Rear seat safety: Variation in protection by occupant, crash and vehicle characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Durbin, Dennis R; Jermakian, Jessica S; Kallan, Michael J; McCartt, Anne T; Arbogast, Kristy B; Zonfrillo, Mark R; Myers, Rachel K

2015-07-01

Current information on the safety of rear row occupants of all ages is needed to inform further advances in rear seat restraint system design and testing. The objectives of this study were to describe characteristics of occupants in the front and rear rows of model year 2000 and newer vehicles involved in crashes and determine the risk of serious injury for restrained crash-involved rear row occupants and the relative risk of fatal injury for restrained rear row vs. front passenger seat occupants by age group, impact direction, and vehicle model year. Data from the National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) and Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) were queried for all crashes during 2007-2012 involving model year 2000 and newer passenger vehicles. Data from NASS-CDS were used to describe characteristics of occupants in the front and rear rows and to determine the risk of serious injury (AIS 3+) for restrained rear row occupants by occupant age, vehicle model year, and impact direction. Using a combined data set containing data on fatalities from FARS and estimates of the total population of occupants in crashes from NASS-CDS, logistic regression modeling was used to compute the relative risk (RR) of death for restrained occupants in the rear vs. front passenger seat by occupant age, impact direction, and vehicle model year. Among all vehicle occupants in tow-away crashes during 2007-2012, 12.3% were in the rear row where the overall risk of serious injury was 1.3%. Among restrained rear row occupants, the risk of serious injury varied by occupant age, with older adults at the highest risk of serious injury (2.9%); by impact direction, with rollover crashes associated with the highest risk (1.5%); and by vehicle model year, with model year 2007 and newer vehicles having the lowest risk of serious injury (0.3%). Relative risk of death was lower for restrained children up to age 8 in the rear compared with passengers in the right

Perceived driving safety and seatbelt usage.

Science.gov (United States)

Svenson, O; Fischhoff, B; MacGregor, D

1985-04-01

Swedish and U.S. subjects judged their own driving skills and safety in relation to other drivers. As in earlier studies, most subjects showed an optimism bias: a tendency to judge oneself as safer and more skillful than the average driver, with a smaller risk of getting involved and injured in an accident. Different measures of the optimism effect were strongly correlated with one another, with driving experience and with the judged importance of human factors (as opposed to technical and chance factors) in causing accidents. Degree of optimism was positively, but weakly, correlated with reported seatbelt usage and worry about traffic accidents. Seatbelt usage was positively related to the extent to which belts are judged to be convenient and popular, and more modestly related to the belt's perceived contributions to safety. These results suggest that providing more information about the effectiveness of seatbelts may not be as efficient a way of increasing seatbelt usage as emphasizing other factors, such as comfort and social norms, which cannot be outweighed by optimism.

Race, belief in destiny, and seat belt usage: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Colón, I

1992-01-01

A survey of 1063 individuals found that when belief in destiny was statistically controlled, differences in seat belt use by race disappeared. Thus, racial differences in seat belt use are statistically accounted for and might be explained by belief in destiny. Efforts to increase seat belt use should target minority groups rather than include them in broadbrush programs. Further, these efforts should take into account this important difference in motivation. PMID:1585969

The use of seat belts and contributing factors : an international comparison.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mäkinen, T. Wittink, R.D. & Hagenzieker, M.P.

1991-01-01

The purpose of this study was to define factors that contribute to the use or non-use of seat belts. Legislation prescribing compulsory seat belt usage is one of the most important factors. Promotion of the use of seat belts without this legislation is very difficult and time-consuming. So far, the

Safety belt and mobile phone usage in vehicles in Barcelona (Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose M Martínez-Sánchez

2014-07-01

Conclusion: Our study shows noticeably high prevalence of people not wearing safety belt in the rear seats. Moreover, four out of one hundred drivers still use the mobile phone while driving during a moment of the trip.

Safety and Usage of C1-Inhibitor in Hereditary Angioedema

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riedl, Marc A; Bygum, Anette; Lumry, William

2016-01-01

, international patient registry documented widespread implementation of pnfC1-INH self-administration outside of a health care setting consistent with current HAE guidelines. These real-world data revealed pnfC1-INH usage for a variety of reasons in patients with HAE and showed a high level of safety regardless...... of this study was to describe safety and usage patterns of pnfC1-INH. METHODS: A multicenter, observational, registry was conducted between 2010 and 2014 at 30 United States and 7 European sites to obtain both prospective (occurring after enrollment) and retrospective (occurring before enrollment) safety...... and usage data on subjects receiving pnfC1-INH for any reason. RESULTS: Of 343 enrolled patients, 318 received 1 or more doses of pnfC1-INH for HAE attacks (11,848 infusions) or for prophylaxis (3142 infusions), comprising the safety population. Median dosages per infusion were 10.8 IU/kg (attack treatment...

Environmental and psychosocial factors affecting seat belt use among Turkish front-seat occupants in Ankara: two observation studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Simşekoğlu, Ozlem; Lajunen, Timo

2008-01-01

Low seat belt use rate among car occupants is one of the main problems contributing to low driver and passenger safety in Turkey, where injury and fatality rates of car occupants are very high in traffic crashes. The present article consists of two observation studies, which were conducted in Ankara. The first study aimed at investigating environmental factors and occupant characteristics affecting seat belt use among front-seat occupants, and the objective of the second study was to investigate the relationship between driver and front-seat passenger seat belt use. In the first study, 4, 227 front-seat occupants (drivers or front seat passengers) were observed on four different road sides and, in the second study 1, 398 front seat occupants were observed in car parks of five different shopping centers in Ankara. In both observations, front-seat occupants' seat bet use (yes, no), sex (male, female), and age ( 50 years) were recorded. The data were analyzed using chi-square statistics and binary logistic regression techniques. Results of the first study showed that seat belt use proportion among observed front seat occupants was very low (25%). Being female and traveling on intercity roads were two main factors positively related to use a seat belt among front-seat occupants. High correlations between seat belt use of the drivers and front-seat passengers were found in the second study. Overall, low seat belt use rate (25%) among the front-seat occupants should be increased urgently for an improved driver and passenger safety in Turkey. Seat belt campaigns especially tailored for male front-seat occupants and for the front-seat occupants traveling on city roads are needed to increase seat belt use rates among them. Also, both drivers and passengers may have an important role in enforcing seat belt use among themselves.

Lightweight, fire-retardant, crashworthy aircraft seat cushioning

Science.gov (United States)

Haslim, Leonard A.; Mcdonough, Paul T.

1991-01-01

A two page discussion of non-aerospace seating applications and the design of NASA's safety seat cushioning (SSC) is presented. The SSC was designed for both safety and comfort in order to replace polyurethane cushioning which is flammable and produces lethal fumes upon combustion. The SSC is composed of advanced fabric reinforced composites and is lightweight, fire-retardent, and crashworthy. The seat design consists of central elliptical tubular spring supports made of fire-resistant and fatigue-durable composites surrounded by a fire-blocking sheath. The cushioning is made crashworthy by incorporating energy-absorbing, viscoelastic layers between the nested, elliptical-hoop springs. The design is intended to provide comfortable seating that meets aircraft-loading requirements without using the conventional polyurethane materials. The designs of an aircraft seat and structural components of the SSC are also presented.

Using in-depth investigations to identify transportation safety issues for wheelchair-seated occupants of motor vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Lawrence W; Klinich, Kathleen D; Moore, Jamie L; MacWilliams, Joel B

2010-04-01

In-depth investigations of motor-vehicle crashes involve detailed inspection, measurement, and photodocumentation of vehicle exterior and interior damage, evidence of belt-restraint use, and evidence of occupant contacts with the vehicle interior. Results of in-depth investigations thereby provide the most objective way to identify current and emerging injury problems and issues in occupant safety and crash protection, and provide important feedback on the real-world performance of the latest restraint-system and vehicle crashworthiness technologies. To provide an objective understanding of real-world transportation safety issues for wheelchair-seated travelers, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) has been conducting and assembling data from in-depth investigations of motor-vehicle crashes and non-crash adverse moving-vehicle incidents, such as emergency vehicle braking, turning, and swerving, in which there was at least one vehicle occupant sitting in a wheelchair. The results of 39 investigations involving 42 wheelchair-seated occupants have been assembled and entered into a wheelchair-occupant crash/injury database. In addition, a biomechanical analysis of each case has been performed to identify key safety issues for wheelchair-seated travelers. The wheelchairs of 34 of the 42 occupants who were seated in wheelchairs while traveling in motor vehicles were effectively secured by either a four-point, strap-type tiedown system or a docking securement device, and all but one of these properly secured wheelchairs remained in place during the crash or non-collision event. However, 30 of the 42 occupants were improperly restrained, either because of non-use or incomplete use of available belt restraints, or because the belt restraints were improperly positioned on the occupant's body. Twenty-six of the 42 occupants sustained significant injuries and 10 of these occupants died as a direct result of injuries sustained, or from

Children's and Adults' Comfort Experience of Extra Seat Belts When Riding in the Rear Seat of a Passenger Car.

Science.gov (United States)

Osvalder, Anna-Lisa; Hansson, Ida; Bohman, Katarina

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to explore passengers' comfort experience of extra seat belts during on-road driving in the rear seat of a passenger car and to investigate how the use of extra belts affects children's and adults' attitudes to the product. Two different seat belt systems were tested, criss-cross (CC) and backpack (BP), consisting of the standard 3-point belt together with an additional 2-point belt. In total, 32 participants (15 children aged 6-10, 6 youths aged 11-15, and 11 adults aged 20-79, who differed considerably in size, shape, and proportions) traveled for one hour with each system, including city traffic and highway driving. Four video cameras monitored the test subject during the drive. Subjective data regarding emotions and perceived discomfort were collected in questionnaires every 20 min. A semistructured interview was held afterwards. All participant groups accepted the new products and especially the increased feeling of safety (P car. CC was appreciated for its symmetry, comfort, and the perceived feeling of safety. Some participants found CC unpleasant because the belts tended to slip close to the neck, described as a strangling feeling. BP was simpler to use and did not cause annoyance to the neck in the way CC did. Instead, it felt asymmetric and to some extent less safe than CC. Body size and shape affected seat belt fit to a great extent, which in turn affected the experience of comfort, both initially and over time. Perceived safety benefit and experienced comfort were the most determinant factors for the attitude toward the extra seat belts. The extra seat belts were perceived as being better than the participants had expected before the test, and they became more used to them over time. This exploratory study provided valuable knowledge from a user perspective for further development of new seat belt systems in cars. In addition to an increased feeling of safety, seat belt fit and comfort are supplementary influencing

Social prejudice hindering proper use of car safety seats.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanburoglu, Mehmet Kenan; Cizmeci, Mehmet Nevzat; Akelma, Ahmet Zulfikar; Orun, Emel; Yesilyurt, Kubra; Tatli, Mustafa Mansur

2013-12-01

The compliance of parents with child passenger safety (CPS) has been mainly explained by their level of knowledge. Social, ethnic and cultural factors have not been investigated in detail. This study investigated the rate of compliance of parents with CPS guidelines, as well as the factors hindering it. Parents of infants aged 2-10 days were enrolled. The proportions of families obtaining a car safety seat (CSS; 57%) and complying with CPS recommendations (2%) were very low. Most of the parents thought CSS were harmful for infants (mother, 57%; father, 63%), despite having already purchased one. Parents believed their children to be too small to use CSS and cannot sit in CSS because they should lie flat on their backs at all times. These prejudices may be due to the social and cultural circumstances specific to Turkey, or corresponding findings may be found in countries with similar socioeconomic status. © 2013 The Authors. Pediatrics International © 2013 Japan Pediatric Society.

NASA Standards Inform Comfortable Car Seats

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

NASA developed standards, which included the neutral body posture (NBP), to specify ways to design flight systems that support human health and safety. Nissan Motor Company, with US offices in Franklin, Tennessee, turned to NASA's NBP research for the development of a new driver's seat. The 2013 Altima now features the new seat, and the company plans to incorporate the seats in upcoming vehicles.

High levels of incorrect use of car seat belts and child restraints in Fife--an important and under-recognised road safety issue.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, H; Macdonald, S; Richardson, P

1997-03-01

To pilot data collection instruments and to make a preliminary estimate of the level of incorrect use of car seat belts and child restraints in Fife, Scotland. Cross sectional survey of cars containing adults and children at a number of public sites across Fife in 1995 to assess use of car occupant restraints. Trained road safety officers assessed whether seat restraints were appropriate for the age of the passengers and whether restraints were used correctly. These assessments were based on standards published by the Child Accident Prevention Trust. The survey gathered data from 596 occupants in 180 cars: 327 adults and 269 children. Ten per cent of drivers who were approached refused to participate. Car occupant restraint was assessed in 180 drivers, 151 front seat passengers, and 265 rear seat passengers. Three hundred and sixty one occupants wore seat belts, 68 were restrained by a seat belt and booster cushion, 63 in toddler seats, 25 in two way seats, and 18 in rear facing infant carriers. Ninety seven per cent of drivers, 95% of front seat passengers, and 77% of rear seat passengers were restrained. However, in 98 (52%) vehicles at least one passenger was restrained by a device that was used incorrectly. Seven per cent of adults and 28% of children were secured incorrectly. The commonest errors were loose seat belts and restraint devices not adequately secured to the seat. Rates of incorrect use were highest in child seat restraints, reaching 60% with two way seats and 44% with rear facing infant seats. The incorrect use of car occupant restraints is an under-recognised problem, both by health professionals, and the general public. Incorrect use has been shown to reduce the effectiveness of restraints, can itself result in injury, and is likely to be an important factor in child passenger injuries. The correct use of car seat restraints merits greater attention in strategies aiming to reduce road traffic casualties. Areas of intervention that could be

Pregnancy: Should I Use a Seat Belt?

Science.gov (United States)

... passenger has not been shown to affect the safety of an unborn baby in a crash. Injuries from car crashes tend to be less serious in people who are sitting in the back seat. If you are not driving, you may want to sit in the back seat. It is still important to wear a seat belt, no matter where ...

Auto Safety

Science.gov (United States)

... Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Auto Safety KidsHealth / For Parents / Auto Safety What's in this ... by teaching some basic rules. Importance of Child Safety Seats Using a child safety seat (car seat) ...

Seat and seatbelt accommodation in fire apparatus: Anthropometric aspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsiao, Hongwei; Whitestone, Jennifer; Wilbur, Michael; Lackore, J Roger; Routley, J Gordon

2015-11-01

This study developed anthropometric information on U.S. firefighters to guide fire-apparatus seat and seatbelt designs and future standards development. A stratified sample of 863 male and 88 female firefighters across the U.S. participated in the study. The study results suggested 498 mm in width, 404 mm in depth, and 365-476 mm in height for seat pans; 429-522 mm in width and 542 mm in height for seat back; 871 mm in height for head support; a seat space of 733 mm at shoulder and 678 mm at hip; and a knee/leg clearance of 909 mm in fire truck cab. Also, 1520 mm of lap belt web effective length and 2828 mm of lap-and-shoulder belt web effective length were suggested. These data for fire-truck seats and seatbelts provide a foundation for fire apparatus manufacturers and standards committees to improve firefighter seat designs and seatbelt usage compliance. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

1991 National campaign to increase safety belt usage.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA

1992-01-01

The central theme of this paper is the national campaign of the USA to be conducted in 1991 and 1992, in order to reach the goal of 70 percent safety belt usage by 1992. Among other things, it is shown that visible enforcement of existing laws offers the greatest potential for achieving this goal.

Numerical simulation on flow field of nuclear safety grade 2 single-seat pneumatic diaphragm control valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong Yun; Zhang Jige; Wang Dezhong; Shi Jianzhong

2010-01-01

The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method is employed to simulate numerically the steady flow and transient flow under variable openings of the nuclear safety grade 2 single-seat pneumatic diaphragm control valve, which is a sleeve valve. The steady simulations under rated condition tells that there is a large amount of vortex in the valve seat necking and around the valve cone, which leads to a much greater flow impact on the head of the valve cone and uneven pressure distribution on spool face. More consideration should be taken on the characteristics of the valve cone accordingly, when designing a valve of this kind. Then the transient flow under 100% and 40% openings is simulated numerically on the basis of steady simulations. The pulsation of the pressure magnitude at the points with large vorticity, in the valve seat necking and around the valve cone, is monitored. The main pulsation frequencies differ from the low natural frequencies of the model, which means that it is safe from leading to structural resonance. (authors)

Newborn Parent Based Intervention to Increase Child Safety Seat Use

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiangxiang Liu

2016-08-01

Full Text Available This paper intends to assess the effect of a maternity department intervention on improvement of knowledge and use of child safety seats (CSS among newborn parents. An intervention study included three groups (one education plus free CSS intervention group, one education only group, and one control group. The participants were parents of newborns in the maternity department of two hospitals. Both of the intervention groups received a folded pamphlet of child passenger safety, a height chart and standardized safety education during their hospital stay after giving birth. The education plus free CSS intervention group received an additional free CSS and professional installation training at hospital discharge. The control group received a pamphlet with educational information about nutrition and food safety. Three months after enrollment, a telephone follow-up was conducted among participants in the three groups. Data on child passenger safety knowledge, risky driving behaviors, and use of CSS were evaluated before and after the intervention. A total of 132 newborn parents were enrolled in the study; of those, 52 (39.4% were assigned into the education plus free CSS intervention group, 44 (33.3% were in the education intervention only group, and 36 (27.3% were in the control group. No significant differences existed in demographics among the three groups. There was a significant difference in newborn parents’ child passenger safety knowledge and behaviors in the three groups before and after the intervention. In addition, the CSS use increased significantly in the education plus free CSS group after the intervention compared to parents in the education only or control groups. Education on safety, combined with a free CSS and professional installation training, were effective at increasing newborn parents’ knowledge and use of CSS. Future studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up are needed to determine a long-term effect of the

Newborn Parent Based Intervention to Increase Child Safety Seat Use

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiangxiang; Yang, Jingzhen; Cheng, Fuyuan; Li, Liping

2016-01-01

This paper intends to assess the effect of a maternity department intervention on improvement of knowledge and use of child safety seats (CSS) among newborn parents. An intervention study included three groups (one education plus free CSS intervention group, one education only group, and one control group). The participants were parents of newborns in the maternity department of two hospitals. Both of the intervention groups received a folded pamphlet of child passenger safety, a height chart and standardized safety education during their hospital stay after giving birth. The education plus free CSS intervention group received an additional free CSS and professional installation training at hospital discharge. The control group received a pamphlet with educational information about nutrition and food safety. Three months after enrollment, a telephone follow-up was conducted among participants in the three groups. Data on child passenger safety knowledge, risky driving behaviors, and use of CSS were evaluated before and after the intervention. A total of 132 newborn parents were enrolled in the study; of those, 52 (39.4%) were assigned into the education plus free CSS intervention group, 44 (33.3%) were in the education intervention only group, and 36 (27.3%) were in the control group. No significant differences existed in demographics among the three groups. There was a significant difference in newborn parents’ child passenger safety knowledge and behaviors in the three groups before and after the intervention. In addition, the CSS use increased significantly in the education plus free CSS group after the intervention compared to parents in the education only or control groups. Education on safety, combined with a free CSS and professional installation training, were effective at increasing newborn parents’ knowledge and use of CSS. Future studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up are needed to determine a long-term effect of the intervention. PMID

Knowledge, attitude and use of seat belt among commercial drivers ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The effectiveness of seat belt usage in reducing the severity of the sequelae of road traffic accidents is widely known. ... Each correct response to the knowledge questions was scored one mark and wrong response or non-response was ...

Design and Evaluation Methods for Optimizing Ejection Seat Cushions for Comfort and Safety

Science.gov (United States)

1977-02-01

buttocks to the seat cushion or seat pan. Kohara , a Japaners Investigator discussed the problems of seating comfort and the measuren.ent of buttock/seat...loads In an unpublished report in 1965 (23) and subsequently In a magazine article In 1966 (24). Kohara was able to weasure pressures by means of...Isolation. Kohara has also studied the vibration Isolation requirements in high speed trains (23, 2’). Howeveri the seat cushion has been used only rarely in

Patient safety during assistant propelled wheelchair transfers: the effect of the seat cushion on risk of falling.

Science.gov (United States)

Okunribido, Olanrewaju O

2013-01-01

This article is a report of a study of the effect of the seat cushion on risk of falling from a wheelchair. Two laboratory studies and simulated assistant propelled wheelchair transfers were conducted with four healthy female participants. For the laboratory studies there were three independent variables: trunk posture (upright/flexed forward), seat cushion (flat polyurethane/propad low profile), and feet condition (dangling/supported), and two dependent variables: occupied wheelchair (wheelchair) center of gravity (CG), and stability. For the simulated transfers there was one independent variable: seat cushion (flat polyurethane/propad low profile), and one dependent variable: perception of safety (risk of falling). Results showed that the wheelchair CG was closer to the front wheels, and stability lower for the propad low profile cushion compared to the polyurethane cushion, when the participants sat with their feet dangling. During the simulated transfers, sitting on the propad low profile cushion caused participants to feel more apprehensive (anxious or uneasy) compared to sitting on the polyurethane cushion. The findings can contribute to the assessment of risk and care planning of non-ambulatory wheelchair users.

Non-Compliance of Malaysia Motor Vehicles (Safety Seatbelts) Rules 1978

OpenAIRE

Sivasankar SAMBASIVAM; Karmegam KARUPPIAH; Shamsul Bahri Mohd Tamrin; Kulanthayan Subramaniam; Hassan Sadeghi Naeini

2015-01-01

Background: Seat belts have been proven as one of the most successful means of preventing or reducing injuries to occupants of cars during an accident. This paper examines the reasons behind the non-compliance of the seat belt law in Malaysia and suggests possible measures to get the percentage of seat belt usage up higher.Methods: Various databases of articles were searched for seat belt usage in Malaysia, related legislation, related accident data, type of injuries and reviewed to put forth...

76 FR 31803 - Airworthiness Directives; Koito Industries, Ltd., Seats and Seating Systems Approved Under...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-02

... CONTACT: Patrick Farina, Aerospace Engineer, Cabin Safety Branch, ANM-150L, FAA, Los Angeles Aircraft... understands that the FAA considers this phased testing structure as an acceptable testing plan, but also... the suspect seats were witnessed by FAA ``delegates'' (designated engineering representatives (DERs...

Knowledge, attitude and use of seat belt among commercial drivers in Sokoto Metropolis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A O Abiola

2010-01-01

Conclusion: This study has identified high level of knowledge, positive attitude and reported use of seat belt. It is recommended that public awareness of the safety benefits of seat belts and strong enforcement are necessary to achieve optimal use of seat belt.

Enhancement of pressurizer safety valve operability by seating design improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moisidis, N.T.; Ratiu, M.D.

1994-01-01

Operating conditions specific to Pressurizer Safety Valves (PSVs) have led to numerous problems and have caused industry and NRC concerns regarding the adequacy of spring loaded self-actuated safety valves for Reactor Coolant System (RCS) overpressure protection. Specific concerns are: setpoint drift, spurious actuations and leakage. Based on testing and valve construction analysis of a Crosby model 6M6 PSV, it was established that the primary contributor to the valve problems is a susceptibility to weak seating. To eliminate spring instability, a new spring washer was designed, which guides the spring and precludes its rotation from the reference installed position. Results of tests performed on a prototype PSV equipped with the modified upper spring washer has shown significant improvements in valve operability and a consistent setpoint reproducibility to less than ±1% of the PSV setpoint (testing of baseline, unmodified valve, resulted in a setpoint drift of ±2%). Enhanced valve operability will result in a significant decrease in operating and maintenance costs associated with valve maintenance and testing. In addition, the enhanced setpoint reproducibility will allow the development of a nitrogen to steam correlation for future in-house PSV testing which will result in further reductions in costs associated with valve testing

75 FR 31691 - Safety Standard for Infant Bath Seats: Final Rule

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-04

... would actually make the requirement less restrictive than what is already in the voluntary standard. For... various water levels and possible head positions of occupants vs. angles of bath seats to determine what... instructional literature or warnings, it is foreseeable that caregivers will install the bath seat on a wet and...

International survey of seat belt use exemptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, H; Sirin, H; Levine, J A; Sauber, E

2006-08-01

Substantial evidence of seatbelt efficacy has been shown by several studies, and it is widely recommended that motor vehicle occupants use properly fitted seat belts. However, some (but a heretofore unknown number of) countries with national seat belt laws permit various exemptions which may lower use rates. The aim of this study was to survey the variety of exemptions to national seat belt laws. This investigation relied on identifying respondents from national traffic safety agencies, other governmental and non-governmental organizations, Internet searches, personal contacts, and other sources. Questionnaires were deployed through a web based survey supplemented by email and postal versions. Responses were received from 30 countries of which 28 (93.7%) had a national seat belt law. About two thirds (63.7%) of the 28 national laws applied to both front and back seat passengers. The leading exemption types included vehicles made before a certain year (n = 13), antique vehicles (n = 12), military vehicles (n = 11), buses (n = 9), and emergency vehicles (n = 8). Most responding countries reported one or more specific categories of individuals as exempt including those with medical exemptions (n = 20), taxi drivers (n = 11), police (n = 9), emergency medical personnel (n = 8), physically disabled people (n = 6), and pregnant women (n = 6). Out of 26 responses to the question regarding current level of enforcement, 42.3% felt enforcement was "very good or good" and 57.7% characterized it as "fair or poor". This study represents one of the largest international traffic law surveys reported. Most national seatbelt laws offer perilous exemptions to a broad array of vehicle types and road user groups. These findings, coupled with concern over the level of enforcement in the majority of countries surveyed, suggest that international road safety efforts have a long way to go to improve coverage and enforcement of national seat belt laws.

49 CFR 392.16 - Use of seat belts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY REGULATIONS DRIVING OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES Driving of Commercial Motor Vehicles § 392.16 Use of seat belts. A commercial motor vehicle which...

Child seat belt guidelines: Examining the 4 feet 9 inches rule as the standard.

Science.gov (United States)

Morse, Amber M; Aitken, Mary E; Mullins, Samantha H; Miller, Beverly K; Pomtree, Mindy M; Ulloa, Erin M; Montgomery, Jeffrey S; Saylors, Marie E

2017-11-01

Current American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations regarding transition from child safety/booster seat to adult safety belt use indicate that children should be at least 4 feet 9 inches, 8 years old, or 80 pounds. Proper fit in the vehicle seat, assessed with a five-point fit test, should also be met. Although most children reach 4 feet 9 inches around age 8 years, each child and vehicle presents a unique combination; thus a child may not fit appropriately in all vehicle types using only the 4 feet 9 inches requirement. We enrolled children, aged 7 years to 12 years, into our study. Height, weight, and demographic data were obtained. A Child Passenger Safety Technician then performed the five-point fit test in each of a uniform lineup of five vehicles. Data were collected on fit in the standard vehicle seat and also in a booster seat. We set 90% as the threshold proportion of children who meet all criteria for proper fit to validate current recommendations of a height of 4 feet 9 inches. Data were collected on 388 children. The percentage of 90% proper fit was met in the compact car and small sport-utility vehicle (SUV). However, only 80 (77%) of 104 students (p guidelines for an adult seat belt do not meet safety requirements for fit, especially in larger, commonly used vehicles (large SUVs and trucks). This emphasizes the need for evaluation of fit by a trained personnel and/or development of standard back seat dimensions in all vehicles for maximum safety. Epidemiologic level 1.

Improving Patient Safety in Hospitals through Usage of Cloud Supported Video Surveillance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Predrag Dašić

2017-03-01

CONCLUSION: Patient safety is a growing issue which can be improved with the usage of high-end centralised surveillance systems allowing the staff to focus more on treating health issues rather that keeping a watchful eye on potential incidents.

Enhancement of pressurizer safety valve operability by seating design improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moisidis, N.T.; Ratiu, M.D.

1995-01-01

Operating conditions specific to pressurizer safety valves (PSVs) have led to numerous problems and have caused industry and NRC concerns regarding the adequacy of spring-loaded self-actuated safety valves for reactor coolant system (RCS) overpressure protection. Specific concerns are: setpoint drift, spurious actuations, and pressure protection. Specific concerns are: setpoint drift, spurious actuations, and leakage. Based on testing and valve construction analysis of a Crosby model 6M6 PSV (Moisidis and Ratiu, 1992), it was established that the primary contributor to the valve problems is a susceptibility to weak seating. To eliminate spring instability, a new spring washer was designed, which guides the spring and precludes its rotation from the reference installed position. Results of tests performed on a prototype PSV equipped with the modified upper spring washer has shown significant improvements in valve operability and a consistent setpoint reproducibility to less than ±1% of the PSV setpoint (testing of baseline, unmodified valve, resulted in a setpoint drift of ± 2%). Enhanced valve operability will result in a significant decrease in operating and maintenance costs associated with valve maintenance and testing. In addition, the enhanced setpoint reproducibility will allow the development of a nitrogen to steam correlation for future in-house PSV testing which will result in further reductions in costs associated with valve testing

Investigation and identification of factors affecting migrating peasant workers' usage of safety footwear in the Chinese construction industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Suo, Qinghui; Zhang, Daming

2017-09-01

A sample of 300 migrating peasant workers from 15 Chinese building construction sites completed a demographic questionnaire to investigate the usage of safety footwear. The survey form was constructed based on the theory of planned behaviour, and a total of 12 questions focusing on the workers' past experience, attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control were included in the survey. It was found that 92% of the participants did not wear safety footwear while working on construction sites, although more than 91% of them believed that safety footwear would protect the foot from injury; none of the participants had been provided free safety footwear by their employer. Regression analysis shows that employers' attitude is the most important factor affecting their usage of safety footwear, 'providing free safety footwear' and 'comfortability of the safety footwear' ranking second and third respectively.

Compatibility of booster seats and vehicles in the U.S. market.

Science.gov (United States)

Bing, Julie A; Agnew, Amanda M; Bolte, John H

2018-05-19

The objective of this study was to analyze booster and rear vehicle seat dimensions to identify the most frequent compatibility problems. Measurements were collected from 40 high-back and backless boosters and 95 left rear and center rear row seating positions in 50 modern vehicles. Dimensions were compared for 3,800 booster/vehicle seat combinations. For validation and estimation of tolerance and correction factors, 72 booster installations were physically completed and compared with measurement-based compatibility predictions. Dimensions were also compared to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) volumetric envelopes of forward-facing child restraints and boosters. Seat belt buckles in outboard positions accommodated the width of boosters better than center positions (success rates of 85.4 and 34.7%, respectively). Adequate head restraint clearance occurred in 71.9 to 77.2% of combinations, depending on the booster's head support setting. Booster recline angles aligned properly with vehicle seat cushion angles in 71.5% of combinations. In cases of poor angle alignment, booster angles were more obtuse than the vehicle seat angles 97.7% of the time. Head restraint interference exacerbated angle alignment issues. Data indicate success rates above 90% for boosters being fully supported by the length of the seat cushion and for adequate height clearance with the vehicle roofline. Comparison to ISO envelopes indicates that most boosters on the U.S. market are taller and angled more obtusely than ISO target envelopes. This study quantifies some of the common interferences between boosters and vehicles that may complicate booster usage. Data are useful for design and to prioritize specific problem areas.

Impact of Implementing a Primary Enforcement Seat Belt Law in Florida : A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-01

On June 30, 2009, Florida implemented a primary seat belt law. The State was already engaged in a Rural : Demonstration Program (RDP) to increase belt usage in rural areas in the northern part of the State and participated : regularly in annual Click...

Effects of organizational safety practices and perceived safety climate on PPE usage, engineering controls, and adverse events involving liquid antineoplastic drugs among nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

DeJoy, David M; Smith, Todd D; Woldu, Henok; Dyal, Mari-Amanda; Steege, Andrea L; Boiano, James M

2017-07-01

Antineoplastic drugs pose risks to the healthcare workers who handle them. This fact notwithstanding, adherence to safe handling guidelines remains inconsistent and often poor. This study examined the effects of pertinent organizational safety practices and perceived safety climate on the use of personal protective equipment, engineering controls, and adverse events (spill/leak or skin contact) involving liquid antineoplastic drugs. Data for this study came from the 2011 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Health and Safety Practices Survey of Healthcare Workers which included a sample of approximately 1,800 nurses who had administered liquid antineoplastic drugs during the past seven days. Regression modeling was used to examine predictors of personal protective equipment use, engineering controls, and adverse events involving antineoplastic drugs. Approximately 14% of nurses reported experiencing an adverse event while administering antineoplastic drugs during the previous week. Usage of recommended engineering controls and personal protective equipment was quite variable. Usage of both was better in non-profit and government settings, when workers were more familiar with safe handling guidelines, and when perceived management commitment to safety was higher. Usage was poorer in the absence of specific safety handling procedures. The odds of adverse events increased with number of antineoplastic drugs treatments and when antineoplastic drugs were administered more days of the week. The odds of such events were significantly lower when the use of engineering controls and personal protective equipment was greater and when more precautionary measures were in place. Greater levels of management commitment to safety and perceived risk were also related to lower odds of adverse events. These results point to the value of implementing a comprehensive health and safety program that utilizes available hazard controls and effectively communicates

Child seat belt guidelines: Examining the 4 feet 9 inches rule as the standard.

Science.gov (United States)

Morse, Amber M; Aitken, Mary E; Mullins, Samantha H; Miller, Beverly K; Pomtree, Mindy M; Ulloa, Erin M; Montgomery, Jeffrey S; Saylors, Marie E

2017-08-01

Current American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations regarding transition from child safety/booster seat to adult safety belt use indicate that children should be at least 4 feet 9 inches, 8 years old, or 80 pounds. Proper fit in the vehicle seat, assessed with a five-point fit test, should also be met. Although most children reach 4 feet 9 inches around age 8 years, each child and vehicle presents a unique combination; thus a child may not fit appropriately in all vehicle types using only the 4 feet 9 inches requirement. We enrolled children, aged 7 years to 12 years, into our study. Height, weight, and demographic data were obtained. A Child Passenger Safety Technician then performed the five-point fit test in each of a uniform lineup of five vehicles. Data were collected on fit in the standard vehicle seat and also in a booster seat. We set 90% as the threshold proportion of children who meet all criteria for proper fit to validate current recommendations of a height of 4 feet 9 inches. Data were collected on 388 children. The percentage of 90% proper fit was met in the compact car and small sport-utility vehicle (SUV). However, only 80 (77%) of 104 students (p vehicles (large SUVs and trucks). This emphasizes the need for evaluation of fit by a trained personnel and/or development of standard back seat dimensions in all vehicles for maximum safety. Epidemiologic study, level III; Therapeutic study, level V.

