Impact of radiation dose on nuclear shuttle configuration

The impact of nuclear radiation (from the NERVA propulsion system) on the selection of a reference configuration for each of two classes of the reusable nuclear shuttle is considered. One class was characterized by a single propellant tank, the shape of whose bottom was found to have a pronounced effect on crew radiation levels and associated shield weight requirements. A trade study of shield weight versus structural weight indicated that the minimum-weight configuration for this class had a tank bottom in the shape of a frustum of a 10 deg-half-angle cone. A hybrid version of this configuration was found to affect crew radiation levels in substantially the same manner. The other class of RNS consisted of a propulsion module and eight propellant modules. Radiation analyses of various module arrangements led to a design configuration with no external shield requirements

Application of the epidemiological model in studying human error in aviation

An epidemiological model is described in conjunction with the analytical process through which aviation occurrence reports are composed into the events and factors pertinent to it. The model represents a process in which disease, emanating from environmental conditions, manifests itself in symptoms that may lead to fatal illness, recoverable illness, or no illness depending on individual circumstances of patient vulnerability, preventive actions, and intervention. In the aviation system the analogy of the disease process is the predilection for error of human participants. This arises from factors in the operating or physical environment and results in errors of commission or omission that, again depending on the individual circumstances, may lead to accidents, system perturbations, or harmless corrections. A discussion of the previous investigations, each of which manifests the application of the epidemiological method, exemplifies its use and effectiveness

Information transfer problems in the aviation system

Problems in the transfer of information within the aviation system are discussed. Particular attention is given to voice communication problems in both intracockpit and air/ground situations

Using self-categorization theory to uncover the framing of the 2015 Rugby World Cup: a cross-cultural comparison of three nations’ newspapers

Research into the framing of sporting events has been extensively studied to uncover newspaper bias in the coverage of global sporting events. Through discourse, the media attempt to capture, build, and maintain audiences for the duration of sporting events through the use of multiple narratives and/or storylines. Little research has looked at the ways in which the same event is reported across different nations, and media representations of the Rugby World Cup have rarely featured in discussions of the framing of sport events. The present study highlights the different ways in which rugby union is portrayed across the three leading Southern Hemisphere nations in the sport. It also shows the prominence of nationalistic discourse across those nations and importance of self-categorizations in newspaper narratives.</jats:p

"We are GREAT Britain": British newspaper narratives during the London 2012 Olympic Games

British newspaper narratives were examined during the 2012 London Olympic Games to discern how the British press promoted specific “narratives of the nation.” For the London-based British press, the home Olympics became the ideal medium not only to sell newspapers and electronic format subscriptions, but also to (re)present their views on Britain and what it stood for. Using a qualitative textual analysis methodology, this study drew on Anderson’s theory of the “imagined community” and Edmunds and Turner’s concepts of benign and malign nationalism to provide insights about how Britishness was framed. For a country struggling to shake off the economic recession, early narratives about the Games were imbued with concerns about the escalating costs of hosting the Games and fears of terrorism. However, the critical early tone of British newspaper narratives was supplanted with uplifting, inspirational stories about the unprecedented success of Team GB athletes. This provided British journalists with an opportunity to reengineer Britishness to reinforce some traditional values and inject some new inclusive ones. Although at times, complex, contested and contradictory, the narratives generally linked the internationalism of the Olympics with a progressive, benign version of Britishness that emphasized inclusion, tolerance, and creativity and, at least temporarily, redefined how Britain regarded itself and was viewed.</jats:p

Attributional Style for Anger-Provoking Situations in Adolescents: Race, Sex, and SES Variables.

Black Americans exhibit significantly more aggressive behaviors than do white Americans and these aggressive acts are most likely to be directed toward other blacks, frequently in response to relatively trivial matters (Bell, 1987; Curtis, 1974). Aggression most often occurs in areas of high population density, poverty, and low social status, suggesting that socioeconomic status is an important variable in aggressive behavior (Centerwall, 1984; Willie, 1983). Attribution refers to the perception or inference of causes of self or others\u27 behavior. Attributional theory, which is concerned with the consequences of attributions rather than the attributions themselves (Kelley & Michela, 1980), has been applied to the understanding of interpersonal conflict (Fincham, Beach, & Nelson, 1987; Grace, 1989) and aggressive behavior (Dodge, 1980). Research indicates (Bradbury & Fincham, 1990) that negative behaviors of others in interpersonal conflicts, generally, are viewed as being more global, selfishly motivated, blameworthy, negatively intentional, and not due to situational factors. Based upon this research, the present study examined adolescents\u27 attributional style when faced with anger-provoking situations. The study evaluated how attributional style might relate to the variables of race and socioeconomic status. It was proposed that lower SES adolescents would report a more negative attributional style and greater frequency, intensity, and acceptance of anger-provoking situations than higher SES adolescents and there would be no differences between the racial groups. Contrary to these predictions, differences were not found between SES groups on these variables. However, white adolescents reported significantly more negative global attributions than black adolescents. A race by sex interaction was found, with black females reporting significantly more negative attributions for anger than other black and white adolescents. The prediction that aggressive adolescents would have a more negative attributional style and report higher frequency, intensity, and acceptance of anger-provoking situations than their nonaggressive peers was supported. Implications for future research and applications are discussed

Emergency escape system uses self-braking mechanism on fixed cable

Slide-wire system with a twist level slide device incorporates automatic descent and braking for the safe and rapid evacuation of personnel from tall structures. This device is used on any tall structure that might require emergency evacuation. It is also used to transfer materials and equipment

Increasing prevalence of asthma diagnosis and symptoms in children is confined to mild symptoms

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of childhood asthma is increasing but few studies have investigated trends in asthma severity. We investigated trends in asthma diagnosis and symptom morbidity between an eight year time period in a paired prevalence study. METHODS: All children in one single school year aged 8-9 years in the city of Sheffield were given a parent respondent questionnaire in 1991 and 1999 based on questions from the International Survey of Asthma and Allergy in Children (ISAAC). Data were obtained regarding the prevalence of asthma and wheeze and current (12 month) prevalences of wheeze attacks, speech limiting wheeze, nocturnal cough and wheeze, and exertional symptoms. RESULTS: The response rates in 1991 and 1999 were 4580/5321 (85.3%) and 5011/6021 (83.2%), respectively. There were significant increases between the two surveys in the prevalence of asthma ever (19.9% v 29.7%, mean difference 11.9%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 10.16 to 13.57, p<0.001), current asthma (10.3% v 13.0%, mean difference 2.7%, 95% CI 1.44 to 4.03, p<0.001), wheeze ever (30.3% v 35.8%, mean difference 5.7%, 95% CI 3.76 to 7.56, p<0.001), wheeze in the previous 12 months (17.0% v 19.4%, mean difference 2.5, 95% CI 0.95 to 4.07, p<0.01), and reporting of medication use (16.9% v 20%, mean difference 3.0%, 95% CI 1.46 to 4.62, p<0.001). There were also significant increases in reported hayfever and eczema diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic labelling of asthma and lifetime prevalence of wheeze has increased. The current 12 month point prevalence of wheeze has increased but this is confined to occasional symptoms. The increased medication rate may be responsible for the static prevalence of severe asthma symptoms. The significant proportion of children receiving medication but reporting no asthma symptoms identified from our 1999 survey suggests that some children are being inappropriately treated or overtreated