A framework for compensating rest allowance

A great many papers have been written on the subject of human fatigue but the complaint is often made in industry that, while many of these studies may be of scientific value, it is very difficult to see how they may assist those who are concerned with the problem in industry, in particular the time study engineers whose job it is to assess the fatigue that work involves and to apply the appropriate allowances. The object of this paper is to consider the problem of these allowances (usually termed. Compensating Rest or C.R. allowances) in the light of scientific evidence. It is not proposed to refer to previous work that bears on this field in any specific way, since a paper which did so would run to considerable length, but rather to evaluate some of the most important material and to suggest the type of framework for C.R. allowances that would appear most rational in the light of available evidence. As this paper is written primarily for those in industry, knowledge of industrial practices and terminology is assumed

コクリツキョクチケンキュウジョ ノ サイエンス・データマネージメント ニ カンスル ワークショップ ホウコク

2004年2月25-27日に国立極地研究所にて,「国立極地研究所のサイエンス・データマネージメントに関するワークショップ」が開催された.南極研究科学委員会と南極観測実施責任者評議会により設立された「合同南極データマネージメント委員会」において主導的な活動をしてきたオーストラリア南極局のデータマネージャー等2名を招待し,南極局におけるおよそ過去10年におけるデータマネージメントの発展をレビューし,国立極地研究所におけるデータマネージメントの今後の方向性について討議した.The Workshop on Science Data Management was held at the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) from February 25-27, 2004. The Manager and Senior Applications developer from the Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AADC) were invited to distil the development and operation of the AADC in the context of Antarctic science data management and the Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (JCADM). The current data management situation and future requirements at NIPR were identified

Fire Frequency and Time-Since-Fire Effects on the Open-Forest and Woodland Flora of Girraween National Park, South-East Queensland

The effect of recent fire frequency and time-since-fire on plant community composition and species abundance in open-forest and woodland vegetation in Girraween National Park, south-east Queensland, were examined. Cover-abundance data were collected for shrub and vine species in at least ten 400 m2 plots in each of four study areas. Study areas were within one community type and had burnt most recently either four or nine years previously. Variations in fire frequency allowed us to compare areas which had burnt at least three times in the last 25 years with less frequently burnt areas, and also woodlands which experienced a 28-year interfire interval with more frequently burnt areas. While species richness did not differ significantly with either time-since-fire or fire frequency, both these factors affected community composition, fire frequency being the more powerful. Moisture availability also influenced floristics. Of the 67 species found in five or more plots, six were significantly associated with time-since-fire, while 11 showed a significant difference between more and less frequently burnt plots on each of the two fire frequency variables. Most species, however, did not vary in cover-abundance with the fire regime parameters examined. Even those species that showed a marked drop in cover-abundance when exposed to a particular fire regime generally maintained some presence in the community. Six species with the capacity to resprout after fire were considered potentially at risk of local extinction under regimes of frequent fire, while two species were relatively uncommon in long-unburnt areas. Variable fire regimes, which include interfire intervals of at least 15 years, may be necessary for the continuity of all species in the community

The influence of fibre length, diameter and concentration on the strength and strain to failure of glass fibre-reinforced polyamide 6,6

Results of an investigation of the mechanical performance of injection moulded long glass fibre-reinforced polyamide 6,6 composites are presented. The glass fibre content in these composites was varied over the range 10-50% by weight using fibres with average diameters of 10, 14, and 17 μm. Mechanical testing and analysis of the apparent interfacial shear strength was carried out at 23 and 150 °C on dry-as-moulded and boiling water conditioned samples. The results from these composites are compared with standard extrusion compounded short glass fibre materials. The influence of fibre diameter and concentration on the residual fibre length, fibre orientation distribution and composite strength and elongation to failure is presented and discussed in comparison to the predictions of some of the available micromechanical models

Integration of light and circadian signals that regulate chloroplast transcription by a nuclear-encoded sigma factor

We investigated the signalling pathways that regulate chloroplast transcription in response to environmental signals. One mechanism controlling plastid transcription involves nuclear-encoded sigma subunits of plastid-encoded plastid RNA polymerase. Transcripts encoding the sigma factor SIG5 are regulated by light and the circadian clock. However, the extent to which a chloroplast target of SIG5 is regulated by light-induced changes in SIG5 expression is unknown. Moreover, the photoreceptor signalling pathways underlying the circadian regulation of chloroplast transcription by SIG5 are unidentified. We monitored the regulation of chloroplast transcription in photoreceptor and sigma factor mutants under controlled light regimes in Arabidopsis thaliana. We established that a chloroplast transcriptional response to light intensity was mediated by SIG5; a chloroplast transcriptional response to the relative proportions of red and far red light was regulated by SIG5 through phytochrome and photosynthetic signals; and the circadian regulation of chloroplast transcription by SIG5 was predominantly dependent on blue light and cryptochrome. Our experiments reveal the extensive integration of signals concerning the light environment by a single sigma factor to regulate chloroplast transcription. This may originate from an evolutionarily ancient mechanism that protects photosynthetic bacteria from high light stress, which subsequently became integrated with higher plant phototransduction networks.</p

