The Impact of Contract Operations on Safety in Underground Coal Mines

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test for differences in injury rates for contractor-operated underground coal mines relative to owner-operated mines in Kentucky, controlling for other covariates. METHODS: We used disparities between MSHA contractor data and surface reclamation permit data to identify mines operated by contractors. We then used negative binomial regression to estimate injury rates from 1999 to 2013, controlling for mine and controller characteristics available from MSHA and the Energy Information Administration (EIA). RESULTS: Contractor-operated mines with 15 or fewer full-time equivalent workers (FTEs) had a statistically significant 57% higher covariate-adjusted reported traumatic injury rate than similar mines without contract operators. Larger contractor-operated mines did not have a statistically significant elevated rate. CONCLUSIONS: We detected a significant elevation of traumatic injury rates only among the smallest contractor-operated mines. This increase appears substantial enough to warrant attention

Phytophthora root and collar rot in rehabilitated bauxite mines and the adjacent Eucalyptus marginata (Jarrah) forest of Western Australia

This study gives an overview of recent and current research activities that are being conducted in Western Australia on the biology, ecology and pathology of Phytophthora cinnamomi in rehabilitated bauxite mines and the adjacent jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest. The work to date indicates that the biology of this pathogen does differ between rehabilitated mines and the adjacent jarrah forest

Small-scale fisheries of San Miguel Bay, Philippines: economics of production and marketing

Small scale fisheries, Fishery economics, Marketing, Collected papers, San Miguel Bay, Philippines,

The Nepticulidae of Malta (Lepidoptera)

Three species of Nepticulidae are recorded for the fi rst time from the Maltese Islands. Acalyptris minimella, Ectoedemia euphorbiella, and Parafomoria pseudocistivora are added to the previously recorded Stigmella aurella. A short description of the adults and notes on ecology are given. Information on the egg oviposition and number of mines on leaves collected locally is provided for all species. Adults and mines are illustrated and distributional data is also provided.peer-reviewe

Heat recovery from mineworkings: opportunities in the Glasgow area

Glasgow is one of many locations within the United Kingdom once dotted with a number of thriving coal mines. Before the suitability of the water stored in mines can be determined for use in ground source heat pump (GSHP) heating applications, it is essential to rule out any risk of contamination caused by exposure to this water. This study examines water samples obtained from boreholes drilled directly above abandoned and flooded mine workings. It indicates that the chemistry of the water flooding the mines beneath Glasgow is suitable for use in GSHP heating applications. The development of such systems in the future could help bring Glasgow forward in its ambition to become one of Europe’s top 10 sustainable cities by the year 2020, as well as helping to transform previously neglected and impoverished areas of the city, to areas full of potential by creating a number of jobs, homes and opportunities for the people living in this area. </jats:p

Small-scale fisheries of San Miguel Bay, Philippines: options for management and research

Small scale fisheries, Fishery management, San Miguel Bay, Philippines,

A FDTD model for the post-reception synthetic focusing surface penetrating radar with mine detecting applications

Surface penetrating radar (SPR) is extensively used in military, civil, geophysical and archaeological applications. There has been an increasing emphasis on the use of SPR in the identification of buried unexploded ordnance, such as anti-tank mines, antipersonnel mines etc., which can be metallic or plastic in nature. Mine detection methods can be classified as destructive or non-destructive. Non-destructive mine detection methods employ metal detectors, magnetometers, infrared sensors and SPR. However, neither the metal detector nor the magnetometer can differentiate a mine from metallic debris and the infrared sensor merely notes a difference in thermal conductivity. In most battle fields the soil is contaminated by large quantity of shrapnel, metal scraps and cartridge cases which will give a high false alarm rate in the identification process. In this scenario the SPR is a promising technique for identification of both metallic and plastic mines. The use of finite difference time domain (FDTD) model to analyse the SPR, which makes use of post-reception synthetic focusing (PRSF) techniques, is presented