Normative Limits Research Articles

Assessing and mitigating environmental noise pollution: a case study of a metallurgy company

This study aims to analyze the environmental acoustic and vibrational scenario surrounding a metallurgy company, focusing on an industrial unit. Initially, assessments were conducted, including sound pressure measurements according to the ABNT NBR 10.151:2019 standard and internal procedures, comparing the results with regional legal limits. The second analysis focused on particle vibration velocity peaks collected in June 2022, comparing them with the standards established by DD No. 215/2007/E of CETESB. Upon identifying nocturnal noise levels above the limit at two monitored points, an additional step was taken. The internal noise of the main plant sources was characterized, creating noise and conflict maps with legislation. These maps assess noise in the inhabited areas surrounding the industry, identifying critical sources for exceeding limits. Conceptual acoustic solutions were proposed, including the necessary attenuation to ensure that external noise from the factory complies with normative limits in the inhabited areas nearby.

Effectiveness of three treatment methods on melanosis inhibition and SO2 residual concentration in pink shrimps (Parapenaeus Longirostris) after various sulphite-based treatments in Morocco

ABSTRACT Melanosis in seafood is a natural post-mortem enzymatic process that results from the action of polyphenol oxidase from the animal’s own tissues. It reduces the organoleptic quality of the shrimp and their commercial value. This work concerns prevention of melanosis in pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) using the latest technology of enzymatic biosensor for sulphite detection. Three application methods (dipping, dusting, and spraying) with four commercial products were tested. Sulphite concentrations (1–3%) were applied for 1–10 min. Parameters measured included residual SO2 levels, pH, melanosis, and odour. Findings showed that the dusting method gave the best sensory scores, but had harmful residual SO2 values. The dipping method provided safe SO₂ levels below normative limits, when using products with 240 g Kg−1 SO₂ content applied at 1.25% bisulphite/seawater for 1 minute. Regarding the spraying method, the results remain promising. Nevertheless, further studies are necessary to understand its potential and limitations fully.

Observations In Police Records And Their Prospection To Tutelas De Derecho In Criminal Proceedings

The main objective of the research was to analyze the normative limits to establish party observations in police records as part of the exercise of the right to defense and its prospection to protect rights in criminal proceedings. The results of the investigation showed that Peru continues to suffer the effects of abusive police activity that generates irreparable damage to the human essence of the people intervened in an abusive manner or without respect for their fundamental rights because they develop within them a criterion of abusiveness and disproportionality in the treatment by the intervening police officers. For this reason, the investigation establishes the importance of the right to write the observations of the detainee or his defense in the police records in order to denounce on the spot the abuses or arbitrariness committed during the proceedings, since, in most cases, there is a nonsense in the exercise of the function and it is established that the detainee refused to sign the report. It was concluded that there are problems related to arbitrariness in the exercise of police functions that are not reported in a timely manner by the victims, generating mistrust against the authorities and public institutions.

Influence of geometric imperfections on the seismic performance of unanchored liquid storage tanks

This paper investigates the inelastic buckling of imperfect unanchored cylindrical steel tanks subjected to seismic loads. A pushover-based seismic analysis was conducted considering the impulsive hydrodynamics pressures on the wall and base plate of the tank. Material and geometric nonlinearities were considered in the seismic analysis of the tanks. Three types of imperfections were analyzed: imperfections due to impacts, imperfections located at the bottom of the tank wall, and imperfections with the first buckling mode shape. The buckling analysis was performed for two tank geometries (one slender and one broad), and the effect of the imperfections was correspondingly evaluated. The considered imperfection amplitudes were established according to the New Zealand seismic design code for storage tanks. Additionally, amplitudes that exceed the normative limit were evaluated to further analyze the sensitivity to imperfection. The analysis revealed that geometric imperfections reduce the peak ground acceleration needed to induce buckling failure. Specifically, the critical peak ground acceleration for the slender tank decreased from 0.195 g to 0.180 g for the slender tank and from 0.600 g to 0.535 g for the broad tank. This buckling capacity reduction due to geometric imperfections were about 8 % and 11 % for the slender and the broad tanks, respectively.

