Effect In May Research Articles

Current status of programmes to measure and reduce radon exposure in Irishworkplaces

National legislation, which implements European CouncilDirective 96/29/EURATOM in Ireland, sets a reference level of400 Bq m−3 averaged over any 3 month period for radon exposure in the workplace and also empowersthe Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland to direct employers to have radonmeasurements carried out. This legislation came into effect in May 2000. Radonmeasurements have already been completed in show caves and other undergroundworkplaces. Between 1998 and 2001, over 33 800 individual radon measurements werecarried out in all ground floor offices and classrooms in 3444 schools nationwide as part of aprogramme undertaken jointly with the Department of Education and Science.Where the average indoor radon concentration in one or more rooms exceeded200 Bq m−3, remedial measures were implemented. For concentrations up to400 Bq m−3 this involved increased ventilation while for higher concentrations an active sump wasnormally installed. The results of the survey, as well as the effectiveness of the differentremedial strategies, are discussed.In the case of other above ground workplaces, different approaches have been adopted. As afirst step, workplaces in two known high radon areas were directed to have radonmeasurements carried out. This programme had limited success because of problems inobtaining accurate workplace databases and a general lack of awareness on the part ofemployers of the issues involved. From a sample of 2610 employers directed tomeasure radon, only 408 actually completed measurements and 37 workplaceswere identified as having average 3 month average radon concentrations above400 Bq m−3. A total of 1356 employers ignored all correspondence, some of which was sent byregistered post and signed for on receipt.Current initiatives are focused on the provision of information and include newspaperadvertising as well as publications aimed specifically at both employer and employeerepresentative groups. The ability to provide accurate information that encourages bothmeasurement and remediation is seen as central to an effective radon workplaceprogramme.

車いす搭乗者と歩行者群集の避難実験

Disabled people including wheelchair users have been going out into a society more actively. Then TRAIL (Transportation and Accessibility Law) came into effect in May 2000. Barrier-free passenger ships are going on increasing by those activities. Barrier-free passenger ships must maintain highly evacuation safety on board. One of items for evacuation safety on board is that wheelchair users and pedestrian passengers can move together to assembly spaces smoothly. We did experiments that a wheelchair user and 30 walkers escaped together through passenger ship corridor mock-up which length was 15m. The width of the corridor was 2m and 3m. We did 4 cases for doorways which width were 2m and 3m within the corridor which width was 5m. A video camera that was set 30m above the corridor recorded the behavior of the wheelchair user and the walkers. The wheelchair user and the 30walkers were able to move through the corridor without a decline in the evacuation speed with all conditions of the experiments. But conditions of both the wheelchair user and walkers influenced each other to their behavior. A kind mental state of the walkers had the wheelchair user feel at ease. The cases with the doorways which width of 2m showed a decline in the flow (persons/sec.) and its value was one to two persons/sec.

Large-scale geomagnetic effects of May 4, 1998

We study large-scale magnetospheric disturbances elicited by the May 4, 1998 high speed stream by modeling the Dst and studying records from 4 meridional magnetometer chains covering key local time sectors. The quasi-sequential episodes of B z < < 0 and high dynamic pressure (10–50 nPa) allow a clean separation of their respective geoeffects. Ring current evolution is followed by the kinetic model of Jordanova et al. (1998), which includes both charge exchange and Coulomb collisions of ring current ions H +, He + and O + drifting in a Volland-Stern convection electric field. The overall agreement with the temporal variation of the Dst is very good, but the strength of the great storm (min Dst = -280 nT) with its rapid main phase is not reproduced fully. A very asymmetric ring current forms near minimum Dst with maximum energy density located at dusk for all ion species. The data show evidence of (a) a great geomagnetic storm; (b) large enhancements of magnetopause currents; (c) substorm onsets, some of which were triggered; (d) a convection reversal boundary at relatively low latitudes (60–65°); and (e) what might be omega bands at morning local times associated with substorm recovery. An unprecedented measurement at Halley Bay station of an approximately 10% change in the ambient magnetic field strength is related to a sharp 5-fold increase in the dynamic pressure and to a large (≈50 nT) variation in IMF B z

Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and Silica as Controls on Phytoplankton Biomass and Species Composition in Lake Champlain (USA-Canada)

