New Releases by George O

"A simple analysis of a maintenance problem is made in terms of the Markov Process, a form of probability theory. The problem involves a piece of equipment and a group of maintenance men. The question is whether to leave the equipment alone, to have one man service it, or to have a series of more than one man service it. The simplest case considers only one type of equipment and only one type of maintenance man. The decision whether to use zero, one, or more than one man depends on the initial condition of the equipment as well as on the skills of the men. The analysis specifies the conditions under which it is wise to leave the equipment untouched, to use only one man, or to use as many men as are available. Moreover, the analysis shows that the operation of the equipment ultimately depends on the skills of the men rather than its initial condition. Several more complicated cases are considered briefly."--Abstract.

The plans for Operation Teapot, at the Nevada Proving Grounds during 1955, included a series of Civil Effects Tests, one of which, covered the exposure of packaged food products. It was expanded to cover representative commercially packaged beverages, such as soft drinks and beer, in glass bottles and metal cans. Preliminary experimental results were obtained from test layouts exposed to a detonation of approximately nominal yield. Extensive test layouts were subsequently exposed during Operation Cue, of 50 per cent greater than nominal yield, at varying distances from Ground Zero. These commercially packaged soft drinks and beer in glass bottles or metal cans survived the blast overpressures even as close as 1270 ft from Ground Zero, and at more remote distances, with most failures being caused by flying missiles, crushing by surrounding structures, or dislodgment from shelves. Induced radioactivity, subsequently measured on representative samples, was not great in either soft drinks or beer, even at the forward positions, and these beverages could be used as potable water sources for immediate emergency purposes as soon as the storage area is safe to enter after a nuclear explosion. Although containers showed some induced radioactivity, none of this activity was transferred to the contents. (Author).

At the age of twelve, Frank G. O''Brien (1843-1920) moved from Maine to Minnesota with his father and siblings, settling in Anoka County in 1855. After a difficult winter, the family moved to St. Anthony''s Falls where O''Brien spent his adolescence combining a variety of manual and entrepreneurial jobs with education. Minnesota Pioneer Sketches is a collection of newspaper feature articles written by O''Brien that are here published in book form. The articles describe his own youth as well as notable events during the second half of the nineteenth century in Minnesota. He discusses farming, transportation, the U.S. mail, politics, Indians, the Civil War, religious practices, lumber camps, education, and other topics associated with pioneer life and the growth of the state.