Effect of specimen size and loading conditions on spalling of concrete

Different qualities of concrete have been fire tested using different geometries of the specimens as well as different load levels and load configurations. The main objective with the study was to examine a test methodology consisting of a full‐scale test and different small scale‐tests for determining the probability of spalling and the amount of spalling of fire exposed concrete structures. A reference specimen was defined as a one‐sided fire exposed slab with the dimensions 1800 × 1200 mm² giving an exposed area of 1500 × 1200 mm². A number of concrete qualities with different probabilities for spalling, were tested using the reference specimen. These tests showed that the reference specimens worked well giving the expected test results. Small specimens were manufactured in different shapes with the same concrete as the one used in the reference tests. These small specimens were tested either at the same time as the reference specimens in the large furnace or afterwards on a small‐scale furnace where the fire exposed surface was 450 × 360 mm². The test results clearly show the increased probability and the increased amount of spalling by using external compressive loading. The results also show that by using pre‐stress through bars or wires the load can be lost due to heating of the bars/wires which results in a decreased amount of spalling. The boundary of the specimen also affects the amount of spalling. The spalling around the edges was in all tests less than the spalling on the central parts of the exposed area. It could also be noted that the spalling did not pass completely through any of the specimens. The reason for this is probably that the water/vapour could migrate out from the unexposed surface of the specimen. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance of a non‐load‐bearing steel stud gypsum board wall assembly: Experiments and modelling

A gypsum wall assembly was exposed to an intense real‐scale compartment fire. For the wall assembly, temperatures were measured at the exposed face, within the stud cavity, and at the unexposed face during the fire exposure. Total heat flux gauges were used to measure the temporal variation of the energy incident on the walls, and cameras, both visual and infrared, were used to image the unexposed face of the wall assembly during the fire exposure. The behaviour of the wall assembly under the fire load is discussed as are current model results for a simulation of the fire test. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

étude des rechutes constatés dans une cohorte de personnes jugées inptes à subir leur procés ou acquittées pour cause d'aliénation mentale.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 20(2) of Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science Revue canadienne des Sciences du comportement (see record 2007-09831-001). The abstract accompanying the original article was incorrect; the correct abstract (in French) is presented in the erratum.] We know little about individuals who are declared unfit to stand trial and/or not guilty by reason of insanity. The few existing studies are characterized by methodological weaknesses, notably by short follow-up periods and a lack of external validity. The present investigation, which aims to evaluate and explain readmissions that occurred during a seven- to nine-year period, corrects only some of these weaknesses. Sixty-one per cent of the subjects were rehospitalized during the period of study. It proved difficult to identify the factors associated with readmission. However, males with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and who had committed violent crimes were found the most likely to be readmitted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

沼气脱硫技术研究

本文综述了近年研究人员在开发沼气脱硫工艺方面所做的工作,包括现代与传统的脱硫技术工艺.探讨了物理、化学和生物脱硫技术对沼气脱硫工艺的影响因素.     

Hydriding and Dehydriding Characteristics of Mechanically Alloyed LaMg_(17) Ni Composite Material

Magnesiumandmagnesiumalloyshavebeenin vestigatedashydrogenstoragematerialsforseveralde cadesbecausefarmorehydrogenbyweightcanbestoredinthemthaninmostoftheothercurrentlyknownhydrogenstoragealloys .Moreover ,thehighnaturalabundanceofMg ,itslightmassandenviron mentalcompatibilitypotentiallymakemagnesiumoneofthemostprospectivecandidatesforfuturehydrogenstoragematerials .Unfortunately ,thepracticalappli cationofMganditsalloyshasbeenlimitedonlytocertainstoragedevicebecauseoftheirpoorhydriding dehydr…     

A motivational model of rural students' intentions to persist in, versus drop out of, high school.

Using self-determination theory, the authors tested a motivational model to explain the conditions under which rural students formulate their intentions to persist in, versus drop out of, high school. The model argues that motivational variables underlie students' intentions to drop out and that students' motivation can be either supported in the classroom by autonomy-supportive teachers or frustrated by controlling teachers. LISREL analyses of questionnaire data from 483 rural high school students showed that the provision of autonomy support within classrooms predicted students' self-determined motivation and perceived competence. These motivational resources, in turn, predicted students' intentions to persist, versus drop out, and they did so even after controlling for the effect of achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fodor and Pylyshyn on connectionism

Fodor and Pylyshyn (1988) have argued that the cognitive architecture is not Connectionist. Their argument takes the following form: (1) the cognitive architecture is Classical; (2) Classicalism and Connectionism are incompatible; (3) therefore the cognitive architecture is not Connectionist. In this essay I argue that Fodor and Pylyshyn's defenses of (1) and (2) are inadequate. Their argument for (1), based on their claim that Classicalism best explains the systematicity of cognitive capacities, is an invalid instance of inference to the best explanation. And their argument for (2) turns out to be question-begging. The upshot is that, while Fodor and Pylyshyn have presented Connectionists with the important empirical challenge of explaining systematicity, they have failed to provide sufficient reason for inferring that the cognitive architecture is Classical and not Connectionist.     

膜分离法回收合成氨弛放气中氢气

介绍了膜分离的原理和应用。实践表明该方法具有效率高、流程简单、操作灵活容易、纯度高和收率高等优点。     

Hydrogen Absorption and Release Behavior in Hydrogen Decrepitation Process of Nd-Fe-B Alloys

The behavior of hydrogen absorption and release in hydrogen decrepitation (HD) process of Nd-Fe-B alloys were investigated. The results reveal that the reactivity and the amount of hydrogen absorption in HD process are related to the surface activity of the alloy so that the fresh and active surface has a higher efficiency. The presence of Nd-rich phase at the grain boundary is an essential factor of the HD activity of the alloy at room temperature. On degassing, hydrogen is released from the HD powder continuously with increasing temperature. And the residual hydrogen is as low as 0.0015% at 1073K, which shows that the hydrogen is almost exhaused. It is feasible to remove the hydrogen from the HD powder by heating treatment at the temperature of 523-723K for 1h prior to the magnetic field forming in order to decrease the harmful effect of hydrogen on the easy axis alignment of HD magnet.     

Awards for distinguished professional contributions: Robert B. McCall.

Presents the citation, biography, and selected bibliography for Robert B. McCall, one of the 1994 recipients of the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions--Distinguished Professional Contributions to Public Service. From McCall's citation: "Building on a prolific research career in child development, Robert B. McCall communicated the scientific findings of his colleagues to the public through the mass media, winning four national awards and demonstrating to a sometimes skeptical profession that such articles and TV programs could be both accurate and interesting. Subsequently, he became the inaugural director for the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, a unique interdisciplinary, university-community facilitative unit that has broadened the definition of university public service to embrace partnerships among faculty and community service professionals, funders, and policymakers that have created innovative interdisciplinary training and research programs, human service demonstration and evaluation projects, and policy studies." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)