bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Biomechanical Basis for Low Back Injury Risk in High Exertion Tasks
Authors: Chaffin Don B. 
Published: January 2012

Manual work is still very prevalent in many jobs today. This paper will explore the historic role that biomechanics has played in understanding these outcomes, as well as reviewing various prevention strategies used today. The focus of the presentation will be on occupational low back pain. The discussion begins with the fundamental biomechanical reality; that the lumbar spine is often subjected to extremely large compression forces when one stoops to pick up an object, even if the object is of moderate weight. The paper will discuss this outcome, as well as biomechanics research in the late 80s that lead to inclusion in 1994 of a torso twisting risk factor in the “NIOSH Lifting Guideline.” The growing use of mechanical aids (hoists, articulated arms and conveyors) has done a great deal to alleviate high levels of low back stress while lifting, but too often these same devices require people to twist and push and pull objects. High torso muscle antagonistic actions and vertebral shear forces were being predicted in such activities, especially when fast motions were involved. Concern also over shoulder injuries was growing related to the use of these devices, leading to the need to develop and use models of whole body exertions in industry to understand the full complexity of the problems for various groups of people. Recently some biomechanics research began to focus on another aspect of vertebral column function that makes it vulnerable to injury, particularly during fast motions with light loads. This vulnerability is due to the column's reliance on well coordinated torso muscle contractions to control its inherent dynamic instability.
Viewpoint Tethering in Complex Terrain Navigation and Awareness
Authors: Lamb Matthew , Hollands J. G. 
Published: January 2012

Twelve participants navigated a simulated vehicle across complex virtual terrain using five different display viewpoints: egocentric, dynamic tether, rigid tether, three-dimensional (3D) exocentric, and twodimensional (2D) exocentric. While navigating, participants had to avoid being seen by simulated enemy units. After the navigation task, participants' spatial awareness was assessed using a recognition task. The egocentric display was more effective than exocentric displays (2D or 3D) for navigation, and the exocentric displays were more effective than egocentric for time seen during navigation and the recognition task. The tethered displays generally produced intermediate results, but minimized the time during which the participant's avatar was visible to enemy positions. In summary, it would appear that the tether facilitated spatial awareness involving knowledge of locations of interest with respect to one's own position while navigating.
Expanding Dod Human Systems Integration Demands—Can we Deliver what is Needed?
Authors: Gigley Helen M. , Boehm-Davis Deborah A. 
Published: January 2012

DoD Acquisition has recently undergone major changes. In the recently published DoD Instruction 5000.2 (only available on-line at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/html/50002.htm ), Human Systems Integration (HSI) has become a focus for all new system acquisitions. In the Instruction, HSI is defined to include: Human Factors Engineering, Personnel, Habitability, Manpower, Training, Environment, Safety and Occupational Health (ESOH), and Survivability. New acquisition policy intends that each of these HSI areas become a documented component of all acquisitions to meet maximal capability with the right number of personnel, suitably trained, and ready for operations, and at the same time assuring their health, safety and survivability. The panel's goals are: 1. To inform the community of the expanded DoD HSI emphasis and 2. To ask the HSI community to assess whether and how we are situated to meet the demands.
Placement Opportunities for Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics Professionals in Industry and Government/Military Positions
Authors: Loomer Sara , Kish Michelle , Moroney William F. 
Published: January 2012

During the period from January 2005 through December 2005, the Placement Service of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society distributed announcements describing 123 new positions available for human factors and ergonomics professionals. This paper describes the 111 placement opportunities for those in Industry and the Government/Military. The attributes of the position descriptions examined include: employment sector, degree requirements, work experience, expertise, salary, and geographic location. The employment sector type seeking the most employees was Consumer Products at 28%. The degree required was usually a Masters (42 %) and the geographic area with the most jobs was the Northeast (N=32). The area of expertise most frequently requested by employers was Experimental Research (N=58).
Effectiveness of Minimal Training Techniques on the use of Automated External Defibrillators
Authors: Mitchell K. Blake , Gugerty Leo 
Published: January 2012

After receiving one of three types of automated external defibrillator (AED) training (exposure only, low, and high) and a two week retention interval, participants resuscitated a manikin with an AED. The groups' performances were compared using three measures — time to shock, electrode pad placement, and errors — and subjective measures. It was expected that 90% of participants in all groups would perform at the minimally acceptable level; however the high group was expected to perform closer to the ideal level than less trained groups. Most participants performed at the minimally acceptable level for time to shock, pad placement, and safety. Ease-of-use and confidence ratings were high, indicating participants felt positively about the AED. When compared to exposure-only training, low and high training had beneficial effects on time to shock, errors, and confidence, suggesting that while untrained (exposure only) users are able to use AEDs, even brief training will improve performance.
Placement Opportunities for Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics Professionals
Authors: Moroney William F. 
Published: January 2012

