Standards of fair justice and their relationship to standards of proof in criminal proceedings

The purpose of the article is to define the concept, system and content of fair justice standards and outline their relationship to standards of evidence in criminal proceedings. The purpose of the study is to reveal the content of the right to a fair trial, distinguish fair justice standards and establish its relationship with standards of evidence in criminal proceedings. The research methodology consists of comparative law, structural system methods and formal legal methods. The study found that testing standards are covered by justice standards, expanding, specifying, and clarifying their content. The content of the fair justice standards "examination of the case by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law", "adversarial procedure", "equality of the parties", "frankness of the examination of evidence", "presumption of innocence" and reveals the "motivation of judicial decisions". It is concluded that each of these concepts is a heuristic contribution to test standards. As a result of the study, the author's definition of the concept of "fair justice standards" is formulated and the concept is based on its relationship with the standards of evidence in criminal proceedings.

Domestic and international best practice in research and testing glass for load-bearing structures of buildings

The present work provides an overview and analysis of scientific, technical, regulatory, and methodical Russian and foreign literature regarding using glass as a material for load-bearing structures of buildings. In the absence of design standards, an experimental study of usually one or two samples is necessary each time glass structure is used; however, this is insufficient to determine the distinct pattern of material performance. Since jointing the glass structures has been rarely studied, the number of tests is minimal, thus preventing establishing the unambiguous material operation and its calculated physical and mechanical characteristics. The article considers and evaluates the test results of glass structures obtained by various methods. The particular values of ultimate stresses and deformation modulus lie in a wide range. The technology, manufacturing process, and starting materials have a significant influence on the characteristics of glass, including multilayer glass. This article stresses the need for developing regulatory technical and methodical documents, the design and testing standards for glass structures and their jointing. It is necessary to classify load-bearing glass structures by various criteria.

‘We are Not a Nation of Softies, But We Could Become One’: Exploring the Materiality of Fitness Testing in the President's Council on Youth Fitness

In this article, we peer into the scientific networks of humans and non-humans that were assembled to articulate youth fitness in the United States during the Cold War era when the perceived ‘muscle gap’ between United States youth and their European and Soviet counterparts lent urgency to the establishment of national fitness testing standards and plans. We draw on Actor-Network Theory as a theory/method to foreground the materiality of the body and measurement tools whilst also highlighting the contingency of scientific claims about the body and fitness. In particular, we discuss and contextualise two interrelated networks of fitness testing. First, we examine the Kraus-Weber Tests for Minimum Muscular Fitness in Children (K-W tests), whose results were published in 1953 and brought the ‘muscle gap’ to national attention. Second, we explore the networks assembled within the President's Council on Youth Fitness in order to implement fitness testing on a national scale, illustrating how they connected to, and extended, a variety of other networks, including the K-W tests. Throughout our analysis, we seek to illuminate the political implications of the technical work undertaken to articulate youth ‘fitness’.

A methodology for collecting donning times of thermal protective immersion suits intended to be worn by passengers on vessels operating in cold environments

Adequate thermal protection for passengers travelling on-board vessels in cold climate regions, such as that provided by thermal protective immersion suits (TPIS), enhances passenger survivability in emergency situations, in particular those requiring the abandonment of the vessel. As emergency abandonment is a time critical process, it is essential to consider the time required to correctly don the TPIS. Testing standards, such as the International Maritime Organization guidelines, require that TPIS must be able to be donned within 2 minutes. Unfortunately, current practices quantifying donning times are questionable and so there is a limited evidence base that reliably quantifies donning times required by typical passengers. This paper presents a test procedure designed to reliably quantify the time required by test subjects to don the TPIS. Furthermore, the procedure assesses the donning correctness – a TPIS that is incorrectly donned is unlikely to offer appropriate thermal protection. The paper will also discuss the deficiencies in current practices to assess required donning time.

Comparison and research of acoustic emission testing standards for atmospheric storage tank

The acoustic emission testing standards ASTM E1930, BS EN 15856, JB/T 10764 and Q/SY GD 0211 for atmospheric storage tank are compared and analysed. Combined with production practice, the revision direction and reference suggestions of acoustic emission testing standards for atmospheric tank were proposed.

Design and Test of Load-Lifting Performance for Hydraulic Linkage of the High-Medium Horsepower Tractor

To improve the detection efficiency and safety of the tractor, the research proposed a device for detecting the loading–lifting performance of the lower link of the tractor based on the four-bar mechanism. According to the actual use requirements and the testing standards, the critical components in the device were designed. The dynamic analysis of the load-lifting device was carried out by dynamic simulation, and the component strength in the machine was checked by the finite element simulation method. The results showed that the designed device could realize the hooking and connection of the lower link without an artificial method. The average cost of the device was 5.13 s to realize the connection with the lower link, and it took 7.30 s to raise the lower hitch point to a set height, about 750 mm. The loading test showed that the device could keep the loading force of the lower link stable during the lifting process. The designed device could shorten the detection time of the tractor hydraulic linkage and improve the cost, safety, and efficiency of detection. The research could provide a reference for the design of hydraulic linkage detection devices for the large-medium horsepower tractors and help realize the intelligent detection of tractors.

Philosophy of Selecting ASTM Standards for Mechanical Characterization of Polymers and Polymer Composites

Mechanical characterization of newly developed polymers and composites are the basic measurements that are used to check the potential of the material towards its usage in various applications. Young researchers who are new to the field of materials science often find it difficult in selecting the specific testing standards for their novel materials. This review article provides a detailed explanatory of the various ASTM standards that are used for analyzing the basic mechanical properties of polymer composite materials. The standard dimensions of the test specimens and the mechanical testing parameters that are universally followed in different testing phases are illustrated for the ease of research.

Corneal Allografts: Factors for and against Acceptance

Cornea is one of the most commonly transplanted tissues worldwide. However, it is usually omitted in the field of transplantology. Transplantation of the cornea is performed to treat many ocular diseases. It restores eyesight significantly improving the quality of life. Advancements in banking of explanted corneas and progressive surgical techniques increased availability and outcomes of transplantation. Despite the vast growth in the field of transplantation laboratory testing, standards for corneal transplantation still do not include HLA typing or alloantibody detection. This standard practice is based on immune privilege dogma that accounts for high success rates of corneal transplantation. However, the increasing need for retransplantation in high-risk patients with markedly higher risk of rejection causes ophthalmology transplantation centers to reevaluate their standard algorithms. In this review we discuss immune privilege mechanisms influencing the allograft acceptance and factors disrupting the natural immunosuppressive environment of the eye. Current developments in testing and immunosuppressive treatments (including cell therapies), when applied in corneal transplantation, may give very good results, decrease the possibility of rejection, and reduce the need for retransplantation, which is fairly frequent nowadays.