Assessment of Noise Exposure of Sawmill Workers in Southwest,Nigeria

Economic wood processing employs the use of industrial machines for cutting, shaping, milling, and sawing timber, thereby leading to the generation of high levels of noise. Published data from empirical studies have categorized noise as an environmental hazard of global significance. Furthermore, noise exposure limits for different industries and all the industrial machines available has not been formally established as it presently exists in developed nations around the world. Therefore, this study assessed the daily exposure of sawmills workers to noise in Southwestern Nigeria. Reconnaissance surveys were first carried out in Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos, and Ogun States to select sawmills that were fully operational and fit for the study. Two fully functional sawmills in two cities of each State were eventually selected for data collection, making a total of 24 sawmills, while the Circular Machines (CM), Planer Machines (PM), and Band-saw Machines (BM) were the machines in each sawmill considered. Two machines each of CM, PM, and BM were considered in each sawmill, making a total of forty-eight (48) machines each of CM, PM, and BM. Sound data were collected between 7 am and 7 pm each day for six days (between Monday and Saturday) using Extech 407732 sound level meter and all stabilized measurements were taken three times at different intervals. The data collected were in three different periods: Machine No-work Period (NP_m), Machine Idle Period (IP_m), and Machine Working Period (WP_m). A two–way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was carried out at P < 0.05 to determine whether there is a significant difference in the sound level average before and after the break, for both the idle and working periods of the three machines considered. This was also done to determine whether there is a significant difference between the sound level average of the results collected during idle and working periods of the three machines. Noise Pollution Levels (L_np) ranged from 83.20 dB (PM) to 107.65 (BM) and 93.42 (CM and PM) – 116.00 (BM) respectively, while IP_m also gave the least noise pollution level of 95.79 dB and WP_m gave the highest level of 102.88 dB. The results revealed that all the machines’ L_np values in the working period are more than the 90 dB acceptable limit the recommendation value of 90 dB while 89.6% of CMs, 75% of PMs, and 89.6% of BM had their L_np above 90 dB in the idle period respectively. The minimum and the maximum noise dose levels for IP_m, WP_m and overall are 0.09 (BM) and 2.37 (CM), 0.50 (CM), and 4.77 (PM) and 0.69 (BM) and 6.64 (PM) respectively. The study found out that the fundamental contributing factors to the high noise levels in sawmills are poor machine maintenance, use of old and obsolete machines, poor housekeeping strategy, limited space, workers’ negligence, lack of PPE, and lack of occupational safety training. The study recommends that proper workplace practices such as use of personal protective equipment, new and modern machines, training, and occupational safety programmes be implemented in the considered sawmills.     

固体力学有限元体系的结构拓扑变化理论

本文是文[1]的继续.文[1]提出了杆件系统的结构拓扑变化理论和拓扑变化法本文将这一理论和方法推进到连续体有限元体系;且在此基础上揭示出有限元体系的一个新性质,称为基本位移之梯度的正交性定理,从而给出一套设计敏度的显式表达式,可直接用于计算.     

A new rule of vibration sampling for predicting acoustical radiation from rectangular plates

Structural surface velocity distribution is often used to predict structural borne sound radiation. However the sampling interval of velocity should be chosen carefully to increase the prediction accuracy and to reduce the system cost. In this paper, several factors affecting the sampling interval are theoretically analyzed and discussed for a vibrating baffled rectangular plate. A new rule for the determination of the sampling interval is formulated. Using this rule, the results from both numerical simulations and experiments may be explained well.     

区间中立型大系统的强壮稳定性

本文讨论中立型大系统,获得了这类问题稳定性的一些充分判据,作为特殊情况,还得到了与[1-11]中相应的一些不同的结果.这些结果并不象文献[1]和[2]那样,要求a_(ii)的上界q_(ii)小于零.     

Coupled intervals in the discrete calculus of variations: necessity and sufficiency

In this work we study nonnegativity and positivity of a discrete quadratic functional with separately varying endpoints. We introduce a notion of an interval coupled with 0, and hence, extend the notion of conjugate interval to 0 from the case of fixed to variable endpoint(s). We show that the nonnegativity of the discrete quadratic functional is equivalent to each of the following conditions: The nonexistence of intervals coupled with 0, the existence of a solution to Riccati matrix equation and its boundary conditions. Natural strengthening of each of these conditions yields a characterization of the positivity of the discrete quadratic functional. Since the quadratic functional under consideration could be a second variation of a discrete calculus of variations problem with varying endpoints, we apply our results to obtain necessary and sufficient optimality conditions for such problems. This paper generalizes our recent work in [R. Hilscher, V. Zeidan, Comput. Math. Appl., to appear], where the right endpoint is fixed.     

Economic Equilibrium: Optimality and Price Decentralization

Mathematical economics has a long history and covers many interdisciplinary areas between mathematics and economics. At its center lies the theory of market equilibrium. The purpose of this expository article is to introduce mathematicians to price decentralization in general equilibrium theory. In particular, it concentrates on the role of positivity in the theory of convex economic analysis and the role of normal cones in the theory of non-convex economies.     

可变抽样区间的非参数控制图

最近几年一些学者研究了可变抽样区间的质量控制图。Amin等提出了可变抽样区间(VSI)的非参数控制图———符号 (Sign)统计量图〔1〕。本文在此基础上研究位置VSI符号控制图的制定方法 ,并设计离散VSI符号控制图。符号控制图的优点是对非正态总体亦可应用 ,并且不需要过程方差的信息。本文将所设计的VSI符号控制图同固定抽样区间 (FSI)的常规图作比较 ,并举实例说明符号控制图的应用     

不完全信息群体决策专家权重的集结

本文对于属性权重信息和属性效用信息都不完全的群体多属性决策问题，通过构造属性值区间和运用系统聚类分析法，对群体决策中的专家进行分类，并确定每位专家的权重．     

光码分多址系统中光学相关接收机判决阈值的分析

介绍了光码分多址系统中常用地址码（一维扩时码、二维码和三维码）的特点，并对它们各自的互相关均值和方差进行了理论分析。基于非相干光码分多址系统中光学相关接收机的基本原理，结合不同的用户地址码，对系统误码率性能进行了分析，得到了接收机最佳判决阈值与地址码基本特性参数和系统同时用户数间的关系。最后，给出了数值仿真结果。结果表明，对于采用特定地址码的光码分多址系统，只有选择合适的接收机判决阈值，系统的误码率性能才能达到最佳。研究结果对光码分多址系统中接收机判决阈值的选取具有一定的参考作用。     

基于液晶光阀的全息照相控光仪

设计了通过液晶光阀自动调整全息照相物光和参考光辐照比至最佳状态,同时能实现曝光时间自动控制的控光仪.该仪器巧妙运用液晶光阀和硅光电池器件,使测量、调整、自控一体化,从而提高拍摄优质全息图的工作效率.