Active Head Restraints Used to Improve the Car Seats Safety in a Rear Impact Situation, in Accordance with the Requirements of EURO NCAP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Yu. Solopov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This article is devoted to the urgent, presently, problem that is to ensure the best level of the passive safety of car seats with active head restraints, as well as to assess the effectiveness of such constructional designs. This is an impact-related task, to be, as a consequence, essentially nonlinear with large deformations, strains and accelerations.To solve this problem finite element models of three types of seat designs with active head restraints have been developed. When creating the simulation FEM a number of CAD (Computer Aided Design/CAE (Computer Aided Engineering software was used.This work was performed within the framework of the developed technique, which allows an efficient creation of the car seat designs with passive and active head restraints that meet requirements of the passive safety.The results of calculations and experiments allowed us to find that the active head restraint significantly reduced a NIC (Neck Injury Criterion value, namely up to 36.92 (4% when using the active headrest with articulated tilting couch, 29.23 (per 24% when using the active headrest with sliding pad, and 26.15 (31% when using the active head restraint, which is provided with an airbag. We have also managed to achieve significantly reduced head acceleration under impact.It was found that FEM seats with active head restraint, which is provided with an airbag, are the most secure because of the least NIC value under the impact (26.15.Presented in the article materials are used in teaching students at the department “Wheeled vehicles” of scientific and educational complex "Special engineering" in BMSTU.

Experimental study on occupant evacuation in narrow seat aisle

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Shenshi; Lu, Shouxiang; Lo, Siuming; Li, Changhai; Guo, Yafei

2018-07-01

Narrow seat aisle is an important area in the train car interior due to the large passenger population, however evacuation therein has not gained enough concerns. In this experimental study, the occupant evacuation of the narrow seat aisle area is investigated, with the aisle width of 0.4-0.6 m and the evacuation direction of forward and backward. The evacuation behaviors are analyzed based on the video record, and the discussion is carried out in the aspect of evacuation time, crowdedness, evacuation order, and aisle conflicts. The result shows that with the increasing aisle width, total evacuation time and the average specific evacuation rate decrease. The aisle is crowded for some time, with a large linear occupant densities. The evacuation order of each occupant is mainly related to the seat position. Moreover, it is found that the aisle conflicts can be well described by Burstedde's model. This study gives a useful benchmark for evacuation simulation of narrow seat aisle, and provides reference to safety design of seat area in train cars.

ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF FLIGHT PERSONNEL FOR DESIGNING DAMPERS FOR SHOCKPROOF SEATS OF HELICOPTER CREWS.

Science.gov (United States)

Moiseev, Yu B; Ignatovich, S N; Strakhov, A Yu

The article discusses anthropometric design of shockproof pilot seats for state-of-the-art helicopters. Object of the investigation was anthropometric parameters of the helicopter aviation personnel of the Russian interior troops. It was stated that the body parameters essential for designing helicopter seat dampers are mass of the body part that presses against the seat in the seating position, and eye level above the seat surface. An uncontrolled seat damper ensuring shockproof safety to 95 % helicopter crews must be designed for the body mass contacting the seat of 99.7 kg and eye level above the seat of 78.6 cm. To absorb.shock effectively, future dampers should be adjustable to pilot's body parameters. The optimal approach to anthropometric design of a helicopter seat is development of type pilot' body models with due account of pilot's the flight outfit and seat geometry. Principle criteria of type models are body mass and eye level. The authors propose a system of type body models facilitating specification of anthropometric data helicopter seat developers.

Impact of Active Climate Control Seats on Energy Use, Fuel Use, and CO2 Emissions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kreutzer, Cory J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Rugh, John P [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Titov, Eugene V [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Kekelia, Bidzina [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-11-28

A project was developed through collaboration between Gentherm and NREL to determine the impact of climate control seats for light-duty vehicles in the United States. The project used a combination of experimentation and analysis, with experimental results providing critical input to the analysis process. First, outdoor stationary vehicle testing was performed at NREL's facility in Golden, CO using multiple occupants. Two pre-production Ford Focus electric vehicles were used for testing; one containing a standard inactive seat and the second vehicle containing a Gentherm climate control seat. Multiple maximum cool-down and steady-state cooling tests were performed in late summer conditions. The two vehicles were used to determine the increase in cabin temperature when using the climate control seat in comparison to the baseline vehicle cabin temperature with a standard seat at the equivalent occupant whole-body sensation. The experiments estimated that on average, the climate control seats allowed for a 2.61 degrees Celsius increase in vehicle cabin temperature at equivalent occupant body sensation compared to the baseline vehicle. The increased cabin air temperature along with their measured energy usage were then used as inputs to the national analysis process. The national analysis process was constructed from full vehicle cabin, HVAC, and propulsion models previously developed by NREL. In addition, three representative vehicle platforms, vehicle usage patterns, and vehicle registration weighted environmental data were integrated into the analysis process. Both the baseline vehicle and the vehicle with climate control seats were simulated, using the experimentally determined cabin temperature offset of 2.61degrees Celsius and added seat energy as inputs to the climate control seat vehicle model. The U.S. composite annual fuel use savings for the climate control seats over the baseline A/C system was determined to be 5.1 gallons of gasoline per year per

A cost benefit analysis of an enhanced seat belt enforcement program in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, G T; Olukoga, I A

2005-04-01

To examine whether a program to increase the wearing of seat belts in a South African urban area would be worthwhile in societal terms. A cost benefit analysis of a one year enhanced seat belt enforcement program in eThekwini (Durban) Municipality. Data were drawn from two main sources--a 1998 study of the cost of road crashes in South Africa and, given the absence of other data, a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of various types of interventions to reduce road crash casualties in the United States--and were analyzed using cost benefit analysis. A program designed to enforce greater wearing of seat belts, estimated to cost 2 million rand in one year, could be reasonably expected to increase seat belt usage rates by 16 percentage points and reduce fatalities and injuries by 9.5%. This would result in saved social costs of 13.6 million rand in the following year or a net present value of 11.6 million rand. There would also be favorable consequences for municipal finances. Investment in a program to increase seat belt wearing rates is highly profitable in societal terms.

Seat belt reminders.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

2008-01-01

Seat belts are an effective way of reducing the number or road deaths and severe road injuries in crashes. Seat belt reminders warn car drivers and passengers if the seat belt is not fastened. This can be done by a visual signal or an acoustic signal or by a combination of the two. Seat belt

Compliance with Use of Seat Belt among Commercial Drivers in a Nigerian Community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oluwole C. Omolase

2012-06-01

Full Text Available AIM: This study aimed at determining compliance with use of seat belt among commercial intercity drivers. METHOD: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in Owo, South West Nigeria among commercial intercity drivers between June and September, 2009. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethical Review Committee of Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria prior to commencement of this study. The permission of the leadership of Road Transport Workers’ Union was also sought and obtained. Ninety intercity commercial drivers out of the estimated one hundred and sixty intercity commercial drivers in the community were enrolled in this study. Informed consent was obtained from each of the respondents. The data obtained was collated and analyzed with SPSS 15.0.1 statistical soft ware version. RESULTS: Ninety respondents were enrolled in this study. The driving experience of the respondents revealed that most respondents: 53 (58.9% had more than 20 years driving experience. Most respondents;78 (86.7% complied with use of seat belt .The main barrier to compliance with seat belt was short trip;28 (50.9%.Most respondents; 67 (74.4%were in support of penalization of defaulters. The major source of awareness about seat belt was Federal Road Safety Corps;59 (65.6%. CONCLUSION: Most respondents complied with use of seat belt. The major barrier to compliance with seat belt was short trip within the community. The Federal Road Safety Corps should enforce compliance with the use of seat belt most especially within communities. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2012; 11(3.000: 281-286

Car child safety seats use among Iranian children in Mashad.

Science.gov (United States)

Karbakhsh, Mojgan; Jarahi, Lida

2016-01-01

Despite the strong evidence of child safety seats (CSSs) effectiveness in reducing injuries, it is still rarely used in some societies. The purpose of this study was to determine prevalence and predictors of CSS use in Mashad, Iran. Five hundred ninety kindergarten children whose parents owned a car were enrolled in the study. Parents were asked about using CSS for their children, reasons for CSS use/non-use, demographics, history of road traffic injuries and receiving any advice on CSS. Of families, 25.5% expressed that they used CSS for their child at present or any time in the past, but only 6.3% of children travelled restrained in CSS at the time of study. Age-appropriate CSS use was reported in 14.5% of infants and 2.3% of 1-5-year-old children. A significant relationship was observed between lower child age, higher maternal education and high family income with CSS use. The main reasons for CSS none-use were reported as not feeling the need (42%), followed by its high price (22%). Use of CSS was uncommon. The financial concerns and information gap about the essential need for CSS should be considered as priorities for action especially among lower socio-economic groups of society.

Nonconformities in real-world fatal crashes--electronic stability control and seat belt reminders.

Science.gov (United States)

Lie, Anders

2012-01-01

Many new safety systems are entering the market. Vision Zero is a safety strategy aiming at the elimination of fatalities and impairing injuries by the use of a holistic model for safe traffic to develop a safe system. The aim of this article is to analyze fatalities in modern cars with respect to the Vision Zero model with special respect to electronic stability control (ESC) systems and modern seat belt reminders (SBRs). The model is used to identify and understand cases where cars with ESC systems lost control and where occupants were unbelted in a seat with seat belt reminders under normal driving conditions. The model for safe traffic was used to analyze in-depth studies of fatal crashes with respect to seat belt use and loss of control. Vehicles from 2003 and later in crashes from January 2004 to mid-2010 were analyzed. The data were analyzed case by case. Cars that were equipped with ESC systems and lost control and occupants not using the seat belt in a seat with a seat belt reminder were considered as nonconformities. A total of 138 fatal crashes involving 152 fatally injured occupants were analyzed. Cars with ESC systems had fewer loss-of-control-relevant cases than cars without ESC systems. Thirteen percent of the ESC-equipped vehicles had loss-of-control-relevant crashes and 36 percent of the cars without ESC systems had loss-of-control-relevant crashes. The analysis indicates that only one car of the 9 equipped with ESC that lost control did it on a road surface with relevant friction when driving within the speed restriction of the road. In seats with seat belt reminders that are in accordance with the European New Car Assessment Programme's (Euro NCAP) protocol, 93 percent of the occupants were using a seat belt. In seats without reminders this number was 74 percent. This study shows that ESC systems result in a very significant reduction in fatal crashes, especially under normal driving conditions. Under extreme driving conditions such as speeding

Seat-belt use still low in Kuwait: self-reported driving behaviours among adult drivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Raman, Sudha R; Ottensmeyer, C Andrea; Landry, Michel D; Alfadhli, Jarrah; Procter, Steven; Jacob, Susan; Hamdan, Elham; Bouhaimed, Manal

2014-01-01

Kuwait mandated seat-belt use by drivers in 1976 and by front seat passengers in 1994. The study objectives were to identify and estimate current factors associated with seat-belt use and levels of potentially unsafe driving behaviours in Kuwait. In 2010, 741 adults were surveyed regarding driving habits and history. Only 41.6% of drivers reported always using a seat belt. Front seat passenger belt use was more common (30.5%) than rear seat belt use (6.5%). Distracted driving behaviours were common, including mobile phone use ('always' or 'almost always': 51.1%) and texting/SMS (32.4%). Logistic regression indicated that drivers who were young (18-19 years), male, Kuwaiti nationals or non-Kuwaiti Arabs, drove over the speed limit, had traffic violation tickets or >1 car crashes in the last year, were less likely to use seat belts. Targeted initiatives to increase public awareness and to enforce car-safety legislation, including use of seat belts, are necessary to decrease the health burden of car crashes in Kuwait.

The dynamic response of human subjects while seated in car seats.

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, M H; Magnusson, M; Broman, N H; Hasson, T

1998-01-01

A pendulum impact method was used to establish the dynamic response of the seated subject. Threaded K wires were placed in the L3 spinous process. The gain and phase angle between the platform and the vertebra were established. The response of the subject was observed while seated on a platform and a variety of other seats. The seats were found to be very important in the attenuation of the impulse, leading to a higher transmissibility. Clinical Relevance Skeletal impact through the lower extremity is quite common in many occupations. The importance of posture and seat design in attenuation of impulses has been established.

Front versus rear seat placement of children aged 12 or younger within vehicles: a rural/urban comparison in North Dakota.

Science.gov (United States)

Huseth-Zosel, Andrea L

2012-01-01

Research has shown that rear-seated children are 36 to 40 percent safer than front-seated children. Because of the substantial differences in traffic safety culture that appear to exist in rural areas and the limited research regarding seat placement and rurality, this study seeks to contribute to the safety literature by determining at what rate children are riding in the front seat and whether differences exist between rural and urban areas in regards to child front seat placement. Current child placement frequencies within vehicles were ascertained through direct observations of morning child drop-offs at randomly selected urban and rural elementary schools in eastern North Dakota during November and December of 2009, with a focus on children aged 12 or younger. Two observers wearing orange safety vests and carrying observation sheets were stationed at each elementary school a minimum of 45 min prior to each school's designated start time. Based on the vehicles that entered the school's parking lot/drop-off circle and from which a minimum of one child exited, observers were instructed to record vehicle type, presence of children in the front seat appearing to be younger than 13 years old, availability of room in the back seat, and placement of other children in the vehicle. During November and December of 2009 a total of 537 vehicles were observed at urban schools and 150 vehicles were observed at rural schools. Of the 537 vehicles observed at urban schools, 28.7 percent had children seated in the front seat, whereas 41.3 percent of the 150 vehicles observed at rural schools had front-seated children. Significant urban/rural differences exist in child seat placement, with vehicles in rural areas much more likely to be carrying front-seated children than vehicles in urban areas. Based on a sample of vehicles observed at urban and rural elementary schools in North Dakota, the results of this study indicate that there are significant rural/urban differences in

The dynamic response of human subjects while seated in car seats.

OpenAIRE

Pope, M. H.; Magnusson, M.; Broman, N. H.; Hasson, T.

1998-01-01

A pendulum impact method was used to establish the dynamic response of the seated subject. Threaded K wires were placed in the L3 spinous process. The gain and phase angle between the platform and the vertebra were established. The response of the subject was observed while seated on a platform and a variety of other seats. The seats were found to be very important in the attenuation of the impulse, leading to a higher transmissibility. Clinical Relevance Skeletal impact through the lower ext...

Take your seats: Leftward asymmetry in classroom seating choice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victoria Lynn Harms

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Despite an overall body symmetry, human behaviour is full of examples of asymmetry, from writing or gesturing to kissing and cradling. Prior research has revealed that theatre patrons show a bias towards sitting on the right side of a movie theatre. Two competing theories have attempted to explain this seating asymmetry: one posits that expectation of processing demand drives the bias; the other posits that basic motor asymmetries drive the bias. To test these theories we assessed the real-world classroom seating choices of university students using photographs. A bias for students to choose seats on the left side of the classroom was observed, in contrast to the right side bias observed in theatre seating studies. These results provide evidence in support of a processing-expectation bias.

Blast resistant vehicle seat

Science.gov (United States)

Ripley, Edward B

2013-02-12

Disclosed are various seats for vehicles particularly military vehicles that are susceptible to attack by road-bed explosive devices such as land mines or improvised explosive devices. The seats often have rigid seat shells and may include rigid bracing for rigidly securing the seat to the chassis of the vehicle. Typically embodiments include channels and particulate media such as sand disposed in the channels. A gas distribution system is generally employed to pump a gas through the channels and in some embodiments the gas is provided at a pressure sufficient to fluidize the particulate media when an occupant is sitting on the seat.

The Effects of Microgravity on Seated Height (Spinal Elongation)

Science.gov (United States)

Young, K. S.; Rajulu, S.

2011-01-01

ABSTRACT Many physiological factors, such as spinal elongation, fluid shifts, bone atrophy, and muscle loss, occur during an exposure to a microgravity environment. Spinal elongation is just one of the factors that can also affect the safety and performance of a crewmember while in space. Spinal elongation occurs due to the lack of gravity/compression on the spinal column. This allows for the straightening of the natural spinal curve. There is a possible fluid shift in the inter-vertebral disks that may also result in changes in height. This study aims at collecting the overall change in seated height for crewmembers exposed to a microgravity environment. During previous Programs, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) and Skylab, spinal elongation data was collected from a small number of subjects in a standing posture but were limited in scope. Data from these studies indicated a quick increase in stature during the first few days of weightlessness, after which stature growth reached a plateau resulting in up to a 3% increase of the original measurement [1-5]. However, this data was collected only for crewmembers in standing posture and not in a seated posture. Seated height may have a different effect than standing height due to a change in posture as well as due to a compounded effect of wearing restraints and a potential compression of the gluteal area. Seated height was deemed as a critical measurement in the design of the Constellation Program s (CxP) Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), called Orion which is now the point-of-departure vehicle for the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Program; therefore a better understanding of the effects of microgravity on seated height is necessary. Potential changes in seated height that may not have impacted crew accommodation in previous Programs will have significant effects on crew accommodation due to the layout of seats in the Orion.. The current and existing configuration is such that the four crewmembers are stacked two by

A field-based approach for examining bicycle seat design effects on seat pressure and perceived stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Bressel, Eadric; Bliss, Shantelle; Cronin, John

2009-05-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of various bicycle seat designs on seat pressure and perceived stability in male and female cyclists using a unique field-based methodology. Thirty participants, comprising male and female cyclists, pedaled a bicycle at 118W over a 350m flat course under three different seat conditions: standard seat, a seat with a partial anterior cutout, and a seat with a complete anterior cutout. The pressure between the bicycle seat and perineum of the cyclist was collected with a remote pressure-sensing mat, and perceived stability was assessed using a continuous visual analogue scale. Anterior seat pressure and stability values for the complete cutout seat were significantly lower (p<0.05; 62-101%) than values for the standard and partial cutout designs. These findings were consistent between males and females. Our results would support the contention that the choice of saddle design should not be dictated by interface pressure alone since optimal anterior seat pressure and perceived seat stability appear to be inversely related.

Application of a bus seat buffer to mitigate frontal crash effects

Science.gov (United States)

Stanisławek, Sebastian; Dziewulski, Paweł; Sławiński, Grzegorz

2018-01-01

The paper considers the problem of coach occupant safety during crash events. The authors present a simple low-cost seat buffer concept which may mitigate the effects of frontal impact. The method of computer simulation was chosen to solve the problem efficiently. The Finite Element Method (FEM) implemented in the LS-DYNA commercial code was used. The testing procedure was based on European Commission regulations, under which vehicles move at a defined speed. Simulations have shown that seat occupants suffer serious trauma during a crash, with the head experiencing relatively high acceleration, thus resulting in an HIC36 of 1490. The installation of a protective buffer mounted on the upper part of the seat reduced the HIC36 to only 510. However, in its current form it does not meet the requirements of the regulations. Further modifications to the overlay shape and structure are essential in order to better improve the deceleration of passengers' bodies. Moreover, a detailed model of seats and their anchorage should be taken into account. A more flexible structure should provide more positive and more accurate results.

Designation of facility usage categories for Hanford Site facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wodrich, D.; Ellingson, D.; Scott, M.; Schade, A.

1991-01-01

This report summarizes the Hanford Site methodology used to ensure facility compliance with the natural phenomena design criteria set forth in the US Department of Energy orders and guidance. In particular, the Hanford Site approach to designating a suitable facility open-quotes Usage Category,close quotes is presented. The current Hanford Site methodology for Usage Category designation is based on an engineered feature's safety function and on the feature's assigned Safety Class. At the Hanford Site, Safety Class assignments are deterministic in nature and are based on the consequences of failure, without regard to the likelihood of occurrence. The report also proposes a risk-based approach to Usage Category designation, which is being considered for future application at the Hanford Site. To establish a proper Usage Category designation, the safety analysis and engineering design processes must be coupled. This union produces a common understanding of the safety function(s) to be accomplished by the design feature(s) and a sound basis for the assignment of Usage Categories to the appropriate systems, structures, and components

The influence of parental education and other socio-economic factors on child car seat use.

Science.gov (United States)

Rok Simon, Mateja; Korošec, Aleš; Bilban, Marjan

2017-03-01

The behaviour of parents in ensuring car passenger safety for their children is associated with socio-economic (SE) status of the family; however, the influence of parental education has rarely been researched and the findings are contradictory. The aim of the study was to clarify whether parental education influences the use of a child car seat during short rides. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in outpatient clinics for children's healthcare across Slovenia. 904 parents of 3-year-old children participated in the study; the response rate was 95.9%. A self-administered questionnaire was used. A binary multiple logistic regression was applied to assess the association between parental unsafe behaviour as dependent variable, and education and other SE factors as independent variables. 14.6% of parents did not use a child car seat during short rides. Families where mother had low or college education had higher odds of the non-use of a child car seat than families where mother had a university education. Single-parent families and those who lived in areas with low or medium SE status also had higher odds of the non-use of a child car seat. Low educational attainment influences parents' behaviour regarding the non-use of a child car seat. Low parental education is not the only risk factor since some highly educated parents also have high odds of unsafe behaviour. All parents should therefore be included in individually tailored safety counselling programmes. SE inequalities could be further reduced with provision of free child car seats for eligible families.

Development of a method for rating climate seat comfort

Science.gov (United States)

Scheffelmeier, M.; Classen, E.

2017-10-01

The comfort aspect in the vehicle interior is becoming increasingly important. A high comfort level offers the driver a good and secure feeling and has a strong influence on passive traffic safety. One important part of comfort is the climate aspect, especially the microclimate that emerges between passenger and seat. In this research, different combinations of typical seat materials are used. Fourteen woven and knitted fabrics and eight leathers and its substitutes for the face fabric layer, one foam, one non-woven and one 3D spacer for the plus pad layer and for the support layer three foam types with variations in structure and raw material as well as one rubber hair structure were investigated. To characterise this sample set by thermo-physiological aspects (e.g. water vapour resistance Ret, thermal resistance Rct, buffering capacity of water vapour Fd) regular and modified sweating guarded hotplates were used according to DIN EN ISO 11092. The results of the material characterisation confirm the common knowledge that seat covers out of textiles have better water vapour resistance values than leathers and its substitutes. Subject trials in a driving simulator were executed to rate the subjective sensation while driving in a vehicle seat. With a thermal, sweating Manikin (Newton Type, Thermetrics) objective product measurements were carried out on the same seat. Indeed the subject trials show that every test subject has his or her own subjective perception concerning the climate comfort. The results of the subject trials offered the parameters for the Newton measuring method. Respectively the sweating rate, sit-in procedure, ambient conditions and sensor positions on and between the seat layers must be comparable with the subject trials. By taking care of all these parameters it is possible to get repeatable and reliable results with the Newton Manikin. The subjective feelings of the test subjects, concerning the microclimate between seat and passenger, provide

Injury severity and seating position in accidents with German EMS helicopters.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinkelbein, Jochen; Spelten, Oliver; Neuhaus, Christopher; Hinkelbein, Mandy; Özgür, Enver; Wetsch, Wolfgang A

2013-10-01

Accident rates and fatality rates for Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) missions have been investigated recently, but none of these studies considered the influence of the seating position in the helicopter. The aim of the present descriptive and observational study was to analyze injury severity depending on the seating position during HEMS accidents in Germany. Data from the German Federal Agency for Flight Accident Investigation was gathered for a period of 40 years (from 1970 to 2009). The seating position in the aircraft during the accident and the resulting injury severity (i.e., 1=no; 2=slight; 3=severe; and 4=fatal) were recorded. Injury severity was compared using the Fisher's exact test. P values accidents were investigated (n=61 accidents did not lead to any injuries in the occupants, n=7 accidents resulted in minor, and n=6 in severe injuries, and lethal injuries resulted from n=15 accidents). The occupant in the "patient" position was most likely to suffer from deadly injuries (44.9%), followed by the HEMS crew member rear seat (25.0%), compared to lower lethality rates in the other seating positions (9.4-11.2%). Sitting on the HEMS crew member rear seat also was associated with the highest percentage of severe and minor injuries (12.5% each). In HEMS accidents, the patients' position and the HEMS crew member rear seat were found to be at the highest risk for fatal or severe injuries. These results support the urgent requirement of a large international data base for HEMS accidents as a basis for further studies to improve the safety in HEMS missions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Designation of facility usage categories for Hanford Site facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodrich, D.D.; Ellingson, D.R.; Scott, M.A.; Schade, A.R.

1991-10-01

This report summarizes the Hanford Site methodology used to ensure facility compliance with the natural phenomena design criteria set forth in the US Department of Energy Orders and guidance. The current Hanford Site methodology for Usage Category designation is based on an engineered feature's safety function and on the feature's assigned Safety Class. At the Hanford Site, Safety Class assignments are deterministic in nature and are based on teh consequences of failure, without regard to the likelihood of occurrence. The report also proposes a risk-based approach to Usage Category designation, which is being considered for future application at the Hanford Site. To establish a proper Usage Category designation, the safety analysis and engineering design processes must be coupled. This union produces a common understanding of the safety function(s) to be accomplished by the design feature(s) and a sound basis for the assignment of Usage Categories to the appropriate systems, structures, and components. 4 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab

Inquiry relating to safety due to modification of usage of nuclear fuel material (establishment of waste safety testing facility) in Tokai Laboratory, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

Application was made to the director of the Science and Technology Agency (STA) for the license relating to the modification of usage of nuclear fuel material (the establishment of waste safety testing facility) from the director of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute on November 30, 1978. After passing through the safety evaluation in the Nuclear Safety Bureau of STA, inquiry was conducted to the head of the Atomic Energy Safety Commission (AESC) on June 6, 1979, from the director of the STA. The head of AESC directed to conduct the safety examination to the head of the Nuclear Fuel Safety Examination Specialist Committee on June 7, 1979. The content of the modification of usage of nuclear fuel material is the establishment of waste safety testing facility to study and test the safety relating to the treatment and disposal of high level radioactive liquid wastes due to the reprocessing of spent fuel. As for the results of the safety examination, the siting of the waste safety testing facility which is located in the Tokai Laboratory, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), and the test plan of the glass solidification of high level radioactive liquid are presented as the outline of the study plan. The building, main equipments including six cells, the isolation room and the glove box, the storage, and the disposal facilities for gas, liquid and solid wastes are explained as the outline of the facilities. Concerning the items from the viewpoint of safety, aseismatic design, slightly vacuum operation, shielding, decay heat removal, fire protection, explosion protection, criticality management, radiation management and environmental effect were evaluated, and the safety was confirmed. (Nakai, Y.)

EVALUATING EXTREMELY LOW FREQUENCY MAGNETIC FIELDS IN THE REAR SEATS OF THE ELECTRIC VEHICLES.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Jun; Lu, Meng; Wu, Tong; Yang, Lei; Wu, Tongning

2018-03-23

In the electric vehicles (EVs), children can sit on a safety seat installed in the rear seats. Owing to their smaller physical dimensions, their heads, generally, are closer to the underfloor electrical systems where the magnetic field (MF) exposure is the greatest. In this study, the magnetic flux density (B) was measured in the rear seats of 10 different EVs, for different driving sessions. We used the measurement results from different heights corresponding to the locations of the heads of an adult and an infant to calculate the induced electric field (E-field) strength using anatomical human models. The results revealed that measured B fields in the rear seats were far below the reference levels by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. Although small children may be exposed to higher MF strength, induced E-field strengths were much lower than that of adults due to their particular physical dimensions.

The 2007 click it or ticket high-visibility seat belt mobilization : traffic tech.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-01

In May 2007 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration : sponsored the fifth national Click It or Ticket (CIOT) : high-visibility seat belt enforcement mobilization, which followed : the CIOT program model of earned and paid media : publicizi...

Comfort, experience, physiology and car seat innovation : Theory, Design and Evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Franz, M.M.

2010-01-01

The development process of car seats is very complex and many factors have to be considered in the development, such as anthropometry, physiology, safety, design and comfort. A factor making it more complex is the fact that future cars should be more sustainable, making the need for weight reduction

The benefit of seat belt legislation in the United Kingdom.

Science.gov (United States)

McCarthy, M

1989-09-01

Legislation for compulsory wearing of seat belts by car drivers and front seat passengers has been acclaimed as a major public health advance. Reports from other countries, and two recent evaluative studies in the United Kingdom, have suggested that legislation reduces both deaths and injuries. To assess the effect of the UK law 5 years after its implementation, trends in routine data for 1976-1987 have been reviewed. There were two sources of data: mortality statistics, published by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in the quarterly Monitor DH4, and road accident statistics, recorded by the police and published by the Department of Transport. There is a downward trend in deaths over the period, but the data show little impact from the law. One explanation for this lack of effect is the risk compensation hypothesis, which suggests that "safety" improvements are transferred by drivers into increased performance--the amount and speed of travel. Public health policies need to take into account the complex behavioural interactions between travel and safety choices if they are to affect underlying trends.

[The use of seatbelts and child seats in drivers and passengers of motor vehicles in four metropolitan areas in Mexico].

Science.gov (United States)

Cervantes-Trejo, Arturo; Leenen, Iwin

2015-01-01

To estimate the rate of seatbelt and child seat use in drivers and passengers of motor vehicles in four metropolitan areas in Mexico (Guadalajara, León, Monterrey and Mexico City). To evaluate the impact of the Mexican Initiative for Road Safety (IMESEVI) in this respect. Data were collected at the start of IMESEVI (June 2008) and one year after the program's implementation (October 2009) in the four participating metropolitan areas. In particular, the use of seatbelts and child seats was observed in occupants of automobiles, station wagons, and light trucks. The sample included 28,412 (pre) and 52,274 (post) individuals, of which 1,454 (pre) and 1,679 (post) were younger than five years old. The data analysis was based on a hierarchical logistic model. Globally, the probability of using either safety device is 46% (95% CI: 43-49%) at baseline and 52% (95% CI: 48-55%) at the post measurement, with large differences, though, among the four participating metropolitan areas. Factors that significantly affect their use include the individual's position in the vehicle, the type and age of the vehicle, and the individual's sex. Child seat use is very limited. At baseline, about 17% (95% CI: 11-25%) of children below five years old travelled in a special seat, with this number increasing to 26% (95% CI: 19-34%) after the implementation of IMESEVI. Child seat use for children above four years is virtually nonexistent. Continued efforts are required to raise the public awareness of the importance of using safety devices, especially for passengers in the back of the car as well as with respect to the use of adapted seats for small children.

Applications of Mechatronics in Seating Furniture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hynek Maňák

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Mechatronics is gradually being used in different fields of the production process and final products. In the field of home seating furniture, it has not been formally declared as such yet. The purpose of further development of seating furniture is to improve its ergonomic parameters, to improve user comfort in controlling and using seating furniture or to provide new additional functions of seating furniture. Application of mechatronic principles can be presumed within the framework of this development. An analysis of the current state of reclining seating furniture, which uses mechanical and electromechanical positioning mechanisms, is conducted in order to formulate possible fields of applying mechatronics. The analysis defines individual ergonomic parameters which are influenced in reclining of seating furniture. This analysis is used as a basis for formulating a hypothesis describing potential development fields of applying mechatronics in home seating furniture.

A Motion Control of a Robotic Walker for Continuous Assistance during Standing, Walking and Seating Operation

OpenAIRE

Chugo, Daisuke; Takase, Kunikatsu

2010-01-01

In this paper, we develop an active walker system for standing, walking and seating operation continuously which cooperates the developed standing assistance system with safety and stability. For realizing these conditions, our walker coordinates the assisting position cooperating the standing assistance manipulator according to the posture of the patient. Furthermore, our walker adjusts a seating position when the patient sit down which has high risk for falling down. Using our proposed syst...

Automated recognition of rear seat occupants' head position using Kinect™ 3D point cloud.

Science.gov (United States)

Loeb, Helen; Kim, Jinyong; Arbogast, Kristy; Kuo, Jonny; Koppel, Sjaan; Cross, Suzanne; Charlton, Judith

2017-12-01

Child occupant safety in motor-vehicle crashes is evaluated using Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATD) seated in optimal positions. However, child occupants often assume suboptimal positions during real-world driving trips. Head impact to the seat back has been identified as one important injury causation scenario for seat belt restrained, head-injured children (Bohman et al., 2011). There is therefore a need to understand the interaction of children with the Child Restraint System to optimize protection. Naturalistic driving studies (NDS) will improve understanding of out-of-position (OOP) trends. To quantify OOP positions, an NDS was conducted. Families used a study vehicle for two weeks during their everyday driving trips. The positions of rear-seated child occupants, representing 22 families, were evaluated. The study vehicle - instrumented with data acquisition systems, including Microsoft Kinect™ V1 - recorded rear seat occupants in 1120 driving 26 trips. Three novel analytical methods were used to analyze data. To assess skeletal tracking accuracy, analysts recorded occurrences where Kinect™ exhibited invalid head recognition among a randomly-selected subset (81 trips). Errors included incorrect target detection (e.g., vehicle headrest) or environmental interference (e.g., sunlight). When head data was present, Kinect™ was correct 41% of the time; two other algorithms - filtering for extreme motion, and background subtraction/head-based depth detection are described in this paper and preliminary results are presented. Accuracy estimates were not possible because of their experimental nature and the difficulty to use a ground truth for this large database. This NDS tested methods to quantify the frequency and magnitude of head positions for rear-seated child occupants utilizing Kinect™ motion-tracking. This study's results informed recent ATD sled tests that replicated observed positions (most common and most extreme), and assessed the validity of child

Increasing seat belt use through state-level demonstration projects : a compendium of initial findings

Science.gov (United States)

2008-08-01

This report summarizes the efforts and results from four of six State-level demonstration projects supported with cooperative agreements from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The projects were intended to increase seat belt use sta...

Seat belt, DWI, and other traffic violations among recent immigrants in Florida and Tennessee.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-01

Phase I of this project identified two States, Florida and Tennessee, that maintain information on drivers traffic violations and residency status. : Phase II analyzed State databases to examine seat belt nonuse, DWI, and other traffic safety viol...