During the period from January 2006 through December 2006, the Placement Service of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society distributed announcements describing 140 new positions available for human factors and ergonomics professionals. This paper focuses on the 124 placement opportunities for those in Industry and the government/military, and briefly addresses positions in Education. The attributes of the position descriptions examined include: employment sector, degree requirements, work experience, expertise, salary, and geographic location. The employment sector type seeking the most employees was Consulting Firms that specialize in Human Factors with 29 positions (23%). The degree required was usually a Masters (48%) and the geographic area with the most jobs was the MidWest (N=16). The areas of expertise most frequently requested by employers were Engineering and Psychology.
The frequency and impact of task interruptions in the ICU
Authors: Drews Frank A. 
Published: January 2012

Up to 98,000 patients die annually in U.S. hospitals due to human error. Despite epidemiological studies demonstrating the severity of this problem it is still unclear what the contributing factors to human error are. However, in aviation one contributor to accidents is task interruptions. The present study examined the frequency and impact of task interruptions in the Intensive Care Unit. Observational data were collected in the ICU by shadowing nurses. During the 34 hours of observation, 1138 nurse activities were observed, of which 29.4% were interrupted. Consequences of an interruption for the primary task can be abandoning its completion or omissions of some of the tasks steps. The conditional probability that an interrupted task was abandoned was p(abandoned | interrupted) = .12, where the omission of steps of the primary task had a conditional probability of p(omission | interrupted) = .015. A total of six cases that created patient hazards were observed where in five of these cases an interruption preceded directly. The results of the present study indicate that interruptions in the ICU are frequent and are likely to have a negative impact on patient safety.
Slip Sliding Away — Slip Resistance of Athletic Socks on Indoor Flooring
Authors: Curry David G. , Mathias Anne 
Published: January 2012

A laboratory study was conducted to assess the slip resistance of athletic socks on various household flooring materials under both wet and dry conditions. While prior studies regarding slip resistance have focused on shod walkers, there is a lack of published data on the coefficient of friction between stocking-clad feet and indoor flooring. To investigate this, four types of athletic socks were tested on samples of eight flooring materials for both wet and dry conditions. These results were compared to tests of a Neolite slider pad on these floors. The results indicated that for socks on textured vinyl flooring, there was no significant difference in slip resistance between the wet and dry conditions, though there was a trend towards greater slip resistance under wet conditions. Generally, it appears that the likelihood of slipping on other types of wet indoor walking surfaces is lower when walking in socks rather than shoes.
A Vision for Human Systems Integration in the U. S. Department of Homeland Security
Authors: Wilson Darren P. , Malone Thomas B. , Lockett-Reynolds Janae , Wilson Elizabeth L. 
Published: January 2012

In the complex, technology-based, manpower-limited homeland security systems of the 21st century, a critical element of mission success is human performance, or the ability of the human operator, maintainer, manager, or public users to perform well under all operating conditions. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed just more than five years ago. The Human Factors / Behavior Sciences Division (HFD) was created 2 years ago within the DHS Science and Technology (S&T) directorate. HFD has since established the Human Systems Research and Engineering (HSRE) program and has given that program the responsibility for developing an approach for incorporating Human Systems Integration (HSI) into DHS research, development, and acquisitions. The 22 organizations that make up DHS were joined together under a headquarters organization that is still working on the logistics of operating as a unified agency (General Accountability Office, 2007). The integration of the various research, development, systems engineering, and acquisition processes of those legacy component organizations is ongoing and provides an opportunity to lay a foundation for successful HSI. Fundamental to the system life cycle of a given DHS program is the incorporation of user requirements and public perception input (Department of Homeland Security, 2008). Although similar to the Department of Defense (DoD) in the research and development of technology to enhance the safety and security of the nation (Department of Defense, 2008), the mission space of the DHS differs greatly in that the technologies developed and deployed by DHS are used within the United States and affect all citizens. The users of DHS technology represent a far more diverse population in terms of skills, anthropometry, age, training quantity and quality, intelligence, and readiness, than those in the military user community. Not only are the users and affected communities as diverse as the nation, but programs throughout the federal government have been phased out due to negative public outcry and media attention. Therefore, it is imperative for DHS to not only produce usable technologies, but also to comprehend the barriers and obstacles associated with technology acceptability, usability, supportability, reliability, affordability, safety, and survivability as these factors relate to the development of technology and systems. The HSRE program implements HSI in the DHS technology development process, and the integrated HSI analysis, design and test activities serve as the mechanism for addressing user requirements, and ensuring the design of the technology meets user needs. This paper describes a vision for the implementation of HSI in the Department of Homeland Security, focusing on both engineering and research efforts and strategies to accomplish goals in those areas.
Bus Modification to Improve Safety, Comfort, and Human Reliability
Authors: Stewart Catherine 
Published: January 2012