Social Enterprises as Agents of Social Justice: A Rawlsian perspective on institutional capacity

Many scholars of organizations see social enterprise as a promising approach to advancing social justice but neglect to scrutinize the normative foundations and limitations of this optimism. This article draws on Rawlsian political philosophy to investigate whether and how social enterprises can support social justice. We propose that this perspective assigns organizations a duty to foster institutional capacity, a concept we define and elaborate. We investigate how this duty might apply specifically to social enterprises, given their characteristic features. We theorize six different mechanisms through which social enterprises might successfully discharge this duty. These results affirm the value of conversation between organizational studies and political philosophy and shed new light on debates regarding social enterprise, institutional theory, and several other topics.

Occurrence of Body Posture Abnormalities in Overweight and Obese Children Aged 5-6 Years-Pilot Study.

The study aimed to assess the occurrence of body posture disorders and their changes under the influence of a physioprophylactic program in children depending on body weight. In the examined children, the general and segmental body composition and body posture were determined using a physiotherapeutic assessment based on the Kasperczyk method. Mass, overall, and segmental body composition were determined using the bioelectrical impedance method using a TANITA body composition analyzer. The study group of 76 children was divided due to body weight disorders into Group I (n = 51), in which BMI and fat mass values were within the normative limits for age and gender, and Group II (n = 19), comprising children whose body weight exceeded the norm and/or fat mass exceeded normative values. The examined children underwent a physioprophylactic. The program was conducted by qualified physiotherapists for 12 weeks, once a week for 30 min. The therapeutic program was focused on physioprevention of being overweight and the correction of body posture. A distal distribution of fat mass was observed in the examined group. Asymmetry in the sagittal plane was found in 35% of children. No statistically significant differences were found in the presence of asymmetry in the sagittal plane between the groups. No statistically significant differences were found in the occurrence of posture irregularities between the groups. There were no changes in the weight and body posture of the examined children under the influence of the physiotherapy program. The lack of correlation in the examined group between body weight and posture irregularities in 5-6-year-olds may suggest the acquisition of posture defects as a consequence of the persistence of overweight or obesity.

Feasibility and Application of Local Closed-Loop Materials to Produce Compressed and Stabilized Earth Blocks.

The validation of a feasible application for the production of sustainable bricks with local materials in humid and hot climates, which would allow the current housing needs of a constantly growing population with scarce economic resources to be met while also reducing energy inputs for climate control, is a current challenge without a definitive solution. Therefore, this research studied the incorporation of local aggregates and two second-generation materials to produce lime-stabilized Compressed Earth Blocks (CSEBs) using a semi-automatic machine for their manufacture. An initial matrix was designed as a baseline, and three more were developed with variations to incorporate second-generation materials individually and as mixtures. The stabilizer was added in concentrations of 5, 10, and 15%, resulting in a total of 12 batches of CSEBs. Eleven of the studied batches exceed the normative limits for simple compressive strength and initial water absorption coefficient. The best result of simple compressive strength was obtained in two batches of the same matrix that used construction demolition waste (CDW), reaching 4.3 MPa (43% above the minimum limit established by the most restrictive regulations and 115% above the least restrictive). It was possible to produce sustainable bricks in situ with average ambient temperatures of 32 °C and relative humidity of 91%.

‘음악적 소리’의 구성에서 ‘선법’ 이념의 발전: 모달재즈의 미학적 원리 - 칸트의 예술철학을 중심으로

The theorizing processes of musical sound bundles, which originated form ancient times, combined with affect, are established as a theory of ‘mode.’ Although it has functioned as a guideline of emotion in composing and playing music, it was also often regarded as a normative limitation of musicians as well. George Russell studied the the organization of pan -tonal scale through arrangement of pure 5th’s Lydian chromatics, and Miles Davis initialized the Aesthetical idea of musical freedom, the essential aesthetics of Jazz music. The confirmed possibility of unlimited improvisational melody by any tonality Davis initiated the new Archetypon of Jazz of modal de-formation as an aesthetical Idea of creative musical sound.

