Reputation,research and reality: The publication records of UK Departments of Politics, 1978–1984

This article contributes some data on the relative research performance of university departments, a topic of growing interest. It analyses the total published andper capita publication rates of 52 UK Politics Departments from 1978 to 1984. The main findings are that 1) departmentalper capita publication rates vary enormously: 2) a department's relative productivity is strongly correlated across all types of publication; 3) a few departments are substantially more productive then the rest; 4) among highly productive departments, one can usefully distinguish between those with collective and those with individual strength 5) a department's productivity is not related to its size. Various rankings are compiled and compared with theTHES peer review and the UGC's classification of research quality.     

On the determination of the thermal diffusion factor from column measurements

A new method for experimental determination of the thermal diffusion factor _T for binary gas mixtures with a thermal diffusion column (TDC) is developed, based on A. M. Rozen's equation of TDC. The experimental results for _T are obtained in a reduced form in this approximation. An experimental reference point, determined in the same TDC with a standard gas mixture, is used for the transformation of the results for _T in absolute units. The proposed method is applicable for arbitrary gas mixtures, irrespective of the mass difference of the components.     

Frequency- and depth-dependent compensation of ultrasonic signals

The resolution in ultrasonic images decreases with depth when using traditional time-gain compensation (TGC) of the received signal. To reduce this effect, both frequency-dependent and depth-dependent compensation is introduced. A time-varying digital filtering method is presented for this purpose, which is based on Wiener filtering. Images obtained from a simulated tissue equivalent are presented and the frequency-compensated images are compared to conventional TGC-compensated images. It is shown that the improvement in resolution using frequency-dependent compensation is considerable when the signal-to-noise ratio in the received signal is high.     

Eutectoid decomposition mechanisms in hypoeutectoid Ti-X alloys

A TEM study has been made of the bainite reaction in five hypoeutectoid Ti-X alloys, where X was successively cobalt, chromium, copper, iron and nickel. Rational orientation relationships were demonstrated amongst eutectoid , eutectoid intermetallic compound and the matrix in Ti-Ni, Ti-Co and Ti-Cr. Formation of Ti₂Co at : boundaries was observed. Eutectoid in bainite was found to be slightly misoriented with respect to proeutectoid , indicating that it is separately nucleated, perhaps sympathetically, rather than the result of the continued growth of proeutectoid . Eutectoid Ti₂Co and Ti₂Cu crystals in bainite were approximately equiaxed whereas Ti-Cr₂ crystals were elongated, a result ascribed to a ledge height-to-spacing ratio / at intermetallic compound crystal: boundaries approaching that of eutectoid (: boundaries in Ti-Cr but not in the other two systems. In the Ti-Fe alloy, eutectoid and eutectoid TiFe were directly observed to have ledged interphase boundaries with their matrix, but with different inter-ledge spacings and growth directions. Observation of pearlite lamellae growing normal to the broad faces of proeutectoid plates in the Ti-Ni alloy indicates that this mode of eutectoid decomposition, like that of bainite, can develop from partially coherent interphase boundaries. The suggestion was offered that pearlite forms when approachesh at the nucleating proeutectoid : interface and that bainite develops when h at this interface.     

Conductivity threshold and kinetics of the phase transition in Fe2O3-Fe3O4 thin films made by chemical vapour deposition

Iron oxide films were made by chemical vapour deposition and annealing post-treatment. Optical and d.c. electrical measurements probed the Fe₂O₃ Fe₃O₄ transition. It could be understood as a thermally activated process, with an activation energy equal to the band-gap of Fe₂O₃. A.c. electrical data gave evidence against the transition being percolative.     

Observation of large diamagnetism in La-Sr-Nb-O films up to room temperature

Large diamagnetic transitions along with sharp resistive transitions were observed in the La-Sr-Nb-O system near room temperature (290 K). The amplitude of the diamagnetism reaches 35% of that of a pure Nb sheet. In addition, a behavior similar to weak magnetic spin ordering was observed for some samples at a temperature of about 290 K, over a temperature range of 30 K. The diamagnetism reappears above this temperature and continues up toT 320 K. It is not clear what composition ratio of La-Sr-Nb-O is responsible for this large diamagnetism and the high critical temperature. The yield probability of these samples is around 50%. The characteristics of the samples having not passed through many thermal cycles remain stable for about 1 month.     

Future directions and research issues for ergonomics and advanced manufacturing technology (AMT)

In recent years, great progress has been made in the development of computer-based technologies that support the manufacturing industries. Those concerned with advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) are becoming increasingly aware of the fundamental importance of human organisational issues for the successful development, implementation, operation and maintenance of AMT. The discipline of industrial ergonomics and occupational occupational psychology, therefore, have a significant contribution to make in this field. This paper introduces the special issue, Ergonomics Matters in AMT, and presents a discussion of some of the future directions of AMT and the likely implications for ergonomics research.     

Evolutionary mechanism of conflict resolution

Conclusions Despite the accumulated evidence, many of the investigators as of quite recently have failed to understand that behavioral strategy or decision rules can be inherited and evolve and that they are subject to certain constraints that cannot be surmounted other than by natural selection. For example, in [9, p. 422] we read: The evolutionary pressure cannot act upon the relative contents of social interactions favoring certain individuals over others. The present study shows that the following scheme of conflict, which favors those individuals that conform to it with a better accuracy, can be evolutionary stable. On the basis of the information they receive, the partners estimate the role situation and the equilibrium pair of elementary strategies and use their strategies. If the role situations of the partners are coordinated, the partners cooperate in reducing the conflict and define its result according to AIS. If AIS are not coordinated, they cooperate in reducing the conflict if its expected loss for each is greater than the expected payoff; they escalate the against those that have a lesser set of elementary strategies but also against those that have a less accurate mechanism of AIS recognition. A poor accuracy of recognition mechanism would replace a strictly equilibrium ESS with a mixed strategy.From the point of view of behavioral control, the multilevel conflict model shows that generally for controlling the choices at a certain level actions of an equally high level are necessary. It is impossible, for example, to accomplish certain economic choices by using only informational actions.Translated from Kibernetika, No. 1, pp. 90–98, January–February, 1988.     

Effect of pre-scalding brushing on contamination level of pork carcasses during the slaughtering process

The number of aerobic bacteria on the skin of pork carcasses was measured at seven different points on the slaughtering line in order to study the hygienic effect of pre-scalding brushing on the contamination level of carcasses. Eighty carcasses were investigated, of which 40 were brushed before scalding and 40 served as controls. Samples were excised from three sites: back, abdomen and ham. The total number of samples was 1368. The cleaning monitoring of the pre-scalding brushing machine and the blackscraping machine was done at the same time. After singeing and blackscraping there were significant differences (P<0·05) between brushed and non-brushed ham sites. After singeing, brushed ham sites had a contamination level of 2·11 (log(10) cm(-2)) and non-brushed ham sites a level of 1·57. After blackscraping the contamination of brushed ham sites was 3·45 (log(10) cm(-2)) and that of non-brushed ham sites 3·26. At the end of the slaughtering line brushed carcasses were more contaminated than those not brushed, although this difference was not significant.