Factors associated with rear seating of children in motor vehicles: a study in two low-income, predominantly Hispanic communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenberg-Seth, Jennifer; Hemenway, David; Gallagher, Susan S; Lissy, Karen S; Ross, Julie B

2004-07-01

This study examined child seating patterns in two predominantly low-income, Hispanic communities in Massachusetts. The purpose was to determine the factors associated with child rear seating in the community as a whole and for a subset of Hispanic motorists. Five hundred and five vehicles carrying child passengers and no adult other than the driver were observed in parking lots of fast food restaurants and grocery stores. Four hundred and thirty-two vehicle drivers agreed to be interviewed. A child was defined as a passenger younger than age 12 as determined by appearance and height (head below the vehicle headrest when seated). Variables under study included driver gender, age, ethnicity, and educational attainment; driver shoulder belt use; driver perception of passenger-side airbag presence; and the number and ages of children in the car. Overall, 51% of vehicles were observed with all children seated in the rear. In a bivariate analysis, child rear seating was strongly associated with female drivers ( P = 0.01), younger drivers ( P = 0.02) driver shoulder belt use ( P safety behavior (e.g. seat belt use). Messages should be culturally appropriate and should emphasize driver seat belt use in conjunction with rear seating and the importance of rear seating regardless of the presence of a passenger-side airbag.

Knowledge and application of correct car seat head restraint usage among chiropractic college interns: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, John Am; Burke, Jeanmarie; Gavencak, John; Panwar, Pervinder

2005-03-01

Cervical spine injuries sustained in rear-end crashes cost at least $7 billion in insurance claims annually in the United States alone. When positioned correctly, head restraint systems have been proven effective in reducing the risk of whiplash associated disorders. Chiropractors should be knowledgeable about the correct use of head restraint systems to educate their patients and thereby prevent or minimize such injuries. The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of correct positioning of car seat head restraints among the interns at our institution. The secondary objective was to determine the same chiropractic interns' knowledge of the correct positioning of car seat head restraints. It was hypothesized that 100 percent of interns would have their head restraint correctly positioned within an acceptable range and that all interns would possess the knowledge to instruct patients in the correct positioning of head restraints. Cross-sectional study of a convenient sample of 30 chiropractic interns from one institution. Interns driving into the parking lot of our health center were asked to volunteer to have measurements taken and to complete a survey. Vertical and horizontal positions of the head restraint were measured using a beam compass. A survey was administered to determine knowledge of correct head restraint position. The results were recorded, entered into a spreadsheet, and analyzed. 13.3 percent of subjects knew the recommended vertical distance and only 20 percent of subjects knew the recommended horizontal distance. Chi Square analyses substantiated that the majority of subjects were unaware of guidelines set forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for the correct positioning of the head restraint (chi(2) (vertical) = 16.13, chi(2) (horizontal) = 10.80, p .05). Interestingly, the 13.3 percent of the subjects who were aware of the vertical plane recommendations did not correctly position their own

Standardized error severity score (ESS) ratings to quantify risk associated with child restraint system (CRS) and booster seat misuse.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudin-Brown, Christina M; Kramer, Chelsea; Langerak, Robin; Scipione, Andrea; Kelsey, Shelley

2017-11-17

Although numerous research studies have reported high levels of error and misuse of child restraint systems (CRS) and booster seats in experimental and real-world scenarios, conclusions are limited because they provide little information regarding which installation issues pose the highest risk and thus should be targeted for change. Beneficial to legislating bodies and researchers alike would be a standardized, globally relevant assessment of the potential injury risk associated with more common forms of CRS and booster seat misuse, which could be applied with observed error frequency-for example, in car seat clinics or during prototype user testing-to better identify and characterize the installation issues of greatest risk to safety. A group of 8 leading world experts in CRS and injury biomechanics, who were members of an international child safety project, estimated the potential injury severity associated with common forms of CRS and booster seat misuse. These injury risk error severity score (ESS) ratings were compiled and compared to scores from previous research that had used a similar procedure but with fewer respondents. To illustrate their application, and as part of a larger study examining CRS and booster seat labeling requirements, the new standardized ESS ratings were applied to objective installation performance data from 26 adult participants who installed a convertible (rear- vs. forward-facing) CRS and booster seat in a vehicle, and a child test dummy in the CRS and booster seat, using labels that only just met minimal regulatory requirements. The outcome measure, the risk priority number (RPN), represented the composite scores of injury risk and observed installation error frequency. Variability within the sample of ESS ratings in the present study was smaller than that generated in previous studies, indicating better agreement among experts on what constituted injury risk. Application of the new standardized ESS ratings to installation

The Role of Seat Belt in the Prevention of Fatalities and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background Road traffic crashes still remain a prominent cause of death worldwide but proper use of safety belts can prevent death in some of these accidents. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the role of seat beltuse I violation in Rivers State, Nigeria and to determine its relationship with fatality of road traffic ...

Availability, functionality, and use of seat belts in Beijing taxis prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleiter, Judy J; Gao, Liping; Qiu, Chen; Shi, Kan

2009-03-01

Use of driver seat belts and availability and functionality of passenger seat belts in a convenience sample of 231 Beijing taxis were examined in the months prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Driver and front passenger seat belt use was mandated in China from 2004 to help address the growing public health crisis of road trauma. Results from observations made by in-vehicle passengers revealed that 21.2% of drivers were correctly wearing a belt, approximately half were not, and one third were using the belt in a non-functional way. Over 3/4 of this sample of taxi drivers were unrestrained while working. The percentage of functionally available belts was higher for front than rear passengers (88.3% and 22.9%, respectively). This low rate of belt availability in rear seats calls into question the preparedness of the fleet to cater for the safety needs of foreign visitors to China, particularly those from countries with high levels of restraint use. Factors influencing the use/misuse of seat belts in China remain largely unexplored. Results of this pilot study support further investigations of barriers to using injury prevention mechanisms such as seat belts in less motorised countries.

Ergonomic Evaluation of Space Shuttle Light-Weight Seat Lever Position and Operation

Science.gov (United States)

Maida, J.; Rajulu, Sudhakar L.; Bond, Robert L. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

During a Shuttle flight in the early part of 1999, one of the crewmembers was unable to operate the backrest lever for the light-weight seat in microgravity. It is essential that the crewmembers are able to adjust this back-rest lever, which is titled forward 2 degrees from vertical during launch and then moved backwards to 10 degrees aft of vertical upon reaching orbit. This adjustment is needed to cushion the crewmembers during an inadvertent crash landing situation. The original Shuttle seats, which had seat controls located on the front left and right sides of the seat, were replaced recently with the new light-weight seats. The controls for these new, seats were moved to the night side with one control at the front and the other at the back. While it was uncertain whether the problem encountered was unique to that crewmember or not it was clear to the personnel responsible for maintaining the Shuttle seats that not knowing the cause of the problem posed a safety concern for NASA. Hence the Anthropometry and Biomechanics Facility (ABF) of the Johnson Space Center was requested to perform an evaluation of the seat controls and provide NASA with appropriate recommendations on whether the seat lever positions and operations should be modified. The ABF designed an experiment to investigate the amount of pull force exerted by subjects, wearing an unpressurized or pressurized crew launch escape suit, when controls were placed in the front and back (on the right side) of the light-weight seat. Single-axis load cells were attached to the seat levers, which measured the maximum static pull forces that were exerted by the subjects. Twelve subjects, six male and six female, participated in this study. Each subject was asked to perform the pull test at least three times for each combination of lever position and suit pressure conditions. The results from this study showed that as a whole (or in general), the subjects were able to pull on the lever at the back position with

Development of a Methodology to Gather Seated Anthropometry in a Microgravity Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Rajulu, Sudhakar; Young, Karen; Mesloh, Miranda

2009-01-01

The Constellation Program's Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is required to accommodate the full population range of crewmembers according to the anthropometry requirements stated in the Human-Systems Integration Requirement (HSIR) document (CxP70024). Seated height is one of many critical dimensions of importance to the CEV designers in determining the optimum seat configuration in the vehicle. Changes in seated height may have a large impact to the design, accommodation, and safety of the crewmembers. Seated height can change due to elongation of the spine when crewmembers are exposed to microgravity. Spinal elongation is the straightening of the natural curvature of the spine and the expansion of inter-vertebral disks. This straightening occurs due to fluid shifts in the body and the lack of compressive forces on the spinal vertebrae. Previous studies have shown that as the natural curvature of the spine straightens, an increase in overall height of 3% of stature occurs which has been the basis of the current HSIR requirements. However due to variations in the torso/leg ratio and impact of soft tissue, data is nonexistent as to how spinal elongation specifically affects the measurement of seated height. In order to obtain this data, an experiment was designed to collect spinal elongation data while in a seated posture in microgravity. The purpose of this study was to provide quantitative data that represents the amount of change that occurs in seated height due to spinal elongation in microgravity environments. Given the schedule and budget constraints of ISS and Shuttle missions and the uniqueness of the problem, a methodology had to be developed to ensure that the seated height measurements were accurately collected. Therefore, simulated microgravity evaluations were conducted to test the methodology and procedures of the experiment. This evaluation obtained seat pan pressure and seated height data to a) ensure that the lap restraint provided sufficient

Fire resistant aircraft seat materials

Science.gov (United States)

Trabold, E. L.

1978-01-01

The establishment of a technical data base for individual seat materials in order to facilitate materials selections is reviewed. The thermal response of multi-layer constructions representative of the basic functional layers of a typical future seat is examined. These functional layers include: (1) decorative fabric cover; (2) slip sheet (topper); (3) fire blocking layer; (4) cushion reinforcement; and (5) cushioning layer. The implications for material selection for full-scale seats are discussed.

Feasibility study for the development and marketing of magnesium seats for motor coaches and other modes of public transit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bergeron, F. [IC-2 Technologies Inc., Quebec City, PQ (Canada); Audet, J.F. [J-F Audet Courtier Stratege, Carignan, PQ (Canada)

2004-06-01

Magnesium is currently used for seats in many minivans and luxury cars, as well as in some high speed trains. This paper addresses concerns about the use of magnesium in manufacturing seats for public transit vehicles. This paper aimed to validate the feasibility of magnesium and/or aluminum passenger seats and determine if they met weight and cost reduction objectives currently set by the public transportation industry. An assessment of the North American bus and motor coach market was made, and passenger seat design standards were reviewed. Additionally, magnesium samples were tested to ensure industry standards for material flammability and toxic fumes emissions during exposure to intense heat. Corrosion testing and a comparison with automobile industry tests were made. A number of manufacturing case studies were conducted, including life-cycle costs and comparisons with the manufacture of traditional steel seats. It was concluded that a lighter-weight seat is both technically possible and economically viable. In terms of flammability, magnesium seats met all required industry standards, and when combined with excellent seat design, increased the safety of seat occupants projected forward during collisions. In addition, magnesium's ability to absorb vibration was seen as a substantial benefit in terms of passenger comfort. In terms of manufacturing cost alone, a magnesium-aluminum hybrid was recommended. 15 refs., 25 tabs., 24 figs.

A joint econometric analysis of seat belt use and crash-related injury severity.

Science.gov (United States)

Eluru, Naveen; Bhat, Chandra R

2007-09-01

This paper formulates a comprehensive econometric structure that recognizes two important issues in crash-related injury severity analysis. First, the impact of a factor on injury severity may be moderated by various observed and unobserved variables specific to an individual or to a crash. Second, seat belt use is likely to be endogenous to injury severity. That is, it is possible that intrinsically unsafe drivers do not wear seat belts and are the ones likely to be involved in high injury severity crashes because of their unsafe driving habits. The preceding issues are considered in the current research effort through the development of a comprehensive model of seat belt use and injury severity that takes the form of a joint correlated random coefficients binary-ordered response system. To our knowledge, this is the first instance of such a model formulation and application not only in the safety analysis literature, but in the econometrics literature in general. The empirical analysis is based on the 2003 General Estimates System (GES) data base. Several types of variables are considered to explain seat belt use and injury severity levels, including driver characteristics, vehicle characteristics, roadway design attributes, environmental factors, and crash characteristics. The results, in addition to confirming the effects of various explanatory variables, also highlight the importance of (a) considering the moderating effects of unobserved individual/crash-related factors on the determinants of injury severity and (b) seat belt use endogeneity. From a policy standpoint, the results suggest that seat belt non-users, when apprehended in the act, should perhaps be subjected to both a fine (to increase the chances that they wear seat belts) as well as mandatory enrollment in a defensive driving course (to attempt to change their aggressive driving behaviors).

Drivers' attitudes toward front or rear child passenger belt use and seat belt reminders at these seating positions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kidd, David G; McCartt, Anne T

2014-01-01

Passengers, especially those in rear seating positions, use seat belts less frequently than drivers. In-vehicle technology can inform drivers when their passengers are unbuckled and encourage passengers to use belts. The current study collected information about drivers' attitudes toward passenger belt use and belt reminders for front passengers and children in back seats. A national telephone survey of 1218 people 18 and older was conducted, of which 477 respondents were drivers who transport a front seat passenger at least once a week and 254 were drivers who transport an 8- to 15-year-old child in the back seat. Respondents were asked about their attitudes toward belt use by their front passengers or rear child passengers and preferences for different passenger belt reminder features. Ninety percent of drivers who regularly transport front seat passengers said that the passengers always use seat belts. Reported belt use was even higher among 8- to 15-year-old children in the back seat (97%). Among the drivers whose children do not always buckle up, about half said their child unbuckled the belt during the trip. Almost every full-time belt use driver (96%) would encourage front passengers to buckle up if not belted, compared to 57 percent of part-time belt users and nonusers. In contrast, nearly every driver who transports children in the back seat would encourage their belt use, regardless of the driver's belt use habits. Most drivers who transport front passengers wanted passenger belt reminders to encourage passengers to buckle up. Most of these drivers wanted a chime/buzzer or warning light or text display and wanted the reminder to last indefinitely. Most drivers who transport child passengers in the rear seat wanted the vehicle to indicate whether child passengers are unbuckled. A large majority of these drivers wanted notifications via a visual diagram of seating positions and belt use, a chime/buzzer, and a warning light or text display. These drivers

Travelers' Health: Injuries and Safety

Science.gov (United States)

... Safety Road Safety - 8 Steps MERS Health Advisory poster MERS Pictogram CDC Guide for Healthy Travel Website ... possible, fly on larger planes (>30 seats), in good weather, during the daylight hours, and with experienced ...

The Impact of Seating Location and Seating Type on Student Performance

OpenAIRE

Meeks, Michael; Knotts, Tami; James, Karen; Williams, Felice; Vassar, John; Wren, Amy

2013-01-01

While an extensive body of research exists regarding the delivery of course knowledge and material, much less attention has been paid to the performance effect of seating position within a classroom. Research findings are mixed as to whether students in the front row of a classroom outperform students in the back row. Another issue that has not been fully examined in higher education is the effect of environmental factors, specifically seating type, on student performance. This study examines...

An analysis of relationship between food safety and pesticides usages of grape growers in Manisa province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karabat Selçuk

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This study was carried out in Manisa which has the largest vineyard areas and grape production of Turkey. In this research, awareness of environment and pesticide using attitudes of growers and effects on food safety of pesticides were investigated. Main data of the study was collected by survey from 117 grape growers which are settled in Manisa province where sultana production is very widespread. Applying Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP, for reaching quality raisin and table grape target, conventional and environment friendly pesticides preference priorities were estimated. The AHP was applied to determine conventional and environment friendly pesticides usages of grape growers related to food safety. As a conclusion, it is understood that this target could be reached with 66.8% using environment friendly pesticides.

Fire resistant aircraft seat program

Science.gov (United States)

Fewell, L. A.

1979-01-01

Foams, textiles, and thermoformable plastics were tested to determine which materials were fire retardant, and safe for aircraft passenger seats. Seat components investigated were the decorative fabric cover, slip covers, fire blocking layer, cushion reinforcement, and the cushioning layer.

Validation of seat-off and seat-on in repeated sit-to-stand movements using a single-body-fixed sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Lummel, R C; Ainsworth, E; Hausdorff, J M; Lindemann, U; Beek, P J; Van Dieën, J H

2012-01-01

The identification of chair rise phases is a prerequisite for quantifying sit-to-stand movements. The aim of this study is to validate seat-off and seat-on detection using a single-body-fixed sensor against detection based on chair switches. A single sensor system with three accelerometers and three gyroscopes was fixed around the waist. Synchronized on–off switches were placed under the chair. Thirteen older adults were recruited from a residential care home and fifteen young adults were recruited among college students. Subjects were asked to complete two sets of five trials each. Six features of the trunk movement during seat-off and seat-on were calculated automatically, and a model was developed to predict the moment of seat-off and seat-on transitions. The predictions were validated with leave-one-out cross-validation. Feature extraction failed in two trials (0.7%). For the optimal combination of seat-off predictors, cross-validation yielded a mean error of 0 ms and a mean absolute error of 51 ms. For the best seat-on predictor, cross-validation yielded a mean error of –3 ms and a mean absolute error of 127 ms. The results of this study demonstrate that seat-off and seat-on in repeated sit-to-stand movements can be detected semi-automatically in young and older adults using a one-body-fixed sensor system with an accuracy of 51 and 127 ms, respectively. The use of the ambulatory instrumentation is feasible for non-technically trained personnel. This is an important step in the development of an automated method for the quantification of sit-to-stand movements in clinical practice. (paper)

Rear-facing car seat (image)

Science.gov (United States)

A rear-facing car seat position is recommended for a child who is very young. Extreme injury can occur in an accident because ... child. In a frontal crash a rear-facing car seat is best, because it cradles the head, ...

Countermeasures that work : a highway safety countermeasure guide for state highway safety offices : eighth edition : 2015

Science.gov (United States)

2015-11-01

The guide is a basic reference to assist State Highway Safety Offices in selecting effective, evidence- based : countermeasures for traffic safety problem areas. These areas include: : - Alcohol-and Drug-Impaired Driving; : - Seat Belts and Child Res...

Evaluation of the seat fastening in the frame of a road bus submitted to frontal impact

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Márcio Walber

Full Text Available The collective intercity transportation by bus is currently a mean of locomotion much sought after by people. Security in accidents is a very important factor that must be taken into account in design of bus body structure, being the evaluation of passenger safety of this type of vehicle is an important subject that should be checked, because in many accidents occur disconnection between seats and fastening members causing serious passengers injury, often fatal. This work aims at evaluation the behavior of frame fixing of seats of intercity bus bodies, submitted to the frontal impact situation in a rigid wall of 100% offset, through evaluation by finite element method (FEM. This study uses a numerical model corresponding to the body structure and chassis, developed through flexible beam elements, combining with shell elements for the structure of the seats and its fastening members, with the objective of not missing the essential aspects of the problem, allowing the solution with a reduced computational time. The numerical model of bus body and seat was impacted against a rigid wall at a speed of 8.89 m/s, being its validation according to the deceleration curve established by Regulation 80. Then it was gotten the Von Mises stress in fastening members of the seat structure in bus body. It is also presented a proposal to improve the fastening of the seat structure, comparing the results of the stress gotten in the two types fastening submitted to the frontal impact.

Safety for Your Child: 8 Years

Science.gov (United States)

... Stages Listen Español Text Size Email Print Share Safety for Your Child: 8 Years Page Content Article ... is not buckled by a seat belt. Sports Safety Ask your doctor which sports are right for ...

Infant bath seats, drowning and near-drowning.

Science.gov (United States)

Byard, R W; Donald, T

2004-01-01

To investigate the possible role of infant bathtub seats in drowning and near-drowning episodes in infants. A review was conducted of the files of the Forensic Science Centre and Child Protection Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, for significant immersion incidents in infants involving bathtub seats from January 1998 to December 2003. A total of six cases of drowning occurred over the 6-year period of the study in children under 2 years of age, including two infants. One of these cases, a 7-month-old boy, had been left unattended for some time in an adult bath in a bathtub seat. He was found drowned, having submerged after slipping down and becoming trapped in the seat. Three near-drowning episodes occurred in children under the age of 2 years, including two boys aged 7 and 8 months, both of whom had been left for some time in adult baths in bath seats. Both were successfully resuscitated and treated in hospital. These cases demonstrate the vulnerability of infants to immersion incidents when left unattended in bathtubs. Bathtubs are particularly dangerous for infants as the slippery and smooth surfaces predispose to loss of balance and make escape from water difficult. Infant bathtub seats may give parents and child carers a false sense of security leading to infants being left unattended. Unfortunately, however, infants may fall out of, or slip and become trapped in, such seats. Infants and young children cannot be left unsupervised in water, and devices used as bathing aids such as bathtub seats may contribute to immersion incidents.

36 CFR 4.15 - Safety belts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Safety belts. 4.15 Section 4... TRAFFIC SAFETY § 4.15 Safety belts. (a) Each operator and passenger occupying any seating position of a motor vehicle in a park area will have the safety belt or child restraint system properly fastened at...

Usage of industrial robots in nuclear power industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuo, Yoshio; Hamada, Kenjiro

1982-01-01

Japan is now at the top level in the world in robot technology.Its application to nuclear power field is one of the most expected. However, their usage spreads over various types of nuclear power plants, their manufacture and operation, and other areas such as fuel reprocessing plants and reactor plant decommissioning. The robots as used for the operation of BWR nuclear power plants, already developed and under development, are described: features in the nuclear-power usage of robots, the robots used currently for automatic fuel exchange, the replacement of control rod drives and in-service inspection; the robots under development for travelling inspection device and the inspection of main steam-relief safety valves, future development of robots. By robot usage, necessary personnel, work period and radiation exposure can be greatly reduced, and safety and reliability are also raised. (Mori, K.)

Securing the safety of our most precious cargo: SAFE KIDS.

Science.gov (United States)

Vick, Judith W

2010-01-01

There are staggering and tragic statistics involving children, car seats, and motor vehicle accidents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death among children from 0 to 15 years of age, and in the United States during 2005, 1,335 children ages 14 years and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle accidents; approximately 184,000 were injured. That is an average of 4 deaths and 504 injuries each day. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics show that nearly one-half of deaths and injuries in children occurred because they were not properly restrained. Child safety seats and safety belts, when installed and used properly, can prevent injuries and save lives. Among children under age 5, an estimated 425 lives were saved in 2006 by child restraint use. Research on the effectiveness of child safety seats has found them to reduce fatal injury by 71% for infants, and by 54% for toddlers in passenger cars. This article discusses the need for increased education of parents and healthcare professionals about selection and installation of car safety restraints, and the importance of developing a child safety restraint program.

14 CFR 135.113 - Passenger occupancy of pilot seat.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Passenger occupancy of pilot seat. 135.113... Operations § 135.113 Passenger occupancy of pilot seat. No certificate holder may operate an aircraft type certificated after October 15, 1971, that has a passenger seating configuration, excluding any pilot seat, of...

Development of electrostatic charging evaluation equipment for automobile seat; Jidoshayo seat no taidensei shiken hyoka sochi no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maeda, K [Mazda Motor Corp., Hiroshima (Japan)

1997-10-01

When passengers get out of vehicle, electrostatics is generated by separation of seat cloth and passenger cloth, and then charged to passenger`s body. It has been impossible for us to simulate this induction charging phenomenon with current evaluation equipments. We developed a new seat cloth evaluation equipments using induction charging plate, which enables us to simulate the phenomenon. This paper describes this new electrostatic charging evaluation method for automobile seat cloth. 5 refs., 6 figs.

75 FR 66686 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages, School Bus Passenger...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-29

... loose belts) also applies to seats that have wheelchair positions or side emergency doors behind them... have wheelchair positions or side emergency doors behind them); and, the test requirements for self... which correspond to the size of some high school football players) and school buses closer in weight to...

SEAT CHOICE AND DISTANCE JUDGMENT IN PUBLIC SPACES (1).

Science.gov (United States)

Neto, Olavo Avalone; Munakata, Jun

2015-10-01

This research assessed whether public space users will adopt a least-effort approach and choose a less suitable seat nearby or seek the most suitable seat, even if it is farther away from them when the decision is made. How distance assessment affects seat choice was investigated through an observational survey, which allowed the identification of behavioral patterns. Those behavioral patterns were then tested in a paired comparison experiment with 40 participants. The results showed that the effect of distance on seat choice is related to the difference in distance between the options and that a sufficient difference can cause trade-offs between distance and seat properties. The necessary difference in distance is conditioned by the activity and the seat properties.

75 FR 36062 - Availability of Conservation Seat and Diving Operations Seat for the Flower Garden Banks National...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-24

... Conservation Seat and Diving Operations Seat for the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Advisory... Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Conservation and Diving Operations... Jennifer Morgan, NOAA--Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 4700 Avenue U, Bldg. 216, Galveston...

Localization techniques in resection of deep seated cavernous angiomas - review and reevaluation of frame based stereotactic approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Slotty, P J; Ewelt, C; Sarikaya-Seiwert, S; Steiger, H-J; Vesper, J; Hänggi, D

2013-04-01

Providing high accuracy is crucial in neurosurgery especially for resection of deep seated small cerebral pathologies such as cavernous angiomas. The goal of the present series was to reevaluate the feasibility, accuracy, efficacy and safety of frame-based, stereotactically guided resection for patients suffering from small deep-seated cavernous angiomas. Additionally a review of the literature on navigational tools in cavernoma surgery is provided comparing different navigation strategies. Ten patients with deep-seated, small intracranial, cavernous angiomas being subject to frame-based, stereotactically aided resection are included in this survey. Based on the stereotactic-fused image, set entry and target point aimed at the rim of the cavernoma were calculated. A minicraniotomy (Assets and drawbacks of the stereotactic-aided approach were evaluated, patients were analyzed for surgery-related neurological deficits and completeness of resection. Complete resection was achieved in all ten patients verified by post-surgery MRI imaging. The surgical procedure itself was only slightly aggravated by the stereotactic equipment. No adverse events such as bleedings or infections were observed in our series. Stereotactically guided, minimally invasive resection of deep seated and small cavernous angiomas is accurate and effective. The frame-based stereotactic guidance requires some additional time and effort which seems justified only for deep seated and small cavernous angiomas. Frameless neuronavigation is a common tool in cavernoma surgery and its spatial resolution is sufficient for the majority of cases.

Exploring the design of a lightweight, sustainable and comfortable aircraft seat.

Science.gov (United States)

Kokorikou, A; Vink, P; de Pauw, I C; Braca, A

2016-07-19

Making a lightweight seat that is also comfortable can be contradictory because usually comfort improvement means adding a feature (e.g. headrest, adjustable lumbar support, movable armrests, integrated massage systems, etc.), which makes seats heavier. This paper explores the design of an economy class aircraft seat that aims to be lightweight, comfortable and sustainable. Theory about comfort in seats, ergonomics, lightweight design, Biomimicry and Cradle to cradle was studied and resulted in a list of requirements that the new seat should satisfy. The design process resulted in a new seat that is 36% lighter than the reference seat, which showed that a significant weight reduction can be achieved. This was completed by re-designing the backrest and seat pan and integrating their functions into a reduced number of parts. Apart from the weight reduction that helps in reducing the airplane's environmental impact, the seat also satisfies most of the other sustainability requirements such as the use of recyclable materials, design for disassembly, easy to repair. A user test compared the new seat with a premium economy class aircraft seat and the level of comfort was similar. Strong points of the new design were identified such as the lumbar support and the cushioning material, as well as shortcomings on which the seat needs to be improved, like the seat pan length and the first impression. Long term comfort tests are still needed as the seat is meant for long-haul flights.

Deep-seated sarcomas of the penis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto A. Antunes

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Mesenchymal neoplasias represent 5% of tumors affecting the penis. Due to the rarity of such tumors, there is no agreement concerning the best method for staging and managing these patients. Sarcomas of the penis can be classified as deep-seated if they derive from the structures forming the spongy body and the cavernous bodies. Superficial lesions are usually low-grade and show a small tendency towards distant metastasis. In contrast, deep-seated lesions usually show behavior that is more aggressive and have poorer prognosis. The authors report 3 cases of deep-seated primary sarcomas of the penis and review the literature on this rare and aggressive neoplasia.

Support force measures of midsized men in seated positions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bush, Tamara Reid; Hubbard, Robert P

2007-02-01

Two areas not well researched in the field of seating mechanics are the distribution of normal and shear forces, and how those forces change with seat position. The availability of these data would be beneficial for the design and development of office, automotive and medical seats. To increase our knowledge in the area of seating mechanics, this study sought to measure the normal and shear loads applied to segmental supports in 12 seated positions, utilizing three inclination angles and four levels of seat back articulation that were associated with automotive driving positions. Force data from six regions, including the thorax, sacral region, buttocks, thighs, feet, and hand support were gathered using multi-axis load cells. The sample contained 23 midsized subjects with an average weight of 76.7 kg and a standard deviation of 4.2 kg, and an average height of 1745 mm with a standard deviation of 19 mm. Results were examined in terms of seat back inclination and in terms of torso articulation for relationships between seat positions and support forces. Using a repeated measures analysis, significant differences (p<0.05) were identified for normal forces relative to all inclination angles except for forces occurring at the hand support. Other significant differences were observed between normal forces behind the buttocks, pelvis, and feet for torso articulations. Significant differences in the shear forces occurred under the buttocks and posterior pelvis during changes in seat back inclination. Significant differences in shear forces were also identified for torso articulations. These data suggest that as seat back inclination or torso articulation change, significant shifts in force distribution occur.

Elderly road collision injury outcomes associated with seat positions and seatbelt use in a rapidly aging society-A case study in South Korea.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuna Noh

Full Text Available Aging has long been regarded as one of the most critical factors affecting crash injury outcomes. In South Korea, where the elderly population is projected to reach 35.9% by 2050, the implications of an increasing number of elderly vehicle users on road safety are evident. In this research, the confounding effect of occupant age in a vehicle in terms of seat position and seatbelt use was investigated. In addition, elderly occupants were divided into a younger-old group aged between 65 and 74 years and an older-old group aged 75 years and older in an effort to assess whether the conventional elderly age standard of 65 years should be reconsidered.A multinomial logit framework was adopted to predict two-level injury severity using collision data between 2008 and 2015. Predictor variables included gender, age group, seat position, seatbelt, road type, road slope, road surface, road line, and type of vehicle. Five models, a base model with no interactions and four interaction models which were combinations of age group, seatbelt use and seat position, were devised and evaluated.With no interacting term, age was the most prominent predictor. Elderly occupants were most likely to suffer from severe injury without a seatbelt in all seat positions, and the use of a seatbelt reduced this likelihood the most in the elderly group as well. Front passenger seats had the highest risk to elderly occupants, while the driver seat was statistically insignificant. When the elderly group was divided into the younger-old group and the older-old group, the older-olds were found to be much more vulnerable compared to the younger-olds. In particular, older drivers were five times more likely to suffer a severe injury without a seatbelt.The degree of injury severity of elderly occupants was reduced the most with the use of a seatbelt, demonstrating the importance of using seat restraints. The sharp increase in the risk of injury of the older-old group suggests that the

Elderly road collision injury outcomes associated with seat positions and seatbelt use in a rapidly aging society-A case study in South Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Noh, Yuna; Yoon, Yoonjin

2017-01-01

Aging has long been regarded as one of the most critical factors affecting crash injury outcomes. In South Korea, where the elderly population is projected to reach 35.9% by 2050, the implications of an increasing number of elderly vehicle users on road safety are evident. In this research, the confounding effect of occupant age in a vehicle in terms of seat position and seatbelt use was investigated. In addition, elderly occupants were divided into a younger-old group aged between 65 and 74 years and an older-old group aged 75 years and older in an effort to assess whether the conventional elderly age standard of 65 years should be reconsidered. A multinomial logit framework was adopted to predict two-level injury severity using collision data between 2008 and 2015. Predictor variables included gender, age group, seat position, seatbelt, road type, road slope, road surface, road line, and type of vehicle. Five models, a base model with no interactions and four interaction models which were combinations of age group, seatbelt use and seat position, were devised and evaluated. With no interacting term, age was the most prominent predictor. Elderly occupants were most likely to suffer from severe injury without a seatbelt in all seat positions, and the use of a seatbelt reduced this likelihood the most in the elderly group as well. Front passenger seats had the highest risk to elderly occupants, while the driver seat was statistically insignificant. When the elderly group was divided into the younger-old group and the older-old group, the older-olds were found to be much more vulnerable compared to the younger-olds. In particular, older drivers were five times more likely to suffer a severe injury without a seatbelt. The degree of injury severity of elderly occupants was reduced the most with the use of a seatbelt, demonstrating the importance of using seat restraints. The sharp increase in the risk of injury of the older-old group suggests that the age standard of

Civil aircraft side-facing seat research summary.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-01

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has standards and regulations that are intended to protect aircraft : occupants in the event of a crash. However, side-facing seats were not specifically addressed when aircraft seat : dynamic test standards ...

25 CFR 170.144 - What are eligible highway safety projects?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Indian Reservation Roads Program Policy and Eligibility Highway Safety Functions... management system; (g) Education and outreach highway safety programs, such as use of child safety seats... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What are eligible highway safety projects? 170.144...

Technical note: Spine loading in automotive seating

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zenk, R.; Franz, M.; Bubb, H.; Vink, P.

2012-01-01

For car manufacturers, seat comfort is becoming more important in distinguishing themselves from their competitors. Therefore, many studies on participative seat comfort are carried out. In this paper, an objective assessment approach is reported which evaluates the concept of "optimal load

49 CFR 571.207 - Standard No. 207; Seating systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... standard establishes requirements for seats, their attachment assemblies, and their installation to....2. General performance requirements. When tested in accordance with S5, each occupant seat shall... than a school bus; a passenger seat on a school bus with a GVWR greater than 4,536 kilograms (10,000...

Active Suspension of Truck Seat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masaaki Kawana

1998-01-01

Full Text Available The driver’s seat of a heavy duty truck is usually mounted on a spring–damper assembly anchored to the cab floor. To improve riding comfort, this study investigated the effects of mounting a computer-controlled actuator in parallel with the traditional spring–damper assembly. A dynamic model of the seat is represented by a two degree-of-freedom system, including a cushion. In this paper, a control system is designed, using optimal control theory, which minimizes rms vertical acceleration at a point representing the driver’s hip point. In this system, accelerations of the hip point, the seat frame and the cab floor are picked up and integrated to obtain the state variables to be fed back and fed forward to the actuator through a digital computer. The actuator is constructed with electric servo-motor and ball-screw mechanism. The experimental study was carried out on a shaker, which simulates the vibrations of the cab floor in actual service. Results were obtained for both a dummy and a real human body. The vibration test produced rms accelerations of the seat and the hip point of about 1.0 m/s2 without the actuator, while the rms accelerations were suppressed to about 0.5 m/s2 at a rms input voltage to the servo-motor of 1.0 V.

