bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonists: The Prototype Losartan
Authors: Schaefer Karen L , Porter Julie A , Morand Brenda R , Rudis Maria 
Published: July 2017

Objective To describe a new class of antihypertensive agents, the angiotensin II receptor antagonists, with emphasis on the prototype losartan. Pharmacokinetic data and clinical trials are reviewed, as well as adverse reactions, drug interactions, and dosing guidelines. Data Sources A MEDLINE search of English-language literature published from 1966 through 1995 was performed. In addition, Merck and Co. provided bibliographic data on file for losartan. Study Selection Emphasis was placed on clinical and pharmacokinetic studies in humans. Controlled, double-blind studies were evaluated to assess the efficacy and adverse effect profile of losartan. Data Synthesis Losartan is a nonpeptide, competitive antagonist of the type 1 angiotensin II receptor. In comparative clinical trials, losartan appears to have antihypertensive efficacy similar to that of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Losartan is well tolerated, with an adverse effect profile similar to that of placebo and a reduced incidence of cough versus that with ACE inhibitors. A combination product consisting of losartan 50 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg has also received approval for the treatment of hypertension. The combination product is not indicated for initial therapy, but is recommended for patients who do not respond adequately to losartan monotherapy. The angiotensin II receptor antagonists are also being investigated for beneficial effects in patients with ventricular hypertrophy, renal disease, and heart failure. Conclusions Losartan, the first angiotensin II receptor antagonist to receive approval for use in the US, appears to be an effective new antihypertensive agent with an adverse effect profile similar to that of placebo. Losartan may be an alternative for patients who cannot tolerate ACE inhibitors. However, the effect of losartan on mortality remains to be evaluated. The role of the angiotensin II receptor antagonists in areas such as ventricular hypertrophy, renal function, and heart failure has yet to be determined.
Sun Exposure, Sunscreens, and Skin Cancer Prevention: A Year-Round Concern
Authors: Farmer Kevin C , Naylor Mark F , Roca-Acén Juan , Larouche Marie 
Published: July 2017

Objective To review the role of sunlight in skin aging and skin cancer formation, and to provide guidelines on the use of sunscreens to minimize the adverse effects of sun damage. Data Sources A MEDLINE search of applicable articles on ultraviolet (UV) radiation, melanoma, sunscreens, and skin cancer, evaluating both human and animal studies. Published and unpublished original research as well as clinical experience were also used. Data Synthesis The interaction of UV radiation and skin type plays a central role in melanoma formation. Mortality from melanoma is highest in geographic locations near the equator, where UV intensity is greatest. The incidence of melanomas in light-complected individuals (skin types I-III) is several times higher than those with darker skin types (types IV-VI), even in similar geographic regions. The UVB portion of the spectrum appears to be primarily responsible for skin cancer formation and photoaging, while short wave UVA rays play a significant contributing role. Regular sunscreen use has been shown to reduce the formation of precancerous actinic keratoses (AK) lesions by 36%. A dose-response relationship has also been found between the amount of sunscreen used and AK formation. Conclusions Sunscreens have now been shown to reduce the carcinogenic effects of sunlight in humans. Patients should be advised of the long-term consequences of sun exposure and the benefits of regular sunscreen use.
Quantifying Operator Preference during Human Factors Test and Evaluation
Authors: Fineberg Michael L. 
Published: July 2017

The present paper will describe the construction and pilot testing of a human factors evaluation instrument. The instrument was constructed using psychometric procedures generally applied to development of attitude scales. The goal of the instrument was the quantification of operator preference in helicopter design within four major areas of human factors consideration: handling qualities, comfort/discomfort, human engineering design and safety. Each area had a common scale against which 10 specific parameters were evaluated. The ten items within each area were chosen using system operators' expertise, human factors standards, human factors experimental literature and the experience of the authors. The instrument was validated using a sample of 16 aviators during the conduct of an actual operational test. The results of these validation studies indicated a test-retest reliability of .85 (P < .001) and an inter-rater reliability of .93 (P < .001). Use of the instrument did provide statistically significant differences among aircraft candidates under various operational test conditions as measured within each of the four indices within the instrument. It is concluded that the instrument provides an effective method of quantifying the preference of operational aviators. The scrupulous development process using inputs from experienced aviators, experts in aviation field test design, and experts in test construction has provided a high measure of construct validity to the instrument.
Skill Training: Contribution to Organizational Change
Authors: Shields Joyce L. 
Published: July 2017