Calculation of reference intervals for indicators of thyroid hormones and cortisol in horses

The article discusses the results of calculating reference intervals for thyroid hor mones and cortisol in adult horses. The study included the results of a laboratory study of the concentrations of total triiodothyronine, total and free thyroxine and cortisol from 50 horses aged 3 to 29 years, including 17 mares, 13 stallions and 20 geldings. All animals underwent an extensive biochemical blood test, the results of which revealed no pathological changes.To calculate the normative limits of fluctuations for each hormone, calculations were carried out using the Tukey method, which is used to determine the reference limits in the case of a small number of variants in the group and the absence of a normal distribution. Microsoft Excel was used for calculations. The conducted studies made it possible to clarify the reference intervals for thyroid hormones and cortisol in horses, which were: total triiodothyronine (T3) - 1.13-4.04 nmol/l, total thyroxine (T4) - 20.97-57.42 nmol/l, free thyroxine (fT4) 7.38-23.07 pmol/l, cortisol – 39.42-227.02 nmol/l. The results obtained can be recommended for use not only for the clinical and biochemical laboratory of St. Petersburg State University of Medicine, but also for all veterinary laboratories using diagnostic test systems for enzyme immunoassay of Vital Development Corporation.

A model-based framework for controlling activated sludge plants

This work presents a general framework for the advanced control of a common class of activated sludge plants (ASPs). Based on a dynamic model of the process and plant sensors and actuators, we design and configure a highly customisable Output Model-Predictive Controller (Output MPC) for the flexible operation of ASPs as water resource recovery facilities. The controller consists of a i) Moving-Horizon Estimator for determining the state of the process, from plant measurements, and ii) a Model-Predictive Controller for determining the optimal actions to attain high-level operational goals. The Output MPC can be configured to satisfy the technological limits of the plant equipment, as well as operational desiderata defined by plant personnel. We consider exemplary problems and show that the framework is able to control ASPs for tasks of practical relevance, ranging from wastewater treatment subject to normative limits, to the production of an effluent with varying nitrogen content, and energy recovery.

A discussion about the limitations of the Eurocode’s high-speed load model for railway bridges

High-speed railway bridges are subjected to normative limitations concerning maximum permissible deck accelerations. For the design of these structures, the European norm EN 1991-2 introduces the high-speed load model (HSLM)—a set of point loads intended to include the effects of existing high-speed trains. Yet, the evolution of current trains and the recent development of new load models motivate a discussion regarding the limits of validity of the HSLM. For this study, a large number of randomly generated load models of articulated, conventional, and regular trains are tested and compared with the envelope of HSLM effects. For each type of train, two sets of 100,000 load models are considered: one abiding by the limits of the EN 1991-2 and another considering wider limits. This comparison is achieved using both a bridge-independent metric (train signatures) and dynamic analyses on a case study bridge (the Canelas bridge of the Portuguese Railway Network). For the latter, a methodology to decrease the computational cost of moving loads analysis is introduced. Results show that some theoretical load models constructed within the stipulated limits of the norm can lead to effects not covered by the HSLM. This is especially noted in conventional trains, where there is a relation with larger distances between centres of adjacent vehicle bogies.

Memorial Law: National and International Aspects

Introduction. This article conducts an interdisciplinary study of memory policy, which includes terminological explication and legal analysis of concepts similar in meaning, assessment of the relevance and need to legalize terms related to memory policy, determination of the effectiveness of official memory policy, prediction of its political and social consequences in the long term and exploring the normative limits of national memorial legislation. The purpose of the study is the conceptualization of memorial law.Materials and methods. The main research method is participant observation of the processes of implementation in Russian society and abroad of the concepts of national, historical and social memory, as well as the construction of norms and regulations for establishing legal relations in the field of conservation of military memorial heritage objects. Methods of express diagnostics of problem situations, legal assessment of incidents, sociological and expert surveys (including questionnaires and testing), and modeling were used.Research results. As a result of the study, the need to develop a special federal law on the protection of the military memorial heritage of the Russian Federation, as well as the development of an international (universal) Charter (Convention) on the protection of military memorial heritage sites formed as a result of the Second World War, was substantiated. Discussion and conclusion. It has been established that there is no single position in the scientific community regarding the need for memorial legislation. This largely depends on the political and ideological preferences of a particular author. At the same time, it was concluded that in legal science the conceptual foundations for the formation of memorial law as a special legal complex for the preservation, transmission and protection of historical memory and memorial (war memorial) heritage have been poorly studied. In addition, both at the level of legal doctrine and according to law enforcement practice, the issue of the status and legal means of preserving military memorial heritage has been practically not studied. In this connection, the authors propose the development of a Union Nation Charter for the Protection of Military Memorial Heritage for the purpose of holistic and comprehensive legal regulation of the area under study.