The MITRE Corporation has made a preliminary analysis of the needs of bus patrons, with emphasis on the needs of the disabled. This analysis, based on observations and consultation with specialists was used to derive human performance requirements for average, aged and disabled patrons, and for the driver. The bus modification kits described are intended to increase human reliability and safety. To accomplish this the kits should improve: Information on the identification of buses, routes, and destinations; access, equilibrium, and egress for the disabled, with a minimum of assistance; recognition and use of emergency exits; nighttime visual access for drivers and patrons; familiarity with vehicle accessories; and safety under mobile or emergency conditions. Modification kits are evaluated on the basis of effectiveness, and costs of research, development, production, and installation. Since it may be impractical to install all kits immediately, they are recommended for implementation on the basis of effect on utility of transportation for the aged and disabled. The following kits meet this criterion: Public Address, Route Identification, Handrails, Stanchions, Raised Seat, and Extended Step.
The Effects of Age and Visual Capability on Performance with Plane and Convex Mirrors
Authors: Mourant Ronald R. , DeWalo Ruth E. 
Published: January 2012

Reaction times were measured for a detection task and a recognition task when using plane mirrors and when using convex mirrors. Three groups of nine drivers each (Young, Mature-with Bifocals, and Mature-No Glasses) were studied. The detection task consisted of reporting the number of Landolt Rings (0,1,2,3, or 4) that were made to appear in a mirror. The recognition task consisted of reporting the orientation (left, right, up, or down) of the Landolt Ring gaps. On both the detection and recognition tasks differences between types of subjects increased as the convexity of the mirror increased. The largest differences occured when the images were displayed in a 40 inch convex mirror. Here, Mature-No Glasses subjects took .77 seconds longer to report target orientation than Young subjects. On the same task Mature-Bifocaled subjects took only .18 seconds longer than the Young subjects. Since the longer reaction times of Mature-No Glasses subjects appears to be due to their poorer visual acuity it is recommended that states require higher visual standards with respect to far visual acuity.
Prediction of Drivers' Eye Location
Authors: Gatchell Susanne M. , Miller James M. 
Published: January 2012

The set of guidelines for establishing the location of drivers' eyes as a function of a vehicle's workspace geometry and percentile representation of driving population is one of the most important design tools in the automotive industry. This tool is called an Eyellipse which allows designers to minimize structures that interfere with a driver's vision to his environment. The Eyellipses were, however, based on data gathered while subjects were in a static laboratory setting looking straight ahead at a picture of a driving scene instead of a real driving task. The objectives of this paper are threefold: (1) to examine literature that has laid the foundations for current automotive design standards on drivers' eye location, (2) to describe models for predicting drivers' eye location, and (3) to determine significant factors that should be used in these models by re-analyses of raw data from previous studies. This discussion also indicates weaknesses in previous research and proposes areas where future research is needed in order to determine the true distribution of subjects' eyes during a real driving task.
Evaluation of Driver Comprehension of Word versus Symbol Highway Signs
Authors: Plummer Ralph W. , Minarch John J. , King Ellis L. 
Published: January 2012

This experiment investigated the effects of word and symbol signs on reaction time and accuracy of response. In addition, a proposed symbol sign, “SCHOOL BUS STOP AHEAD,” was evaluated using the same criteria. A tachistoscope was used to present the visual stimuli for a viewing time of 200 milliseconds. Two sets of conditions were used in the experiment. The first part consisted of a group of subjects that possessed no prior knowledge of/or special education in symbol highway signs. The second part involved a control group who received special training concerning the meaning of symbol highway signs. The stimuli were presented to 20 subjects (both male and female) aged 19 to 45, whose driving experience ranged from 3 to 29 years. The average miles driven per year varied from 1,000 to 20,000 miles. A three factor analysis of variance fixed effect model was used to analyze the data. The main factors of the model consisted of two levels of stimuli (word versus symbol signs), two levels of test conditions (prior knowledge versus no knowledge), and ten levels of different signs (traffic signs). Based upon the analysis of variance results, it was found that symbol signs do convey more accurate identification of road information than do word signs. However, it was not possible to conclude that symbol signs require less time to react to than word signs. The results of this investigation confirmed that neither the word or symbol “SCHOOL BUS STOP AHEAD” sign effectively convey the proper message.
A Review of the Effect of Menstruation on Accident Involvement, Size of Visual Field, and Color Perception
Authors: Lanfair Kathryne M. , Smith Leo A. 
Published: January 2012