The long-standing assumption that the phytoplankton in Lake Champlain are phosphorus limited was tested through measurement of physiological indicators of phosphorus status (alkaline phosphatase activity and orthophosphate turnover time) and enrichment experiments conducted four times during the growth season. Phosphorus addition to experimental carboys incubated 4–5 days in situ substantially increased phytoplankton biomass relative to controls in June, but had only a mild impact in July and September, and no effect in May. Nitrogen addition augmented biomass in one of four experiments (in June), while silica had no impact at any time. In summer and fall, addition of N and P in combination always yielded more phytoplankton biomass than singular P addition. In spring, even combined addition of N, P, and Si failed to stimulate phytoplankton growth. The phytoplankton groups responding to fertilization were largely the same as those that flourished in controls (diatoms and green algae), suggesting that enclosure was a more powerful determinant of species composition than nutrient inputs. Orthophosphate turnover times and levels of alkaline phosphatase activity in the lake indicated spatial and temporal variability in phytoplantkon P status, with P sufficiency as common as P deficiency. We conclude that multiple interacting factors influence the abundance and species composition of phytoplankton in Lake Champlain. In spring, phytoplankton growth is not limited by N, Si, or P, but by some factor yet to be determined (perhaps light or temperature). In summer, P is the principal limiting nutrient, but N exerts an influence that deserves further investigation.

Individual Labor in a Modern Socialist Economy

The Law on Individual Labor Activity, slated to take effect in May 1987, has generated much interest both in our country and elsewhere. The reasons for this law and avenues of its execution were the subject of a discussion between a legal scholar, a research economist, and a financial economist that was published in issue number No. 18 of Kommunist for 1986. Many practical questions are also asked by those who are officially responsible for the execution of the new law, by those who are planning to conduct labor activity on its basis, and those who hope to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Redundancy, Labour Markets and Informal Relations

As a result of its ‘slimline’ plan put into effect in May 1980, the British Steel Corporation made nearly 6,000 workers redundant from its Abbey Works in Port Talbot. The relationship between redundancies at the plant, the labour market experiences of those made redundant and the way in which the two are mediated by informal relational structures is examined. It is argued (a) that the labour market chances of those made redundant were structured by the character of the redundancy process which made certain kinds of worker vulnerable to selection for redundancy; and (b) that the operation of the labour market changed as a result of the redundancies in ways which advantaged those among the redundant who were informally linked to certain kinds of opportunities on the demand side of the labour market. Some wider implications of the patterns found are discussed.

An Optical Theme in The Merchant’s Tale

An Optical Theme in The Merchant’s Tale

Chemistry and Biology of Thrombin by Roger L. Lundblad, John W. Fenton II, and Kenneth G. Mann (review)

the particular screening strategy diat he wished to test. Within a few seconds he could obtain an estimate ofthe benefits to die persons screened and to the public health. Forinstance, die screening interval (e.g., rescreening annually, in 2 years, etc.) or the age at start ofscreening (e.g., 35, 40, 45, 50, etc.) are "design parameters " that a policymaker could control. It is then easy to search for an optimum strategy [10]. The benefits predicted by the model agreed weU with die benefits calculated direcdy from later American Cancer Society reports on the actual screening [H]. By September 1975 the benefits from optimum screening strategies could be compared with the health costs to the patient. The benefits would be cures expected from the earlier detection by mammography. The costs would be the additional cases of breast cancer produced by the dosage of x-ray used in die examination. It had become clear that in women under 50, the benefit-to-cost ratio was around 1:4 so that screening was doing more harm than good. The optimum policy in these asymptomatic women was not to screen diem. Subsequently this policy conclusion was independently reached by a series of National Cancer Institute committees. However, it was almost 2 years before an enforceable ban against screening women under 50 went into effect in May 1977. WhUe the model played a role in changing screening poUcy in the younger women, it did not manage to avoid the long delay involved in conventional medical decision making. REFERENCES 1.I. D. J. Bross. Design for decision. New York: Macmillan, 1953. 2.I. D. J. Bross. Scientific strategies in human affairs. Jericho, N.Y.: Exposition, 1975. 3.T. DAO, T. Nemoto, and I. D.J. Bross./n: A. P. M. Forrest and P. B. Kunkler (eds.). Proc. 1st Tenovous Symp., Cardiff, April 12-14, 1967. Edinburgh: Livingstone, 1968. 4.L E. Blumenson and I. D. J. Bross. Biometrics, 25(1):95, 1969. 5.I. D. J. Bross and L. E. Blumenson. J. Chronic Dis., 21:493, 1968. 6.I. D.J. Bross and L. E. Blumenson. Cancer 28(6): 1637, 1971. 7.I. D.J. Bross. Trans. N.Y. Acad. Sci., ser. 11, 34:187, 1972. 8.L. E. Blumenson. Math. Biosci., 30:273, 1976. 9.L. E. Blumenson. Math. Biosci., 33:73, 1977. 10.I. D. J. Bross and L. E. Blumenson. J. Surg. OncoL, 8:437, 1976. 11.I. D. J. Bross. Capital Proc. Vol., Univ. Akron's National Energy Forum, in press. Irwin Bross Roswell Park Memorial Institute 666 EIm Street Buffalo, New York 14263 Chemistry and Biology ofThrombin. By Roger L. Lundblad, John W. Fenton II, and Kenneth G. Mann. Ann Arbor: Ann Arbor Science Publishers, 1977. Pp. xii+564. $22.50. This book contains the proceedings of a conference on the chemistry and biology of thrombin which was held at the Mayo Clinic in April 1977. There are 632 J Book Reviews 42 papers dealing with various aspects of thrombin ranging from die basic chemistry of the molecule to various clinical aspects. Isolation and structural aspects of die prothrombin and the thrombin molecule are discussed in several papers. Of particular interest is the paper on the development of competitive reversible inhibitors of thrombin. Several papers deal with the activation of thrombin, including die mechanism of action ofantithrombin III and its potentiation by heparin, interaction with the alpha I antitrypsin-antiplasmin molecule. A series of papers deals with die interactions between thrombin and platelets. A most exciting group of papers discusses recent data on the role of thrombin in die initiation of cell division and related phenomena. AU the authors are active research workers and recognized experts in dieir fields. The book can be highly recommended to all hematologists and especially those active in the field of blood coagulation and related areas. Julian L. Ambrus and Clara M. Ambrus Roswell Park Memorial Institute 666 Elm Street Buffalo, New York 14263 Retrospectroscope: Insights into Medical Discovery. By Julius H. Comroe, Jr. Menlo Park, CaUf.: Von Gehr Press, 1977. Pp. 182. $5.00. During the past 2 years I have been eagerly looking forward to each issue of the American Review of Respiratory...