Trend analysis of incidents involving setpoint drift in safety or safety/relief valves at U.S. LWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Norio

2008-01-01

Since the beginning of the 1980's, in the United States, there have been many licensee event reports (LERs) involving setpoint drift in safety or safety/relief valves. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a lot of generic communications on this issue and the industry has made efforts to resolve the issue. However, the NRC staff recently highlighted that over 70 LERs involved instances where safety or safety/relief valves failed to meet the allowed setpoint tolerance from 2001 through August 2006. In the present study, we analyzed the U.S. experience with setpoint drift in safety/relief valves (SRVs) at BWRs, pressurizer safety valves (PSVs), and main steam safety valves (MSSVs) at PWRs by reviewing approximately 90 LERs from 2000 to 2006 and examined the trend focusing on causes and setpoint deviation ranges. This study indicates that for SRVs and MSSVs, disc-seat bonding is a dominant cause of the setpoint drifting high and has a tendency to result in a relatively large deviation of the setpoint. This means that disc-seat bonding might be a safety concern from the view point of overpressure protection. For PSVs, the deviation of setpoints is generally small, although its causes are not specified in many instances. (author)

Road safety performance indicators for the interurban road network.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yannis, G. Weijermars, W.A.M. Gitelman, V. Vis, M. Chazirisa, A. Papadimitriou, E. & Lima Azevedo, C.

2013-01-01

Various road safety performance indicators (SPIs) have been proposed for different road safety research areas, mainly as regards driver behaviour (e.g. seat belt use, alcohol, drugs, etc.) and vehicles (e.g. passive safety); however, no SPIs for the road network and design have been developed. The

A target fibre study on seats in public houses.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, E; Griffin, R M

1998-01-01

A target fibre survey was conducted to assess the random occurrence of a blue wool fibre on seats in public houses throughout the United Kingdom. Fibre tape lifts were taken from 80 seats. Four seats yielded matching fibres and five of these were found on one seat. A total of 292 fibres were identified; nine fibres proved indistinguishable from the target after comparison microscopy, microspectro-photometry and attempts at thin layer chromatography, and two of these fibres were still apparently indistinguishable after TLC analysis although only one dye component was visible.

Laser safety and practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Low, K.S.

1995-01-01

Lasers are finding increasing routine applications in many areas of science, medicine and industry. Though laser radiation is non-ionizing in nature, the usage of high power lasers requires specific safety procedures. This paper briefly outlines the properties of laser beams and various safety procedures necessary in their handling and usage. (author)

The Study of Fabric Performance for Car Seats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonin Havelka

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the investigation of the performance of car seat fabrics in terms of physiological comfort of sitting, specifi cally their water vapour resistance and air permeability. The current work presents an alternative approach to increasing the effectiveness of car seat fabrics through a combination of newly designed middle layer with forced convection achieved by a supplementary suction ventilation device. The supplementary device was designed to measure water vapour permeability by means of the sweating guarded hot plate (SGHP system. It consists of two parts: a frame to grip a tested sample for measurements within the SGHP system and two suction ventilators which are arranged at one end of the mentioned frame in order to provide suction into the tested fabric plane during the SGHP test. The results of this investigation show that water vapour transport is increased by approximately 20% compared to the standard way of measurement by means of SGHP because of forced air flow in the plane of ribbed – channelled structure of the car seat middle layer. The findings of this study have a number of important implications for future practice. The combination of a car seat cover with channelled structure and forced air fl ow improves physiological comfort of sitting which is a key issue for both drivers and manufacturers. The suggested device for forced air flow convection in the plane of a car seat fabric has not yet been part of an actual car seat, however it is possible to use its principles in a smart car seat prototype.

Seat belt injuries and sigmoid colon trauma.

OpenAIRE

Eltahir, E M; Hamilton, D

1997-01-01

Colonic seat belt injuries are rare but carry higher mortality rates than small bowel injuries. The case of a 44 year old man is described who had severe sigmoid colon compression injury from his seat belt a few days after a road traffic accident.

Using haptic feedback to increase seat belt use : traffic tech.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-01

The legacy of research on increasing seat belt use has : focused on enactment of seat belt legislation, public education, : high-visibility police enforcement, and seat belt : reminder systems. Several behavioral programs have : produced large, susta...

Attempting to train a digital human model to reproduce human subject reach capabilities in an ejection seat aircraft

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zehner, G.F.; Hudson, J.A.; Oudenhuijzen, A.

2006-01-01

From 1997 through 2002, the Air Force Research Lab and TNO Defence, Security and Safety (Business Unit Human Factors) were involved in a series of tests to quantify the accuracy of five Human Modeling Systems (HMSs) in determining accommodation limits of ejection seat aircraft. The results of these

Optimization of Aircraft Seat Cushion Fire Blocking Layers.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-03-01

function of cost and weight, and the costs of labor involved in assembling a ccmposite seat cushion. The same classes of high char yield polymers that are...SEAT LATER DESIGN REPORT NRBBNBsg$$$$$$NN$$R$$$$$ SEAT DESIGN NUMBER: 009 LAYER NAME CODE NO. S MANUFACTURER 5 COST FACTORS . LABOR ...72621, 9096.. 7SS43. 73757. 77147. DELTA COSTS 0. 8340. 2922. 1136. 4327. ACOSOS in Iho..aS Of dollars. COST SUIRNY REPORT Re ....... VONR3 MORFA

Seat Belt Use Intention among Brazilian Undergraduate Students

OpenAIRE

TORQUATO, RENATA; FRANCO, CLÁUDIO M. A; BIANCHI, ALESSANDRA

2012-01-01

The objectives of this study were to explore self-reported seat belt use and group differences in different scenarios in a Brazilian sample and research the variables related to it. 120 college students answered a questionnaire with variables from the theory of planned behavior in order to evaluate the intention of seat belt use among car occupants. Results indicated that attitude and intention were the variables that most contributed to explaining seat belt use. Intention was highly correlat...

Study to develop improved fire resistant aircraft passenger seat materials

Science.gov (United States)

Duskin, F. E.; Schutter, K. J.; Sieth, H. H.; Trabold, E. L.

1980-01-01

The Phase 3 study of the NASA 'Improved Fire Resistant Aircraft Seat Materials' involved fire tests of improved materials in multilayered combinations representative of cushion configurations. Tests were conducted to determine their thermal, smoke, and fire resistance characteristics. Additionally, a 'Design Guideline' for Fire Resistant Passenger Seats was written outlining general seat design considerations. Finally, a three-abreast 'Tourist Class' passenger seat assembly fabricated from the most advanced fire-resistant materials was delivered.

Development and validation of rear impact computer simulation model of an adult manual transit wheelchair with a seated occupant.

Science.gov (United States)

Salipur, Zdravko; Bertocci, Gina

2010-01-01

It has been shown that ANSI WC19 transit wheelchairs that are crashworthy in frontal impact exhibit catastrophic failures in rear impact and may not be able to provide stable seating support and thus occupant protection for the wheelchair occupant. Thus far only limited sled test and computer simulation data have been available to study rear impact wheelchair safety. Computer modeling can be used as an economic and comprehensive tool to gain critical knowledge regarding wheelchair integrity and occupant safety. This study describes the development and validation of a computer model simulating an adult wheelchair-seated occupant subjected to a rear impact event. The model was developed in MADYMO and validated rigorously using the results of three similar sled tests conducted to specifications provided in the draft ISO/TC 173 standard. Outcomes from the model can provide critical wheelchair loading information to wheelchair and tiedown manufacturers, resulting in safer wheelchair designs for rear impact conditions. (c) 2009 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keeping our children safe in motor vehicles: knowledge, attitudes and practice among parents in Kuwait regarding child car safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Raman, Sudha R; Landry, Michel D; Ottensmeyer, C Andrea; Jacob, Susan; Hamdan, Elham; Bouhaimed, Manal

2013-01-01

Child safety restraints can reduce risk of death and decrease injury severity from road traffic crashes; however, knowledge about restraints and their use in Kuwait is limited. A cross-sectional, self-administered survey about child car safety was used among a convenience sample of parents of children aged 18 years or younger at five Kuwaiti university campuses. Of 552 respondents, over 44% have seated a child in the front seat and 41.5% have seated a child in their lap while driving. Few parents are aware of and fewer report using the appropriate child restraint; e.g., 36% of parents of infants recognised an infant seat and 26% reported using one. Over 70% reported wearing seat belts either "all of the time" (33%) or "most of the time" (41%). This new information about parents' knowledge and practice regarding child car seat use in Kuwait can inform interventions to prevent child occupant injury and death.

The Quality of Academic Library Building Improvements Has a Positive Impact on Library Usage. A review of: Shill, Harold B. and Shawn Tonner. “Does the Building Still Matter? Usage Patterns in New, Expanded, and Renovated Libraries, 1995‐2002.” College & Research Libraries 65.2 (Mar.2004: 123-150.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julie McKenna

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Objective – To measure the impact of academic library facility improvements on physical library usage. Design – The facility improvement data used for this study were previously collected through a 68-item Web survey for the companion article “Creating a Better Place: Physical Improvements in Academic Libraries, 1995-2002” (Shill and Tonner. The measurement of library usage was by exit gate counts before and after library improvements. Setting – American academic libraries in which: facility improvement projects were completed between 1995 and 2002, the project space was not smaller than 20,000 square feet, the project space did not include off‐site storage or non-public space, and gate-count statistics from before and after facility changes were available. Subjects – Ninety of 384 identified academic libraries were able to provide usable data on: exit gate count, total circulation, in-house collection use, and reference transaction data. Methods – The data collection was undertaken in 2003 for the companion study (Shill and Tonner. A population of 384 libraries potentially able to meet criteria for the study was gathered and each library was invited by e‐mail to complete a Web‐based survey. Through this initial contact, 357 libraries were confirmed as meeting the study criteria, and responses were received from 182 of those providing a 51% overall response rate. Respondents were asked about institutional characteristics (public or private, Carnegie classification, etc.; project specific features (year of completion, nature of project, etc.; nature and extent of changes (seating, wiring, HVAC, etc.; presence of non‐library services in the facility; collection arrangements; before and after quality changes in lighting, seating and a range of services (as assessed by the survey respondent; and before and after project completion gate count usage statistics. Respondents were asked a set of eleven questions each with a five�

Multi-leg Seat Inventory Control Based on EMSU and Virtual Bucket

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Fan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Expected marginal seat revenue (EMSR is a well-known method for airline seat inventory control airlines. However, this method employs a static model to study the dynamic reservation process, and does not take into account the risk tolerance of policy makers. Expected marginal seat utility (EMSU replaces revenue by utility, which addresses the real situation of seat inventory control. However, there is still a lack of multi-leg seat control algorithms based on EMSU. Therefore, using EMSU and bucket algorithms, this paper applies the Markov decision-making process to simulate the flight reservation process and builds a dynamic multi-leg seat inventory control model. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Kineto-dynamic design optimisation for vehicle-specific seat-suspension systems

Science.gov (United States)

Shangguan, Wen-Bin; Shui, Yijie; Rakheja, Subhash

2017-11-01

Designs and analyses of seat-suspension systems are invariably performed considering effective vertical spring rate and damping properties, while neglecting important contributions due to kinematics of the widely used cross-linkage mechanism. In this study, a kineto-dynamic model of a seat-suspension is formulated to obtain relations for effective vertical suspension stiffness and damping characteristics as functions of those of the air spring and the hydraulic damper, respectively. The proposed relations are verified through simulations of the multi-body dynamic model of the cross-linkage seat-suspension in the ADAMS platform. The validity of the kineto-dynamic model is also demonstrated through comparisons of its vibration transmission response with the experimental data. The model is used to identify optimal air spring coordinates to attain nearly constant natural frequency of the suspension, irrespective of the seated body mass and seated height. A methodology is further proposed to identify optimal damping requirements for vehicle-specific suspension designs to achieve minimal seat effective amplitude transmissibility (SEAT) and vibration dose value (VDV) considering vibration spectra of different classes of earthmoving vehicles. The shock and vibration isolation performance potentials of the optimal designs are evaluated under selected vehicle vibration superimposed with shock motions. Results show that the vehicle-specific optimal designs could provide substantial reductions in the SEAT and VDV values for the vehicle classes considered.

75 FR 30783 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Safety Standard...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-02

... product and the retail package. There are three known firms supplying bath seats to the United States... marking and instructional literature requirements in the Safety Standard for Infant Bath Seats. DATES... for marking and instructional literature. We estimate the burden of this collection of information as...

Classroom Seating Considerations for 21st Century Students and Faculty

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, Eugene J.; Kenyon, Melaine C.

2013-01-01

This quantitative, cross-sectional research study explored students' perceptions of five different seating styles within typical classrooms in an urban public higher education institution. The five seating styles included: modern mobile chairs, tablet arm chairs, fixed tiered seating with tablet arms, rectangle tables with standard chairs, and…

MACRO MODEL OF SEAT BELT USE BY CAR DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazimierz JAMROZ

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The article presents some problems of seat belt use by car drivers and passengers. It looks in particular at seat belt use and effectiveness in selected countries. Next, factors of seat belt use are presented and methodology of model development. A macro model of seat belt use is presented based on data from around fifty countries from different continents.

SEAT BELT USE AMONG CAR USERS IN MALAYSIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. KULANTHAYAN

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The car is the second (40% most common mode of transportation in Malaysia. In terms of fatal road accidents, car drivers constitute about 9.0% and passengers 13.6% of fatalities. The major cause of car occupants' fatality in such accidents is head injuries, which consist of more than half (56.4% of the fatalities. Thus restraining the head and body, the initial position is the most important injury control strategy for car users. The use of seat belts was deemed one of the most effective ways to reduce road accident fatalities in Malaysia and consequently the mandatory seat belt law was enforced in the early seventies. Therefore, a study on factors influencing the compliance behaviour of seat belt use among cars is needed as to date no such research has been undertaken in Malaysia. A questionnaire study was carried out in Selangor, Malaysia on the compliance behaviour of car occupants in relation to seat belt use. A total of 237 respondents were interviewed and the data analysed using logistic regression method. Six variables were found to be significant at 5 percent level (p<0.05: seating position, location of travel, education level, speeding, night-time driving and enforcement. Compliance with the seat belt law was higher among drivers, educated car users, in the presence of enforcement activities, travelling in city-center areas and car users with a positive attitude towards the risks of speeding and night driving.

The effects of seat belt legislation on road traffic injuries.

Science.gov (United States)

Trinca, G W; Dooley, B J

1977-04-01

The compulsory wearing of seat belts, first introduced in the world in Victoria in 1970, has effectively reduced the number of deaths and injuries by approximately one-third for car occupants involved in motor vehicle crashes. Initially, the legislation did not apply to children under the age of eight years, but in 1975 a further law was introduced banning children from the front seat of any vehicle unless properly harnessed. Seat belts offer the best protection for front seat drivers and passengers involved in frontal impacts, but offer less protection to the recipient of a side impact. Ten per cent of car occupants admitted to hospital after a frontal impact show injuries, mostly minor, directly attibutable to the wearing of seat belts.

Thermal comfort of seats as visualized by infrared thermography.

Science.gov (United States)

Sales, Rosemary Bom Conselho; Pereira, Romeu Rodrigues; Aguilar, Maria Teresa Paulino; Cardoso, Antônio Valadão

2017-07-01

Published studies that deal with the question of how the temperature of chair seats influences human activities are few, but the studies considering such a factor, a function of the type of material, could contribute to improvements in the design of chairs. This study evaluates seat temperatures of 8 types of chairs made of different materials. The parts of the furniture that people come into contact with, and the thermal response of the material to heating and cooling have been evaluated. Infrared thermography was used for this, as it is a non-contact technique that does not present any type of risk in the measurement of temperatures. Seats made of synthetic leather (leatherette), wood and polyester fabric were found to have the highest temperatures, and the plywood seat showed the lowest. The study has also revealed that thermography can contribute to studies of thermal comfort of chair seats in addition to determining the most suitable material. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The relationship between sitting posture and seated-related upper quadrant musculoskeletal pain in computing South African adolescents: A prospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Brink, Yolandi; Louw, Quinette; Grimmer, Karen; Jordaan, Esmè

2015-12-01

There is evidence that consistent sitting for prolonged periods is associated with upper quadrant musculoskeletal pain (UQMP). It is unclear whether postural alignment is a significant risk factor. The aim of the prospective study (2010-2011) was to ascertain if three-dimensional sitting postural angles, measured in a real-life school computer classroom setting, predict seated-related UQMP. Asymptomatic Grade 10 high-school students, aged 15-17 years, undertaking Computer Application Technology, were eligible to participate. Using the 3D Posture Analysis Tool, sitting posture was measured while students used desk-top computers. Posture was reported as five upper quadrant angles (Head flexion, Neck flexion; Craniocervical angle, Trunk flexion and Head lateral bending). The Computer Usage Questionnaire measured seated-related UQMP and hours of computer use. The Beck Depression Inventory and the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children assessed psychosocial factors. Sitting posture, computer use and psychosocial factors were measured at baseline. UQMP was measured at six months and one-year follow-up. 211, 190 and 153 students participated at baseline, six months and one-year follow-up respectively. 34.2% students complained of seated-related UQMP during the follow-up period. Increased head flexion (HF) predicted seated-related UQMP developing over time for a small group of students with pain scores greater than the 90th pain percentile, adjusted for age, gender, BMI, computer use and psychosocial factors (p = 0.003). The pain score increased 0.22 points per 1° increase in HF. Classroom ergonomics and postural hygiene should therefore focus on reducing large HF angles among computing adolescents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aortic ruptures in seat belt wearers.

Science.gov (United States)

Arajärvi, E; Santavirta, S; Tolonen, J

1989-09-01

Several investigations have indicated that rupture of the thoracic aorta is one of the leading causes of immediate death in victims of road traffic accidents. In Finland in 1983, 92% of front-seat passengers were seat belt wearers on highways and 82% in build-up areas. The mechanisms of rupture of the aorta have been intensively investigated, but the relationship between seat belt wearing and injury mechanisms leading to aortic rupture is still largely unknown. This study comprises 4169 fatally injured victims investigated by the Boards of Traffic Accident Investigation of Insurance Companies during the period 1972 to 1985. Chest injuries were recorded as the main cause of death in 1121 (26.9%) victims, 207 (5.0%) of those victims having worn a seat belt. Aortic ruptures were found at autopsy in 98 victims and the exact information of the location of the aortic tears was available in 68. For a control group, we analyzed 72 randomly chosen unbelted victims who had a fatal aortic rupture in similar accidents. The location of the aortic rupture in unbelted victims was more often in the ascending aorta, especially in drivers, whereas in seat belt wearers the distal descending aorta was statistically more often ruptured, especially in right-front passengers (p less than 0.05). The steering wheel predominated statistically as the part of the car estimated to have caused the injury in unbelted victims (37/72), and some interior part of the car was the most common cause of fatal thoracic impacts in seat belt wearers (48/68) (p less than 0.001). The mechanism of rupture of the aorta in the classic site just distal to the subclavian artery seems to be rapid deceleration, although complex body movements are also responsible in side impact collisions. The main mechanism leading to rupture of the ascending aorta seems to be severe blow to the bony thorax. This also often causes associated thoracic injuries, such as heart rupture and sternal fracture. Injuries in the ascending

Effects of vehicle front-end stiffness on rear seat dummies in NCAP and FMVSS208 tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahraei, Elham; Digges, Kennerly; Marzougui, Dhafer

2013-01-01

This study is devoted to quantifying changes in mass and stiffness of vehicles tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over the past 3 decades (model years 1982 to 2010) and understanding the effect of those changes on protection of rear seat occupants. A total of 1179 tests were used, and the changes in their mass and stiffness versus their model year was quantified. Additionally, data from 439 dummies tested in rear seats of NHTSA's full frontal crashes were analyzed. Dummies were divided into 3 groups based on their reference injury criteria. Multiple regressions were performed with speed, stiffness, and mass as predicting variables for head, neck, and chest injury criteria. A significant increase in mass and stiffness over model year of vehicles was observed, for passenger cars as well as large platform vehicles. The result showed a significant correlation (P-value < .05) between the increase in stiffness of the vehicles and increase in head and chest injury criteria for all dummy sizes. These results explain that stiffness is a significant contributor to previously reported decreases in protection of rear seat occupants over model years of vehicles.

Assessment of Rail Seat Abrasion Patterns and Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-01

Rail seat abrasion (RSA) of concrete ties is manifested by the loss of material under the rail seat area and, in extreme cases, results in loss of rail clip holding power, reverse rail cant, and gauge widening. RSA was measured in several curves on t...

Vibration control of an energy regenerative seat suspension with variable external resistance

Science.gov (United States)

Ning, Donghong; Sun, Shuaishuai; Du, Haiping; Li, Weihua; Zhang, Nong

2018-06-01

In this paper, an energy regenerative seat suspension with a variable external resistance is proposed and built, and a semi-active controller for its vibration control is also designed and validated. The energy regenerative seat suspension is built with a three-phase generator and a gear reducer, which are installed in the scissors structure centre of the seat suspension, and the vibration energy is directly harvested from the rotary movement of suspension's scissors structure. The electromagnetic torque of the semi-active seat suspension actuator is controlled by an external variable resistor. An integrated model including the seat suspension's kinematics and the generator is built and proven to match the test result very well. A simplified experimental phenomenon model is also built based on the test results for the controller design. A state feedback H∞ controller is proposed for the regenerative seat suspension's semi-active vibration control. The proposed regenerative seat suspension and its controller are validated with both simulations and experiments. A well-tuned passive seat suspension is applied to evaluate the regenerative seat's performance. Based on ISO 2631-1, the frequency-weighted root mean square (FW-RMS) acceleration of the proposed seat suspension has a 22.84% reduction when compared with the passive one, which indicates the improvement of ride comfort. At the same time, the generated RMS power is 1.21 W. The proposed regenerative seat suspension can greatly improve the driver's ride comfort and has the potential to be developed to a self-powered semi-active system.

The Effects of Prototype Helicopter Seat Cushion Concepts on Human Body Vibration Response

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Smith, Suzanne

1998-01-01

...), and thigh, and the input at the seat. Seating configurations included the rigid seat, a current inventory seat cushion, and a prototype cushion with an inflatable thigh support in both the deflated and inflated positions...

IAEA safety glossary. Terminology used in nuclear safety and radiation protection, multilingual 2007 edition, including the IAEA safety fundamentals [no. SF-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-10-01

The IAEA Safety Glossary defines and explains technical terms used in the IAEA Safety Standards and other safety related IAEA publications, and provides information on their usage.The publication is multilingual and covers the six official IAEA languages,, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. It has been in use since April 2000. The 2007 Edition is a revised and updated version. The primary purpose of the publication is to harmonize terminology and usage in the IAEA Safety Standards. It is a source of information for users of the IAEA Safety Standards and other safety related IAEA publications and provides guidance for the drafters and reviewers of publications, including IAEA technical officers and consultants, and members of technical committees, advisory groups, working groups and bodies for the endorsement of safety standards

75 FR 30775 - Availability of Seats for the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-02

..., Recreational Diving seat, Education seat, Archaeological Research seat, Maritime Museum seat, Youth seat, and... by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. It is one of 13 sanctuaries and protects the wreck..., Recreational Diving, the US Navy, Virginia and North Carolina Department of Historic Resources, the National...

Investigating Car Body Construction Influence on the Passive Safety in a Rear Impact

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Yu. Solopov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This article solves the task to assess how much a car body construction influences on the parameters of passive safety in a rear impact. The task concerns the impact and, as a result, is highly nonlinear with large values of deformations, stresses, and accelerations. A finite element method based on software systems LS-DYNA, ANSYS, FEMAP, and others solves this task.One of the most important stages of the work was to develop the finite element models (FEM of the car as a whole, as well as the car seat with a dummy mounted in the car. Body of the Chiseler Grand Caravan car, which parameters are close to average ones, was used as an object of research.The results of calculations and experiments allowed us to find that in assessing the passive safety of a car, taking into consideration the body design with a seat mounted in it, values of velocities, accelerations, and NIC criterion turned out to be lower than when calculating the seat with a dummy separately. The relative error (relative to the results of calculations in the "dangerous" impact of FEM seat of the highest level in accordance with EURO NCAP was 32% for full acceleration and was 33% for NIC criterion.It was found that in the calculations based on the FEM car, as a whole, the results are more accurate than when using the load operation conditions simulating energy absorption by the car body (20%.This leads to the conclusion that the calculations based on the FEM car with the seat mounted in it gives the possibility to design a seat (with passive or active headrest to ensure the best level of passive safety of this car.

The Surprising Impact of Seat Location on Student Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Perkins, Katherine K.; Wieman, Carl E.

2005-01-01

Every physics instructor knows that the most engaged and successful students tend to sit at the front of the class and the weakest students tend to sit at the back. However, it is normally assumed that this is merely an indication of the respective seat location preferences of weaker and stronger students. Here we present evidence suggesting that in fact this may be mixing up the cause and effect. It may be that the seat selection itself contributes to whether the student does well or poorly, rather than the other way around. While a number of studies have looked at the effect of seat location on students, the results are often inconclusive, and few, if any, have studied the effects in college classrooms with randomly assigned seats. In this paper, we report on our observations of a large introductory physics course in which we randomly assigned students to particular seat locations at the beginning of the semester. Seat location during the first half of the semester had a noticeable impact on student success in the course, particularly in the top and bottom parts of the grade distribution. Students sitting in the back of the room for the first half of the term were nearly six times as likely to receive an F as students who started in the front of the room. A corresponding but less dramatic reversal was evident in the fractions of students receiving As. These effects were in spite of many unusual efforts to engage students at the back of the class and a front-to-back reversal of seat location halfway through the term. These results suggest there may be inherent detrimental effects of large physics lecture halls that need to be further explored.

Joint overbooking and seat allocation for fare families

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjorth, Robert; Fiig, Thomas; Bondoux, Nicolas

2016-01-01

Revenue Management Systems (RMS) traditionally solve the seat allocation problem separately from the overbooking problem. Overbooking is managed by inflating the authorization levels obtained from seat allocation by various heuristics. This approach although suboptimal, is necessitated because...... independent demand model, which is readily solved. The resulting availability control can easily by implemented in existing RMS...

MIT-Skywalker: Evaluating comfort of bicycle/saddle seat.

Science.gov (United States)

Goncalves, Rogerio S; Hamilton, Taya; Daher, Ali R; Hirai, Hiroaki; Krebs, Hermano I

2017-07-01

The MIT-Skywalker is a robotic device developed for the rehabilitation of gait and balance after a neurological injury. This device has been designed based on the concept of a passive walker and provides three distinct training modes: discrete movement, rhythmic movement, and balance training. In this paper, we present our efforts to evaluate the comfort of a bicycle/saddle seat design for the system's novel actuated body weight support device. We employed different bicycle and saddle seats and evaluated comfort using objective and subjective measures. Here we will summarize the results obtained from a study of fifteen healthy subjects and one stroke patient that led to the selection of a saddle seat design for the MIT-Skywalker.

Head injury causation scenarios for belted, rear-seated children in frontal impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Bohman, Katarina; Arbogast, Kristy B; Bostrom, Ola

2011-02-01

Head injuries are the most common serious injuries sustained by children in motor vehicle crashes and are of critical importance with regard to long-term disability. There is a lack of understanding of how seat belt-restrained children sustain head injuries in frontal impacts. The aim of the study was to identify the AIS2+ head injury causation scenarios for rear-seated, belt-restrained children in frontal impacts, including the set of parameters contributing to the injury. In-depth crash investigations from two National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) databases, the National Automotive Sampling System-Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS; 1997-2008) and the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN; 1996-2009), were collected and analyzed in detail. Selection criteria were all frontal impacts with principal direction of force (PDOF) of 11, 12, and 1 o'clock involving rear-seated, three-point belt-restrained, with or without booster cushion, children from 3 to 13 years with an AIS2+ head injury. Cases were analyzed using the BioTab method of injury causation assessment in order to systematically analyze the injury causation scenario for each case. There were 27 cases meeting the inclusion criteria, 19 cases with MAIS2 head injuries and 8 cases with MAIS3+ head injuries, including 2 fatalities. Three major injury causation scenarios were identified, including head contact with seatback (10 cases), head contact with side interior (7 cases,) and no evidence of head contact (9 cases). Head injuries with seatback or side interior contact typically included a PDOF greater than 10 degree (similar to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety [IIHS] and EuroNCAP offset frontal testing) and vehicle maneuvers. For seatback contact, the vehicle's movements contributed to occupant kinematics inboard the vehicle, causing a less than optimal restraint of the torso and/or torso roll out of the shoulder belt. For side interior contact, the PDOF and

Autist mobile seat's frame strength simulation used in a car

Science.gov (United States)

Suryo, S. H.; Jamari, J.; Naufal, G. K.; Ismail, R.; Bayuseno, A. P.; Desiningrum, D. R.

2016-04-01

Going on a car with autistic children needs a special handling. Autistic children that tend to be hyperactive in the car may disturb driving. A tool is needed to keep them in a calm state when they are in the car. Autist Mobile Seat is an aid for the autistic children when going on a car. The aid is an additional seat paired with the main seat of the car. This aid consists of three main things: Main frame, body skin, and pneumatic system. Frame as the main component supporting the Autist Mobile Seat functions as a holder as well as a body skin retainer in order to be able to retain the body of the autistic children. The strength of the frame from this Autist Mobile Seat should be counted as an anticipation from the failure of the frame function when receiving load when used by the autistic children in the car. Consequently, a test on the frame of the Autist Mobile Seat towards the load received should be conducted by using a method of FEM (Finite Element Method) with the help of commercial software. The simulation produces the maximum strength, the frame towards the load received as well as the critical point on the frame when loading occurs.

Percentage of Drivers and Front Seat Passengers Wearing Seat Belts, 2012 & 2014, All States

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Source for 2012 national data: National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), 2012. Source for 2012 state data: State Observational Survey of Seat Belt Use, 2012....

The Impact of Seating Location and Seating Type on Student Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Meeks, Michael D.; Knotts, Tami L.; James, Karen D.; Williams, Felice; Vassar, John A.; Wren, Amy Oakes

2013-01-01

While an extensive body of research exists regarding the delivery of course knowledge and material, much less attention has been paid to the performance effect of seating position within a classroom. Research findings are mixed as to whether students in the front row of a classroom outperform students in the back row. Another issue that has not…

"Hot Seat" Questioning: A Technique to Promote and Evaluate Student Dialogue

Science.gov (United States)

Crider, Anthony

Several approaches have been proposed to include students in classroom dialogue, including "think-pair-share" and "talk to your neighbor." I recently implemented an additional technique in which four students answer questions in a "Hot Seat" at the front of the classroom. An unforeseen by-product of this was student-initiated peer instruction outside of the classroom. A small case study (approximately 50 students) on the effect of the Hot Seat using the midterm exam showed that students were 9.5 +/- 3.2% more likely to correctly answer a question related to material covered while they occupied the Hot Seat. Analysis of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test revealed that they were twice as likely to learn their Hot Seat material. A survey revealed one likely reason: Students typically spent 15-60 additional minutes preparing for class on their two assigned Hot Seat dates. Curiously, students received no significant benefit (2.2 +/- 3.6%) from their second turn in the Hot Seat, possibly reflecting student immunization to its motivational pressure.

Finite Element Models Development of Car Seats With Passive Head Restraints to Study Their Meeting Requirements for EURO NCAP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Yu. Solopov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In performing calculations to evaluate passive safety of car seats by computer modelling methods it is desirable to use the final element models (FEM thereby providing the greatest accuracy of calculation results. Besides, it is expedient to use FEM, which can be calculated by computer for a small period of time to give preliminary results for short terms.The paper describes the features to evaluate a passive safety, which is ensured by the developed KEM of seats with passive head restraints according to requirements of the EURO NCAP.Besides, accuracy of calculated results that is provided by the developed KEM was evaluated. Accuracy evaluation was accomplished in relation to the results obtained the by specialists of the organization conducting similar researches (LSTC.This work was performed within the framework of a technique, which allows us to develop effectively the car seat designs both with passive, and active head restraints, meeting requirements for passive safety.By results of made calculations and experiments it was found that when evaluating by the EURO NCAP technique the "rough" KEM (the 1st and 2nd levels can be considered as rational ones (in terms of labour costs for its creation and problem solving as well as by result errors and it is expedient to use them for preliminary and multivariate calculations. Detailed models (the 3rd level provide the greatest accuracy (the greatest accuracy is reached with the evaluated impact of 16km/h speed under the loading conditions "moderate impact". A relative error of full head acceleration is of 12%.In evaluation by EURO NCAP using NIC criterion a conclusion can be drawn that the seat models of the 2nd level (467 936 KE and the 3rd level (1 255 358 KE meet the passive safety requirements according to EURO NCAP requirements under "light", "moderate", and "heavy" impacts.In evaluation by EURO NCAP for preliminary and multivariate calculations a model of the middle level (consisting of 467

Jungle Juice: Knowledge and Usage Among Kenyan Surgical Teams

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This survey aimed to evaluate knowledge and safe usage of jungle juice on patients in ... patterns and safety measures employed during use of jungle juice among ... Regarding the specific antidote for severe local anesthetic toxicity and its ...

Assessing community child passenger safety efforts in three Northwest Tribes.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, M L; Berger, L R

2002-12-01

To identify strengths and weaknesses in community based child passenger safety programs by developing a scoring instrument and conducting observations of child restraint use in three Native American communities. The three communities are autonomous Tribal reservations in the Pacific Northwest. Their per capita incomes and rates of unemployment are comparable. In each community, 100 children under 5 years old were observed for car seat use. A six item community assessment tool (100 points maximum) awarded points for such items as the type (primary or secondary) and enforcement of child restraint laws; availability of car seats from distribution programs; extent of educational programs; and access to data on vehicle injuries. For children from birth to 4 years, the car seat use rate ranged from 12%-21%. Rates for infants (71%-80%) far exceeded rates for 1-4 year old children (5%-14%). Community scores ranged from 0 to 31.5 points. There was no correlation between scores and observed car seat use. One reason was the total lack of enforcement of restraint laws. A community assessment tool can highlight weaknesses in child passenger efforts. Linking such a tool with an objective measure of impact can be applied to other injury problems, such as fire safety or domestic violence. The very process of creating and implementing a community assessment can enhance agency collaboration and publicize evidence based "best practices" for injury prevention. Further study is needed to address methodologic issues and to examine crash and medical data in relation to community child passenger safety scores.