Assembling Containment at European Union Borders: Between Inclusion and Exclusion

The European Union migration governance is characterised by non-linearity and complexity. Such governance represents the competition of a multitude of actors that compete for power and visibility. The policies designed by its member states - based on the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights - oscillate between an inclusive and an exclusive migration governance approach. A concept that can offer a comprehensive understanding of the social and normative dynamics that transformed the Mediterranean Sea as a space of inclusion and exclusion is assemblage. The article suggests that the EU and its member states design migration governance policies on an instrumental assemblage of borders, territory and human rights. From the discussion of these assemblages, it emerges how the compromise developed by the European Court of Human Rights contributed to further exclusion and human rights violations in the Mediterranean Sea. Thus, assemblage offers a critical perspective on the normative limits of the migration management policies unfolding at EU borders.

Análise dinâmica de uma laje aliviada biaxial submetida a ações humanas

Abstract The bi-axial hollow slab is the result of applying a technology that removes concrete from the least useful region and replaces it with hollow plastic spheres. This technique leads to material economy and self-weight saving, without considerable inertial loss, enabling larger and more flexible spans. Consequently, these spans are vulnerable to unwanted vibrations and dynamic acceleration caused by external actions, such as movements produced by human activity. This way, understanding the dynamic behavior of this technology and confronting it with normative limits on the project phase is essential for a good performance in the serviceability limit state, bringing comfort to the user. This paper studies the dynamic behavior of a bi-axial hollow slab submitted to human actions, such as jumping, dancing, clapping, moving the body, and moving and clapping at the same time. For that, this work made a numerical model of the structure and applied dynamic actions to it. The numerical results show that, for most of the actions, normative limits are satisfied, but the slab presents excessive accelerations in the case of jumping and dancing.

УЧЕТ ГЕОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО РИСКА ПРИ РАСЧЕТЕ САНИТАРНО-ЗАЩИТНЫХ ЗОН МАЗУТНЫХ КОТЕЛЬНЫХ КАК ЭЛЕМЕНТ ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ САНКТ-ПЕТЕРБУРГА

In Saint-Petersburg, most boiler houses are located in residential areas and have tanks for storing fuel oil as the main or backup fuel, which requires measures to ensure environmental safety and prevent fuel oil from entering groundwater in the event of an accident. The work provides a critical analysis of the regulatory literature regulating the size of sanitary protection zones and methods for their calculation, which showed that data on the nature of the soil and the depth of the groundwater level are not taken into account in them. The results of studies are presented that prove that these parameters play a significant role in calculating the spread of a pollution spot in the groundwater of Saint-Petersburg and go beyond the normative limits. It is concluded that it is necessary to revise the current methodology for calculating sanitary protection zones, taking into account the geological features of the city in order to minimize risks to the life and health of the population and the environmental situation as a whole. For this purpose it is recommended to use the results of calculations based on multifactor mathematical models using modern software.