Frequently, people are resistant to change because of perceived or real deficits in personnel skills. The lack of skill denies future opportunity for organization change. Skill training can lead to organizational change in two major ways: (a) enhanced individual skills may facilitate acceptance and use of new technology and innovations and (b) new training systems may cause changes in organizational structures and responsibilities.
Male-Female Differences in Variables Affecting Performance
Authors: Grasley Connie , Ayoub M. M. , Bethea Nancy J. 
Published: July 2017

Literature concerning variables affecting performance levels of males and females was reviewed. Emphasis was placed on literature using both males and females as subjects in the areas of anthropometric, biomechanical, and physiological variables. When literature using both sexes as subjects was not available, comparable studies were considered for possible use. The results of this review indicate that there are sex differences in anthropometry with regard to body dimensions. In biomechanics, sex differences were noted in reach envelopes strength and flexibility in particular. Physiological differences were noted in responses to heat/cold stress and altitude. These differences were then applied to a performance matrix under the categories of sensory, process and control. Differences noted were either very specific or did not exist at all. This is due in part to a lack of research involving variables as they actually affect performance levels between males and females.
Profiling Procedures for Long-Range Medication Efficacy in Double-Blind Trials
Authors: Gardenier Turkan K. 
Published: July 2017

Statisticians working in biological investigatory trials are quite often faced with inferences obtained in long-range experiments which do not fit within the general framework of time-indexed designed studies. The initial response of patients in long-term studies is usually depicted within the first six months of the trial; the remaining part of the trial being confined to patient monitor of dropouts, survival rates and adverse effects. The objective of the present paper is to describe two computerized profiling methods developed by the present author for maximizing contrastive differences between medications. The first method analyzes the consistency of successive observations on a patient-by-patient basis, yielding cumulative increment scores which is used as a decision rule for a time-indexed response. The method is reminiscent of sequential medical trial procedures applied to data from a given patient. Using this procedure, patients are categorized as “responders” or “non-responders” depending upon the profile of successive observations which they elicit during the trial. The second method utilizes superimposed distribution profiles of each medication under comparison. Profiles generated at various cut-off points during the study enable the utilization of more stringent indices than means and variances of the observations. Constriction in data variability is obtained by utilization of non-parametric trichotomization. Double-blinding of comparative medications may still be kept intact: yet the investigators have the flexibility of monitoring emerging contrastive differences as the trial proceeds.
Spatial Determinants and Perceived Qualities of Bus Shelters in the Urban Setting
Authors: Wise James A. , Alden Richard 
Published: July 2017

Two prototype bus shelters in downtown Seattle were evaluated by means of sophisticated time-lapse photography and a user questionnaire. The results reveal the major determinants of waiter placement, and how these interact with the shelter design to critically affect loading/unloading conditions at the site. Other responses concerning the perceived qualities of the shelters help establish guidelines for amenities of rest, sheltering, and comfort under high density use conditions. Bus shelters actually perform in respect to a few simple but enduring patterns of user behavior. Basic consideration of these elements can result in shelter designs that are more responsive to creating comfort and safety for the transit rider.
Disorientation of Workers
Authors: Riley Michael W. , Cochran David J. 
Published: July 2017

Many manufacturing processes include rapidly revolving objects, such as a turning lathe. Often workers must focus their eyes and attention on the moving object for extended periods of time. There is some indication that as workers monitor such an activity, there is a decrement in perceptual and motor abilities during, or for a short period of time immediately following the observation period. This is an example of disorientation that could jeopardize a worker's safety. The worker could make a mistake (unsafe act) at his work station while in this state of decreased perceptual-motor ability. It is also possible that a disoriented worker could leave a work position and encounter dangerous materials or situations. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential characteristics of the working environment and the worker that could possibly contribute to disorientation. The various potential causes of disorientation are discussed. Recognizing these potentially hazardous factors will be an aid in improving workplace design.
Human Factors Engineering Technology Integration into the Naval Ship Acquisition Process: Designing for Operability
Authors: Malone Thomas B. , Eike David , Baker Cliff , Andrews Phillip J. 
Published: July 2017

Traditionally, Naval ship design programs have placed Human Factors Engineering (HFE) in a subordinate role to ship manning, a process primarily concerned with determining the ship's complement. As a result, HFE inputs to ship design documentation are often scattered, uncoordinated and lacking in fundamental standardization. The Naval Sea Systems Command has recently initiated an effort to correct these problems through a program designed to integrate HFE technologies into the ship planning and acquisition process. One of the primary objectives of this project is the development of an HFE Design Guide to assist Navy personnel in applying HFE technologies early in the design phase of the ship acquisition process. The paper describes the current status and philosophy of this program, and evaluates an attempt to apply a preliminary model of the Guide to Naval recovery systems presently in the development stages: the Mark-14 Arresting Gear System and the Beartrap Recovery Assist, Secure and Traverse System.
Differentiated-Psychophysiological Aspects of the Problem of Individual Adaptation in Control Systems
Authors: Venda V.F. , Russalov V.M. 
Published: July 2017