49 CFR 571.210 - Standard No. 210; Seat belt assembly anchorages.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... bolt holes or the centroid of any other means of attachment to the structure specified in 4.1.3.1... are either: (a) For designated seating positions that are common to the same occupant seat and that... common to the same occupant seat, but that face in the same direction, if the vertical centerline of the...

Resection of deep-seated brain glioma by microsurgery assisted with neuronavigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Ming; Zhou Youxin; Sun Chunming; Zhang Shiming

2009-01-01

Objective: To investigate the clinical value of neuronavigator assisted microsurgery for deep-seated brain glioma. Methods: The electromagnetic neuronavigation system had been applied for microsurgery of deep-seated brain glioma in fifteen cases. Results: Ten from 15 patients were totally removed, 2 were subtotally removed and 3 were partial removed.All patients had no new neurological deficit. Conclusion: The neuronavigator assisted microsurgery for deep-seated brain glioma is of characters including accurate location, minimal invasiveness, and can enhance the rate of total resection and decrease the operative complications in the patients with deep-seated brain glioma. (authors)

A new landing impact attenuation seat in manned spacecraft biologically-inspired by felids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Hui

2015-04-01

Full Text Available When manned spacecraft comes back to the earth, it relies on the impact attenuation seat to protect astronauts from injuries during landing phase. Hence, the seat needs to transfer impact load, as small as possible, to the crew. However, there is little room left for traditional seat to improve further. Herein, a new seat system biologically-inspired by felids’ landing is proposed. Firstly, a series of experiments was carried out on cats and tigers, in which they were trained to jump down voluntarily from different heights. Based on the ground reaction forces combined with kinematics, the experiment indicated that felids’ landing after self-initial jump was a multi-step impact attenuation process and the new seat was inspired by this. Then the construction and work process of new seat were redesigned to realize the multi-step impact attenuation. The dynamic response of traditional and new seat is analyzed under the identical conditions and the results show that the new concept seat can significantly weaken the occupant overload in two directions compared with that of traditional seat. As a consequence, the risk of injury evaluated for spinal and head is also lowered, meaning a higher level of protection which is especially beneficial to the debilitated astronaut.

Traveling with children: beyond car seat safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Polli, Janaina Borges; Polli, Ismael

2015-01-01

To spread knowledge and instigate the health professional to give advice on childcare during travels and on child transport safety. Literature review through the LILACS and MEDLINE(®) databases, using the terms: travel, safety, protective equipment, child, preventive medicine, retrieving articles published in the last 21 years. The authors analyzed 93 articles, of which 66 met the inclusion criteria after summaries were read. For drafting this article, the following sub-themes were proposed: getting ready to travel with children; knowing some of the transfer risks (air, land and water transportation) and exploring the destination with children (sun exposure, accommodations, altitude, food, traveler's diarrhea, insect bites) and return from the trip with children. Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of children who travel around the world. However, this population is still subject to health problems while traveling and may be even more susceptible than the adult age group. These problems arise from a variety of factors, including exposure to infectious organisms, the use of certain types of transportation, and participation in some activities, such as hiking at high altitudes, among others. However, when traveling with children, these risk factors can be overlooked; a trip that is considered safe for an adult might not be a good choice for this age group. The pediatric consultation should be a good opportunity to optimize preventive guidelines at the pre-trip planning. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

A Review of Botanical Characteristics, Traditional Usage, Chemical Components, Pharmacological Activities, and Safety of Pereskia bleo (Kunth DC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sogand Zareisedehizadeh

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Pereskia bleo, a leafy cactus, is a medicinal plant native to West and South America and distributed in tropical and subtropical areas. It is traditionally used as a dietary vegetable, barrier hedge, water purifier, and insect repellant and for maintaining health, detoxification, prevention of cancer, and/or treatment of cancer, hypertension, diabetes, stomach ache, muscle pain, and inflammatory diseases such as dermatitis and rheumatism. The aim of this paper was to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the botanical characteristics, traditional usage, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, and safety of P. bleo. A literature search using MEDLINE (via PubMed, Science direct, Scopus and Google scholar and China Academic Journals Full-Text Database (CNKI and available eBooks and books in the National University of Singapore libraries in English and Chinese was conducted. The following keywords were used: Pereskia bleo, Pereskia panamensis, Pereskia corrugata, Rhodocacus corrugatus, Rhodocacus bleo, Cactus panamensis, Cactus bleo, Spinach cactus, wax rose, Perescia, and Chinese rose. This review revealed the association between the traditional usage of P. bleo and reported pharmacological properties in the literature. Further investigation on the pharmacological properties and phytoconstituents of P. bleo is warranted to further exploit its potentials as a source of novel therapeutic agents or lead compounds.

A Review of Botanical Characteristics, Traditional Usage, Chemical Components, Pharmacological Activities, and Safety of Pereskia bleo (Kunth) DC.

Science.gov (United States)

Zareisedehizadeh, Sogand; Tan, Chay-Hoon; Koh, Hwee-Ling

2014-01-01

Pereskia bleo, a leafy cactus, is a medicinal plant native to West and South America and distributed in tropical and subtropical areas. It is traditionally used as a dietary vegetable, barrier hedge, water purifier, and insect repellant and for maintaining health, detoxification, prevention of cancer, and/or treatment of cancer, hypertension, diabetes, stomach ache, muscle pain, and inflammatory diseases such as dermatitis and rheumatism. The aim of this paper was to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the botanical characteristics, traditional usage, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, and safety of P. bleo. A literature search using MEDLINE (via PubMed), Science direct, Scopus and Google scholar and China Academic Journals Full-Text Database (CNKI) and available eBooks and books in the National University of Singapore libraries in English and Chinese was conducted. The following keywords were used: Pereskia bleo, Pereskia panamensis, Pereskia corrugata, Rhodocacus corrugatus, Rhodocacus bleo, Cactus panamensis, Cactus bleo, Spinach cactus, wax rose, Perescia, and Chinese rose. This review revealed the association between the traditional usage of P. bleo and reported pharmacological properties in the literature. Further investigation on the pharmacological properties and phytoconstituents of P. bleo is warranted to further exploit its potentials as a source of novel therapeutic agents or lead compounds.

Beslissingsprocessen van verkeersdeelnemers : covernota bij de rapporten van W.H. Janssen: "Risk compensation and the effect of an incentive : a laboratory study" (IFZ 1988 C-26), "An experimental evaluation of safety incentive schemes" (IZF 1989 C-19), en "Seat belt wearing and driving behaviour : an empirical investigation" (IZF 1991 C-15).

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Levelt, P.B.M.

1993-01-01

This cover note comments on the following three TNO Institute for Perception (IZF) Reports: (1) "Risk compensation and the effect of an incentive: a laboratory study"; (2) "An experimental evaluation of safety incentive schemes"; and (3) "Seat belt wearing and driving behaviour: an empirical

IAEA safety glossary. Terminology used in nuclear safety and radiation protection. 2007 ed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

In developing and establishing standards of safety for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation and for the safety of facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks, clear communication on scientific and technical concepts is essential. The principles, requirements and recommendations that are established and explained in the IAEA's safety standards and elaborated upon in other publications must be clearly expressed. To this end, this Safety Glossary defines and explains technical terms used in IAEA safety standards and other safety related publications, and provides information on their usage. The primary purpose of the Safety Glossary is to harmonize terminology and usage in the IAEA safety standards for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation, and in their application. Once definitions of terms have been established, they are, in general, intended to be observed in safety standards and other safety related publications and in the work of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security generally. The achievement of consistently high quality in its publications contributes to the authority and credibility of the IAEA, and thus to its influence and effectiveness. High quality in publications and documents is achieved not only by review to ensure that the relevant requirements are met, but also by managing their preparation so as to achieve high quality in their drafting. The Safety Glossary provides guidance primarily for the drafters and reviewers of safety standards, including IAEA technical officers and consultants and bodies for the endorsement of safety standards. The Safety Glossary is also a source of information for users of IAEA safety standards and other safety and security related IAEA publications and for other IAEA staff - notably writers, editors, translators, revisers and interpreters. Users of the Safety Glossary, in particular drafters of national

IAEA safety glossary. Terminology used in nuclear safety and radiation protection. 2007 ed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-06-01

In developing and establishing standards of safety for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation and for the safety of facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks, clear communication on scientific and technical concepts is essential. The principles, requirements and recommendations that are established and explained in the IAEA's safety standards and elaborated upon in other publications must be clearly expressed. To this end, this Safety Glossary defines and explains technical terms used in IAEA safety standards and other safety related publications, and provides information on their usage. The primary purpose of the Safety Glossary is to harmonize terminology and usage in the IAEA safety standards for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation, and in their application. Once definitions of terms have been established, they are, in general, intended to be observed in safety standards and other safety related publications and in the work of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security generally. The achievement of consistently high quality in its publications contributes to the authority and credibility of the IAEA, and thus to its influence and effectiveness. High quality in publications and documents is achieved not only by review to ensure that the relevant requirements are met, but also by managing their preparation so as to achieve high quality in their drafting. The Safety Glossary provides guidance primarily for the drafters and reviewers of safety standards, including IAEA technical officers and consultants and bodies for the endorsement of safety standards. The Safety Glossary is also a source of information for users of IAEA safety standards and other safety and security related IAEA publications and for other IAEA staff - notably writers, editors, translators, revisers and interpreters. Users of the Safety Glossary, in particular drafters of national

IAEA safety glossary. Terminology used in nuclear safety and radiation protection. 2007 ed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

In developing and establishing standards of safety for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation and for the safety of facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks, clear communication on scientific and technical concepts is essential. The principles, requirements and recommendations that are established and explained in the IAA's safety standards and elaborated upon in other publications must be clearly expressed. To this end, this Safety Glossary defines and explains technical terms used in IAEA safety standards and other safety related publications, and provides information on their usage. The primary purpose of the Safety Glossary is to harmonize terminology and usage in the IAEA safety standards for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation, and in their application. Once definitions of terms have been established, they are, in general, intended to be observed in safety standards and other safety related publications and in the work of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security generally. The achievement of consistently high quality in its publications contributes to the authority and credibility of the IAEA, and thus to its influence and effectiveness. High quality in publications and documents is achieved not only by review to ensure that the relevant requirements are met, but also by managing their preparation so as to achieve high quality in their drafting. The Safety Glossary provides guidance primarily for the drafters and reviewers of safety standards, including IAEA technical officers and consultants and bodies for the endorsement of safety standards. The Safety Glossary is also a source of information for users of IAEA safety standards and other safety and security related IAEA publications and for other IAEA staff - notably writers, editors, translators, revisers and interpreters. Users of the Safety Glossary, in particular drafters of national

Experimental verification of numerical calculations of railway passenger seats

Science.gov (United States)

Ligaj, B.; Wirwicki, M.; Karolewska, K.; Jasińska, A.

2018-04-01

The construction of railway seats is based on industry regulations and the requirements of end users, i.e. passengers. The two main documents in this context are the UIC 566 (3rd Edition, dated 7 January 1994) and the EN 12663-1: 2010+A1:2014. The study was to carry out static load tests of passenger seat frames. The paper presents the construction of the test bench and the results of experimental and numerical studies of passenger seat rail frames. The test bench consists of a frame, a transverse beam, two electric cylinders with a force value of 6 kN, and a strain gauge amplifier. It has a modular structure that allows for its expansion depending on the structure of the seats. Comparing experimental results with numerical results for points A and B allowed to determine the existing differences. It follows from it that higher stress values are obtained by numerical calculations in the range of 0.2 MPa to 35.9 MPa.

Biomechanical investigation of prolonged driving in an ergonomically designed truck seat prototype.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardoso, Michelle; McKinnon, Colin; Viggiani, Dan; Johnson, Michel J; Callaghan, Jack P; Albert, Wayne J

2018-03-01

A postural evaluation during a prolonged driving task was conducted to determine the ergonomic validity of a new freely adjustable truck seat prototype. Twenty participants were recruited to perform two 2-h simulated driving sessions. Postures were assessed using motion capture, accelerometers and pressure pads. Subjective discomfort was also monitored in 15-min increments using ratings of perceived discomfort (RPD) and the Automotive Seating Discomfort Questionnaire. Participants had a more neutral spine posture during the first hour of the drive and reported lower RPDs while sitting in the prototype. Pairing the gluteal backrest panel with the adjustable seat pan helped reduce the average sitting pressure. The industry-standard truck seat may lead to the development of poor whole body posture, and the proposed ergonomic redesign of a new truck seat helped improve sitting posture and reduce perceived discomfort. Practitioner Summary: A new freely adjustable truck seat prototype was compared to an Industry standard seat to assess hypothesised improvements to sitting posture and discomfort for long haul driving. It was found that the adjustable panels in the prototype helped promote spine posture, reduce sitting pressure and improved discomfort ratings.

75 FR 58340 - Airworthiness Directives; Koito Industries, Ltd., Seats and Seating Systems Approved Under...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-24

... under Executive Order 13132. This proposed AD would not have a substantial direct effect on the States... cable, hook and loop (hook and loop is a generic term for Velcro), leather cover that is glued to seat...

Seat Adjustment Design of an Intelligent Robotic Wheelchair Based on the Stewart Platform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Po Er Hsu

2013-03-01

Full Text Available A wheelchair user makes direct contact with the wheelchair seat, which serves as the interface between the user and the wheelchair, for much of any given day. Seat adjustment design is of crucial importance in providing proper seating posture and comfort. This paper presents a multiple-DOF (degrees of freedom seat adjustment mechanism, which is intended to increase the independence of the wheelchair user while maintaining a concise structure, light weight, and intuitive control interface. This four-axis Stewart platform is capable of heaving, pitching, and swaying to provide seat elevation, tilt-in-space, and sideways movement functions. The geometry and types of joints of this mechanism are carefully arranged so that only one actuator needs to be controlled, enabling the wheelchair user to adjust the seat by simply pressing a button. The seat is also equipped with soft pressure-sensing pads to provide pressure management by adjusting the seat mechanism once continuous and concentrated pressure is detected. Finally, by comparing with the manual wheelchair, the proposed mechanism demonstrated the easier and more convenient operation with less effort for transfer assistance.

Factors related to seatbelt-wearing among rear-seat passengers in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Choy Peng; Law, Teik Hua; Wong, Shaw Voon; Kulanthayan, S

2013-01-01

The benefit of wearing a rear seatbelt in reducing the risk of motor vehicle crash-related fatalities and injuries has been well documented in previous studies. Wearing a seatbelt not only reduces the risk of injury to rear-seat passengers, but also reduces the risk of injury to front-seat occupant who could be crushed by unbelted rear-seat passengers in a motor vehicle crash. Despite the benefits of wearing a rear seatbelt, its rate of use in Malaysia is generally low. The objective of this study was to identify factors that are associated with the wearing of a seatbelt among rear-seat passengers in Malaysia. Multinomial logistic regression analysis of the results of a questionnaire survey of 1651 rear-seat passengers revealed that rear-seat passengers who were younger, male, single and less educated and who had a perception of a low level of legislation enforcement, a lower risk-aversion and less driving experience (only for passengers who are also drivers) were less likely to wear a rear seatbelt. There was also a significant positive correlation between driver seatbelt and rear seatbelt-wearing behaviour. This implies that, in regards to seatbelt-wearing behaviour, drivers are more likely to adopt the same seatbelt-wearing behaviour when travelling as rear-seat passengers as they do when driving. These findings are crucial to the development of new interventions to increase the compliance rate of wearing a rear seatbelt. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physiological Motion Axis for the Seat of a Dynamic Office Chair

Science.gov (United States)

Kuster, Roman Peter; Bauer, Christoph Markus; Oetiker, Sarah; Kool, Jan

2016-01-01

Objective The aim of this study was to determine and verify the optimal location of the motion axis (MA) for the seat of a dynamic office chair. Background A dynamic seat that supports pelvic motion may improve physical well-being and decrease the risk of sitting-associated disorders. However, office work requires an undisturbed view on the work task, which means a stable position of the upper trunk and head. Current dynamic office chairs do not fulfill this need. Consequently, a dynamic seat was adapted to the physiological kinematics of the human spine. Method Three-dimensional motion tracking in free sitting helped determine the physiological MA of the spine in the frontal plane. Three dynamic seats with physiological, lower, and higher MA were compared in stable upper body posture (thorax inclination) and seat support of pelvic motion (dynamic fitting accuracy). Spinal kinematics during sitting and walking were compared. Results The physiological MA was at the level of the 11th thoracic vertebra, causing minimal thorax inclination and high dynamic fitting accuracy. Spinal motion in active sitting and walking was similar. Conclusion The physiological MA of the seat allows considerable lateral flexion of the spine similar to walking with a stable upper body posture and a high seat support of pelvic motion. Application The physiological MA enables lateral flexion of the spine, similar to walking, without affecting stable upper body posture, thus allowing active sitting while focusing on work. PMID:27150530

Self-reported seat discomfort among Dutch commercial truck drivers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tan, C.F.; Chen, W.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.

2010-01-01

Comfort is an attribute that today’s consumers demand more and more. The seat has an important role to play in fulfilling these comfort expectations. Seating comfort is a major concern for drivers and other members of the work force who are exposed to extended periods of sitting and its associated

Development of adaptive helicopter seat systems for aircrew vibration mitigation

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yong; Wickramasinghe, Viresh; Zimcik, David G.

2008-03-01

Helicopter aircrews are exposed to high levels of whole body vibration during flight. This paper presents the results of an investigation of adaptive seat mount approaches to reduce helicopter aircrew whole body vibration levels. A flight test was conducted on a four-blade helicopter and showed that the currently used passive seat systems were not able to provide satisfactory protection to the helicopter aircrew in both front-back and vertical directions. Long-term exposure to the measured whole body vibration environment may cause occupational health issues such as spine and neck strain injuries for aircrew. In order to address this issue, a novel adaptive seat mount concept was developed to mitigate the vibration levels transmitted to the aircrew body. For proof-of-concept demonstration, a miniature modal shaker was properly aligned between the cabin floor and the seat frame to provide adaptive actuation authority. Adaptive control laws were developed to reduce the vibration transmitted to the aircrew body, especially the helmet location in order to minimize neck and spine injuries. Closed-loop control test have been conducted on a full-scale helicopter seat with a mannequin configuration and a large mechanical shaker was used to provide representative helicopter vibration profiles to the seat frame. Significant vibration reductions to the vertical and front-back vibration modes have been achieved simultaneously, which verified the technical readiness of the adaptive mount approach for full-scale flight test on the vehicle.

The repeatability and reproducibility of the BioRID IIg in a repeatable laboratory seat based on a production car seat.

Science.gov (United States)

Hynd, David; Depinet, Paul; Lorenz, Bernd

2013-01-01

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Informal Group on GTR No. 7 Phase 2 are working to define a build level for the BioRID II rear impact (whiplash) crash test dummy that ensures repeatable and reproducible performance in a test procedure that has been proposed for future legislation. This includes the specification of dummy hardware, as well as the development of comprehensive certification procedures for the dummy. This study evaluated whether the dummy build level and certification procedures deliver the desired level of repeatability and reproducibility. A custom-designed laboratory seat was made using the seat base, back, and head restraint from a production car seat to ensure a representative interface with the dummy. The seat back was reinforced for use in multiple tests and the recliner mechanism was replaced by an external spring-damper mechanism. A total of 65 tests were performed with 6 BioRID IIg dummies using the draft GTR No.7 sled pulse and seating procedure. All dummies were subject to the build, maintenance, and certification procedures defined by the Informal Group. The test condition was highly repeatable, with a very repeatable pulse, a well-controlled seat back response, and minimal observed degradation of seat foams. The results showed qualitatively reasonable repeatability and reproducibility for the upper torso and head accelerations, as well as for T1 Fx and upper neck Fx . However, reproducibility was not acceptable for T1 and upper neck Fz or for T1 and upper neck My . The Informal Group has not selected injury or seat assessment criteria for use with BioRID II, so it is not known whether these channels would be used in the regulation. However, the ramping-up behavior of the dummy showed poor reproducibility, which would be expected to affect the reproducibility of dummy measurements in general. Pelvis and spine characteristics were found to significantly influence the dummy measurements for which poor reproducibility was

Predicting the effectiveness of road safety campaigns through alternative research designs.

Science.gov (United States)

Adamos, Giannis; Nathanail, Eftihia

2016-12-01

A large number of road safety communication campaigns have been designed and implemented in the recent years; however their explicit impact on driving behavior and road accident rates has been estimated in a rather low proportion. Based on the findings of the evaluation of three road safety communication campaigns addressing the issues of drinking and driving, seat belt usage, and driving fatigue, this paper applies different types of research designs (i.e., experimental, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental designs), when estimating the effectiveness of road safety campaigns, implements a cross-design assessment, and conducts a cross-campaign evaluation. An integrated evaluation plan was developed, taking into account the structure of evaluation questions, the definition of measurable variables, the separation of the target audience into intervention (exposed to the campaign) and control (not exposed to the campaign) groups, the selection of alternative research designs, and the appropriate data collection methods and techniques. Evaluating the implementation of different research designs in estimating the effectiveness of road safety campaigns, results showed that the separate pre-post samples design demonstrated better predictability than other designs, especially in data obtained from the intervention group after the realization of the campaign. The more constructs that were added to the independent variables, the higher the values of the predictability were. The construct that most affects behavior is intention, whereas the rest of the constructs have a lower impact on behavior. This is particularly significant in the Health Belief Model (HBM). On the other hand, behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and descriptive norms, are significant parameters for predicting intention according to the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The theoretical and applied implications of alternative research designs and their applicability in the evaluation of road safety

78 FR 4985 - Uniform Procedures for State Highway Safety Grant Programs

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-23

...) that were tied to the agency's child restraint performance standards (FMVSS 213). Thus, under today's... consolidates into one rule a number of old regulations (State Highway Safety Agency, Political Subdivision... Belt Performance Grants (formerly codified at 23 U.S.C. 406) and Child Safety and Child Booster Seat...

The transmission of vertical vibration through seats: Influence of the characteristics of the human body

Science.gov (United States)

Toward, Martin G. R.; Griffin, Michael J.

2011-12-01

The transmission of vibration through a seat depends on the impedance of the seat and the apparent mass of the seat occupant. This study was designed to determine how factors affecting the apparent mass of the body (age, gender, physical characteristics, backrest contact, and magnitude of vibration) affect seat transmissibility. The transmission of vertical vibration through a car seat was measured with 80 adults (41 males and 39 females aged 18-65) at frequencies between 0.6 and 20 Hz with two backrest conditions (no backrest and backrest), and with three magnitudes of random vibration (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m s -2 rms). Linear regression models were used to study the effects of subject physical characteristics (age, gender, and anthropometry) and features of their apparent mass (resonance frequency, apparent mass at resonance and at 12 Hz) on the measured seat transmissibility. The strongest predictor of both the frequency of the principal resonance in seat transmissibility and the seat transmissibility at resonance was subject age, with other factors having only marginal effects. The transmissibility of the seat at 12 Hz depended on subject age, body mass index, and gender. Although subject weight was strongly associated with apparent mass, weight was not strongly associated with seat transmissibility. The resonance frequency of the seat decreased with increases in the magnitude of the vibration excitation and increased when subjects made contact with the backrest. Inter-subject variability in the resonance frequency and transmissibility at resonance was less with greater vibration excitation, but was largely unaffected by backrest contact. A lumped parameter seat-person model showed that changes in seat transmissibility with age can be predicted from changes in apparent mass with age, and that the dynamic stiffness of the seat appeared to increase with increased loading so as to compensate for increases in subject apparent mass associated with increased sitting

Restraint use and seating position among children in motor vehicles ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Just over a third of the children were seated on the front seat of the vehicle, ... meaning adult will be dislodged by the huge gravitational forces in the case of an ..... action. 2009. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241563840_.

Identifying strategies to improve the effectiveness of booster seat laws

Science.gov (United States)

2008-05-01

The objective of this project was to identify strategies to improve the effectiveness of booster seat laws. The project explored the possible factors that relate to the use and nonuse of booster seats, and examined the attitudes of law enforcement of...

Adaptive magnetorheological seat suspension for the expeditionary fighting vehicle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiemenz, G J; Hu, W; Wereley, N M

2009-01-01

The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) is an amphibious vehicle designed to operate through harsh conditions and at much higher speeds than its predecessors. These unique capabilities and broadly varying operational conditions lead to a complex design and human factors scenario for the forward seating positions that cannot be solved using conventional passive seat suspension systems. Injurious shock loads transmitted to the occupants when traversing over water in high sea states and/or at high speeds, as well as harmful shock and vibration transmitted to the occupants when the vehicle is travelling over land, pose a threat to occupant health and significantly limit mission duration. In this study, a semi-active magnetorheological (MR) seat suspension is developed which adapts to broadly varying operational conditions, as well as occupant weight, to provide optimal protection of EFV occupants. It is shown that this MR seat suspension system will reduce the shock and vibration transmitted to the occupant by up to 33% and 65%, respectively, as compared to the existing passive suspension.

Adaptive magnetorheological seat suspension for the expeditionary fighting vehicle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hiemenz, G J [Techno-Sciences, Inc., 11750 Beltsville Dr. Ste. 300, Beltsville, MD 20705 (United States); Hu, W; Wereley, N M [Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20712 (United States)], E-mail: greg@technosci.com, E-mail: wereley@umd.edu

2009-02-01

The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) is an amphibious vehicle designed to operate through harsh conditions and at much higher speeds than its predecessors. These unique capabilities and broadly varying operational conditions lead to a complex design and human factors scenario for the forward seating positions that cannot be solved using conventional passive seat suspension systems. Injurious shock loads transmitted to the occupants when traversing over water in high sea states and/or at high speeds, as well as harmful shock and vibration transmitted to the occupants when the vehicle is travelling over land, pose a threat to occupant health and significantly limit mission duration. In this study, a semi-active magnetorheological (MR) seat suspension is developed which adapts to broadly varying operational conditions, as well as occupant weight, to provide optimal protection of EFV occupants. It is shown that this MR seat suspension system will reduce the shock and vibration transmitted to the occupant by up to 33% and 65%, respectively, as compared to the existing passive suspension.

Effects of Wheelchair Seat-height Settings on Alternating Lower Limb Propulsion With Both Legs.

Science.gov (United States)

Murata, Tomoyuki; Asami, Toyoko; Matsuo, Kiyomi; Kubo, Atsuko; Okigawa, Etsumi

2014-01-01

This study investigated the effects of seat-height settings of wheelchairs with alternating propulsion with both legs. Seven healthy individuals with no orthopedic disease participated. Flexion angles at initial contact (FA-IC) of each joint, range of motion during propulsion period (ROM-PP), and ground reaction force (GRF) were measured using a three dimensional motion capture system and force plates, and compared with different seat-height settings. Statistically significant relationships were found between seat-height and speed, stride length, knee FA-IC, ankle FA-IC, hip ROM-PP, vertical ground reaction force (VGRF), and anterior posterior ground reaction force (APGRF). Speed, hip ROM-PP, VGRF and APGRF increased as the seat-height was lowered. This effect diminished when the seat-height was set below -40 mm. VGRF increased as the seat-height was lowered. The results suggest that the seat-height effect can be attributed to hip ROM-PP; therefore, optimal foot propulsion cannot be achieved when the seat height is set either too high or too low. Efficient foot propulsion of the wheelchair can be achieved by setting the seat height to lower leg length according to a combination of physical characteristics, such as the user's physical functions, leg muscles, and range of motion.

SIT (seated immobility thromboembolism) syndrome: a 21st century lifestyle hazard.

Science.gov (United States)

Beasley, Richard; Heuser, Patricia; Raymond, Nigel

2005-04-01

The association between prolonged seated immobility and venous thromboembolism (VTE) is well recognised in relation to travel. In this case series, we report the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) following prolonged sitting in relation to work and/or recreation. The cases were characterised by the considerable length of time the individuals sat, the extensive nature of the VTE events in young individuals without other recognised risk factors, and the lack of recognition by the attending doctors of seated immobility as the likely major risk factor. While recognising that the association may be coincidental rather than causal, we propose the acronym 'SIT' (seated immobility thromboembolism) syndrome to encompass all forms of seated immobility associated with VTE.

Materials for fire resistant passenger seats in aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Tesoro, G.; Moussa, A.

1980-01-01

The paper considers the selection of cushioning foam and upholstery fabric materials for aircraft passenger seats. Polyurethane, polychloroprene, polyimide, and polyphosphazene are the foam materials considered; and a variety of commercial and developmental fabrics (including wool, cotton, synthetics, and blends) are examined. Viable approaches to the design of fire-resistant seat assemblies are indicated. Results of an experimental laboratory study of fabrics and fabric/foam assemblies exposed to external point-source radiative heat flux are discussed.

Fire-resistant materials for aircraft passenger seat construction

Science.gov (United States)

Fewell, L. L.; Tesoro, G. C.; Moussa, A.; Kourtides, D. A.

1979-01-01

The thermal response characteristics of fabric and fabric-foam assemblies are described. The various aspects of the ignition behavior of contemporary aircraft passenger seat upholstery fabric materials relative to fabric materials made from thermally stable polymers are evaluated. The role of the polymeric foam backing on the thermal response of the fabric-foam assembly is also ascertained. The optimum utilization of improved fire-resistant fabric and foam materials in the construction of aircraft passenger seats is suggested.

The Influence of Tractor-Seat Height above the Ground on Lateral Vibrations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaime Gomez-Gil

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Farmers experience whole-body vibrations when they drive tractors. Among the various factors that influence the vibrations to which the driver is exposed are terrain roughness, tractor speed, tire type and pressure, rear axle width, and tractor seat height above the ground. In this paper the influence of tractor seat height above the ground on the lateral vibrations to which the tractor driver is exposed is studied by means of a geometrical and an experimental analysis. Both analyses show that: (i lateral vibrations experienced by a tractor driver increase linearly with tractor-seat height above the ground; (ii lateral vibrations to which the tractor driver is exposed can equal or exceed vertical vibrations; (iii in medium-size tractors, a feasible 30 cm reduction in the height of the tractor seat, which represents only 15% of its current height, will reduce the lateral vibrations by around 20%; and (iv vertical vibrations are scarcely influenced by tractor-seat height above the ground. The results suggest that manufacturers could increase the comfort of tractors by lowering tractor-seat height above the ground, which will reduce lateral vibrations.

Musculoskeletal analysis of driving fatigue: The influence of seat adjustments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Majid, Noor Aliah binti Abdul; Abdullah, Mohd Fareez Edzuan; Jamaludin, Mohd Syahmi

2013-01-01

Main causes for discomfort experienced by vehicle drivers during driving were investigated using a rigid-body model originally developed in the AnyBody Modeling System [1]. The interactions between the human body and the car-seat in various combinations of seat-pan/backrest inclinations and the e...

An Active Seat Controller with Vehicle Suspension Feedforward and Feedback States: An Experimental Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdulaziz Alfadhli

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Active seat suspensions can be used to reduce the harmful vertical vibration of a vehicle’s seat by applying an external force using a closed loop controller. Many of the controllers found in the literature are difficult to implement practically, because they are based on using unavailable or difficult and costly measurements. This paper presents both simulation and experimental studies of five novel, simple, and cost-effective control strategies to be used for an active seat suspension in order to improve ride comfort at low frequencies below 20 Hz. These strategies use available and measurable feedforward (preview information states from the vehicle secondary suspension, as well as feedback states from the seat suspension, together with gains optimised to minimise the occupant vibration. The gains were optimised using a genetic algorithm (GA, with a fitness function based on the seat effective amplitude transmissibility (SEAT factor. Constraints on the control force and the seat suspension stroke were also included in the optimisation algorithm. Simulation and laboratory experimental tests were carried out to assess the performance of the proposed controllers according to the ISO 2631-1 standard, in both the frequency and time domains with a range of different road profiles. The experimental tests were performed using a multi-axis simulation table (MAST and a physical active seat suspension configured as a hardware-in-loop (HIL simulation with a virtual linear quarter vehicle model (QvM. The results demonstrate that the proposed controllers substantially attenuate the vertical vibration at the driver’s seat compared with both a passive and a proportional-integral-derivative (PID active seat suspension and thus improve ride comfort together with reducing vibration-linked health risks. Moreover, experimental results show that employing both feedforward information and feedback vehicle body and seat acceleration signals in the controller

Airline seat inventory control benefiting from currency differentials to enhance revenues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C.E. Love

2003-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to develop an airline seat inventory control model which will capitalise on currency differentials that exist between city pairs. The approach taken here is to maximise Expected Marginal Seat Revenues as proposed by Belobaba for non-nested fare classes. the basic Expected Marginal Seat Revenue model is extended to explicitly include the effects of overbooking. Data from the South African Airways return flight between Cape Town and London is utilised to demonstrate the model.

Development of Methodology to Gather Seated Anthropometry Data in a Microgravity Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Rajulu, Sudhakar; Young, Karen; Mesloh, Miranda

2010-01-01

The Constellation Program is designing a new vehicle based off of new anthropometric requirements. These requirements specify the need to account for a spinal elongation factor for anthropometric measurements involving the spine, such as eye height and seated height. However, to date there is no data relating spinal elongation to a seated posture. Only data relating spinal elongation to stature has been collected in microgravity. Therefore, it was proposed to collect seated height in microgravity to provide the Constellation designers appropriate data for their analyses. This document will describe the process in which the best method to collect seated height in microgravity was developed.

Design Method for Fast Switching Seat Valves for Digital Displacement Machines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roemer, Daniel Beck; Johansen, Per; Pedersen, Henrik C.

2014-01-01

corresponding to the piston movement, which has been shown to facilitate superior part load efficiency combined with high bandwidth compared to traditional displacement machines. However, DD machines need fast switching on-off valves with low pressure loss for efficient operation, especially in fast rotating......Digital Displacement (DD) machines are upcoming technology where the displacement of each pressure chamber is controlled electronically by use of two fast switching seat valves. The effective displacement and operation type (pumping/motoring) may be controlled by manipulating the seat valves...... method for DD seat valves are presented, taking into account the significant aspects related to obtaining efficient DD valves with basis in a given DD machine specifications. The seat area is minimized and the stroke length is minimized to obtain fast switching times while considering the pressure loss...

