bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Plasticizer Content and Type on the Rheological Behaviour of Plastisol Used in Coated Fabrics
Authors: Zadhoush A. , Alsharif M. A. 
Published: July 2017

Coating pastes need to have very specific rheological properties because of the methods in which they are applied. Composition of the paste can be formulated in such a manner to achieve the desired rheological behaviour. In this research work rheological measurements of paste with nine various plasticizer content using DOP and DOA, and PVC-E with three k-values (69, 70, 75) were studied. The results indicate that pastes are characterized by a non-Newtonian pseudoplastic flow under the studied conditions. The power-law index ( n) values of the pastes show that the flow properties of pastes change to Newtonian flow above 50 phr plasticizer content. It was also found that the consistency index (k) of the pastes were decreased with increasing plasticizer content. Statistical analysis carried out show very good correlation between the studied parameters.
Two Classes of Problem Solving Situations in Managing Complex Systems
Authors: Xiao Yan , Milgram Paul , Doyle D. John 
Published: July 2017

Previous studies in complex domains such as power plants and air traffic control have described a wide range of behaviours not addressed by traditional psychological studies. This led to a field study of problem solving in anaesthesiology, using various methods of collecting behavioural data directly from the field while anaesthesiologists were doing their job. The methods used include direct observation, interviewing, and on-line verbal protocol recording with thinking aloud verbalisation. This paper describes findings from the field study and presents an analysis of how problem solving situations arise during the management of anaesthesia, a task similar to process control. Two classes of problem solving situations are identified: (1) managing the patient during non-critical but stressful and long lasting incidents—problem solving is characterised by competing goals and multiple hypotheses, and the memory load while keeping track of what is in the ‘pipeline’; (2) deploying preventive and preparatory strategies—the problem solving is characterised by feedforward control of system (patient) status in the face of anticipated inputs to the patient, preparation of preconditions of necessary and contingency procedures, and anticipation of troublesome situations to be avoided. A categorisation scheme is proposed to classify problem solving situations according to how they arise: incident-induced and strategy-induced.
Auditory Displays: If They are so Useful, Why are they Turned Off?
Authors: King Robert A. , Corso Gregory M. 
Published: July 2017

Pilots often turn off the auditory displays which are provided to improve their performance (Weiner, 1977; Veitengruber, Boucek, & Smith, 1977). The intensity of the auditory display is often cited as a possible cause of this behavior (Cooper, 1977). However, the processing of the additional information is a concurrent task demand which may increase subjective workload (Wickens & Yeh, 1983; McCloy, Derrick, & Wickens, 1983). Pilots may attempt to reduce subjective workload at the expense of performance by turning off the auditory display. Forty undergraduate males performed a visual search task. Three conditions: auditory display on, auditory display off, and subject's choice were run in combination with nine levels of visual display load. The auditory display, a 4000 Hz tone with a between-subject intensity of 60 dB(A), 70 dB(A), 80 dB(A), and 90 dB(A), indicated that the target letter was in the lower half of the search area. NASA-TLX (Task Load Index) was used to measure the subjective workload of the subjects after each block of trials (Hart & Staveland, 1988). A non-monotonic relationship was found between auditory display intensity and auditory display usage. Evidence was found that the auditory display increased some aspects of subjective workload– physical demands and frustration. Furthermore, there was a dissociation of performance and subjective workload in the manner predicted by Wickens – Yeh (1983). The implications of these results for display design are discussed.
A Test of Fitts' Law in a Dual-Task Paradigm
Authors: Shehab Randa L. , Schlegel Robert E. 
Published: July 2017