대북전단등 살포행위에 대한 입법규제의 딜레마

On September 26, 2023, the Constitutional Court declared unconstitutional the provisions regulating the distribution of anti-North Korea leaflets under the Act on the Development of Inter-Korean Relations. As a result, the issue of the sharp conflict at home and abroad surrounding the distribution of anti-North Korea leaflets and its regulations, which has gradually worsened since the 2000s, appears to be coming to an end. The government also appears to be taking various follow-up measures in line with the above Court's decision to find it unconstitutional. Meanwhile, the opinions of the above Court judges were divided on whether the regulation on the distribution of anti-North Korea leaflets was a restriction on the content of expression or a restriction on the method of expression. Depending on how you interpret it, the degree of restrictions on freedom of expression may vary. In particular, the seven people's unconstitutionality opinion viewed the regulation of the distribution of anti-North Korea leaflets as a restriction on the content of expression and argued that strict standards should be applied to such restrictions. At the same time, even if the distribution of leaflets against North Korea is not regulated by criminal punishment, freedom of expression is protected through the application of Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Act on the Performance of Duties by Police Officers or the introduction of a system similar to the reporting system under the Assembly and Demonstration Act. It was believed that there were less restrictive means available. In other words, it took the position that the provisions regulating the distribution of leaflets against North Korea violate the principle of minimal infringement. However, apart from the fact that the anti-North Korea leaflet regulations were declared unconstitutional, if leaflets continue to be distributed to North Korea in the future, tensions between North and South Korea will increase and safety issues for residents in the border area may continue to be raised. In addition, if a political or security environment is created in the future that actively supports regulation of the distribution of anti-North Korea leaflets, the removal of the matters presented by the above Court as reasons for its decision to be unconstitutional and then the possibility of attempting a new form of legislative regulation won’t be completely excluded. Therefore, a review of means that can less restrict freedom of expression suggested by the above Court's unconstitutionality opinion is required from a normative and realistic perspective. In this article, we examined the gist of the above Court’s decision and analyzed and evaluated the decision of the above Court, focusing on the normative and realistic limits of regulating acts such as the distribution of leaflets to North Korea - especially the application of Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Act on the Performance of Duties by Police Officers or the introduction of a system similar to the reporting system under the Assembly and Demonstration Act - and then drew implications.

Model of a Predictive Neural Network for Determining the Electric Fields of Training Flight Phases

Tests on the content of the electrical component of the electromagnetic field (EMF) were carried out with an NHT3DL broadband meter by Microrad using a 01E (100 kHz ÷ 6.5 GHz) measuring probe. Measurements were made during training flights (Cessna C172, Cessna C152, Aero AT3, and Technam P2006T aircrafts). A neural network was used, the task of which was to learn to predict the successive values of average (ERMS) and instantaneous (EPEAK) electromagnetic fields used here. Such a solution would make it possible to determine the most favorable routes for all aircrafts. This article presents a model of an artificial neural network which aims to predict the intensity of the electrical component of the electromagnetic field. In order to create the developed model, that is, to create a training sequence for the model, a series of measurements was carried out on four types of aircraft (Cessna C172, Cessna C152, Aero AT3, and Technam P2006T). The model was based on long short-term memory (LSTM) layers. The tests carried out showed that the accuracy of the model was higher than that of the reference method. The developed model was able to estimate the electrical component for the vicinity of the routes on which it was trained in order to optimize the exposure of the aircraft to the electrical component of the electromagnetic field. In addition, it allowed for data analysis of the same training flight routes. The reference point for the obtained electric energy results were the normative limits of the electromagnetic field that may affect the crew and passengers during a flight. Monitoring and measuring the electromagnetic field generated by devices is important from an environmental point of view, as well as for the purposes of human body protection and electromagnetic compatibility. In order to improve reliability in general aviation and to adapt to the proposed requirements, aviation training centers are obliged to introduce systems for supervising and analyzing flight parameters.

Theoretical model of random freight flow distribution in the conveyor transport line of the coal mine