The seating mechanics of head-neck modular tapers in vitro: Load-displacement measurements, moisture, and rate effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Ouellette, Eric S; Shenoy, Aarti A; Gilbert, Jeremy L

2018-04-01

The mechanically assisted crevice corrosion performance of head-neck modular tapers is a significant concern in orthopedic biomaterials. Fretting crevice corrosion processes in modular tapers are thought to be influenced by a wide array of factors including seating mechanics of the junction, hence there is a need for in vitro test methods that can assess their performance. This study presented a test method to directly measure the load-displacement seating mechanics of modular tapers and used this method to compare the seating mechanics for different tapers, moisture, seating loads and seating rates. Seating mechanics were explored whereby the instantaneous load-displacement behavior of the head seating onto the neck is captured and used to define the mechanics of seating. Two distinct taper design/material combinations were assembled wet or dry using axially applied loads (500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 N) at two loading rates of 100 and 10 4  N/s (n = 5 for each condition) using a servohydraulic test frame. The results showed that pull-off strength scaled with seating load and ranged between 43% and 68% of seating load depending on sample and wetness. Tapers seated wet had higher pull-off strengths (2,200 ± 300 N) than those seated dry (1,800 ± 200 N, p mechanics (load-displacement plots) varied due to sample type and due to wetness with differences in seating energy, seating stiffness, and seating displacement. These results show the detailed mechanics of seating during assembly and provide significant insight into the complex interplay of factors associated with even "ideal" seating (axial, quasistatic) loading. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1164-1172, 2018. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A peer-to-peer traffic safety campaign program.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

The purpose of this project was to implement a peer-to-peer drivers safety program designed for high school students. : This project builds upon an effective peer-to-peer outreach effort in Texas entitled Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS), the : nati...

Disturbance observer based Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy control for an active seat suspension

Science.gov (United States)

Ning, Donghong; Sun, Shuaishuai; Zhang, Fei; Du, Haiping; Li, Weihua; Zhang, Bangji

2017-09-01

In this paper, a disturbance observer based Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy controller is proposed for an active seat suspension; both simulations and experiments have been performed verifying the performance enhancement and stability of the proposed controller. The controller incorporates closed-loop feedback control using the measured acceleration of the seat and deflection of the suspension; these two variables can be easily measured in practical applications, thus allowing the proposed controller to be robust and adaptable. A disturbance observer that can estimate the disturbance caused by friction, model simplification, and controller output error has also been used to compensate a H∞ state feedback controller. The TS fuzzy control method is applied to enhance the controller's performance by considering the variation of driver's weight during operation. The vibration of a heavy duty vehicle seat is largest in the frequency range between 2 Hz and 4 Hz, in the vertical direction; therefore, it is reasonable to focus on controlling low frequency vibration amplitudes and maintain the seat suspensions passivity at high frequency. Moreover, both the simulation and experimental results show that the active seat suspension with the proposed controller can effectively isolate unwanted vibration amplitudes below 4.5 Hz, when compared with a well-tuned passive seat suspension. The active controller has been further validated under bump and random road tests with both a 55 kg and a 70 kg loads. The bump road test demonstrated the controller has good transient response capabilities. The random road test result has been presented both in the time domain and the frequency domain. When with the above two loads, the controlled seat suspensions root-mean-square (RMS) accelerations were reduced by 45.5% and 49.5%, respectively, compared with a well-tuned passive seat suspension. The proposed active seat suspension controller has great potential and is very practical for application

Adaptive magnetorheological seat suspension for shock mitigation

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Harinder Jit

This research focuses on theoretical and experimental analysis of an adaptive seat suspension employing magnetorheological energy absorber with the objective of minimizing injury potential to seated occupant of different weights subjected to broader crash intensities. The research was segmented into three tasks: (1) development of magnetorheological energy absorber, (2) biodynamic modeling of a seated occupant, and (3) control schemes for shock mitigation. A linear stroking semi-active magnetorheological energy absorber (MREA) was designed, fabricated and tested for intense impact conditions with piston velocities up to 8 m/s. MREA design was optimized on the basis of Bingham-plastic model (BPM model) in order to maximize the energy absorption capabilities at high impact velocities. Computational fluid dynamics and magnetic FE analysis were conducted to validate MREA performance. Subsequently, low-speed cyclic testing (0-2 Hz subjected to 0-5.5 A) and high-speed drop testing (0-4.5 m/s at 0 A) were conducted for quantitative comparison with the numerical simulations. Later, a nonlinear four degrees-of-freedom biodynamic model representing a seated 50th percentile male occupant was developed on the basis of experiments conducted on Hybrid II 50th percentile male anthropomorphic test device. The response of proposed biodynamic model was compared quantitatively against two different biodynamic models from the literature that are heavily implemented for obtaining biodynamic response under impact conditions. The proposed biodynamic model accurately predicts peak magnitude, overall shape and the duration of the biodynamic transient response, with minimal phase shift. The biodynamic model was further validated against 16 impact tests conducted on horizontal accelerator facility at NAVAIR for two different shock intensities. Compliance effects of human body were also investigated on the performance of adaptive seat suspension by comparing the proposed biodynamic model

A study on mechanism of wear on body seat in nozzle of diesel fuel injector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeonggee, Son; Yamashita, Toru; Sato, Susumu; Kosaka, Hidenori; Masuko, Masabumi [Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan)

2013-06-01

Wear of nozzle's body seat of diesel fuel injector, which is caused by the collision of needle on the body seat in a nozzle, affects fuel spray behaviors and injection characteristics. Recently, to reduce the wear of body seat, DLC nozzles are widely used. The DLC on the needle which is called diamond-like carbon has a certain effect in reducing wear of body seat. However, disallowable wear is reported at limited engine operating conditions. Moreover, the wear mechanism of body seat with DLC coated needle has not been made clear yet. In this study, the influence of temperature of the body seat and fuel property on the wear of DLC nozzle was investigated with a newly developed wear testing device which was constructed based on common-rail injection system. Worn surfaces of body seat were observed by FE-SEM, laser scanning microscope and EPMA. The obtained results from the measurements show that DLC nozzle has much less wear amount than non-DLC nozzle on the body seat and the corrosive wear effect is suppressed with DLC nozzle. (orig.)

USAGE OF BELARUS TRANSIT POSSIBILITIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. M. Antioushenya

2009-01-01

Full Text Available It has been determined that sustainable and safety operation of a transport system and also efficient functioning of transport infrastructure depend on introduction of modern systems and technologies of passenger and load transportation  with usage of logistic approaches. The paper cites results of marketing investigations testifying to availability of the potential for formation of a transport and logistic system in the Republic. A conclusion has been made that realization of the mentioned key ideas shall allow efficiently to integrate in the world economic system.

49 CFR 571.209 - Standard No. 209; Seat belt assemblies.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... seat belt assembly to fit the user, including such hardware that may be integral with a buckle... the proper use of the assembly, stressing particularly the importance of wearing the assembly snugly... of Standard No. 208. (a)(1) A manual seat belt assembly, which is subject to the requirements of S5.1...

[Roadside observation on the use of safety belt in Guangzhou and Nanning cites of China].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Li-ping; Stevenson, Mark; Ivers, Rebecca; Zhou, Ying

2006-08-01

To determine the rates of correct use of safety belt (CUSB) among drivers and front seat passengers in Guangzhou and Nanning through roadside observation and to provide scientific evidence for the development of intervention plan and to strengthen road safety law enforcement. Observational sites were randomly selected from three road types (Highway, Main Street and Subordinate Street). Targeted automobiles were observed at each site at four different times and uniformed checklists were used to record safety belt use during observations. Within each vehicle, belt use by drivers of different sex, road type, workday/weekend, day/night and seating position were calculated. Data was analyzed, using Chi-square tests to compare the statistic significance. (1)The rate of CUSB and non-use rate among drivers were higher in Nanning than in Guangzhou (P= 0.00) but the rate of incorrect use was on the contrarary. (2) The rate of CUSB by front seat passengers in Guangzhou was higher than that in Nanning (P = 0.04); as well as the rate of (P = 0.00) incorrect use while the non-use rate was on the contrarary. (3)In general, the rate of CUSB was higher on highways than on local streets (P = 0.00). (4) The CUSB rate of drivers and front seat passengers was higher at daytime than at night (P = 0.00), and the rate of incorrect use was higher at working days than weekends (P = 0.00). (5) The CUSB rate was higher for female drivers than for males in Guangzhou (P = 0.00), but there no statistical significance was found in Nanning (P = 0.21). Results suggested that intervention actions should be undertaken to raise the awareness of the importance of safety belt use. Effective public information and education programs, law enforcement and mandatory safety belt use, prioritizing programs on people neglegent to the importance are necessary to increase the safety belt use and to decrease the mortality and injuries caused by traffic accidents.

Development of a multi-body nonlinear model for a seat-occupant system

Science.gov (United States)

Azizi, Yousof

A car seat is an important component of today's cars, which directly affects ride comfort experienced by occupants. Currently, the process of ride comfort evaluation is subjective. Alternatively, the ride comfort can be evaluated by a series of objective metrics in the dynamic response of the occupant. From previous studies it is well known that the dynamic behavior of a seat-occupant system is greatly affected by soft nonlinear viscoelastic materials used in the seat cushion. Therefore, in this research, especial attention was given to efficiently modeling the behavior of seat cushion. In the first part of this research, a phenomenological nonlinear viscoelastic foam model was proposed and its ability to capture uniaxial behavior of foam was investigated. The model is based on the assumption that the total stress can be decomposed into the sum of a nonlinear elastic component, modeled by a higher order polynomial of strain, and a nonlinear hereditary type viscoelastic component. System identification procedures were developed to estimate the model parameters using uniaxial cyclic compression data from experiments conducted at different rates on two types of low density polyurethane foams and three types of high density CONFOR foams. The performance of the proposed model was compared to that of other traditional continuum models. For each foam type, it was observed that lower order models are sufficient to describe the uniaxial behavior of the foam compressed at different rates. Although, the estimated model parameters were functions of the input strain rate. Alternatively, higher order comprehensive models, with strain independent parameters, were estimated as well. The estimated comprehensive model predicts foam responses under different compression rates. Also, a methodology was proposed to predict the stress-response of a layered foam system using the estimated models of each foam in the layers. Next, the estimated foam model was incorporated into a single

La nuova sfida di SEAT Pagine Gialle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Landini

2008-03-01

Full Text Available SEAT Pagine Gialle’s new challengeSEAT Pagine Gialle is a company that for over 80 years has provided information services, search and communication tools.The companies success and notoriety is built on a customer base of about 20 million families and 3 million professional operators with a continually updated technology with which it integrates with detailed geographical information that allows it to reach millions of users every day. The services the company offers include an advanced cartographic web-based search, satellite and aerial photos, the calculation of driving instructions, weather forecasts and traffic information, 360 degree views and the modelling of whole cities in 3D.

Designing Train Passenger Seat by Kansei Engineering in Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hapsari Sakya Nabila

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Public transport adoption is still major problem in Indonesia. Integrating impression and emotion to service may change the image of public transport, leading to fast adoption rate. As product development technique, Kansei Engineering is well known to facilitate that integration. This paper communicates the implementation of Kansei Engineering (KE in designing train passenger seat in Indonesia. The train between Bandung-Solo (8 hours journey was chosen to be the investigated object. The train was selected to be refurbished by introducing a new passenger seat design, emphasizing on the improvement of passenger experience. As the first step of KE type I technique, travel experience of the existing passengers were taken into the consideration for selecting Kansei words. It was found that the relevant Kansei words to design passenger train seat in Indonesia were: comfort, people-friendly, multifunction, safe, soft, spacious, relaxing, superior, maintainable, strong, producible, minimalist, attractive, modern, unique, and durable. Upon understanding the semantic meaning of those words, physical properties and technical specification were produced by consulting to the related members. Finally, a passenger seat with synthetic leather cover, modular design, foldable table, individual power point, bluesilver color, and adjusted to Indonesian’s anthropometry data was proposed as the final design

Optimum design of automobile seat using statistical design support system; Tokeiteki sekkei shien system no jidoshayo seat eno tekiyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kashiwamura, T [NHK Spring Co. Ltd., Yokohama (Japan); Shiratori, M; Yu, Q; Koda, I [Yokohama National University, Yokohama (Japan)

1997-10-01

The authors proposed a new practical optimum design method called statistical design support system, which consists of five steps: the effectivity analysis, reanalysis, evaluation of dispersion, the optimiza4ion and evaluation of structural reliability. In this study, the authors applied the present system to analyze and optimum design of an automobile seat frame subjected to crushing. This study should that the present method could be applied to the complex nonlinear problems such as large deformation, material nonlinearity as well as impact problem. It was shown that the optimum design of the seat frame has been solved easily using the present system. 6 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs.

Efficacy and tolerability of micafungin monotherapy for candidemia and deep-seated candidiasis in adults with cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Farmakiotis, Dimitrios; Tarrand, Jeffrey J; Kontoyiannis, Dimitrios P

2014-06-01

The response rate among 58 patients with cancer and candidemia or deep-seated candidiasis treated with micafungin monotherapy was 81%. Intensive care unit (ICU) stay, concomitant nonfungal infections, and acute kidney injury were significantly associated with the 30-day crude mortality rate. Severe neutropenia was an independent predictor of micafungin failure. The efficacy and safety of micafungin in cancer patients with invasive candidiasis were comparable to those reported for patients without malignancy and for cancer patients treated with caspofungin. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Child car seats – a habitat for house dust mites and reservoir for harmful allergens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Clarke

2015-02-01

Full Text Available [b]Introduction and objective[/b]. House dust mites produce allergens which can cause or aggravate diseases such as asthma, eczema and rhinitis. The objectives of this study are to quantify typical house dust mite and Der p 1 allergen levels in child car seats, and to determine external variables that may influence mite populations in cars. [b]Materials and Methods[/b]. Dust samples were collected from the child car seats and driver seats of 106 cars using a portable vacuum sampling pump over a two minute sampling period. Mites were counted and identified and results were expressed as mites per gram (mites/g of dust, while Der p 1 content of samples were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA. Questionnaires were completed by participants to identify environmental and behavioural effects on mite populations. Results were analysed using General Linear Model (GLM procedures. [b]Results[/b]. Twelve species of mites, of which nine are known to produce harmful allergens, were recorded from 212 dust samples. Over 80% of drivers’ seats and over 77% of child car seats harboured dust mites with a significant correlation (p = 0.001 between the mites/g of dust and Der p 1 content recovered from each seat. A mean of 53 mites/g of dust per seat was recovered, with a mean Der p 1 level of 1.1µg/g. Over 12% of driver seats and 15% of child car seats contained house dust mite levels sufficient to be risk factors for sensitisation and allergic reactions. [b]Conclusions[/b]. Child car seats and driver seats are habitats to a range of mite species which can be present in sufficient concentrations to cause or aggravate allergen related illnesses in individuals who are genetically predisposed.

Flow Characteristics and Sizing of Annular Seat Valves for Digital Displacement Machines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Nørgård

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the steady-state flow characteristics and power losses of annular seat valves for digital displacement machines. Annular seat valves are promising candidates for active check-valves used in digital displacement fluid power machinery which excels in efficiency in a broad operating range. To achieve high machine efficiency, the valve flow losses and the required electrical power needed for valve switching should be low. The annular valve plunger geometry, of a valve prototype developed for digital displacement machines, is parametrized by three parameters: stroke length, seat radius and seat width. The steady-state flow characteristics are analyzed using static axi-symmetric computational fluid dynamics. The pressure drops and flow forces are mapped in the valve design space for several different flow rates. The simulated results are compared against measurements using a valve prototype. Using the simulated maps to estimate the flow power losses and a simple generic model to estimate the electric power losses, both during digital displacement operation, optimal designs of annular seat valves, with respect to valve power losses, are derived under several different operating conditions.

Pediatrician attitudes, knowledge, and practice behavior regarding teen driving safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Brendan T; Borrup, Kevin; Corsi, John M; Kelliher, Kristine M; Saleheen, Hassan; Banco, Leonard; Lapidus, Garry

2009-01-01

Each year about 4,000 teens ages 16-19 die on U.S. roads. Injury prevention counseling is recommended as a valuable and cost-effective part of routine health supervision. This study describes pediatrician knowledge and practice regarding teen driving safety. A 31-item self-administered survey was mailed to pediatricians. 160 of 392 pediatricians (41%) completed the survey. During a health supervision visit 93% of pediatricians reported discussing seat belt use, 89% impaired driving, 54% teen licensing laws, and 16% parent teen contract. Half reported having a teen in their practice killed in a crash. A majority surveyed report discussing and counseling teens on first wave teen driver safety issues (seat belts, alcohol use), but most do not discuss graduated driver licensing laws or related issues. Broadly adopted, this inexpensive counseling approach, could lead to reductions in teen motorvehicle crash injuries.

A review of the literature pertaining to the efficacy, safety, educational requirements, uses and usage of mechanical adjusting devices

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Shane H; Arnold, Nicole D; Biggs, Lesley; Colloca, Christopher J; Mierau, Dale R; Symons, Bruce P; Triano, John J

2004-01-01

Over the past decade, mechanical adjusting devices (MADs) were a major source of debate within the Chiropractors’ Association of Saskatchewan (CAS). Since Saskatchewan was the only jurisdiction in North America to prohibit the use of MADs, the CAS established a committee in 2001 to review the literature on MADs. The committee evaluated the literature on the efficacy, safety, and uses of moving stylus instruments within chiropractic practice, and the educational requirements for chiropractic practice. Following the rating criteria for the evaluation of evidence, as outlined in the Clinical Guidelines for Chiropractic Practice in Canada (1994), the committee reviewed 55 articles – all of which pertained to the Activator. Of the 55 articles, 13 were eliminated from the final study. Of the 42 remaining articles, 6 were rated as class 1 evidence; 11 were rated as class 2 evidence and 25 were rated as class 3 evidence. In this article – the second in a series of two – we review the results of uses and usage, safety and educational requirements. Of the 30 articles designated under the category of usage, 3 were rated as Class 1 evidence; 9 studies were classified as Class 2 evidence and 18 were rated as Class 3 evidence. Overall the committee reached consensus that in clinical practice, there is broad application of these procedures. A minority report was written arguing that the reviewer was unable to reach a conclusion about the use of the Activator Instrument other than it is used as a clinical and research tool. Of the 16 studies that dealt either explicitly or implicitly with safety, 4 were Class 1 evidence; 3 were Class 2 evidence and 9 were Class 3 evidence. Overall the committee reached consensus that the evidence supports that the Activator instrument is safe and has no more relative risk than do manual HVLA procedures. A minority report was written arguing that there is no evidence either to support or refute the view that MAD is safe. Of the 5 studies

Design and evaluation of a suspension seat to reduce vibration exposure of subway operators: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Marcotte, Pierre; Beaugrand, Sylvie; Boutin, Jérôme; Larue, Christian

2010-01-01

Subway operators have complained about discomfort caused by whole-body vibration. To address this problem, a suspension seat with extensive ergonomic features has been adapted to the confined space of the subway operator cab. The suspension was modified from an existing suspension in order to reduce the dominant frequency of the subway vertical vibration (2.4 Hz). The suspension seat has been extensively tested on a vertical hydraulic shaker. These tests have shown that the SEAT value was lower for a higher vibration level, for higher subject weight, and for the suspension adjusted at median height. The seat also produces a lower SEAT value when there was a predominance of the 6 Hz vibration component. The horizontal seat adjustments had no influence on the suspension SEAT value. Removing the suspension damper also decreases the SEAT value for all the tested configurations. The final version of the suspension seat prototype was validated during normal subway operation with 19 different operators having weight in the 5th, 50th and 95th percentile of the operator population. Accelerations were measured with triaxial accelerometers at the seat cushion, above the suspension and on the floor. In addition to the vibration measurements, each operator was asked about his perceived discomfort from vibration exposure. Globally, the suspension seat attenuated the vertical vibration (SEAT values from 0.86 to 0.99), but discomfort due to amplification of the 2.4 Hz component occurred when the suspension height was adjusted at the minimum, even when the global weighted acceleration was lower (SEAT value < 1). These results suggest that in order to reduce the discomfort caused by whole-body vibration, the transmissibility of the seat should also be considered, in particular when there is a dominant frequency in the vibration spectra.

[Use of seat belts and mobile phone while driving in Florence: trend from 2005 to 2009].

Science.gov (United States)

Lorini, Chiara; Pellegrino, Elettra; Mannocci, Federico; Allodi, Guendalina; Indiani, Laura; Mersi, Anna; Petrioli, Giuseppe; Santini, Maria Grazia; Garofalo, Giorgio; Bonaccorsi, Guglielmo

2012-01-01

to evaluate the trend over time of the use of seat belts by drivers and passengers of cars and vans and the use of hand held mobile phone while driving in Florence from 2005 to 2009. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: direct observations (58,773 vehicles) have been conducted to detect the use of seat belts by occupants of cars and vans, and the use of mobile phone while driving. It has been carried out correlation analysis between the use of the seat belt by occupants of vehicles and between the simultaneous use of this device and mobile phone while driving.Moreover, it has been carried out time series analysis (ARIMA Box Jenkins) of in the prevalence of the use of seat belts by occupants of vehicles observed, of mobile phone by drivers and the trend of the risk to drive using the mobile phone with unfastened seat belt rather than to drive using the mobile phone with fastened seat belt. seat belts were used on average by 75.7% of drivers, 75.5% of front passengers and 25.1% of rear passengers. The average mobile phone use while driving was 4.5%. Drivers most frequently fasten seat belt if front passengers use it and while they do not use mobile phone. The use of seat belts by drivers and front passengers has not changed over time, whereas the use of mobile phone while driving has significantly increased. The prevalence of using mobile phone with unfastened seat belt rather than to use it with fastened seat belt while driving has significantly decreased over the years, indicating an increase in the use of mobile phone, especially among those who fasten the seat belt. it is necessary to plan and realize stronger interventions in the whole area.

Usage of Safety Gloves in the Gold Mining Industry

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Scheepers, JCE

1978-10-01

Full Text Available The safety departments of 31 mines were visited, and the data obtained was used to determine to what extent safety gloves were being used in the gold mining industry. The frequency of occurrence of hand injuries amongst black workers of the gold...

Comparison of car seats in low speed rear-end impacts using the BioRID dummy and the new neck injury criterion (NIC).

Science.gov (United States)

Boström, O; Fredriksson, R; Håland, Y; Jakobsson, L; Krafft, M; Lövsund, P; Muser, M H; Svensson, M Y

2000-03-01

Long-term whiplash associated disorders (WAD) 1-3 sustained in low velocity rear-end impacts is the most common disability injury in Sweden. Therefore, to determine neck injury mechanisms and develop methods to measure neck-injury related parameters are of importance for current crash-safety research. A new neck injury criterion (NIC) has previously been proposed and evaluated by means of dummy, human and mathematical rear-impact simulations. So far, the criterion appears to be sensitive to the major car and collision related risk factors for injuries with long-term consequences. To further evaluate the applicability of NIC, four seats were tested according to a recently proposed sled-test procedure. 'Good' as well as 'bad' seats were chosen on the basis of a recently presented disability risk ranking list. The dummy used in the current tests was the Biofidelic Rear Impact Dummy (BioRID). The results of this study showed that NICmax values were generally related to the real-world risk of long-term WAD 1-3. Furthermore, these results suggested that NICmax calculated from sled tests using the BioRID dummy can be used for evaluating the neck injury risk of different car seats.

Understanding international road safety disparities: Why is Australia so much safer than the United States?

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Wesley E

2018-02-01

Despite similarities to the US in terms of transportation, land use, and culture, Australia kills 5.3 people per 100,000 population on the roads each year, as compared to the US rate of 12.4. Similar trends hold when accounting for distance driven and the number of registered cars. This paper seeks to understand what is behind the road safety disparities between these two countries. The results suggest that a number of inter-related factors seem to play a role in the better road safety outcomes of Australia as compared to the US. This includes Australia's strategies related to seat belt usage and impaired driving as well as their efforts to help curb vehicle speeds and reduce exposure. Design-related differences include a much greater reliance on roundabouts and narrower street cross-sections as well as guidelines that encourage self-enforcing roads. Policy-related differences include stronger and more extensive enforcement programs, restrictive licensing programs, and higher driving costs. Combined with a more urban population and multimodal infrastructure, Australia tends to discourage driving mileage and exposure while encouraging safer modes of transportation such as transit, at least more so than in most of the US. Australia also enacted their version of Vision Zero - called the Safe System Approach - more than a decade before similar policies began cropping up in US cities. While it is difficult to attribute recent road safety successes to any specific policy, Australia continues to expand their lead on the US in terms of safety outcomes and is a road safety example worthy of consideration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MRI usage in a pediatric emergency department: an analysis of usage and usage trends over 5 years

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scheinfeld, Meir H. [Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Division of Emergency Radiology, Bronx, NY (United States); Moon, Jee-Young; Wang, Dan [Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Bronx, NY (United States); Fagan, Michele J. [Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Bronx, NY (United States); Davoudzadeh, Reubin [Montefiore Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Bronx, NY (United States); Taragin, Benjamin H. [Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Division of Pediatric Radiology, Bronx, NY (United States)

2017-03-15

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) usage has anecdotally increased due to the principles of ALARA and the desire to Image Gently. Aside from a single abstract in the emergency medicine literature, pediatric emergency department MRI usage has not been described. Our objective was to determine whether MRI use is indeed increasing at a high-volume urban pediatric emergency department with 24/7 MRI availability. Also, we sought to determine which exams, time periods and demographics influenced the trend. Institutional Review Board exemption was obtained. Emergency department patient visit and exam data were obtained from the hospital database for the 2011-2015 time period. MRI usage data were normalized using emergency department patient visit data to determine usage rates. The z-test was used to compare MRI use by gender. The chi-square test was used to test for trends in MRI usage during the study period and in patient age. MRI usage for each hour and each weekday were tabulated to determine peak and trough usage times. MRI usage rate per emergency department patient visit was 0.36%. Headache, pain and rule-out appendicitis were the most common indications for neuroradiology, musculoskeletal and trunk exams, respectively. Usage in female patients was significantly greater than in males (0.42% vs. 0.29%, respectively, P<0.001). Usage significantly increased during the 5-year period (P<0.001). Use significantly increased from age 3 to 17 (0.011% to 1.1%, respectively, P<0.001). Sixty percent of exams were performed after-hours, the highest volume during the 10 p.m. hour and lowest between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. MRI use was highest on Thursdays and lowest on Sundays (MRI on 0.45% and 0.22% of patients, respectively). MRI use in children increased during the study period, most notably in females, on weekdays and after-hours. (orig.)

Association Between NCAP Ratings and Real-World Rear Seat Occupant Risk of Injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Metzger, Kristina B; Gruschow, Siobhan; Durbin, Dennis R; Curry, Allison E

2015-01-01

Several studies have evaluated the correlation between U.S. or Euro New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) ratings and injury risk to front seat occupants, in particular driver injuries. Conversely, little is known about whether NCAP 5-star ratings predict real-world risk of injury to restrained rear seat occupants. The NHTSA has identified rear seat occupant protection as a specific area under consideration for improvements to its NCAP. In order to inform NHTSA's efforts, we examined how NCAP's current 5-star rating system predicts risk of moderate or greater injury among restrained rear seat occupants in real-world crashes. We identified crash-involved vehicles, model year 2004-2013, in NASS-CDS (2003-2012) with known make and model and nonmissing occupant information. We manually matched these vehicles to their NCAP star ratings using data on make, model, model year, body type, and other identifying information. The resultant linked NASS-CDS and NCAP database was analyzed to examine associations between vehicle ratings and rear seat occupant injury risk; risk to front seat occupants was also estimated for comparison. Data were limited to restrained occupants and occupant injuries were defined as any injury with a maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score of 2 or greater. We linked 95% of vehicles in NASS-CDS to a specific vehicle in NCAP. The 18,218 vehicles represented an estimated 6 million vehicles with over 9 million occupants. Rear seat passengers accounted for 12.4% of restrained occupants. The risk of injury in all crashes for restrained rear seat occupants was lower in vehicles with a 5-star driver rating in frontal impact tests (1.4%) than with 4 or fewer stars (2.6%, P =.015); results were similar for the frontal impact passenger rating (1.3% vs. 2.4%, P =.024). Conversely, side impact driver and passenger crash tests were not associated with rear seat occupant injury risk (driver test: 1.7% for 5-star vs. 1.8% for 1-4 stars; passenger test: 1.6% for 5

Safety concerning the alteration in fuel material usage (new installation of the uranium enrichment pilot plant) at Ningyo Pass Mine of Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

A report of the Committee on Examination of Nuclear Fuel Safety was presented to the Atomic Energy Commission of Japan, which is concerned with the safety in the alteration of fuel material usage (new installation of the uranium enrichment pilot plant) at the Ningyo Pass Mine. Its safety was confirmed. The alteration, i.e. installation of the uranium enrichment pilot plant, is as follows. Intended for the overall test of centrifugal uranium enrichment technology, the pilot plant includes a two-storied main building of about 9,000 m 2 floor space, containing centrifuges, UF 6 equipment, etc., a uranium storage of about 1,000 m 2 floor space, and a waste water treatment facility, two-storied with about 300 m 2 floor space. The contents of the examination are safety of the facilities, criticality control, radiation control, waste treatment, and effects of accidents on the surrounding environment. (Mori, K

An image-based method to measure all-terrain vehicle dimensions for engineering safety purposes.

Science.gov (United States)

Jennissen, Charles A; Miller, Nathan S; Tang, Kaiyang; Denning, Gerene M

2014-04-01

All-terrain vehicle (ATV) crashes are a serious public health and safety concern. Engineering approaches that address ATV injury prevention are critically needed. Avenues to pursue include evidence-based seat design that decreases risky behaviours, such as carrying passengers and operation of adult-size vehicles by children. The goal of this study was to create and validate an image-based method to measure ATV seat length and placement. Publicly available ATV images were downloaded. Adobe Photoshop was then used to generate a vertical grid through the centre of the vehicle, to define the grid scale using the manufacturer's reported wheelbase, and to determine seat length and placement relative to the front and rear axles using this scale. Images that yielded a difference greater than 5% between the calculated and the manufacturer's reported ATV lengths were excluded from further analysis. For the 77 images that met inclusion criteria, the mean±SD for the difference in calculated versus reported vehicle length was 1.8%±1.2%. The Pearson correlation coefficient for comparing image-based seat lengths determined by two independent measurers (20 models) and image-based lengths versus lengths measured at dealerships (12 models) were 0.95 and 0.96, respectively. The image-based method provides accurate and reproducible results for determining ATV measurements, including seat length and placement. This method greatly expands the number of ATV models that can be studied, and may be generalisable to other motor vehicle types. These measurements can be used to guide engineering approaches that improve ATV safety design.

Occupant Kinematics in Simulated Autonomous Driving Vehicle Collisions: Influence of Seating Position, Direction and Angle.

Science.gov (United States)

Kitagawa, Yuichi; Hayashi, Shigeki; Yamada, Katsunori; Gotoh, Mitsuaki

2017-11-01

This two-part study analyzed occupant kinematics in simulated collisions of future automated driving vehicles in terms of seating configuration. In part one, a frontal collision was simulated with four occupants with the front seats reversed. The left front seat occupant was unbelted while the others were belted. In part two of the study, occupant restraint was examined in various seating configurations using a single seat model with a three-point seatbelt. The seat direction with respect to impact was considered as forward, rearward, and lateral facing in 45 degree increments. The effect of seat recline was also studied in the forward-facing and rear-facing cases by assuming three positions: driving position, resting position and relaxed position. Occupants were represented by human body finite element models. The results of part one showed that the front seat (rear-facing) occupants were restrained by the seatback, resulting in T1 forward displacement less than 100 mm; the rear seat occupants were restrained by the seatbelt resulting larger T1 forward displacement more than 500 mm. The results of the part two showed the directional dependence of occupant restraint. Greater T1 displacements were observed when the occupant faced lateral or front oblique. However, the seatbelt provided some restraint in all directions considered. The seatback generated contact force to the occupant when it was in the impact direction, including the lateral directions. The relaxed position allowed increased excursion compared to the driving position when the occupant faced rearward, but the magnitude of this increase was lower with lower impact speed.

Seat belt use to save face: impact on drivers' body region and nature of injury in motor vehicle crashes.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Guang-Ming; Newmyer, Ashley; Qu, Ming

2015-01-01

Seat belt use is the single most effective way to save lives and reduce injuries in motor vehicle crashes. However, some case reports described seat belt use as a double-edged sword because some injuries are related to seat belt use in motor vehicle crashes. To comprehensively understand the effects of seat belt use, we systemically investigated the association between seat belt use and injuries based on anatomic body region and type of injury in drivers involved in motor vehicle crashes. The injury information was obtained by linking crash reports with hospital discharge data and categorized by using the diagnosis codes based on the Barell injury diagnosis matrix. A total of 10,479 drivers (≥15 years) in passenger vehicles involved in motor vehicle crashes from 2006 to 2011 were included in this study. Seat belt use significantly reduced the proportions of traumatic brain injury (10.4% non-seat belt; 4.1% seat belt) and other head, face, and neck injury (29.3% non-seat belt; 16.6% seat belt) but increased the proportion of spine: thoracic to coccyx injury (17.9% non-seat belt; 35.5% seat belt). Although the proportion of spine: thoracic to coccyx injury was increased in drivers with seat belt use, the severity of injury was decreased, such as fracture (4.2% with seat belt use; 22.0% without seat belt use). Furthermore, the total medical charges decreased due to the change of injury profiles in drivers with seat belt use from a higher percentage of fractures (average cost for per case $26,352) to a higher percentage of sprains and/or strains ($1,897) with spine: thoracic to coccyx injury. This study provide a comprehensive picture for understanding the protective effect of seat belt use on injuries based on anatomic body region and type of injury in drivers involved in motor vehicle crashes.

Whole-body Vibration Exposure Intervention among Professional Bus and Truck Drivers: A Laboratory Evaluation of Seat-suspension Designs.