A review of the relationship between the menstrual cycle and three aspects of female industrial performance is presented. The performance aspects considered are accident involvement, size of visual field, and color perception. The literature relative to the phases of the menstrual cycle and their effect on accident involvement is conflicting from the standpoint of conclusions reached and often inappropriate with respect to the sample of women studied. The literature relative to detailing significant effects of the menstrual cycle on the individual's visual field and color perception is less copious than that concerning accidents, but less conflicting in conclusions reached. There is apparently a significant narrowing of the visual field and distortion of color perception during the pre-menstrual phase. The literature is reviewed and an hypothesis posed which could potentially explain any increase in accident involvement during the pre-menstrual and menstrual flow stages.
Toward a Theory of Man-Tool System Design Applications to the Consumer Product Area
Authors: Kreifeldt John G. , Hill Percy H. 
Published: January 2012

The man-tool system is important in many human factors areas but particularly so for consumer products where competition and other aspects are forcing particular attention to be paid to consumer satisfaction and tool performance. A first-order descriptive model of the man-tool system is presented together with a short description of a directed procedure for man-tool design which has been found useful in several different areas of consumer product design. It is essential that tool design be approached from the systems viewpoint, in order to provide a sound basis for research and design, leading to prototypes having a high chance of being successful for the user and/or the client with the minimum amount of iteration in the design process. The psychophysical sensitivity to moment-of-inertia as a component of tool “feel” is also presented, together with a discussion of some pitfalls in the necessary task of eliciting useful design words from the user.
Computer-Aided Generation of Performance Measures for Man-Machine Systems
Authors: Connelly Edward M. , Knoop Patricia A. , Bourne Francis J. , Loental Diane G. 
Published: January 2012

The design, application, and evaluation of man-machine systems are limited by our ability to measure system performance in a reliable and sensitive manner. Without adequate performance measures, there is no way to test system designs, to plan and execute training systems, or to effectively evaluate operational systems. Typically, measures are manually produced by selecting a set of candidate performance measures which are subsequently tested for reliability and validity. Since the measurement value of a given candidate measure is not known until these tests are complete, this process, which may be an iterative process, can be both time consuming and costly. Also, since only a few candidate measures can be investigated manually, there is a high probability that superior measures are not even considered. Automating at least some of the manual operations required can result in improved performance measures in less time and at lower cost. The performance measurement generating processor described in this paper accepts demonstration data representing various levels of performance, and under user control, analyzes the data to provide candidate performance measures. The processor also conducts validation tests and orders candidate measures according to their measurement value. Output from the FORTRAN IV processor includes results from validation tests and specifications for objective performance measures.
Effect of Environmental Extremes on Task Performance Time
Authors: Trabold Frederick W. , Jones Daniel B. 
Published: January 2012

An experiment was conducted to compare times required to complete a sample of motor tasks typical of routine maintenance actions under the following five environmental conditions: Ambient Shirtsleeve (72°F), Hot Day (110°F), Hot Night (80°F), Cold Day (-25°F) and Cold Night (-25°F). The results of the experiment using eight subjects indicated that 1) No increase in time was needed to complete the 15 motor tests in the hot day environment over the time to complete the same tests in the shirtsleeve weather. 2) A median increase of six percent was required to complete the tests in the hot night conditions. Time increases of 20 to 30 percent were observed for those tasks which required more finite hand-eye coordination and higher light intensity. 3) An increase of 17 percent in time was noted to complete the tasks in the cold day environment. Those tests requiring high motor skill level were more effected than those which required less psychomotor coordination. 4) Test performed in the cold night required a median time increase of 48 percent over the shirtsleeve environment; 14 of the 15 tests completed showed a significant increase in time for completion.
New Product Characterization through Human Factors Research
Authors: Cannon Thomas G. 
Published: January 2012

Human factors research can identify desirable new product characteristics before engineering development takes place. Benefits derived from use of such research are discussed along with the merits of this technique in comparison with those normally used to identify new product concepts. Human factors research techniques are shown to provide a relatively inexpensive, reliable and objective method of defining new products when compared with methods presently used.