A simulated automobile driving environment was used to assess the validity of Fitts' Law under dual-task conditions. An aimed hand movement task was used as the Fitts task representative of reaching for controls on an instrument panel. The task required activation of one of four touch-sensitive response plates upon recognition of an auditory stimulus. Movement difficulty was manipulated by varying target location and size. Target location was examined at four levels corresponding to position in a 2 × 2 array. Distances of the targets from the two-o'clock position on the steering wheel ranged from 27 cm to 53 cm. The target plates were square and measured 1.27 cm (1/2 inch) or 0.64 cm (1/4 inch) along the side. The eight combinations of movement amplitude and target size yielded seven unique levels of Fitts' Index of Difficulty (ID) ranging from 5.4 to 7.4. The movement task was performed alone and in combination with two other tasks to create three levels of task loading. A display monitoring task was used to represent the visual demands of driving while an unstable tracking task was used to represent the perceptual-motor demands of driving. Following adequate training, ten subjects performed three replications of six task conditions (three loading levels x two target sizes). Within each replication, the order of testing was counterbalanced across subjects. The dual-task visual loading condition involving the movement and monitoring tasks consistently resulted in the longest reaction times. The dual-task perceptual-motor loading condition involving the movement and tracking tasks resulted in consistently longer movement times. Fitts' ID had a significant effect on both reaction time and movement time for all three conditions of task loading. However, separate linear regressions of movement time on ID for each task loading level resulted in R2 values of 0.66 to 0.82. Multiple linear regressions involving target size and movement amplitude as predictor variables provided better predictions with R2 values of 0.90 to 0.93. The regression equations provided in this paper may be used by designers to estimate differences in response time due to control size and location.
Vertical Eye Positions in Heavy Trucks
Authors: Reynolds S. H. , Bowers-Carnahan F. Renae 
Published: July 2017

In the truck industry, the driver's eye location is represented by an ellipse. The specific ellipse used is defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and is called an “eyellipse.” A preliminary study investigated whether an observed difference between the design eyellipse and the actual driver eye positions is significant. A sample of five drivers was selected based on anthropometric dimensions. The eye positions of the drivers were measured in a static production vehicle. The results indicated that the sample population mean was significantly higher (at the α = 0.01 level) than the design eyellipse centroid. Several potential causes for the demonstrated difference are discussed. Further studies should be conducted to verify the results of this study to determine whether the eyellipse equations or procedure need to be modified.
At&T Image Analysis System Development for Manual Lifts
Authors: Ghahramani Bahador , Fleischer Lawrence B. , Congleton Jerome J. , Foster Joseph W. 
Published: July 2017

AT&T Video Ergonomics Evaluator System (AT&T-VEE) is a state-of-the-art computer analysis system used to analyze the hazards of a Manual Material Handling (MMH) task. This project was funded and managed by the American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT & T) and designed and developed at Texas A&M University. The system is a lifting analyses tool for the 1992 NIOSH Lifting Equation to determine minimal user effort in lifting an object and to standardize the outputs. This system is now capable of providing the AT & T safety specialists with clear access to: complete NIOSH analyses, pictures of the lift environment, and background information on the MMH process. It was determined that a system, such as AT & T-VEE, was needed to reduce AT & T's MMH injuries and ensuing problems. The scope of the project was to develop a menu driven, user friendly system that would provide employees with the ability to determine the maximum weight of objects utilized at MMH tasks. In order to perform a lifting analysis, a video tape of a manual lift is first produced. The system user, in conjunction with a computer, enters employee's measurement landmarks and points of analyses, e.g., ankles, load center, weight, etc. AT & T-VEE produces a NIOSH Lifting Equation analyses, pictures and records of the MMH task.
Bringing Human Performance Data to the Design Table
Authors: Cona Thomas R. , Monk Donald L. 
Published: July 2017

