland took part in the study. Participants viewed simulated ‘driver’s viewpoint’ clips representing all the combinations of the experimental variables (except time pressure, which was a between-groups variable, and time behind platoon, which was examined separately in four specific clips). After each clip, participants responded on a paper questionnaire as to the level of frustration they would feel for a given clip, and the likelihood that at some point during the clip they would have attempted an overtake manoeuvre. The findings show that the links between traffic variables such as speed and platoon length, and behaviourally-relevant variables such as frustration and overtaking intentions, are not simple. Although there are broad and predictable effects of speed and platoon length (lower speeds and longer platoons leading to greater frustration) these are mediated by other variables, and it is not always the case that more frustration leads to more intention to overtake. Analysis of driver attitudes identified three clusters (low, medium and high risk drivers) and suggests that higher risk drivers’ levels of frustration are more affected by situational changes than those of lower risk drivers.     

Reforma Interior in Málaga: modernization and morphological change in the nineteenth century

In the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth, various attempts were made to ‘modernize’ the city of Málaga (southern Spain) in terms of structural and built environment. These efforts originated from different groups at different times and with varying degrees of success but they had, as their principal motive, a shared desire to advance the image of the city against a background of political unrest and significant economic decline from mid-nineteenth century prosperity. With this objective in mind, there was a shared perspective that the visual appearance of the city and its morphological structure had to be modernized. However, in detail, the specific schemes proposed reflected the diverse ideologies and objectives of their chief protagonists although the generic term Málaga Moderna came to be applied to a wide range of different proposals. This article will examine the development of these key actor groups and their varying impact on the city's urban form.     

Data Processing for City Planning

In city planning, data-processing machines permit the rapid handling and summarization of data in housing, renewal, land use, transportation, and basic urban research. Electronic computers. specifically, are exciting because they offer a means of solving complex city planning problems, especially in forecasting land use and travel demand.

For most planning operations punched card data processing is superior to other processes. The functions of these machines are described herein and three examples of data processing are elaborated on. In future years, planning techniques may have to be altered considerably to take advantage of the potentials of data processing.     

Benzyltitanium- und -zirconium/Al2O3-Katalysatoren zur partiellen Hydrierung von Acetylen

Benzyl Titanium and Zirconium Alumina Catalysts for Partial Hydrogenation of Acetylene Benzyl titanium and zirconium compounds of the types Bzl₄M, C₅H₅MBzl₃, and (C₅H₅)₂MBzl₂ form surface compounds on dehydroxylated alumina (15% α-, and 85% δ-Al₂O₃) which on hydrogenolysis yield TiH- and ZrH-species. The supported systems were studied with respect to catalytic activity in the partial hydrogenation of acetylene. Supported (C₅H₅)₂TiBzl₂ was proved to be inactive and the systems C₅H₅TiBzl₃(Al₂O₃) and Bzl₄/Al₂O₃ catalyze the formation of polyacetylene, but catalysts containing benzyl zirconium species are suitable for the partial hydrogenation of acetylene. Acitivity and selectivity of the system C₅H₅ZrBzl₃/Al₂O₃ are comparable to industrial used Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts.     

An Ultrasonic Evaluation and Quality Control Tool for Adhesive Bonds

The problem of predicting adhesive bond performance for both surface preparation and undercure defects has been studied using an ultrasonic, experimental test bed system. This experimental test bed incorporates the ultrasonic and computer equipment necessary to acquire and process data from various types of adhesively bonded test specimens. The computer hardware and software has been developed to allow the design of reliable pattern recognition algorithms for the evaluation of surface preparation and bond cure. The specific problem studied is the inspection of the adhesive bond in an aluminum to aluminum step-lap joint whose strength could be affected by improper surface preparation or undercure. A set of 154 bond specimens was used to design an algorithm that is 91% reliable for separating the specimens into a good class, those bonds with no defects, or a weak class, bonds with poor surface preparation or undercured adhesive layer. A Fisher Linear Discriminant function was selected by the test bed as the best pattern recognition routine for this classification problem.