The cosmic-ray flare effect: 2. The flare effects of May 4, November 12, and November 15, 1960

The observations of the flare effects of May 4 and November 12 and 15, 1960, are analyzed, particular attention being given to obtaining an understanding of the anisotropies that existed in the cosmic-ray fluxes during the events. For each event it is found that the flux was greatest from a direction to the west of the sun. During the May 4 event the flux was greatest from, and symmetrical about, a direction 55° to the west of the sun, and 10° north of the ecliptic, for more than 9 hours after the commencement of the flare effect. The differential rigidity spectrum is investigated, the power-law exponent being calculated to be −5.0 at 1045 UT, and shown to be decreasing (that is, the spectrum steepening) with time. For the November 12 event, it is shown that an anisotropy persisted until about 1900 UT, when the radiation rapidly became isotropic. At this same time, the counting rates of all neutron detectors increased very suddenly and a Forbush decrease was observed by meson detectors. It is shown that at about 1600 UT an additional anisotropic flux of radiation arrived at the earth from within the hemisphere centered upon the sun, and between 1700 and 1800 UT an additional anisotropic flux arrived from the opposite direction. For the November 15 event, it is shown that the radiation became isotropic within about 90 minutes of the commencement of the flare effect. The anisotropies at early times are studied, the most important observation being that particles were arriving from some directions in space for approximately 30 minutes before any arriving from the opposite direction.

INFLUENCE OF WEATHER CONDITIONS ON THE NITROGEN CONTENT OF WHEAT—II

Supplementing a previous statistical study, coefficients designed to weight observed temperatures in proportion to their assumed effect on respiration were computed from the daily observations for three 3-week periods extending from July 1 to September 1. After allowing for the effect of May and June rainfall there was a moderate but significant partial correlation (r = +0.33) between nitrogen content and the sum of the temperature coefficients for the last two periods.There was a positive correlation (r = +0.74) between height of crop and yield of grain, and a negative correlation (r = −0.50) between height and nitrogen content. The partial correlation between nitrogen content and yield, after eliminating variations in both associated with height, was negligible (r = −0.07), suggesting that reductions in yield due to restriction of the later stages of translocation did not result in significant modification of the nitrogen content of the grain.Results of the investigation as a whole are briefly discussed.

The Revision of the Civil Service Examinations

THE committee appointed by the Lords Commissioners of H. M. Treasury to consider and report upon the scheme of examination for Class I. of the Civil Service has reported under date June 20, 1917 [Cd. 8657]. It gives, in the place, an historical summary showing the variations in the scheme first adopted when the principle of open competition came into effect in May, 1855. With its apologia for the preiominance given to classics we need not concern ourselves in view of the amendments it proposes.

University and Educational Intelligence

THE New York correspondent of the Times announces that Dr. Charles W. Eliot's resignation of the presidency of Harvard University will take effect in May next.