The use of low-cost photogrammetry techniques to create an accurate model of a human skull

There has been increasing interest in low-cost close range photogrammetry techniques for use in a variety of applications. The use of these techniques in medicine, forensic science, architecture, engineering, archaeology and anthropology to record, measure and monitor objects and sites has been growing in recent years. Close range photogrammetry has been particularly investigated and preferred for human body mapping due to being non-contact, non-invasive, accurate, and inexpensive and data is re-measurable. Skulls have been traditionally measured using callipers and tape in anthropological study, which is subject to observer error. Close range photogrammetry can be used to perform more accurate measurements and retain a digital copy of the skull, which can be re-used for a number of purposes. Using low cost software (Photomodeler), and low cost cameras, the aim of this project is to detail the camera calibration techniques and image capture of a skull. The process for 3D modelling using close range photogrammetry includes camera calibration to determine the camera’s internal parameters, photographing the object within a control target frame, and processing the data with photogrammetry software. Achieving a high precision camera calibration and producing a high-accuracy 3D model were more difficult than anticipated. There are a number of factors which can result in a poor quality models. However, the results show that photogrammetry can be utilised in the capture of accurate 3D skull model using low-cost cameras efficiently. The research was successful, the project objectives were satisfied and the accuracy across the project was approximately 0.4mm

An artificial intelligence tool for heterogeneous team formation in the classroom

Nowadays, there is increasing interest in the development of teamwork skills in the educational context. This growing interest is motivated by its pedagogical effectiveness and the fact that, in labour contexts, enterprises organize their employees in teams to carry out complex projects. Despite its crucial importance in the classroom and industry, there is a lack of support for the team formation process. Not only do many factors influence team performance, but the problem becomes exponentially costly if teams are to be optimized. In this article, we propose a tool whose aim it is to cover such a gap. It combines artificial intelligence techniques such as coalition structure generation, Bayesian learning, and Belbin's role theory to facilitate the generation of working groups in an educational context. This tool improves current state of the art proposals in three ways: i) it takes into account the feedback of other teammates in order to establish the most predominant role of a student instead of self-perception questionnaires; ii) it handles uncertainty with regard to each student's predominant team role; iii) it is iterative since it considers information from several interactions in order to improve the estimation of role assignments. We tested the performance of the proposed tool in an experiment involving students that took part in three different team activities. The experiments suggest that the proposed tool is able to improve different teamwork aspects such as team dynamics and student satisfaction

Controlled Ascent From the Surface of an Asteroid

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently investigating a conceptual robotic mission to collect a small boulder up to 4 m in diameter resting on the surface of a large Near Earth Asteroid (NEA). Because most NEAs are not well characterized, a great range of uncertainties in boulder mass properties and NEA surface characteristics must be considered in the design of this mission. These uncertainties are especially significant when the spacecraft ascends with the boulder in tow. The most important requirement during ascent is to keep the spacecraft in an upright posture to maintain healthy ground clearances for the two large solar arrays. This paper focuses on the initial stage (the first 50 m) of ascent from the surface. Specifically, it presents a sensitivity study of the solar array ground clearance, control authority, and accelerations at the array tips in the presence of a variety of uncertainties including various boulder sizes, densities, shapes and orientations, locations of the true center of mass, and push-off force distributions. Results are presented, and appropriate operations are recommended in the event some of the off-nominal cases occur

CRIMINAL LAW—WORDS MATTER: DISCOURAGING SUICIDE THROUGH THE AID OF LEGISLATION

Scholars criticized the manslaughter conviction of Michelle Carter almost as soon as the case was decided. Much of the criticism surrounding the case called for legislative action as the appropriate course of action. Fast forward a few years and Massachusetts is prosecuting another girlfriend for encouraging her boyfriend to kill himself. In response, Massachusetts has proposed legislation during the 2021 session aimed at criminalizing encouraging or assisting suicide, seeking to join several states that already have taken this approach. This Article considers the cause of suicide, recognizing it as a mental illness, and examines the societal harm associated with suicide. Then, this Article reviews the facts in four modern cases where the defendants were charged with encouraging another’s suicide and finds punishment was justified based on common theories of punishment. Lastly, this Article turns to the construction and validity of statutes criminalizing, encouraging, or assisting suicide. This Article will draw parallels with existing anti-hazing laws and highlight the problem with using the term “assisting” in these statutes before finally examining the likely effectiveness of Massachusetts’s proposed legislation