The problem of group, individual and individually-operative adaptation lies on the junction of engineering and differential psychology. Three main categories of properties can be identified in multi-dimensional space of human individual characteristics: natural properties of individuum, properties of subject of activity and properties of personality. The center of problem of mutual adaptation in man-machine system is compensation of negative individual peculiarities of man by his training or special variation of technical means' characteristics. As example the task of evaluation of optimal frequency of hazard training of operators is solved in the paper.
Force Platform Output for Manual Lifting as a Function of Task, Technique and Individual Variables
Authors: Coetzee J. , Konz S. 
Published: July 2017

Manual lifting was studied using a six axis force platform. Subjects (6 male, 6 female) lifted and lowered boxes at eight variations of location and direction. For each of the eight, there were three weights (5, 10 and 15 kg for males, 5, 7.5 and 10 for females), three volumes (150, 225 and 300 mm cubes), and two techniques (bend and squat); 144 conditions in all. Peak force or torque was recorded for the vertical, lateral and frontal forces and the somersault, twist and cartwheel torques. In general, male forces and torques are 25–40% higher than for females. Object weight had different effects on males and females. Forces and torques tend to be smaller for lowering (than lifting), for smaller containers (than larger), and for objects close to the body (than away). Forces and torques for straight ahead (vs 45°) and squat (vs bend) had mixed results so one simple rule is not always best.
Colors for Sizes: An Applied Approach
Authors: Pond Daniel J. 
Published: July 2017

Fifty auto repairmen were asked to pair eight different sized socket wrenches with eight differently colored handles. Half of subjects were told the purpose of the study was to establish a color code for size while the remainder were misled as to the true intent of the research. Results indicate: a) Subjects did not associate colors with size unless asked specifically to do so. b) Subjects who chose to perform the task with an increasing order of size selection were especially sensitive to color-size associations. c) Relative saturation of hue may be an operant variable in formation of a color-size relationship.
The Impact of Computer Assistance on District Office Operations
Authors: Dan Massey L. , Lawler Jerry T. 
Published: July 2017

To predict the potential cost effectiveness of computer assisted information processing in the District Offices (DOs) of the Social Security Administration (SSA), we developed a model of manpower allocation in present DO operations. We adapted existing SSA management data sources to quantify this baseline model. We also constructed a description of the changes in manpower requirements expected to occur on introduction of a hypothetical computer assisted system. We used analyses of user functional requirements to determine overall system capabilities. We used the results of user performance trials on a simulated system to quantify this change model. Significant reductions in manpower for processing of individual claims in the DO appear to be attainable. Computer system response time was identified as a controllable design characteristic with a strong effect on manpower requirements. Introduction of computer assistance to the DO could free manpower from mechanical clerical activities for application to more creative and professional functions. This manpower could be applied to expansion of SSA services and to improvement of DO service quality. An overall increase of 25% to 33% in workload processing capacity appears potentially attainable with computer assistance at current DO manpower levels. Suitable workstations might be based on use of individual personal computers or on sharing the resources of a single larger machine among a number of users. Consideration of relative costs and benefits suggests that the personal computer approach, while initially more costly, offers better control over system response time, which can have a major effect on system acceptance and cost effectiveness. It is likely that computer assistance for DOs will be deployed through workstations based on individual personal machines. Full recovery of capital investment can potentially be achieved in two years of actual operation.
Annoyance and Speech Interference from Noise
Authors: Ou Peggy , Gough Helen , Konz Stephan 
Published: July 2017

In Experiment One, noise from five home appliance and five shop tools was evaluated for speech interference (ie words missed) and annoyance by 23 subjects (11 male, 12 female). Both speech interference and annoyance were highly (r2 = .76 and .66) correlated with dbA noise level. In Experiment Two, 15 “industrial” noises (mean dbA=84; range = 59 to 97) were evaluated for annoyance by 100 subjects (79 male, 21 female). The annoyance vote was analyzed by analysis of covariance. In addition to annoyance being a function of dbA, the subject's gender, age and whether they were a student or not were significant predictor's of annoyance. A simple predictor equation was ANNOY (vote on scale 1 to 5) = 3.05 + .124 (dbA—84) + .001 (dbA-84)2 + .16 (if student) with r2= .60.
Multidimensional Studies of a Tool “Feel” Sensation—Moment of Inertia
Authors: Kreifeldt John G. , Chuang Ming 
Published: July 2017

