Status and capabilities of sonic boom simulators

The current status and capabilities of sonic boom simulators which might be used in future studies of the effects of sonic boom on people, animals, or structures is summarized. The list of candidate simulators is based on a literature search which was confined to the United States and Canada. Some of the simulators are fully operational, others could be made operational with a modest investment, and still others would require a major investment. For the sake of the completeness, some simulators which were the subject of a previous review, but which no longer exist, are also included herein

Effects of conversation interference on annoyance due to aircraft noise

The annoyance and interference effects of aircraft flyover noise on face to face conversation were investigated. Twenty 5 minute sessions, each composed of three flyovers, were presented to each of 20 pairs of female subjects in a simulated living room. Flyovers varied in peak noise level (55-79 dB, A-weighted) and spectrum (low or high frequency components). Subjects engaged in conversation for 10 sessions and in reverie for the other 10 sessions, and completed subjective ratings following every session. Annoyance was affected by noise level, but was not significantly different for the two activities of reverie and conversation. A noise level of 77 db was found unacceptable for conversation by 50 percent of the subjects. Conversation interference was assessed by incidence of increased vocal effort and/or interruption of conversation during flyovers. Although conversation interference increased with noise level, the conversation interference measures did not improve prediction of individual annoyance judgments

‘Overwhelmed and powerless’: Staff perspectives on mother-infant separations in English prisons

Imprisoned mothers are at increased risk for poor psychological health and psychological distress when separated from their children, so staff need to be highly skilled to support the women. However, there is a paucity of research focusing on staff experiences around sensitive issues such as mother-child separation. This study aimed to understand the challenges facing staff and how these might be addressed. This qualitative interview study explored the views and experiences of 24 prison-based staff in England working with female prisoners separated from their infants. Staff emphasised the challenges of working with separated mothers, specifically the emotional impact of this work, and the impact of the wider criminal justice system on their sense of agency. A focus on the experience of separation highlights the broader problem of incarcerating women in general. Reducing the number of mother-child separations would mitigate the impact on both women and staff

Mother-infant separations in prison. A systematic attachment-focused policy review

Mothers in prison separated from their young children are an overlooked group. Attachment theory could provide a useful model to underpin interventions and better support women affected by separation from their infants. Current policy draws on a limited body of evidence and research has developed considerably since its first design. This review systematically searched all relevant UK prison policy and government documents with regards to mother and child separation in prison and analysed the extent to which these documents draw on attachment theory. Following initial searches, 58 documents were thematically analysed. Attachment was implicitly referred to in most documents but only explicitly mentioned in four. Global themes identified included ‘separation as trauma’. However, document groups varied in focusing either on the mother or the child and there were no joint perspectives. Developing and researching specific attachment-informed interventions might be one way forward as would further attachment-based research in this area

Mother-infant separations in prison. A systematic attachment-focused review of the academic and grey literature

This review systematically searched UK academic and grey literature in relation to mother and child separation in prison. Attachment theory is referred to in current prison policy for mothers (PSO 4801, 2008), and could provide a framework linking policy and practice. Reviewing grey literature provided an opportunity to explore practice-based literature. 24 academic papers and 51 grey documents were reviewed. Use of attachment theory in the academic literature varied according to discipline, ranging from extensive use to no use. There was greater use of attachment theory in the grey literature. Despite linguistic differences, all documents highlighted the detrimental impact of separation on imprisoned mothers. However, specificity was lacking regarding support for mothers, and staff needs were overlooked. Given its use across the sparse research and practice literature, and its basis for policy, attachment theory could underpin theoretically informed support for imprisoned mothers separated from their infants and staff who support them

Determination of ASPS performance for large payloads in the shuttle orbiter disturbance environment

A high fidelity simulation of the annular suspension and pointing system (ASPS), its payload, and the shuttle orbiter was used to define the worst case orientations of the ASPS and its payload for the various vehicle disturbances, and to determine the performance capability of the ASPS under these conditions. The most demanding and largest proposed payload, the Solar Optical Telescope was selected for study. It was found that, in all cases, the ASPS more than satisfied the payload's requirements. It is concluded that, to satisfy facility class payload requirements, the ASPS or a shuttle orbiter free-drift mode (control system off) should be utilized

Automatic assembly design project 1968/9: report of technical survey committee

An Industrial survey has been carried out to determine the desired features of an automatic as machine. A questionnaire was circulated to industry and the results of the 38% response obtained were analysed and plotted. From these, conclusions were drawn as to the industrial requirements of an assembly machine

Fault diagnostic instrumentation design for environmental control and life support systems

As a development phase moves toward flight hardware, the system availability becomes an important design aspect which requires high reliability and maintainability. As part of continous development efforts, a program to evaluate, design, and demonstrate advanced instrumentation fault diagnostics was successfully completed. Fault tolerance designs for reliability and other instrumenation capabilities to increase maintainability were evaluated and studied

Application of EREP imagery to fracture-related mine safety hazards in coal mining and mining-environmental problems in Indiana

The author has identified the following significant results. This investigation evaluated the applicability of a variety of sensor types, formats, and resolution capabilities to the study of both fuel and nonfuel mined lands. The image reinforcement provided by stereo viewing of the EREP images proved useful for identifying lineaments and for mined lands mapping. Skylab S190B color and color infrared transparencies were the most useful EREP imagery. New information on lineament and fracture patterns in the bedrock of Indiana and Illinois extracted from analysis of the Skylab imagery has contributed to furthering the geological understanding of this portion of the Illinois basin