Purpose. Increasing the efficiency of the conveyor transport system of the mine due to the application of rational parameters, which are calculated objectively on the basis of the reliable output data of random freight flow in the conveyor transport line, taking into account the velocity of minerals transportation, including a perfect theoretical model application of the freight flow distribution. Methodology. Complex research: - statistical studies on the actual distribution of random freight flow in the highly productive stages of the PSU Mine “n.a Heroiv Kosmosu” PJSC “DTEK Pavlohradvuhillia”; - description of histograms of the distribution of random freight flow by various indicative algebraic functions, normal and gamma distribution of a random variable and a specially constructed function with separately defined parameters of its branches; - analysis of research results regarding the correctness of the theoretical model of the distribution of random freight flow according to various criteria of genuineness, a center of grouping, amplitude, velocity of rise and fall, and deviation. Findings. A perfect theoretical model was built in the form of an indicative algebraic function, whose branches are described by the normal distribution law of a random variable with separately determined parameters. It describes well the distribution of random freight flow in the conveyor transport line of the mine and ensures the determination of its parameters by the methods of probability theory. Originality. A theoretical model of the distribution of random freight flow in the conveyor transport line of the mine has been obtained for the first time, which describes well various cases of its distribution, including symmetric and asymmetric ones, and provides the determination of the freight flow parameters by the methods of probability theory. Practical value. The actual value of the coefficient of nonuniformity of the freight flow in the conveyor transport line of the mine, which was determined by a perfect theoretical model, exceeds, by almost a quarter, the value inherent in the model accepted in practice, the normal law of the distribution of a random variable. The coefficient of nonuniformity of the freight flow in the highly productive longwalls of only the specified mine reaches a value of 2.012, which already exceeds the normative value limit for conveyor transport lines along horizontal and inclined preparatory workings of mining areas (2.0). Reliable initial data on the variation of the random freight flow in the conveyor transport line of the mine, which is substantiated by a perfect theoretical model of its distribution, have a positive effect on the calculation of its parameters and contribute to increasing the efficiency and reliability of the functioning of the conveyor transport system.

Tablet-based tests of everyday visual function in a diabetic macular oedema (DME) clinic waiting area: A feasibility study.

(1) To assess the feasibility of conducting tablet-based vision tests in hospital clinic waiting areas; (2) To test the hypothesis that increasing severity of diabetic macular oedema (DME) is associated with the performance of tablet-based surrogates of everyday tasks and self-reported visual function. Sixty-one people with mild (n = 28), moderate (n = 24) or severe (n = 9) DME performed two tablet-based tests of 'real-world' visual function (visual search and face recognition) while waiting for appointments in a hospital outpatient clinic. Participants also completed a tablet-based version of a seven-item, visual-functioning (VF-7) patient-reported outcome measure. Test performance was compared to previously published 99% normative limits for normally sighted individuals. Thirty-four participants (56%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 43%-68%) exceeded normative limits for visual search, while eight (13%; 95% CI 65%-24%) exceeded normative limits for face discrimination. Search duration was significantly longer for people with severe DME than those with mild and moderate DME (p = 0.01). Face discrimination performance was not significantly associated with DME severity. VF-7 scores were statistically similar across DME severity groups. Median time to complete all elements (eligibility screening, both tablet-based tasks and the VF-7) was 22 (quartiles 19, 25) min. Further, 98% and 87% of participants, respectively, reported the search task and face discrimination task to be enjoyable, while 25% and 97%, respectively, reported finding the two tasks to be difficult. Portable tablet-based tests are quick, acceptable to patients and feasible to be performed in a clinic waiting area with minimal supervision. They have the potential to be piloted in patients' homes for self-monitoring.

Influence of agriculture on surface water quality in three lentic environments in a conservation unit of Brazil

The use of agricultural inputs (AIs) without technical criteria can affect the quality of water sources and impact the biota present in these environments. This research sought to verify whether there was contamination in the surface water bodies of three lentic environments in a fully protected conservation unit in Brazil, called Estação Ecológica de Águas Emendadas (ESECAE), originating from agricultural activity near its perimeter. The ESECAE is the source of water bodies that flow into important hydrographic basins in Brazil and South America. Water quality parameters (WQPs) related to the use of AIs were selected and evaluated to assess compliance with regulatory provisions regarding the priority use of water at the study site. The analysis of the results revealed that in some situations, these parameters exceeded the normative limit in some samples and that, in general, the transport of contaminants originating from rainfall occurred. Total phosphorus (TP) values were high, exceeding regulatory concentration limits in multiple analyses. Consequently, eutrophication processes were verified in these environments. The eutrophic environments favored the proliferation of aquatic macrophytes, such as the invasive species Hyparrhenia rufa. TP concentrations increased during the dry season in these environments. In this context, a process related to the dynamics of phosphorus in aquatic lentic environments under certain conditions was observed. In conclusion, this research highlights the importance of monitoring WQPs in different periods to better assess water quality and to understand contaminant dynamics.