The distribution of mass in a handheld object is a fundamental and potent but largely unrecognized component of the object's “feel. ” In order to supply information to designers of consumer products trying to improve tool “feel” and to further psychophysical understanding of it, we performed careful studies (1) to determine Weber fractions related to moment of inertia sensitivity and (2) to study the interaction of weight and moment of inertia as they influence the user's perception of feel. Results showed that moment of inertia sensitivity is about 1/10 that for lifting lightweights and that subjects can clearly distinguish the difference between the two sensations, putting more emphasis on moment of inertia in forming their judgments. In addition to their scientific use, the results are useful to the design of common handheld tools and sports equipment.
The Effect of Part Proliferation on Assembly Line Operators' Decision Making Capabilities
Authors: Gatchell Susanne M. 
Published: July 2017

In order to quantify the effects of part proliferation on assembly line operators' decision making capabilities, a research study was conducted. Using a Choice Reaction Time technique, 16 operators were tested to determine their reaction times and error rates when selecting parts. These operators were from four training levels (trained, relief, untrained/job and untrained/plant) and had to decide between 4, 7 or 10 major parts. Results show that operators with 10 parts made 46% more errors and needed 13% more decision time than operators with 4 parts. Furthermore, the relief and untrained/job operators made three times more errors than the trained operators. The untrained/plant operators had over five times more errors than the trained operators. These results indicate that all operators could make a selection when working with 10 major parts. However, their reaction times and error rates increased as the number or parts increased from 4 to 10.
Human Factors Analysis of a Multi-Function Digital Watch
Authors: Mauro Charles L. , Bowen Hugh M. , Coskuntuna Semra , Gilfoil David M. 
Published: July 2017

An electronic wristwatch and its instruction manual were tested and evaluated against the following criteria: self-evidency, accessibility to information, and responsiveness to the user. The task was to change the time by one hour with or without using the instructions. Objective data (time/event data) and subjective data (evaluative, opinionative, and comment data) were collected by using persons with different backgrounds. The preliminary analysis of data indicated that none of the participants could do the task without the instructions. Participants reported a high degree of frustration with the use of the watch and the instructions. Overall implications are that the watch and its instructions are not compatible with the needs and limitations of the average consumer. The watch was re-designed. All the sophisticated functions were retained, but made self-evident and accessible to the user. The test-evaluation-comparison of the two watch designs is ongoing.
The Effects of Increased Ambient Temperature on Dual Task Performance
Authors: Bateman Robert P. 
Published: July 2017

This paper reports on the effects of two levels of increased ambient temperature on the performance of a tracking task and a variety of secondary mental tasks. Significant performance decrements due to increased ambient temperature were observed for the least complex mental tasks. It must be concluded that for the intelligent, highly motivated subjects used in this experiment, simple tasks involving a minimum of mental effort are more sensitive to Effective Temperatures up to 32.2°C (90°F) for exposure times between one and two hours. It appears that complex mental tasks remain unaffected by ambient conditions that produce only minor changes in the physiological state, and may actually show small increases in performance level. The performance improvement with increasing heat stress for difficult tasks and the corresponding decrement for simple tasks supports a theory that heat stress at the levels used in this study tends to decrease arousal. Based on an inverted-U performance curve, a lower level of arousal would result in the prediction of exactly the results obtained in this study.
Pilot Workload - A Practitioner's Problem
Authors: Way Thomas C. 
Published: July 2017

The selection of a new military or commercial aircraft is based, in part, on life-cycle cost or cost-of-ownership. These parameters include both acquisition and operating costs. In the latter, personnel cost is an increasingly important factor. This leads directly to reduction in crew size and automation or reallocation of tasks previously assigned to the now-missing crewmen. It is also common to find that a new aircraft is more complex than the one it replaced. Frequently then, in new aircraft there are fewer crewmen and at least as many functions to be performed as in older aircraft. The challenge to designers of flight decks and avionics suites is to configure the crew station in such a way that required tasks can be accomplished with the allotted crew complement and workload is held within reasonable limits. The purpose of this paper is to outline the role of the human factors practitioner in meeting this challenge, particularly our role in predicting and measuring workload. The process of producing a new system can be broken into (a) statement of functional requirements, (b) design and manufacture, and (c) verification that the design, and finally the system, meets the requirements. In practice, these stages are iterated several times from preliminary design to detailed design to prototype and final production. As good empiricists, we recognize the verification stage to be a test of the hypothesis that the test article meets the requirement. The functional requirements must be stated in quantitative terms and the verification must have all the characteristics of a good experiment.