拉脱维亚杰尔加瓦市风险管理的引进

杰尔加瓦这座拉脱维亚历史名城面临着严重的城市规划问题.1994年,市政当局要求里加技术大学生产质量研究所的科学家开发一个危险工业设施区划系统,和设计一个风险削减方案.描述了本项目范围内开展的活动,包括风险分析的使用.     

可再生能源:欧洲能源政策及对华合作的主题

欧洲能源政策的调整 上个世纪90年代末之前,由于石油和能源价格低廉,加之并没有对二氧化碳排放进行限制,欧洲的能源主要来源还是化石燃料.     

Statistical evaluation and analysis of safety intervention in the determination of an effective resource allocation strategy

This paper provides an analytical background for the development of an effective safety intervention program with the aim of minimizing incident rates. Safety intervention data were collected from the environmental health and safety department of an American-owned oil company in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. A safety model was developed to determine the safety intervention factors and interactions which minimize incident rates, with the aim of predicting a better resource allocation strategy. Five main safety intervention factors (factor A: leadership and accountability; factor B: qualification selection and pre-job; factor C: employee engagement and planning; factor D: work in progress; factor E: evaluation, measurement and verification) were highlighted and investigated to show their effects on incident rate performance. Analysis of variance test showed that four safety factors (A, C, D, and E) were significant. Statistical techniques such as response surface design plots were used to determine the resource allocation method. The developed safety model recommended the allocation of 16.66% of the available resources to the significant safety intervention activities in order to achieve the desirable incident rate. In order to reap the benefits of this research, it will be important to concentrate more efforts and resources on significant factors which have positive impacts in minimizing incident rates.     

Evaluation of Hook Handles in a Pulling Task

To evaluate the effect of handle design characteristics on subjective ratings and pulling forces, meat-hook handles with various handle shapes, sizes, and hook positions were tested in a pulling task. Finger and phalange force data measured by force sensitive resistors and subjective ratings of discomfort were also evaluated. Generally subjects preferred 37-mm double frustum, 30-mm oval handles followed by 30-mm double frustum handles, 37-mm oval, and 45-mm double frustum handles. In the analyses of total pulling force, 37- and 45-mm double frustum handles showed less required pulling force than the others. The averages of finger force contributions to the total pulling force were 27.2, 28.1, 23.9, and 20.8% in order from index to little fingers. The average of phalange force contributions were 28.8, 33.6, and 37.6% for the distal, middle, and proximal phalanges, respectively. The findings illustrate that the pulling finger forces and subjective discomfort ratings were related to the handle shape as well as handle size.     

Biodynamic simulations of helmet mass and center-of-gravity effects

The addition of extraneous devices (such as night vision goggles) to the helmet assembly has created a new safety hazard for the aviator. The additional mass and misplaced center of gravity (cg) associated with these devices poses the threat of neck injury during ejection, windblast, parachute opening, and other high-G maneuvers. Computer biodynamic simulations using the Articulated Total Body model shows that additional mass has very little effect on head injury scales, head/neck torques, and flexion angles. On the other hand, any combination of cg offset or initial head rest position that causes the head/helmet assembly cg to be anterior of the head/neck joint results in significant head rotation, head torques, and head injury scale values.     

Immobilized humic substances as sorbents

A new method was developed for the immobilization of humic substances. Humic acids (HA) immobilized onto different carriers were studied as sorbents for organic and inorganic substances. The sorption isotherms of 4-aminoazobenzene, Crystal Violet, Methylene Green, and flavine mononucleotide on immobilized HA show that pH and salt concentration have a significant effect on the sorption process, largely depending on the properties of polymeric matrix. Humic acids from different sources showed differing sorption capacity for the studied groups of substances.     

Reduced population size does not affect the mating strategy of a vulnerable and endemic seabird

Bottleneck episodes may occur in small and isolated animal populations, which may result in decreased genetic diversity and increased inbreeding, but also in mating strategy adjustment. This was evaluated in the vulnerable and socially monogamous Monteiro’s Storm-petrel Hydrobates monteiroi, a seabird endemic to the Azores archipelago which has suffered a dramatic population decline since the XVth century. To do this, we conducted a genetic study (18 microsatellite markers) in the population from Praia islet, which has been monitored over 16 years. We found no evidence that a genetic bottleneck was associated with this demographic decline. Monteiro’s Storm-petrels paired randomly with respect to genetic relatedness and body measurements. Pair fecundity was unrelated to genetic relatedness between partners. We detected only two cases of extra-pair parentage associated with an extra-pair copulation (out of 71 offspring). Unsuccessful pairs were most likely to divorce the next year, but genetic relatedness between pair mates and pair breeding experience did not influence divorce. Divorce enabled individuals to improve their reproductive performances after re-mating only when the new partner was experienced. Re-pairing with an experienced partner occurred more frequently when divorcees changed nest than when they retained their nest. This study shows that even in strongly reduced populations, genetic diversity can be maintained, inbreeding does not necessarily occur, and random pairing is not risky in terms of pair lifetime reproductive success. Given, however, that we found no clear phenotypic mate choice criteria, the part played by non-morphological traits should be assessed more accurately in order to better understand seabird mating strategies.     

Evaluation of hook handles in a pulling task.

To evaluate the effect of handle design characteristics on subjective ratings and pulling forces, meat-hook handles with various handle shapes, sizes, and hook positions were tested in a pulling task. Finger and phalange force data measured by force sensitive resistors and subjective ratings of discomfort were also evaluated. Generally subjects preferred 37-mm double frustum, 30-mm oval handles followed by 30-mm double frustum handles, 37-mm oval, and 45-mm double frustum handles. In the analyses of total pulling force, 37- and 45-mm double frustum handles showed less required pulling force than the others. The averages of finger force contributions to the total pulling force were 27.2, 28.1, 23.9, and 20.8% in order from index to little fingers. The average of phalange force contributions were 28.8, 33.6, and 37.6% for the distal, middle, and proximal phalanges, respectively. The findings illustrate that the pulling finger forces and subjective discomfort ratings were related to the handle shape as well as handle size.     

The stability of sarin and soman in dilute aqueous solutions and the catalytic effect of acetate ion

Abstract

The hydrolysis of aqueous solutions of organophosphonate compounds such as sarin and soman is a critical factor in biochemical and therapeutic studies. The ability to dilute and transport these compounds with assurance of their purity is imperative to the integrity of such studies. An enzymic method has been used to measure low levels of organophosphonates. Maximum stability data were determined in aqueous and isotonic saline solutions. Acetate ion was found to significantly accelerate hydrolysis.¹     

Investigation of methods for estimating hand bone dimensions using X-ray hand anthropometric data

This study examined two conversion methods, M1 and M2, to predict finger/phalange bone lengths based on finger/phalange surface lengths. Forty-one Korean college students (25 males and 16 females) were recruited and their finger/phalange surface lengths, bone lengths and grip strengths were measured using a vernier caliper, an X-ray generator and a double-handle force measurement system, respectively. M1 and M2 were defined as formulas able to estimate finger/phalange bone lengths based on one dimension (i.e., surface hand length) and four finger dimensions (surface finger lengths), respectively. As a result of conversion, the estimation errors by M1 presented mean 1.22?mm, which was smaller than those (1.29?mm) by M2. The bone lengths estimated by M1 (mean r?=?0.81) presented higher correlations with the measured bone lengths than those estimated by M2 (0.79). Thus, the M1 method was recommended in the present study, based on conversion simplicity and accuracy.