Product design is often viewed as being a heterarchical and iterative process, possessing both systematic and chaotic qualities. However, a common denominator across all design activities is the access and utilization of information. In today's computer-aided design market, most of the available tools are narrowly focused on specific computational details for individual stages of design. Aids are needed to support information access and utilization during all stages of the design process. The application of human engineering and ergonomics data by designers is an increasingly challenging problem. Locating and understanding relevant information so that it can be applied to specific design issues is difficult given the abundance of existing and new data available. This is further complicated, in that the data are typically written to communicate research results to other human factors specialists. A new software product, Computer Aided Systems Human Engineering: Performance Visualization Subsystem (CASHE:PVS), is described which will assist the designer during the decision making process, maximizing creative and analytical abilities while minimizing costs due to design time and errors. The software contains several features to enhance the designer's ability to interpret and apply the human factors data available in the product. Phenomena descriptions in text, figures, and tables are combined with experiential information via simulations, animations, and audio. This provides the user a unique and rich understanding of human performance phenomena and how they relate to the design of new products.
Severity of Illness: How Do We Measure it and How Does it Relate to Casemix?
Authors: Okine Roslyn 
Published: July 2017

Severity of illness (S.O.I.) systems have traditionally been a useful clinical tool for measuring the physical effects of disease on the patient, planning treatment and predicting outcomes. However, they are now becoming a useful management tool to help explain and justify above average treatment costs within casemix classes and are of particular value for large tertiary referral hospitals which tend to treat more severely ill patients. There are three different categories of S.O.I. and several different systems and approaches for measuring it. All have their uses as analytical tools for categorising patients so as to maximise the homogeneity within casemix classes and make any Output or Casemix based Funding System based on such classes more equitable.
The National Coding Centre – An Overview
Authors: Watson Phyllis J. 
Published: July 2017

Medical Record Administrators have been aware of the need for a National Coding Authority in Australia for many years. With the establishment of the National Reference Centre for Classification in Health in 1991 and the subsequent call for tenders for the establishment of a Coding Authority the movement to develop much needed standards, improve data and coding quality began to take shape. This paper outlines the lead up to the call for tenders, the terms of reference and objectives of the Coding Centre, the proposed staff, and the work program for the first three years.
Semimembranosus Tendinopathy
Authors: Bylund William E. , de Weber Kevin 
Published: July 2017

Context: Semimembranosus tendinopathy (SMT) is an uncommon cause of chronic knee pain that is rarely described in the medical literature and may be underdiagnosed or inadequately treated owing to a lack of understanding of the condition. Evidence Acquisition: A search of the entire PubMed (MEDLINE) database using the terms knee pain semimembranosus and knee tendinitis semimembranosus, returned only 5 references about SMT—4 case series and 1 case report—and several relevant anatomical or imaging references. Results: The incidence of SMT is unknown in the athletic population and is probably more common in older patients. The usual presentation for SMT is aching posteromedial knee pain. Physical examination can usually localize the area of tenderness to the distal semimembranosus tendon or its insertion on the medial proximal tibia. In unclear cases, bone scan, magnetic resonance imaging, or ultrasound may distinguish SMT from other causes of posteromedial knee pain. Treatment should begin with relative rest, ice, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and rehabilitative exercise. In the minority of cases that persist greater than 3 months, a corticosteroid injection at the tendon insertion site may be effective. Surgery to reroute and reattach the tendon is rarely needed but may be effective. Conclusion: SMT is an uncommon cause of knee pain, but timely diagnosis can lead to effective treatments.
An Electromyographic Evaluation of Subdividing Active-Assistive Shoulder Elevation Exercises
Authors: Gaunt Bryce W. , McCluskey George M. , Uhl Tim L. 
Published: July 2017