Science.gov (United States)

Blood, Ryan P; Yost, Michael G; Camp, Janice E; Ching, Randal P

2015-01-01

Long-term exposure to seated whole-body vibration (WBV) is one of the leading risk factors for the development of low back disorders. Professional bus and truck drivers are regularly exposed to continuous WBV, since they spend the majority of their working hours driving heavy vehicles. This study measured WBV exposures among professional bus and truck drivers and evaluated the effects of seat-suspension designs using simulated field-collected data on a vibration table. WBV exposures were measured and compared across three different seat designs: an air-ride bus seat, an air-ride truck seat, and an electromagnetically active (EM-active) seat. Air-ride seats use a compressed-air bladder to attenuate vibrations, and they have been in operation throughout the transportation industry for many years. The EM-active seat is a relatively new design that incorporates a microprocessor-controlled actuator to dampen vibration. The vibration table simulated seven WBV exposure scenarios: four segments of vertical vibration and three scenarios that used field-collected driving data on different road surfaces-a city street, a freeway, and a section of rough roadway. The field scenarios used tri-axial WBV data that had been collected at the seat pan and at the driver's sternum, in accordance with ISO 2631-1 and 2631-5. This study found that WBV was significantly greater in the vertical direction (z-axis) than in the lateral directions (x-and y-axes) for each of the three road types and each of the three types of seats. Quantitative comparisons of the results showed that the floor-to-seat-pan transmissibility was significantly lower for the EM-active seat than for either the air-ride bus seat or the air-ride truck seat, across all three road types. This study also demonstrated that seat-suspension designs have a significant effect on the vibrations transmitted to vehicle operators, and the study's results may prove useful in designing future seat suspensions.

Root cause analysis of SI line-seated thermal sleeve separation failures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jo, Jong Chull; Jhung, Myung Jo; Kim, Hho Jung

2004-01-01

At conventional pressurized water reactors, a thermal sleeve (named simply 'sleeve' hereafter) is seated inside the nozzle part of each Safety Injection (SI) branch pipe to prevent and relieve potential excessive transient thermal stress in the nozzle wall when a cold water is injected during the safety injection mode Recently, mechanical failures that the sleeves are separated from the SI branch pipe and fall into the connected cold leg main pipe were occurred in sequence at Yonggwang units 5 and 6 and Ulchin unit 5. There were many activities and efforts to figure out the causes of those failures with experts' reasoning, but the proposed causes were derived from superficial views rather than physically concrete grounds or analysis results. The prerequisites to find out the root causes of failure mechanism will be to identify the flow situation in the pipe junction area connecting the cold leg with the SI pipe and to know the vibration characteristics of sleeves. This paper investigates the flow field in the pipe junction thru a numerical simulation and vibration characteristics of thermal sleeves thru a modal analysis, from which the root causes of sleeve separation mechanism are analyzed

Affirmative Action: Reservation Seats untuk Perempuan di Parlemen India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evi Yunita Kurniaty

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The study aims to help us understand and analyze women's efforts in the policy-making process to increase their political participation in the constitutional and electoral processes. We can also see the extent to which the values rooted in the patriarchal culture in a society and what can be done and reduce them. Affirmative action is carried out in India by applying the system of reservation seats for women in the Indian Parliament. This is done in India is proven to increase the number of women in the Indian Parliament. By the way there are quotas for women as a strategy for accessing the political arena has growing support among MPs. In this study, Indonesia could get a reservation seats of learning about the system is done. To increase the representation in the "area" is very difficult to be touched by a quota system which is run now, it can be done with reservation seats quota to ensure women's representation in parliament.

Evaluation of a five-year Bloomberg Global Road Safety Program in Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, S; Hoe, C; Özkan, T; Lajunen, T J; Vursavas, F; Sener, S; Hyder, A A

2017-03-01

Turkey was included in the Bloomberg Philanthropies funded Global Road Safety Program (2010-14) with Ankara and Afyonkarahisar (Afyon) selected for interventions to manage speed and encourage seat-belt use. The objectives of this study are to present the monitoring and evaluation findings of seat-belt use and speed in Afyon and Ankara over the five years and to assess overall impact of the program on road traffic injury, and death rates in Turkey. Quasi-experimental before after without comparison. In collaboration with the Middle East Technical University, roadside observations and interviews were coupled with secondary data to monitor changes in risk factors and outcomes at the two intervention sites. The percentage of seat-belt use among drivers and front-seat passengers in Afyon and Ankara increased significantly between 2010 and 2014 with increased self-reported use and preceded by an increase in tickets (fines) for not using seat belts. There were uneven improvements in speed reduction. In Afyon, the average speed increased significantly from 46.3 km/h in 2012 to about 52.7 km/h in 2014 on roads where the speed limits were 50 km/h. In Ankara, the average speed remained less than 55 km/h during the program period (range: 50-54 km/h; P < 0.005) for roads where the speed limits were 50 km/h; however, the average speed on roads with speed limits of 70 km/h decreased significantly from 80.6 km/h in 2012 to 68.44 km/h in 2014 (P < 0.005). The program contributed to increase in seat-belt use in Afyon and Ankara and by drawing political attention to the issue can contribute to improvements in road safety. We are optimistic that the visible motivation within Turkey to substantially reduce road traffic injuries will lead to increased program implementation matched with a robust evaluation program, with suitable controls. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Ergonomic Analysis of Tricycle Sidecar Seats: Basis for Proposed Standard Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael C. Godoy

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Ergonomics (also called human factors engineering is the study of human characteristics for the appropriate design of the living and work environment. It is applied in various industrial areas which includes transportation.Tricycle being one of the most common means of public transportation in Lipa City has various adaptations to suit the culture, and environment. The purpose of this study is to analyze the variability in design of the tricycles in Lipa City, Philippines and propose a standard ergonomically designed tricycle sidecar seat for a greater population. The study was conducted at 26 tricycle terminals with 232 tricycle samples within Lipa City proper including the public market area where 400 commuters were given questionnaires to determine the risk factors associated with the existing tricycle sidecar seat design. Anthropometric measurements of 100 males and 100 female commuters were obtained together with the sidecar dimensions of 232 tricycles to substantiate the observed variations in design. Using the design for the average and design for the extremes, it was found out that most of the tricycles in Lipa City, Philippines have inappropriate inclined seat and lowered sidecar seat pan height which can result to leg and abdominal pain; narrowed seat pan depth which caused pressure on buttocks and legs; narrowed backrest width which can cause upper and low back pain; low backrest height that can pose upper back pain; which can also result to abdominal pain; inclined backrest and limited vertical clearance which can cause upper back pain and neck pain. The researcher proposed a sidecar seat design standard which can be used by the Land Transportation Office, and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to provide ease, comfort, and convenience to the passengers.

Autonomous booster device of a safety valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Namand, H.

1983-01-01

The invention concerns an autonomous booster device of a protection safety valve of a pressure vessel. The valve comprises a hollow structure, a seat connected with a mobile flap forming one piece with a stem and a calibration spring bearing on the stem and on the valve structure to maintain the flap bearing on the seat. The stem of the flap is prolongated in a box forming one piece with the valve structure and receives an added push of a spring. The box acts as a pressure device of which the piston can exercise on the stem a push opposite to and larger than the spring one. The feeding device of the pressure box is finally described in detail [fr

USAGE OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES IN GENERAL AVIATION: CURRENT SITUATION AND PROSPECTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article aims at analyzing the current and future trends in usage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV in gen- eral aviation (branches of economy. The main goal of the analysis is to determine the branches of economy, in which the usage of UAVs would be the most beneficial in the near- to mid-term future. The main requirements and restrictions of usage of the aircraft in general aviation were used as a basis for determining the types of operations, in which the usage of UAVs will be the most rational and effective. The effectiveness evaluation was based on the developed method, involving evaluation of the following factors such as: advantages of usage of manned aircraft, advantages of usage of unmanned air- craft, problems associated with the usage of manned aircraft, problems associated with the usage of unmanned aircraft. After evaluation of the mentioned aspects above the safety, operational productivity and ecological indicators were evaluat- ed. These qualitative assessments allowed identifying the branches of economy, where the usage of UAVs could potentially be the most advantageous. The article also discusses the possible strategies of UAVs development for general aviation. The so-called “mixed” strategy of UAV development is identified as the best in the current situation. This strategy combines the conversion of the existing military UAVs with the purpose of fitting them in to civilian use with the parallel development of brand new UAVs, which would be designed for operation in branches of economy right from the beginning (from scratch.

Motivating signage prompts safety belt use among drivers exiting senior communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, B S; Cox, A B; Cox, D J

2000-01-01

Senior drivers are vulnerable to automobile crashes and subsequent injury and death. Safety belts reduce health risks associated with auto crashes. Therefore, it is important to encourage senior drivers to wear safety belts while driving. Using an AB design, replicated five times, we evaluated the short- and long-term effects of a sign with the message "BUCKLE UP, STAY SAFE" attached to a stop sign at the exits of five different senior communities. Safety belt use was stable during two pretreatment assessments averaged across the five sites and 250 drivers (72% and 68% usage), but significantly increased following installation of these signs (94% usage). Six months after installation of the signs, the effect persisted (88% usage). Use of such signs may be a cost-effective way of promoting safety belt use.

Understanding social media program usage in public transit agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny H. Liu

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Social media has been gaining prominence in public transit agencies in their communication strategies and daily management. This study aims to better understand recent trends in social media usage in public transit agencies, to examine which agencies use what kind of social media programs for what purposes, and how they measure their programs. A survey was conducted of the top transit agencies in the nation, and results are examined through descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis and regression modeling. We found that while most agencies still lack clearly-defined goals and performance metrics to guide their social media development, many are increasing their social media capacity with more structural components. Public transit service usage and the level of transit service provision are the most significant determinants of agencies’ social media programming and resource investments. In contrast, the measurement of social media usage and outcomes is more significantly related to city attributes and demographic characteristics. We anticipate an increase in the usage of social media to convey transit related stories and livability benefits, such as environmental sensitivity or safety improvements, as these programs expand. Public transit agencies’ commitment to measuring social media outcomes underscores the future research need to develop best practices for measuring the impacts and performance of social media communications and investments.

Comparative study of potential whiplash injuries for different occupant seated positions during rear end accidents.

Science.gov (United States)

Omerović, Senad; Tomasch, Ernst; Gutsche, Andreas J; Prebil, Ivan

2016-01-01

Whiplash injuries to the cervical spine represent a considerable economic burden on society with medical conditions, in some cases persisting for more than a year. Numerous studies of whiplash injuries have been made for occupant normal seated position, leaving the analysis of neck injuries for out-of-normal positions not well documented. For that purpose, a detailed human cervical spine finite element model was developed. The analysis was made for four most common occupant seated positions, such as: Normal Position with the torso against the seat back and the head looking straight ahead, Torso Lean forward position with the torso away from the seat back for approximately 10°, Head Flexed position with the head flexed forward approximately 20° from the normal position and Head-Flexed with Torso Lean forward position with the head flexed forward approximately 20° and torso 10° from the normal position. The comparative study included the analysis of capsular ligament deformation and the level of S-curvature of the cervical spine. The model developed predicted that Head Flexed seated position and Head-Flexed with Torso Lean forward seated position are most threatening for upper and lower cervical spine capsular ligament, respectively. As for the level of S-curvature, the model predicted that Head-Flexed with Torso Lean forward seated position would be most prone to neck injuries associated with it. This study demonstrated that the occupant seated position has a significant influence on potential whiplash injuries.

Seat Capacity Selection for an Advanced Short-Haul Aircraft Design

Science.gov (United States)

Marien, Ty V.

2016-01-01

A study was performed to determine the target seat capacity for a proposed advanced short-haul aircraft concept projected to enter the fleet by 2030. This analysis projected the potential demand in the U.S. for a short-haul aircraft using a transportation theory approach, rather than selecting a target seat capacity based on recent industry trends or current market demand. A transportation systems model was used to create a point-to-point network of short-haul trips and then predict the number of annual origin-destination trips on this network. Aircraft of varying seat capacities were used to meet the demand on this network, assuming a single aircraft type for the entire short-haul fleet. For each aircraft size, the ticket revenue and operational costs were used to calculate a total market profitability metric for all feasible flights. The different aircraft sizes were compared, based on this market profitability metric and also the total number of annual round trips and markets served. Sensitivity studies were also performed to determine the effect of changing the aircraft cruise speed and maximum trip length. Using this analysis, the advanced short-haul aircraft design team was able to select a target seat capacity for their design.

Beating the Odds. An Educational Program Relating Safety Belt Use to Health Lifestyles for High School Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation, Washington, DC. National Highway Safety Bureau.

This program module is designed to encourage the use of safety measures in driving, emphasizing the use of seat belts. The learning activities focus upon: (1) the importance of the use of safety belts as the most effective preventive measure in a safe and healthy lifestyle; (2) the reasons people cite for not wearing safety belts and the accuracy…

Naturalistic driving study of rear seat child occupants: Quantification of head position using a Kinect™ sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Arbogast, Kristy B; Kim, Jinyong; Loeb, Helen; Kuo, Jonny; Koppel, Sjaan; Bohman, Katarina; Charlton, Judith L

2016-09-01

Restraint performance is evaluated using anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) positioned in prescribed, optimal seating positions. Anecdotally, humans-children in particular-assume a variety of positions that may affect restraint performance. Naturalistic driving studies (NDSs), where cameras and other data acquisition systems are placed in a vehicle used by participants during their regular transportation, offer means to collect these data. To date, these studies have used conventional video and analysis methods and, thus, analyses have largely been qualitative. This article describes a recently completed NDS of child occupants in which their position was monitored using a Kinect sensor to quantify their head position throughout normal, everyday driving trips. A study vehicle was instrumented with a data acquisition system to measure vehicle dynamics, a set of video cameras, and a Kinect sensor providing 3D motion capture at 1 Hz of the rear seat occupants. Participant families used the vehicle for all driving trips over 2 weeks. The child occupants' head position was manually identified via custom software from each Kinect color image. The 3D head position was then extracted and its distribution summarized by seat position (left, rear, center) and restraint type (forward-facing child restraint system [FFCRS], booster seat, seat belt). Data from 18 families (37 child occupants) resulted in 582 trips (with children) for analysis. The average age of the child occupants was 45.6 months and 51% were male. Twenty-five child occupants were restrained in FFCRS, 9 in booster seats, and 3 in seat belts. As restraint type moved from more to less restraint (FFCRS to booster seat to seat belt), the range of fore-aft head position increased: 218, 244, and 340 mm on average, respectively. This observation was also true for left-right movement for every seat position. In general, those in the center seat position demonstrated a smaller range of head positions. For the first

76 FR 23793 - Extension of Application Period for Seats for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-28

... Period for Seats for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric... seats on the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: (1) Research Member seat and (2...

Assessment of the vibration on the foam legged and sheet metal-legged passenger seat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Dahil

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In this study, it was aim ed to decrease the vibration reaching to passenger from the legs of vehicle seats. In order to determine the levels of vibrations reaching at passengers, a test pad placed under the passenger seat was used, and HVM100 device was used for digitizing the information obtained. By transferring the vibration data to system by using HVM100 device, the acceleration graphics were prepared with Blaze software. As a result, it was determined that the acceleration values of seat legs made of foam material were lower than that of seat legs made of 2 mm thick sheet metal, so they damped the vibration better.

The effect of shaped wheelchair cushion and lumbar supports on under-seat pressure, comfort, and pelvic rotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Samuelsson, Kersti; Björk, Maarit; Erdugan, Ann-Marie; Hansson, Anna-Karin; Rustner, Birgitta

2009-09-01

A wheelchair seat and position help clients perform daily activities. The comfort of the wheelchair can encourage clients to participate in daily activities and can help prevent future complications. This study evaluates how a shaped seat-cushion and two different back supports affect under-seat pressure, comfort, and pelvic rotation. Thirty healthy subjects were tested using two differently equipped manual wheelchairs. One wheelchair had a Velcro adjustable back seat and a plane seat-cushion. The other wheelchair had a non-adjustable sling-back seat and a plane cushion. The second wheelchair was also equipped with a shaped cushion and/or a detachable lumbar support. Under-seat pressure, estimated comfort, and pelvic rotation were measured after 10 min in each wheelchair outfit. Peak pressure increased with the shaped cushion compared to the plane cushion. No significant difference in estimated comfort was found. Pelvic posterior-rotation was reduced with the adjustable or detachable back-support irrespective of the shape of the seat cushion. To support a neutral pelvic position and spinal curvature, a combination of a shaped cushion and a marked lumbar support is most effective.

Valve seat pores sealed with thermosetting monomer

Science.gov (United States)

Olmore, A. B.

1966-01-01

Hard anodic coating provides a smooth wear resistant value seating surface on a cast aluminum alloy valve body. Vacuum impregnation with a thermosetting monomer, diallyl phthalate, seals the pores on the coating to prevent galvanic corrosion.

The Status of Road Safety in Iran during 2001 – 2006

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. J. Jafari

2013-08-01

.Result: The results revealed that during the period of 6 years, death toll has been increased by 9 deaths per 100000 person of the population. Moreover, application of seat belt and safety helmet has been increased by 20% and 18%, respectively. It also indicated that the number of motorists and the length of paved roads have been increased by 20%, and 10%, respectively. The net income per capita has also grown from 5884 US$ to 7968 US$ and the life expectancy has gone up from 68.9 years to 70.9 years, the percentage of the literate population has grown by 2% (from 76% to 78% and the human development index has increased from 0.721 to 0.759. The results of the present study showed that the increased level of death toll per 10000 vehicles and the increased level (% of seat belt as well as helmet application, paved roads, urbanization, the net income per capita, life expectancy, literacy and human development index were statistically significant and R2 coefficient for this factors was 0.84, 0.9, 0.994, 0.9, 0.97, 0.82, 0.69 and 0.84 respectively. .Conclusion: According to result of the present study, roads safety were not in an appropriate level. The roads safety status can be determined using road safety indicators to be applied for road safety promotion.

Pattern of seat belt use and its associated factors among taxi drivers ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective: Road traffic injuries constitute a major public health concern that demands effective interventions. Use of car seat belts is recommended as an effective intervention to reduce serious and fatal road traffic injuries. The study intended to investigate the pattern of seat belt use and its correlates among taxi drivers in ...

An ecological model to factors associated with booster seat use: A population based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimony Kanat, Sarit; Gofin, Rosa

2017-11-01

Belt-positioning booster seat use (BPB) is an effective technology to prevent severe child injury in cases of car crash. However, in many countries, age-appropriate car restraint use for children aged 4-7 years old remains the lowest among all age groups. The aim of this study was to identify the main determinants of BPB use through a comprehensive approach. An ecological model was used to analyze individual, parent-child relationships, and neighborhood characteristics. Parents of children enrolled in the first and second grades completed a self-reported questionnaire (n=745). The data were subjected to multilevel modeling. The first level examined individual and parent-child relationship variables; in addition the second level tested between neighborhood variance. According to parental self- reports, 56.6% of their children had used a BPB on each car trip during the previous month. The results indicated that the determinants positively related to BPB use were individual and parental; namely, the number of children in the family, the parents' car seat belt use, parental knowledge of children's car safety principles, and a highly authoritative parenting style. Children's temperaments and parental supervision were not associated with BPB use. At the neighborhood level, a small difference was found between neighborhoods for BPB users compared to non-users. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental Investigation of a Temperature-Controlled Car Seat Powered by an Exhaust Thermoelectric Generator

Science.gov (United States)

Du, H.; Wang, Y. P.; Yuan, X. H.; Deng, Y. D.; Su, C. Q.

2016-03-01

To improve the riding comfort and rational utilization of the electrical energy captured by an automotive thermoelectric generator (ATEG), a temperature-controlled car seat was constructed to adjust the temperature of the car seat surface. Powered by the ATEG and the battery, the seat-embedded air conditioner can improve the riding comfort using a thermoelectric device to adjust the surface temperature of the seat, with an air duct to regulate the cold side and hot side of the thermoelectric device. The performance of the thermoelectric cooler (TEC) and theoretical analysis on the optimum state of the TEC device are put forward. To verify the rationality of the air duct design and to ensure sufficient air supply, the velocity field of the air duct system was obtained by means of the finite element method. To validate the reliability of the numerical simulation, the air velocity around the thermoelectric device was measured by a wind speed transmitter. The performance of the temperature-controlled car seat has been validated and is in good agreement with bench tests and real vehicle tests.

Usage Center

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kleinaltenkamp, Michael; Plewa, Carolin; Gudergan, Siegfried

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to advance extant theorizing around resourceintegration by conceptualizing and delineating the notion of a usage center. Ausage center consists of a combination of interdependent actors that draw onresources across their individual usage processes to create v...

Effect of a Dynamic Seating Surface on Postural Control and Function in Children with Cerebral Palsy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meyer, Erna Rosenlund; Trew, Lisa

Purpose: The purpose was to investigate if a seating system involving a dynamic material covering the seat back and base improves postural control, alignment and function in children with cerebral palsy and to investigate consequences of adapting The Seated Postural Control Measure to a target...... group with multifunctional disabilities. Relevance: Developing sitting systems for disabled persons is of great importance to avoid sitting problems, to increase the level of functioning and postural control which will have an impact on their daily living and activities. This project takes its starting...... Ethical Committee. Outcome measures were Seated Postural Control Measure (SPCM), which was modified to meet the children’s needs, was used to measure alignment and function. Force Sensitive Applications (FSA) on the seat surfaces was used to measure postural movements and interface pressure. All tests...

Assessing ergonomic risks of software: Development of the SEAT.

Science.gov (United States)

Peres, S Camille; Mehta, Ranjana K; Ritchey, Paul

2017-03-01

Software utilizing interaction designs that require extensive dragging or clicking of icons may increase users' risks for upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders. The purpose of this research is to develop a Self-report Ergonomic Assessment Tool (SEAT) for assessing the risks of software interaction designs and facilitate mitigation of those risks. A 28-item self-report measure was developed by combining and modifying items from existing industrial ergonomic tools. Data were collected from 166 participants after they completed four different tasks that varied by method of input (touch or keyboard and mouse) and type of task (selecting or typing). Principal component analysis found distinct factors associated with stress (i.e., demands) and strain (i.e., response). Repeated measures analyses of variance showed that participants could discriminate the different strain induced by the input methods and tasks. However, participants' ability to discriminate between the stressors associated with that strain was mixed. Further validation of the SEAT is necessary but these results indicate that the SEAT may be a viable method of assessing ergonomics risks presented by software design. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 64074 - Request for Applications for Vacant Seats on the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-17

... for Vacant Seats on the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office... ONMS is seeking applications for the following six vacant seats on the Flower Garden Banks National... experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying; community and professional affiliations...

Risk Assessment Generated by Usage of ICT and Information Security Measures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilie TAMAS

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Information societies involve the usage of information technology and communications (ITC on a large scale. The dependence on ITC is an unquestionable problem in the present, because we assist to a generality of computers usage in all economic and social life activities. That is why organization information systems became accessible at the global level and there are permanently open for a quick exchange of information between different categories of users located by different geographical nods. The ITC usage involves the existing of some risks that should be known, evaluation and based on these, we must have information systems security measure. We consider that the risk is an indicator very important that must be permanently assess in the usage process of the information system based on ITC. Risk management suppose a permanently evaluation of these problems and also restrain by some practical actions who goes to the decrease of its effects. From the expose point of view, in this paper work it is presented the results of research based on specialty literature and current cases from practical activities, regarding the risks of ITC usage and their diminishing measure. There are distinguished the main factors (threat, vulnerability and impact who affect the information risk and on the other way, diminishing measure of the action to these factors for optimum working of an economic and social organism who use ITC. We consider that through proposed measures we assume safety in design process, implement and usage of the informational systems based on ITC.

Feature Usage Explorer: Usage Monitoring and Visualization Tool in HTML5 Based Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarunas Marciuska

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Feature Usage Explorer is a JavaScript library, which automatically detects features in HTML5 based applications and monitors their usage. The collected information can be visualized in a Feature Usage Diagram, which is automatically generated from an input json file. Currently, the users of Feature Usage Explorer have to design their own tool in order to generate the json file from collected usage information. This option remains viable when using the library in order not to constraint the user’s choice of preferred data storage. Feature Usage Explorer can be reused in any HTML5 based applications where an understanding of how users interact with the system is required (i.e. user experience and usability studies, human computer interaction field, or requirement prioritization area.

Mobile phones: time to rethink and limit usage.

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Bobby; Saha, Indranil; Kumar, Sanjay; Samim Ferdows, S K; Ghose, Gautam

2015-01-01

Radiofrequency waves generated from mobile phones cause potential public health problems. Short-term effects like changes in sleep, heart rate, and blood pressure, and long-term effects like carcinoma are well documented. The Government of India's efforts in laying down regulations regarding the safety limits, manufacture, marketing, and mobile use are still in nascent stage. The need for stringent enforcement of laws for prevention of phone usage while driving and guidelines of medical regulatory bodies regarding rules and regulations of phone usage while at class or attending patients is of utmost importance. This should be supplemented by mass media to raise awareness among people regarding the possible health effects of radiofrequency emissions from mobile phones and the guidelines to minimize its exposure. It is the need of the hour to teach young people to be structured, to know when to have the cell phone on, and to avoid becoming the slave of technology instead of its mastery.

A Functional Analysis of DOD Implementation of Seat Management

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Rasmussen, David

1999-01-01

.... Seat management, also known as desktop outsourcing, involves the acquisition and management of all hardware and software, desktop and network management, operations management, support services...

Machine for development impact tests in sports seats and similar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonçalves, R M

2015-01-01

This paper describes the stages of development of a machine to perform impact tests in sport seats, seats for spectators and multiple seats. This includes reviews and recommendations for testing laboratories that have needs similar to the laboratory where unfolded this process.The machine was originally developed seeking to meet certain impact tests in accordance with the NBR15925 standards; 15878 and 16031. The process initially included the study of the rules and the election of the tests for which the machine could be developed and yet all reports and outcome of interaction with service providers and raw materials.For operating facility, it was necessary to set entirely the machine control, which included the concept of dialogue with operator, the design of the menu screens and the procedures for submission and registration of results. To ensure reliability in the process, the machine has been successfully calibrated according to the requirements of the Brazilian network of calibration.The criticism to this enterprise covers the technical and economic aspects involved and points out the main obstacles that were needed to overcome. (paper)

Patterns for Safety-Critical Java Memory Usage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rios Rivas, Juan Ricardo; Nilsen, Kelvin; Schoeberl, Martin

2012-01-01

Scoped memories are introduced in real-time Java profiles in order to make object allocation and deallocation time and space predictable. However, explicit scoping requires care from programmers when dealing with temporary objects, passing scope-allocated objects as arguments to methods, and retu......Scoped memories are introduced in real-time Java profiles in order to make object allocation and deallocation time and space predictable. However, explicit scoping requires care from programmers when dealing with temporary objects, passing scope-allocated objects as arguments to methods...... are illustrated by implementations in the safety-critical Java profile....

Safety, efficacy, and usage compliance of home-use device utilizing RF and light energies for treating periorbital wrinkles.

Science.gov (United States)

Gold, Michael H; Biron, Julie; Levi, Liora; Sensing, Whitney

2017-03-01

The aging process is often associated with undesirable effects on facial skin such as skin redundancy, reduction of elasticity, and increased wrinkling. Radiofrequency (RF) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are widely used, clinically proven technologies for skin rejuvenation. This study aimed to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and usage compliance of the home-use device, utilizing RF and LED energies, for self-treatment of periorbital wrinkles and improvement of skin appearance. Thirty-three subjects performed 21 treatment sessions every other day, over 6 weeks on the periorbital areas. In addition, two maintenance treatments were conducted 1 and 2 months following treatment end. Each subject served as his/her own control, comparing results before treatment, and 3 months following treatment end. Thirty subjects completed the study. A blinded, independent photographs assessment of three dermatologists demonstrated an average reduction of 1.49 Fitzpatrick scores (P Skin Tightening (HST) device offers a safe and effective in-home noninvasive technique to improve the appearance of age-related periorbital wrinkles. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Reliability and responsiveness of the Self-Efficacy in Assessing, Training and Spotting wheelchair skills (SEATS) outcome measure.

Science.gov (United States)

Rushton, Paula W; Smith, Emma M; Miller, William C; Kirby, R Lee; Daoust, Geneviève

2018-01-31

The aim of this study was to evaluate the internal consistency, test-retest reliability and responsiveness of the Self-Efficacy in Assessing, Training and Spotting manual wheelchair skills (SEATS-M) and Self-Efficacy in Assessing, Training and Spotting power wheelchair skills (SEATS-P). A 2-week test-retest design was used with a convenience sample of occupational and physical therapists who worked at a provincial rehabilitation centre (inpatient and outpatient services). Sixteen participants completed the SEATS-M and 18 participants completed the SEATS-P. For the SEATS-M assessment, training, spotting and documentation sections, Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.90 to 0.97, the 2-week intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC 1,1 ) ranged from 0.81 to 0.95, the standard error of measurements (SEM) ranged from 5.06 to 8.70 and the smallest real differences (SRD) ranged from 6.24 to 8.18. For the SEATS-P assessment, training, spotting and documentation sections, Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.83 to 0.92, the ICCs ranged from 0.72 to 0.86, the SEMs ranged from 4.54 to 8.91 and the SRDs ranged from 5.90 to 8.27. There is preliminary evidence that both the SEATS-M and the SEATS-P have high internal consistency, good test-retest reliability and support for responsiveness. These tools can be used in evaluating clinician self-efficacy with assessing, training, spotting and documenting wheelchair skills included on the Wheelchair Skills Test. Implications for Rehabilitation There is preliminary evidence that the SEATS-M and SEATS-P are reliable and responsive outcome measures that can be used to evaluate the self-efficacy of clinicians to administer the Wheelchair Skills Program. Measurement of clinicians' self-efficacy in this area of practice may enable an enhanced understanding of the areas in which clinicians lack self-efficacy, thereby informing the development of improved knowledge translation interventions.

Demonstration of the Trauma Nurses Talk Tough seat belt diversion program in North Carolina.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-03-01

Trauma Nurses Talk Tough is a seat belt diversion program originally developed at the Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon, in 1988. Attendance at the course is a condition for a one-time dismissal of a seat belt citation without fine or court...

Preharvest food safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Childers, A B; Walsh, B

1996-07-23

Preharvest food safety is essential for the protection of our food supply. The production and transport of livestock and poultry play an integral part in the safety of these food products. The goals of this safety assurance include freedom from pathogenic microorganisms, disease, and parasites, and from potentially harmful residues and physical hazards. Its functions should be based on hazard analysis and critical control points from producer to slaughter plant with emphasis on prevention of identifiable hazards rather than on removal of contaminated products. The production goal is to minimize infection and insure freedom from potentially harmful residues and physical hazards. The marketing goal is control of exposure to pathogens and stress. Both groups should have functional hazard analysis and critical control points management programs which include personnel training and certification of producers. These programs must cover production procedures, chemical usage, feeding, treatment practices, drug usage, assembly and transportation, and animal identification. Plans must use risk assessment principles, and the procedures must be defined. Other elements would include preslaughter certification, environmental protection, control of chemical hazards, live-animal drug-testing procedures, and identification of physical hazards.

Flow Characteristics and Sizing of Annular Seat Valves for Digital Displacement Machines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørgård, Christian; Bech, Michael Møller; Andersen, Torben O.

2018-01-01

operating range. To achieve high machine efficiency, the valve flow losses and the required electrical power needed for valve switching should be low. The annular valve plunger geometry, of a valve prototype developed for digital displacement machines, is parametrized by three parameters: stroke length......This paper investigates the steady-state flow characteristics and power losses of annular seat valves for digital displacement machines. Annular seat valves are promising candidates for active check-valves used in digital displacement fluid power machinery which excels in efficiency in a broad...... a valve prototype. Using the simulated maps to estimate the flow power losses and a simple generic model to estimate the electric power losses, both during digital displacement operation, optimal designs of annular seat valves, with respect to valve power losses, are derived under several different...

Comparative Performance of Rear Facing Child Restraint Systems on the CMVSS 213 Bench and Vehicle Seats

Science.gov (United States)

Tylko, Suzanne; Locey, Caitlin M.; Garcia-Espana, J. Felipe; Arbogast, Kristy B.; Maltese, Matthew R.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the dynamic response of rear-facing child restraint systems (RFCRS) installed on the CMVSS 213 sled bench and a selection of vehicle seats. Thirty-six sled tests were conducted: three models of rear facing CRS with an anthropomorphic test device (ATD) representing a 12 month old child (CRABI) were affixed via lower anchors (LATCH), 3 point belt without CRS base, and 3 point belt with CRS base to one of three vehicle seats or the CMVSS 213 bench seat. All CRS were subjected to an identical sled acceleration pulse. Two types of matched pair analysis: “bench-to-vehicle” and “method of attachment” were conducted. Statistically significant differences were observed in the kinematic responses of the ATD and the CRS. This is the first study to quantify differences between the regulatory bench and vehicle seats on a system level and evaluate the influence of attachment method. Our results show that the difference in RFCRS forward excursion between 3-point belt with base and LATCH installations was between 1 and 7 percent on the bench and 22 to 76 percent on the vehicle seats. When evaluating the dynamic performance of RFCRS, the use of real vehicle seats from vehicles that commonly carry children may provide valuable insight. The findings would require further confirmation using a broader selection of RFCRS and vehicle seats, before generalizable conclusions can be drawn. PMID:24406967

Child car seats – a habitat for house dust mites and reservoir for harmful allergens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Clarke

2015-02-01

Child car seats and driver seats are habitats to a range of mite species which can be present in sufficient concentrations to cause or aggravate allergen related illnesses in individuals who are genetically predisposed.

Towards evidence-based classification in wheelchair sports: impact of seating position on wheelchair acceleration.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanlandewijck, Yves C; Verellen, Joeri; Tweedy, Sean

2011-07-01

In most Paralympic wheelchair sports, active trunk range of movement is assessed by observing shoulder girdle excursion during active trunk movements and is a key determinant of an athlete's class. However, to date research evaluating the impact of reduced trunk range of movement on wheelchair sports performance has not been conducted. In the present study, 15 non-disabled male participants performed two 20-s sprints on a wheelchair ergometer in each of three seating positions. Positions were typical of those used to enhance sitting stability in wheelchair sport and each impacted available trunk range of movement differently: condition-90 (seated with thighs horizontal; unrestricted range of movement) condition-45 (seated with thighs in 45°), and condition-0 (seated with hips maximally flexed; minimum range of movement). In condition-90, the trunk only actively contributed to the first push; for the remainder of the sprint, the trunk was held almost isometrically at 48.2° to the horizontal (range 42.1-56.4°). Similar patterns were observed for both condition-45 and condition-0. Compared with condition-90, participants in condition-0 had reduced capacity to accelerate of statistical (P sports performance, including strapping, seating position, and impairments of trunk muscle power and coordination.

