The numerical simulation of fire spread within a compartment using an integrated gas and solid phase combustion model

An integrated fire spread model is presented in this study including several sub-models representing different phenomena of gaseous and solid combustion. The integrated model comprises of the following sub-models: a gaseous combustion model, a thermal radiation model that includes the effects of soot, and a pyrolysis model for charring combustible solids. The interaction of the gaseous and solid phases are linked together through the boundary conditions of the governing equations for the flow domain and the solid region respectively. The integrated model is used to simulate a fire spread experiment conducted in a half-scale test compartment. Good qualitative and reasonable quantitative agreement is achieved between the experiment and numerical predictions.

The thermal desulfination of allylic sulfonyl halides

Allylic sulfonyl halides can be generated by halogenolysis of the corresponding triorganotin sulfinates. Allylic sulfonyl bromides and iodides undergo a first order, thermal desulfination with allylic rearrangement to yield the corresponding allylic halides. The desulfination of a cyclic allylic sulfonyl bromide is stereospecific, proceeding with T-syn bromine migration.

Modelling occupant interaction with fire conditions using the buildingEXODUS evacuation model

When evacuating through fire environments, the presence of smoke may not only have a physiological impact on the evacuees but may also lead occupants to adapt their evacuation strategy through the adoption of another exit. This paper attempts to introduce this type of adaptive behaviour within the buildingEXODUS evacuation model through enabling occupants to make decisions concerning the selection of the most viable available exit during an evacuation involving fire. The development of this adaptive behaviour requires the introduction of several new capabilities namely, the representation of the occupants’ familiarity with the structure, the behaviour of an occupant that is engulfed in smoke and the behaviour of an occupant that is faced with a smoke barrier. The appropriateness of the redirection decision is dependent upon behavioural data gathered from real fire incidents (in the UK and USA) that is used to construct the redirection probabilities. The implementation is shown to provide a more complex and arguably more realistic representation of this behaviour than that provided previously.

Investigation of the cold crucible melting process: experimental and numerical study

The dynamic process of melting different materials in a cold crucible is being studied experimentally with parallel numerical modelling work. The numerical simulation uses a variety of complementing models: finite volume, integral equation and pseudo-spectral methods combined to achieve the accurate description of the dynamic melting process. Results show the temperature history of the melting process with a comparison of the experimental and computed heat losses in the various parts of the equipment. The free surface visual observations are compared to the numerically predicted surface shapes.

Comparison of properties of traditional and accelerated carbonated solidified/stabilized contaminated soils

The investigation of the long-term performance of solidified/stabilized (S/S) contaminated soils was carried out in a trial site in southeast UK. The soils were exposed to the maximum natural weathering for four years and sampled at various depths in a controlled manner. The chemical properties (e.g., degree of carbonation (DOC), pH, electrical conductivity (EC)) and physical properties (e.g., moisture content (MC), liquid limit (LL), plastic limit (PL), plasticity index (PI)) of the samples untreated and treated with the traditional and accelerated carbonated S/S processes were analyzed. Their variations on the depths of the soils were also studied. The result showed that the broad geotechnical properties of the soils, manifested in their PIs, were related to the concentration of the water soluble ions and in particular the free calcium ions. The samples treated with the accelerated carbonation technology (ACT), and the untreated samples contained limited number of free calcium ions in solutions and consequently interacted with waters in a similar way. Compared with the traditional cement-based S/S technology, e.g., treatment with ordinary portland cement (OPC) or EnvirOceM, ACT caused the increase of the PI of the treated soil and made it more stable during long-term weathering. The PI values for the four soils ascended according to the order: the EnvirOceM soil, the OPC soil, the ACT soil, and the untreated soil while their pH and EC values descended according to the same order.

The influence of crank configuration on muscle activity and torque production during arm crank ergometry

This study investigated the effect of crank configuration on muscle activity and torque production during submaximal arm crank ergometry. Thirteen non-specifically trained male participants volunteered. During the research trials they completed a warm-up at 15 W before two 3-min exercise stages were completed at 50 and 100 W; subjects used either a synchronous or asynchronous pattern of cranking. During the final 30-s of each submaximal exercise stage electromyographic and torque production data were collected. After the data had been processed each parameter was analysed using separate 2-way ANOVA tests with repeated measures. The activity of all muscles increased in line with external workload, although a shift in the temporal pattern of muscle activity was noted between crank configurations. Patterns of torque production during asynchronous and synchronous cranking were distinct. Furthermore, peak, minimum and delta (peak-minimum) torque values were different (P < 0.05) between crank configurations at both workloads. For example, at 100 W, peak torque using synchronous [19.6 (4.3) Nm] cranking was higher (P < 0.05) compared to asynchronous [16.8 (1.6) Nm] cranking. In contrast minimum torque was lower (P < 0.05) at 100 W using synchronous [4.8 (1.7) Nm] compared to asynchronous [7.3 (1.2) Nm] cranking. There was a distinct bilateral asymmetry in torque production during asynchronous cranking with the dominant transmitting significantly more force to the crank arm. Taken together, these preliminary data demonstrate the complex nature of muscle activity during arm crank ergometry performed with an asynchronous or synchronous crank set-up. Further work is required to determine how muscle activity (EMG activity) and associated patterns of torque production influence physiological responses and functional capacity during arm crank ergometry.

Increasing research evidence in practice: a possible role for the consultant nurse

Aims: To determine the extent to which clinical nursing practice has adopted research evidence. To identify barriers to the application of research findings in practice and to propose ways of overcoming these barriers. Background: Way back in 1976, nursing and midwifery practice started adopting research evidence. By 1990s, there was some transparency of research evidence in practice, but more could have been done to widen its adoption. Many barriers were identified which could hinder implementation of the evidence in practice, and the effort to remove these remains weak. Evaluation: 25 research articles from across Europe and America were selected, and scrutinized, and recommendations analysed. Findings: Many clinical practitioners report a lack of time, ability and motivation to appraise research reports and adopt findings in practice. The clinical environment was not seen as research friendly as there were a general lack of research activities and facilities locally. There was a clear lack of research leadership in practice. Implication for nursing management: This paper reviewed the research evidence from several published research papers and provides consultant nurses with practical suggestions on how to enhance research evidence application in their practice. It recommends how consultant nurses can make their practice more research transparent by providing the required leadership, creating a research-friendly organization, developing a clear research agenda and facilitating staff develop a local research framework for reading research and implementing research evidence in their practice.

A critical evaluation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software sourcing and provision using theoretical constructs

Deliberating on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software sourcing and provision, this paper contrasts the corporate environment with the small business environment. The paper is about Enterprise Resource Planning client (ERPc) expectations and Enterprise Resource Planning vendor (ERPv) value propositions as a mutually compatible process for achieving acceptable standards of ERP software performance. It is suggested that a less-than-equitable vendor–client relationship would not contribute to the implementation of the optimum solution. Adapting selected theoretical concepts and models, the researchers analyse ERPv to ERPc relationship. This analysis is designed to discover if the provision of the very large ERP vendors who market systems such as SAP, and the provision of the smaller ERP vendors (in this instance Eshbel Technologies Ltd who market an ERP software solution called Priority) when framed as a value proposition (Walters, D. (2002) Operations Strategy. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave), is at all comparable or distinctive.