Background: Active-assistive range of motion exercises to gain shoulder elevation have been subdivided into gravity-minimized and upright-assisted exercises, yet no study has evaluated differences in muscular demands. Hypothesis: Compared with gravity-minimized exercises, upright-assisted exercises will generate larger electromyographic (EMG) activity. Compared with all active-assistive exercises, upright active forward elevation will generate more EMG activity. Study design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Fifteen healthy individuals participated in this study. The supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and anterior deltoid were evaluated. The independent variables were 11 exercises performed in random order. The dependent variable was the maximum EMG amplitude of each muscle that was normalized to a maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). Results: Each muscle demonstrated significant differences between exercises ( P < .001), with upright active forward elevation producing the greatest EMG for all muscles (95% confidence interval [CI], 12% to 50% MVIC). The orders of exercise varied by muscle, but the 5 gravity-minimized exercises always generated the lowest EMG activity. The upright-assisted exercises (95% CI, 23% to 42% MVIC) for the anterior deltoid generated more EMG activity than did the gravity-minimized exercises (95% CI, 9% to 21% MVIC) ( P < .05). The infraspinatus and supraspinatus demonstrated increasing trends in EMG activity from gravity minimized to upright assisted ( P > .05). Conclusion: The results suggest a clear distinction between gravity-minimized exercises and upright-assisted exercises for the anterior deltoid but not for the supraspinatus and infraspinatus. Between the 2 types of assisted exercises, the results also suggest a clear distinction in terms of active elevation of the arm for the supraspinatus and anterior deltoid but not for the infraspinatus. Clinical Relevance: Muscle activation levels increase as support is removed, but subdivision of active-assistive range of motion to protect the supraspinatus and infraspinatus may not be necessary.
Superficial Precooling on a 4-Week Static Stretching Regimen
Authors: Rancour Jessica L. , Terry Megan E. , Holmes Clayton , Cipriani Daniel J. 
Published: July 2017

Background: The influence of superficial precooling on range of motion (ROM) as part of a stretching program has not been extensively studied. It is not clear if the analgesic effect can benefit a stretching program. Hypotheses: Superficial precooling will result in greater gains in ROM as part of a stretching program, compared with stretching without a precooling intervention. Superficial precooling will also result in greater retention in ROM gains following cessation of stretching, compared with stretching without a precooling intervention. Study Design: Prospective randomized single-blind test-retest design. Methods: Twenty-nine participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 static stretching protocols: a standard protocol (n, 14; age, 24.6 ± 5.4 years) or a precool protocol (n, 15; age, 25.1 ± 7.3 years). These samples allowed for 80% power for statistical significance testing. Both groups performed static hamstring stretching daily for 4 weeks. The precool group applied ice to the hamstring for 10 minutes before stretching. Both groups stretched for 4 weeks and then stopped stretching for the last 4 weeks. Hip ROM measures were obtained each week for 8 weeks. Results: For the standard group, mean hip ROM increased from 71.4° ± 18.5° to 90.6° ± 20.5° and for the precool group, 71.5° ± 22.3° to 91.8° ± 20.9°. For the standard group, mean hip ROM decreased from 90.6° ± 20.5° to 83.9° ± 20.3° and for the precool group, 91.8° ± 20.9 to 85.0° ± 19.4°. There were no differences between groups at any time in the study ( P > .05). Conclusions: Precooling had no beneficial effects on ROM or on retention of ROM. Clinical Relevance: Cold application, before stretching, does not provide any benefit to a stretching program.
The Effectiveness of Prophylactic Knee Bracing in American Football
Authors: Salata Michael J. , Gibbs Aimee E. , Sekiya Jon K. 
Published: July 2017

Context: Knee injuries, particularly of the medial collateral ligament (MCL), are the most common injury sustained in American football. In 1979, Anderson et al described a knee brace that could protect uninjured knees from MCL injuries resulting from lateral impact. Since then, a number of light and free-moving bracing devices have been developed. However, the efficacy of prophylactic knee bracing remains in question. Objective: A systematic review of the efficacy of prophylactic knee bracing in preventing MCL injuries in football players. Data Sources: Based on MedSearch and PubMed, articles from 1985 to November 2009 were identified with the following keywords and their combinations: prophylactic, prevent injury, knee brace, prevention, medial collateral ligament, MCL, football, and bracing. Study Selection: One randomized controlled trial (level 1 study) and 5 prospective cohort studies (level 2 studies) were selected. Results: The results of the studies were inconsistent; only 1 study showed that prophylactic knee bracing significantly reduced MCL injuries ( P < .05). In contrast, 2 studies found that knee bracing was associated with an increase in knee injuries. Conclusions: Prophylactic bracing in American football has not consistently reduced MCL injuries. There remains a lack of evidence to support the routine use of prophylactic knee bracing in uninjured knees. There is limited high-level evidence, bias in the available literature, and confounding variables that limit the current literature.
The Effect of an Exercise Program in Conjunction With Short-Period Patellar Taping on Pain, Electromyogram Activity, and Muscle Strength in Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
Authors: Kaya Defne , Callaghan Michael James , Ozkan Huseyin , Ozdag Fatih , Atay Ozgur Ahmet , Yuksel Inci , Doral Mahmut Nedim 
Published: July 2017

Background: McConnell recommended that patellar tape be kept on all day, until patients learn how to activate their vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) during an exercise program. This application may pose problems because prolonged taping may be inadvisable for some patients or even contraindicated owing to skin discomfort, irritation, or allergic reaction. Hypothesis: Wearing patellofemoral tape for a shorter duration during an exercise program would be just as beneficial as a prolonged taping application. Study Design: Prospective cohort. Methods: Twelve patients and 16 healthy people participated. Patients underwent short-period patellar taping plus an exercise program for 3 months. Numeric pain rating, muscle strength of the knee extensors, and electromyogram activity of the vastus lateralis and VMO were evaluated. Results: There were significant differences in electromyogram activity ( P = .04) and knee extensor muscle strength ( P = .03) between involved and uninvolved sides before treatment. After treatment, pain scores decreased, and there were no significant differences between involved and uninvolved sides in electromyogram activity ( P = .68) and knee extensor strength ( P = .62). Before treatment, mean VMO activation started significantly later than that of vastus lateralis, as compared with the matched healthy control group ( P = .01). After treatment, these differences were nonsignificant ( P = .08). Conclusion: Short-period patellar taping plus an exercise program improves VMO and vastus lateralis activation. Clinical Relevance: A shorter period of taping for the exercise program may be as beneficial as a prolonged taping application.
The Comparison of State and Trait Anxiety Scores of Managerial and Non-Managerial Personnel When Controlling for Stressful Life Events
Authors: Boehm Toni Stawinski 
Published: July 2017

The purpose of this study was to compare the state and trait anxiety scores of managerial and non-managerial personnel with the somatic complaint of headache after controlling for stressful life events. The subjects were limited to those presenting to the Medical Department of a large Kansas City corporation with the somatic complaint of headache. The first ten management and ten non-management subjects were given the Holmes-Rahe questionnaire, the Schedule of Recent Life Events. After completing this, the subjects were given the State-Trait anxiety test by Spielberger, measuring for anxiety levels at the moment and propensity for anxiety, respectively. The responses were evaluated by the analysis of covariance. This was utilized to explore between group differences in State anxiety and in Trait anxiety scores, with scores on the Schedule of Recent Life Events as the covariant. Results showed no difference in state and trait anxiety levels when controlling for Recent Life Events between management and non-management groups.
Occupational Injury and Illness Profile of Developmental Center Workers in New York
Authors: Lu Paul C. , Giordano Rosemarie 
Published: July 2017

This study investigates the incidence of occupational injury and illess among developmental center employees, a relatively unstudied population. Most of these employees work for state-operated institutes that are exempted from OSHA regulations; thus, data on the occupational injuries and illnesses of these employees often are not readily available for study. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent or concern shown by the employers for the health and safety of these employees and the feasibility of improving their productivity through reduction of occupational incident. The overall 1980 disabling-injury-frequency rate for the workers surveyed was 107, about 2.5 times higher than that for workers in the private sector nationwide, whereas the disabling-injury-severity rate was 16,483.5, a shocking 50 times higher than that for private sector workers. The attendant category employees of state-operated institutes lost 25.8 out of 100 workdays on the job, due to job-related incidents as opposed to 0.3 for private sector workers. These incident-prone workers represent roughly 45% of the total population studied. Their incidents could have been prevented by meaningful safety measures. This study tends to support the argument that improvements in the work environment can reduce occupational injury and illness and lead to greater worker productivity.