An evaluation method on seat comfort based on optical motion capture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qing TAO

2015-10-01

Full Text Available To research the sitting posture comfort evaluation method, through the example of comfort evaluation of the ergonomic seat and standard office seat, a methodology is introduced to evaluate the sitting posture comfort combining ergonomics theory. The proposed method is based on optical motion capture system, pressure sensor and JACK software, and TRC file is acquired by using EVART real-time capture software for identifying the spatial motion trail of human body. Then MATLAB software is used to analyze the human body motion data, and the sitting posture angle difference data for human body in different seats is acquired. TRC file is loaded into JACK software, and with the TAT REPORTER of JACK software, muscle force, moment of force and fatigue data, etc. are output, which are compared with the actual measured data from experiments, and ergonomics method is used for the evaluation. The result shows that the method of considering joint angles combining JACK software for data output is effective for evaluating sitting comfort.

Controversial Swedish science minister loses seat in reshuffle

CERN Multimedia

Sylawan, P

1998-01-01

Carl Tham, who introduced sweeping changes to higher education and research, has lost his seat in a cabinet reshuffle. As science minister for 4 years he redirected funding to applied science and established new regional universities (1 page).

Design and testing of an energy-absorbing crewseat for the F/FB-111 aircraft. Volume 2: Data from seat testing

Science.gov (United States)

Shane, S. J.

1985-01-01

The unacceptably high injury rate during the escape sequence (including the ejection and ground impact) of the crew module for F/FB-111 aircraft is reviewed. A program to determine if the injury potential could be reduced by replacing the existing crewseats with energy absorbing crewseats is presented. An energy absorbing test seat is designed using much of the existing seat hardware. An extensive dynamic seat test series, designed to duplicate various crew module ground impact conditions is conducted at a sled test facility. Comparative tests with operational F-111 crewseats are also conducted. After successful dynamic testing of the seat, more testing is conducted with the seats mounted in an F-111 crew module. Both swing tests and vertical drop tests are conducted. The vertical drop tests are used to obtain comparative data between the energy absorbing and operational seats. Volume 1 describes the energy absorbing test seat and testing conducted, and evaluates the data from both test series. Volume 2 presents the data obtained during the seat test series, while Volume 3 presents the data from the crew module test series.

Creative thinking of design and redesign on SEAT aircraft cabin testbed: a case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tan, C.F.; Chen, W.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.

2009-01-01

this paper, the intuition approach in the design and redesign of the environmental friendly innovative aircraft cabin simulator is presented.. The aircraft cabin simulator is a testbed that used for European Project SEAT (Smart tEchnologies for Stress free Air Travel). The SEAT project aims to

Optimization of geometry of annular seat valves suitable for Digital Displacement fluid power pumps/motors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rømer, Daniel; Johansen, Per; Pedersen, Henrik C.

2013-01-01

Digital Displacement Fluid Power is an upcoming technology setting new standards for the achievable efficiency of fluid power pumps and motors. The core element of the Digital Displacement technology is high performance electronically controlled seat valves, which must exhibit very low flow...... work an annular seat valve suitable for use in Digital Displacement units is considered, and the ring geometry is optimized using finite element analysis including non-linear material behaviour, contact elements and fluid pressure penetrating load, closely reflecting the actual load of the seat valve...

Muscle Power during Standing and Seated Trunk Rotations with Different Weights

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erika Zemková

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This study compares peak and mean power during standing and seated trunk rotations with different weights. Twenty seven fit men completed four trials of trunk rotations in both standing and seated positions with a bar weight of 5.5, 10.5, 15.5, and 20 kg placed on the shoulders. The FiTRO Torso Premium was used to monitor basic biomechanical parameters throughout the movement. Results showed significantly higher peak power during standing than seated trunk rotations at weights of 20 kg (274.4±63.5 vs. 206.4±54.6 W, p=0.004, 15.5 kg (371.2±93.9 vs. 313.5±72.3 W, p=0.007, and 10.5 kg (336.9±77.8 vs. 286.3±66.0 W, p=0.009 but not at 5.5 kg (191.6±46.2 vs. 166.0±37.0 W, p=0.061. Similarly, mean power in the acceleration phase of trunk rotations was significantly higher when performed in standing than seated position at weights of 20 kg (143.2±32.1 vs. 101.9±23.7 W, p=0.008, 15.5 kg (185.1±42.3 vs. 150.4±36.5 W, p=0.019, and 10.5 kg (169.8±40.7 vs. 139.7±31.6 W, p=0.024 but not at 5.5 kg (107.4±29.4 vs. 86.5±21.1 W, p=0.111. Furthermore, peak and mean power during standing trunk rotations significantly correlated with values achieved in the seated position at the weight of 5.5 kg (r=0.684, p=0.027; r=0.676, p=0.033 but not at 10.5 kg (r=0.589, p=0.089; r=0.552, p=0.143, 15.5 kg (r=0.493, p=0.243; r=0.436, p=0.298, and 20 kg (r=0.357, p=0.361; r=0.333, p=0.417. In conclusion, power production is greater during standing as compared to seated trunk rotations, with more pronounced differences at higher weights. This fact has to be taken into account when training and testing the trunk rotational power.

Performance robustness of a magnetorheological seat suspension to temperature variations using skyhook control

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Nicholas L.; Wereley, Norman M.; Choi, Young-Tai; Hiemenz, Gregory J.; Hu, Wei

2009-03-01

The harmonic steady-state responses of an MR seat isolator, designed and fabricated at the University of Maryland for the driver/commander seat of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), are measured over a temperature range from 100°C to 1000°C, and the damper behavior is characterized using a variant of the nonlinear Bingham plastic model. The effect of damper self-heating on the model parameters is investigated and the trends with temperature variation are presented. Numerical simulations are carried out to investigate seat isolation performance across a broad frequency spectrum as temperature and payload vary. Conclusions are drawn about the performance robustness to temperature variations of the semi-active skyhook control algorithm typically utilized in vibration isolation problems.

A social media program to increase adolescent seat belt use.

Science.gov (United States)

Drake, Stacy A; Zhang, Ni; Applewhite, Courtney; Fowler, Katherine; Holcomb, John B

2017-09-01

In response to motor vehicle crashes remaining the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States, a nursing clinical group (n = 10) in conjunction with a local hospital injury prevention program created an educational campaign to bolster seat belt use. The nursing students created an Instagram account to serve as an educational tool to promote seat belt use among teenagers aged 14-19, and the program was presented at three high school health fairs. In all, 135 postings were made to the account over a 3-month period. The number of likes posted by high school students was the unit of analysis. The most significant result (p = .01) was the difference between postings most liked (celebrities wearing seat belts) and least liked (postings made at the high school health fair), otherwise, differences among postings liked (humor postings, response requests, pictures of celebrities, factual data) were not significant. Instagram user engagement, measured in number of likes, is indicative that social media provides platforms to promote injury prevention efforts. Further research is needed to identify measurable elements of social media and to follow-up on behavioral changes following participation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The seat of ground water discharge as ore-mabilizing factor in the formatian of hydrogenic uranium deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Natal'chenko, B.I.; Gol'dshtejn, R.I.

1982-01-01

The role of structural-hydrogeological factor in the process of ore-controlling zoning development during hydrogeneous deposit formation is discussed, as reflecting in the most objective way the spreading of stratal oxidation zones and morphology of uranium mineralization as regards discharge seats because there are only they which mobilize stratal waters for active displacement. The types of discharge seats of stratal waters and their effect on formation of ore-controlling zones of stratal oxidation with uranium mineralization are presented. The conclusion is drawn that local and regional discharge seats of stratal waters dictate both the spacing of regional fronts of stratal-oxidized rocks and their ore content degree. The displacement of discharge seats or their growing into local regions of alimentation results in reorganization of the total ore-controlling zoning, which enables to consider the seats of water discharge as ore-mobilizing structures in the formation of hydrogenic uranium deposits

75 FR 17605 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Roof Crush Resistance

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-07

... that the challenge was to push to a level where the safety benefits are still reasonable in relation to... it is inequitable to those who travel in large vans and large sport utility vehicles (SUVs) for those... pickup trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles that have the capacity to seat three or more occupants...

Modeling and Analysis of Static and Dynamic Characteristics of Nonlinear Seat Suspension for Off-Road Vehicles

OpenAIRE

Yan, Zhenhua; Zhu, Bing; Li, Xuefei; Wang, Guoqiang

2015-01-01

Low-frequency vibrations (0.5–5 Hz) that harm drivers occur in off-road vehicles. Thus, researchers have focused on finding methods to effectively isolate or control low-frequency vibrations. A novel nonlinear seat suspension structure for off-road vehicles is designed, whose static characteristics and seat-human system dynamic response are modeled and analyzed, and experiments are conducted to verify the theoretical solutions. Results show that the stiffness of this nonlinear seat suspension...

78 FR 68748 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Designated Seating Positions

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-15

... Justice (AAJ), Safety Research and Strategies (SRS), Toyota Motor North America (Toyota), Mitsubishi Motors R&D of America (Mitsubishi), and Public Citizen.\\2\\ Toyota also expressed its support for the Alliance's petition. The petitions filed by SAE International and Toyota were styled both as requests for...

Detecting MOV stem to stem-nut lubricant degradation by reviewing MOV open-quotes seating timeclose quotes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loweth, W.A.

1996-01-01

The objective is to describe a methodology, suitable for IST Programs, that obtains sufficient data to assess and trend the overall condition of AC and DC MOVs. Using existing diagnostic test equipment, recording the time from Hard Seat Contact to the Torque Switch Trip point (TST), open-quote Seating Time (msec)close quotes, can provide a means to quickly detect for signs of lubricant degradation in the interface between the stem and stem-nut for MOVs. Obtaining and trending the open-quote Seating Time close-quote parameter can be easily accomplished using the sensors which provide motor current, torque or thrust. From the initial baseline test to subsequent tests, it is the change in time between Hard Seat Contact to Torque Switch Trip point that is utilized to monitor changes in the coefficient of friction between the stem and stem-nut. While many Licensees have begun their MOV Periodic Verification Programs, obtaining the open-quotes Seating Timeclose quotes during Refueling Outages and comparing the results from subsequent outages can be an input to the justification for changing the MOV baseline test frequency

Classroom Management: Seating Solutions [and] Hooray for Volunteers.

Science.gov (United States)

Novelli, Joan; Edgar, Susan

1997-01-01

Two articles present suggestions for enhancing classroom management in creative ways. The first article describes how to use flexible seating arrangements to encourage cooperation, friendship, and community. The second article discusses how to encourage and work with classroom volunteers from the community. (SM)

The usage of crash-safety simulation software in the automotive industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verschut, R.; Hyun, Y.W.

1998-01-01

The last 10 years the safety issue for road vehicles has become increasingly important. Not only regulations but also NCAP testing force manufacturers to develop restraint systems which can meet the stringent criteria set by these procedures. Because of the various safety requirements the

The seated bus passenger--a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Levis, J A

1978-09-01

The paper describes the inter-relationship of anthropometry, rig studies and dynamic testing of aspects related to problems of the seated bus passenger. It seeks to draw together sub-sections of a very large study sponsored by the government through the Transport and Road Research Laboratory and undertaken by the Human Factors Group of Leyland Truck and Bus. It is relevant to all those designing passenger carrying transport systems.

Using naturalistic driving data to identify variables associated with infrequent, occasional, and consistent seat belt use.

Science.gov (United States)

Reagan, Ian J; McClafferty, Julie A; Berlin, Sharon P; Hankey, Jonathan M

2013-01-01

Seat belt use is one of the most effective countermeasures to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries. The success of efforts to increase use is measured by road side observations and self-report questionnaires. These methods have shortcomings, with the former requiring a binary point estimate and the latter being subjective. The 100-car naturalistic driving study presented a unique opportunity to study seat belt use in that seat belt status was known for every trip each driver made during a 12-month period. Drivers were grouped into infrequent, occasional, or consistent seat belt users based on the frequency of belt use. Analyses were then completed to assess if these groups differed on several measures including personality, demographics, self-reported driving style variables as well as measures from the 100-car study instrumentation suite (average trip speed, trips per day). In addition, detailed analyses of the occasional belt user group were completed to identify factors that were predictive of occasional belt users wearing their belts. The analyses indicated that consistent seat belt users took fewer trips per day, and that increased average trip speed was associated with increased belt use among occasional belt users. The results of this project may help focus messaging efforts to convert occasional and inconsistent seat belt users to consistent users. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tilted seat position for non-ambulant individuals with neurological and neuromuscular impairment: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Michael, S M; Porter, D; Pountney, T E

2007-12-01

To determine the effects of tilt-in-space seating on outcomes for people with neurological or neuromuscular impairment who cannot walk. Search through electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, AMED). Discussions with researchers who are active in field. Selection criteria included interventional studies that investigated the effects of seat tilt on outcome or observational studies that identified outcomes for those who had used tilt-in-space seating in populations with neurological or neuromuscular impairments. Two reviewers independently selected trials for inclusion, assessed quality and extracted data. Nineteen studies were identified which fulfilled the selection criteria. Seventeen of these were essentially before-after studies investigating the immediate effects of tilting the seating. All studies looked at populations with neurological impairment, and most were on children with cerebral palsy (n=8) or adults with spinal cord injury (n=8). REVIEWER'S CONCLUSION: Posterior tilt can reduce pressures at the interface under the pelvis.

GPS Usage in a Population of Low-Vision Drivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Cucuras, Maria; Chun, Robert; Lee, Patrick; Jay, Walter M; Pusateri, Gregg

2017-01-01

We surveyed bioptic and non-bioptic low-vision drivers in Illinois, USA, to determine their usage of global positioning system (GPS) devices. Low-vision patients completed an IRB-approved phone survey regarding driving demographics and usage of GPS while driving. Participants were required to be active drivers with an Illinois driver's license, and met one of the following criteria: best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) less than or equal to 20/40, central or significant peripheral visual field defects, or a combination of both. Of 27 low-vision drivers, 10 (37%) used GPS while driving. The average age for GPS users was 54.3 and for non-users was 77.6. All 10 drivers who used GPS while driving reported increased comfort or safety level. Since non-GPS users were significantly older than GPS users, it is likely that older participants would benefit from GPS technology training from their low-vision eye care professionals.

Assessment of changes in spine curvatures and the sensations caused in three different types of working seats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caique de Melo do Espírito Santo

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Aims This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the spine curvatures and the sensations caused by different types of seats: standard, ischial support and salli. Methods The analyzes were performed by the kinematics and scales of discomfort and pain in 14 healthy subjects. The data collection occurred in three days, one day for each type of seat. The subjects answered questionnaires and were assessed for placement of kinematic markers used to measure the thoracic, thoraco-lumbar and lumbar angles. Each trial was conducted in a sixty-minute period on each chair. Results and conclusions The results showed that the salli seat type causes larger lumbar angles, which is consistent with the maintenance of lumbar lordosis. Likewise, the salli seat showed smaller thoraco-lumbar angle, which is consistent with smaller inferior thoracic kyphosis. Paradoxically, the ischial support seat produced less discomfort and pain than salli type. And finally, the longer the sitting position was the higher the score on the discomfort scale.

Comparison between a Computational Seated Human Model and Experimental Verification Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian G. Olesen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Sitting-acquired deep tissue injuries (SADTI are the most serious type of pressure ulcers. In order to investigate the aetiology of SADTI a new approach is under development: a musculo-skeletal model which can predict forces between the chair and the human body at different seated postures. This study focuses on comparing results from a model developed in the AnyBody Modeling System, with data collected from an experimental setup. A chair with force-measuring equipment was developed, an experiment was conducted with three subjects, and the experimental results were compared with the predictions of the computational model. The results show that the model predicted the reaction forces for different chair postures well. The correlation coefficients of how well the experiment and model correlate for the seat angle, backrest angle and footrest height was 0.93, 0.96, and 0.95. The study show a good agreement between experimental data and model prediction of forces between a human body and a chair. The model can in the future be used in designing wheelchairs or automotive seats.

Seat pan and backrest pressure distribution while sitting in office chairs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zemp, Roland; Taylor, William R; Lorenzetti, Silvio

2016-03-01

Nowadays, an increasing amount of time is spent seated, especially in office environments, where sitting comfort and support are increasingly important due to the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of this study was to develop a methodology for chair-specific sensor mat calibration, to evaluate the interconnections between specific pressure parameters and to establish those that are most meaningful and significant in order to differentiate pressure distribution measures between office chairs. The shape of the exponential calibration function was highly influenced by the material properties and geometry of the office chairs, and therefore a chair-specific calibration proved to be essential. High correlations were observed between the eight analysed pressure parameters, whereby the pressure parameters could be reduced to a set of four and three parameters for the seat pan and the backrest respectively. In order to find significant differences between office chairs, gradient parameters should be analysed for the seat pan, whereas for the backrest almost all parameters are suitable. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Wheelchair Seating Assessment and Intervention: A Comparison between Telerehabilitation and Face-to-Face Service

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ingrid G Barlow

2009-09-01

Full Text Available This study compared outcomes of wheelchair seating and positioning interventions provided by telerehabilitation (n=10 and face-to-face (n=20; 10 in each of two comparison groups, one urban and one rural. Comparison clients were matched to the telerehabilitation clients in age, diagnosis, and type of seating components received. Clients and referring therapists rated their satisfaction and identified if seating intervention goals were met. Clients recorded travel expenses incurred or saved, and all therapists recorded time spent providing service. Wait times and completion times were tracked. Clients seen by telerehabilitation had similar satisfaction ratings and were as likely to have their goals met as clients seen face-to-face; telerehabilitation clients saved travel costs. Rural referring therapists who used telerehabilitation spent more time in preparation and follow-up than the other groups. Clients assessed by telerehabilitation had shorter wait times for assessment than rural face-to-face clients, but their interventions took as long to complete. Keywords: Telerehabilitation, Telehealth, Videoconferencing, Wheelchair Seating, Outcomes, Rehabilitation

Usage Record Format Recommendation

CERN Document Server

Nilsen, J.K.; Muller-Pfeerkorn, R

2013-01-01

For resources to be shared, sites must be able to exchange basic accounting and usage data in a common format. This document describes a common format which enables the exchange of basic accounting and usage data from different resources. This record format is intended to facilitate the sharing of usage information, particularly in the area of the accounting of jobs, computing, memory, storage and cloud usage but with a structure that allows an easy extension to other resources. This document describes the Usage Record components both in natural language form and annotated XML. This document does not address how these records should be used, nor does it attempt to dictate the format in which the accounting records are stored. Instead, it denes a common exchange format. Furthermore, nothing is said regarding the communication mechanisms employed to exchange the records, i.e. transport layer, framing, authentication, integrity, etc.

On the Modeling of a MEMS Based Capacitive Accelerometer for Measurement of Tractor Seat Vibration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Alidoost

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Drivers of heavy vehicles often face with higher amplitudes of frequencies range between 1-80 Hz. Hence, this range of frequency results in temporary or even sometimes permanent damages to the health of drivers. Examples for these problems are damages to the vertebral column and early tiredness, which both reduce the driver’s performance significantly. One solution to this problem is to decrease the imposed vibration to the driver’s seat by developing an active seat system. These systems require an online measuring unit to sense vibrations transferred to the seat. The measuring unit can include a capacitive micro-accelerometer on the basis of MEMS which measure online vibrations on the seat. In this study, the mechanical behavior of a capacitive micro-accelerometer for the vibration range applied to a tractor seat has been simulated. The accelerometer is capable to measure step, impact and harmonic external excitations applied to the system. The results of the study indicate that, with increasing the applied voltage, the system sensitivity also increases, but the measuring range of vibrations decreases and vice versa. The modeled accelerometer, at damping ratio of 0.67 is capable to measure accelerations within the frequency range of lower than 130 Hz.

Crash characteristics and injury patterns of restrained front seat occupants in far-side impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoganandan, Narayan; Arun, Mike W J; Halloway, Dale E; Pintar, Frank A; Maiman, Dennis J; Szabo, Aniko; Rudd, Rodney W

2014-01-01

the front seat at the MAIS 3+ level, although it was reversed at the lower level. The extent zone of 3+ increased the odds compared to the extent zones of 1 to 2 at both MAIS 2+ and MAIS 3+ injuries. Odds ratios and confidence intervals are given. The findings are as follows: head and thorax are the more frequently injured body regions, and the prevalence of cranium injuries is similar at both injury severities; thoracic injuries are more prevalent at the MAIS 3+ level; the presence of another front seat occupant plays a role in MAIS 3+ trauma; injuries continue to occur at changes in velocity representative of side impact environments; and mean demographic factors are close to mid-size automotive anthropometry, indicating the need to pursue this line of study. Because data were gathered from only 4 years, it would be important to include additional NASS-CDS database years, rescore injuries from previous years, and analyze other international databases to reinforce these findings for advancing safety for far-side occupants.

A subjective framework for seat comfort based on a heuristic multi criteria decision making technique and anthropometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Fazlollahtabar, Hamed

2010-12-01

Consumer expectations for automobile seat comfort continue to rise. With this said, it is evident that the current automobile seat comfort development process, which is only sporadically successful, needs to change. In this context, there has been growing recognition of the need for establishing theoretical and methodological automobile seat comfort. On the other hand, seat producer need to know the costumer's required comfort to produce based on their interests. The current research methodologies apply qualitative approaches due to anthropometric specifications. The most significant weakness of these approaches is the inexact extracted inferences. Despite the qualitative nature of the consumer's preferences there are some methods to transform the qualitative parameters into numerical value which could help seat producer to improve or enhance their products. Nonetheless this approach would help the automobile manufacturer to provide their seats from the best producer regarding to the consumers idea. In this paper, a heuristic multi criteria decision making technique is applied to make consumers preferences in the numeric value. This Technique is combination of Analytical Hierarchy Procedure (AHP), Entropy method, and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). A case study is conducted to illustrate the applicability and the effectiveness of the proposed heuristic approach. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Variation between seated and standing/walking postures among male and female call centre operators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toomingas Allan

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The dose and time-pattern of sitting has been suggested in public health research to be an important determinant of risk for developing a number of diseases, including cardiovascular disorders and diabetes. The aim of the present study was to assess the time-pattern of seated and standing/walking postures amongst male and female call centre operators, on the basis of whole-shift posture recordings, analysed and described by a number of novel variables describing posture variation. Methods Seated vs. standing/walking was recorded using dichotomous inclinometers throughout an entire work shift for 43 male and 97 female call centre operators at 16 call centres. Data were analysed using an extensive set of variables describing occurrence of and switches between seated and standing/walking, posture similarity across the day, and compliance with standard recommendations for computer work. Results The majority of the operators, both male and female, spent more than 80% of the shift in a seated posture with an average of 10.4 switches/hour between seated and standing/walking or vice versa. Females spent, on average, 11% of the day in periods of sustained sitting longer than 1 hour; males 4.6% (p = 0.013. Only 38% and 11% of the operators complied with standard recommendations of getting an uninterrupted break from seated posture of at least 5 or 10 minutes, respectively, within each hour of work. Two thirds of all investigated variables showed coefficients of variation between subjects above 0.5. Since work tasks and contractual break schedules were observed to be essentially similar across operators and across days, this indicates that sedentary behaviours differed substantially between individuals. Conclusions The extensive occurrence of uninterrupted seated work indicates that efforts should be made at call centres - and probably in other settings in the office sector - to introduce more physical variation in terms of standing

Explaining state-to-state differences in seat belt use : an analysis of socio-demographic variables.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-01

"Despite the extensive evidence about the benefits of seat belt use, there is a great deal of variation in use within the US. For example, the national average for seat belt use in 2009 was 84 percent while the state-level averages ranged from 68 per...

77 FR 57481 - Special Conditions: Embraer S.A., Models EMB-135 and EMB-145 Series; Airplane Seats with Non...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-18

... flammability of seat cushions. With the seat design being mostly fabric and metal, the contribution to a fire..., large, non-metallic panels that would affect survivability during a post-crash fire event. The.... At the time the applicable rules were written, seats were designed with a metal frame covered by...

Fabrics for fire resistant passenger seats in aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Tesoro, G. C.

1978-01-01

The essential elements of the problem and of approaches to improved fire resistance in aircraft seats are reviewed. The performance requirements and availability of materials, delay in the ignition of upholstery fabric by a small source are considered a realistic objective. Results of experimental studies on the thermal response of fabrics and fabric/foam combinations suggest significant conclusions regarding: (1) the ignition behavior of a commercial 90/10 wool/nylon upholstery fabric relative to fabrics made from thermally stable polymers; (2) the role of the foam backing; (3) the behavior of seams. These results, coupled with data from other sources, also confirm the importance of materials' interactions in multicomponent assemblies, and the need for system testing prior to materials' selection. The use of an interlinear or thermal barrier between upholstery fabric and foam is a promising and viable approach to improved fire resistance of the seat assembly, but experimental evaluation of specific combinations of materials or systems is an essential part of the selection process.

Geometrical and hydrogeological impact on the behaviour of deep-seated rock slides during reservoir impoundment

Science.gov (United States)

Lechner, Heidrun; Zangerl, Christian

2015-04-01

destabilisation is highly dependent on the ratio of the rock mass volume affected by buoyancy forces to the total volume of the rock slide. If a large rock mass volume ratio is submerged, huge buoyancy forces evolve and destabilize the slope significantly. Additionally, the influence of impoundment velocity on the rock slide behaviour and the impact of material properties of the rock masses are analysed. Reservoir water rapidly infiltrates into high-permeable rock slide masses evolving high pore pressures at the basal shear zone which leads to destabilisation. Conversely, reservoir water infiltrates slowly into low-permeable rock masses and the destabilizing effect of the pore water pressure might be compensated by a buttressing reservoir load over the low-permeable rock masses. Preliminary steady state calculations show that the factor of safety decreases constantly with increasing reservoir level until a certain threshold reservoir level and minimum factor of safety is reached. After exceeding this threshold level a further increase in reservoir impoundment leads to an increase of the factor of safety. This threshold reservoir level is reliant on the rock slide geometry and rock mass volume affected by buoyancy. Upcoming research is expected to provide new fundamentals for a comprehensive understanding of deformation and failure processes of deep-seated rock slides in order to perform reliable forecasts.

Research Paper: Impact of Air Seat Cushions and Ball Chairs on Classroom Behavior of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nader Matin Sadr

2016-07-01

Conclusion In the present study, therapy balls and or cushioned chairs for ASD students facilitated in-seat and on-task behaviors and improved classroom performance. It seems that using these alternative seating chairs can satisfy the subjects’ needs to sensory stimuli, and therefore, decreases their sensory seeking behaviors which interferes with their academic achievements. While, using therapy ball chairs for these students may facilitate in-seat behavior and decrease autistic behavior in class, the student’s response to dynamic seating is different individually. Therefore, chair selection must be based on vestibular reaction of the students.

Best seating condition in children with spastic cerebral palsy : One type does not fit all

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Angsupaisal, Mattana; Dijkstra, Linze-Jaap; la Bastide-van Gemert, Sacha; van Hoorn, Jessika F.; Burger, Karine; Maathuis, Carel G. B.; Hadders-Algra, Mijna

2017-01-01

Background: The effect of forward-tilting of the seat surface and foot-support in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) is debated. Aim: To assess the effect of forward-tilting of the seat surface and foot-support in children with CP on kinematic head stability and reaching. Methods: Nineteen

Non-Invasive Detection of Respiration and Heart Rate with a Vehicle Seat Sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Wusk, Grace; Gabler, Hampton

2018-05-08

This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a seat sensor designed for occupant classification from a production passenger vehicle to measure an occupant’s respiration rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) in a laboratory setting. Relaying occupant vital signs after a crash could improve emergency response by adding a direct measure of the occupant state to an Advanced Automatic Collision Notification (AACN) system. Data was collected from eleven participants with body weights ranging from 42 to 91 kg using a Ford Mustang passenger seat and seat sensor. Using a ballistocardiography (BCG) approach, the data was processed by time domain filtering and frequency domain analysis using the fast Fourier transform to yield RR and HR in a 1-min sliding window. Resting rates over the 30-min data collection and continuous RR and HR signals were compared to laboratory physiological instruments using the Bland-Altman approach. Differences between the seat sensor and reference sensor were within 5 breaths per minute for resting RR and within 15 beats per minute for resting HR. The time series comparisons for RR and HR were promising with the frequency analysis technique outperforming the peak detection technique. However, future work is necessary for more accurate and reliable real-time monitoring of RR and HR outside the laboratory setting.

Searching the seat of the soul in Ancient Greek and Byzantine medical literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Lykouras, Eleftherios; Poulakou-Rebelakou, Effie; Ploumpidis, Demetrios N

2010-12-01

The objective of this paper was to examine the ancient and medieval concepts about the seat of the mental functions, as exposed in Greek texts from Antiquity to Byzantine times. The review of the philosophical and medical literature from the original ancient Greek language from the Homeric epics to the Holy Fathers of Christianity, as the problem of the seat of the soul remained without a certain answer through the centuries. Primitive concepts attributed great significance to the soul and dictated cannibal behaviours for the possession and eating of the defeated enemy's heart. Mental functions, such as thinking, feeling and mainly those related to affective manifestations, were attributed to the heart and to some other internal organs (liver, diaphragm) from the times of Greek mythology. Philosophy and empirical medicine had underestimated the brain probably because it is a 'silent' organ, contrary to the palpitating heart, with its obvious participations in the emotional reactions. The role of the brain as the mental organ and the seat of emotions has been gradually recognized. The permanent question of the seat of the soul had been for many centuries a critical dispute and the contribution of Greek philosophical and medical thought was decisive for the contemporary transformation of the whole concept.

75 FR 66064 - Extension of Application Period for Seats for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-27

... Period for Seats for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric... following vacant seats on the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Advisory Council...

77 FR 27188 - Extension of Application Period for Seats for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-09

... Period for Seats for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric... following vacant seats on the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Chumash Community...

78 FR 5779 - Extension of Application Period for Seats for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-28

... Period for Seats for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric... following vacant seats on the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Business Alternate...

75 FR 57444 - Extension of Application Period for Seats for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-21

... Period for Seats for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric... following vacant seats on the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Advisory Council...

SAFETY OF AMIODARONE USAGE IN PATIENTS WITH WOLFF-PARKINSON-WHITE SYNDROME AND ATRIAL FIBRILLATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. A. Kuzhel

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Amiodarone is one of the basic antiarrhytmic drugs for atrial fibrillation treatment. However application of amiodarone in patients with atrial fibrillation and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome can induce ventricular fibrillation. Amiodarone usage in these patients should be accompanied by readiness for performance of resuscitation. This is confirmed by clinical case presentation.

Detecting MOV stem to stem-nut lubricant degradation by reviewing MOV {open_quotes}seating time{close_quotes}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loweth, W.A.

1996-12-01

The objective is to describe a methodology, suitable for IST Programs, that obtains sufficient data to assess and trend the overall condition of AC and DC MOVs. Using existing diagnostic test equipment, recording the time from Hard Seat Contact to the Torque Switch Trip point (TST), {open_quote}Seating Time (msec){close_quotes}, can provide a means to quickly detect for signs of lubricant degradation in the interface between the stem and stem-nut for MOVs. Obtaining and trending the {open_quote}Seating Time{close_quote} parameter can be easily accomplished using the sensors which provide motor current, torque or thrust. From the initial baseline test to subsequent tests, it is the change in time between Hard Seat Contact to Torque Switch Trip point that is utilized to monitor changes in the coefficient of friction between the stem and stem-nut. While many Licensees have begun their MOV Periodic Verification Programs, obtaining the {open_quotes}Seating Time{close_quotes} during Refueling Outages and comparing the results from subsequent outages can be an input to the justification for changing the MOV baseline test frequency.

The effect of a 3-point harness restraint and car seat in whiplash-type lateral impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Shrawan; Ferrari, Robert; Narayan, Yogesh; Jones, Troy

2006-01-01

Seventeen healthy volunteers were subjected to right and left lateral impacts 5.0, 6.8, 9.2, and 16.8 m/s acceleration while positioned in a Volvo car seat with lap and shoulder seat belt restraint in laboratory setting. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of using a standard 3-point lap and shoulder seat belt and Volvo car seat on the response of the cervical muscles to increasing low-velocity lateral impacts. A previous study of lateral impacts in a 5-point harness restraint with head and trunk in neutral posture suggests that the burden of impact is borne primarily by the splenius capitis muscle contralateral to the direction of impact. That study, however, used a nonstandard harness for automobiles, and other studies suggest that a lap-and-shoulder seat belt may increase the risk of whiplash injury. Triaxial accelerometers recorded the acceleration of the 1) sled, 2) torso at the shoulder level, and 3) head of the participant, while bilateral electromyograms of the sternocleidomastoids, trapezii, and splenii capitis were also recorded. For participants experiencing a right or left lateral impact, the muscle responses increased with increasing levels of acceleration (P trend to progressively decrease with increasing levels of acceleration. The peak head accelerations relative to the sled ranged from 2.5 to 10.6 m/s. When the impact was a right lateral impact, at the highest sled acceleration, the left splenius capitis generated 47% of its maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), and the left trapezius also 46% of its MVC; the left and right sternocleidomastoid, right splenius capitis, and right trapezius generated 29% or less of their MVC. For the highest level of acceleration in a left lateral impact, the right splenius capitis generated 48% of its MVC and the right trapezius 57% of the MVC, the left and right sternocleidomastoid, left splenius capitis, and left trapezius generated 29% or less of their MVC. In both directions of impact, the

Het gebruik van autogordels en factoren die daarbij een rol spelen : een internationale vergelijking.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mäkinen, T. Wittink, R.D. & Hagenzieker, M.P.

1991-01-01

The purpose of this study was to define factors that contribute to the use or non-use of seat belts. Legislation prescribing compulsory seat belt usage is one of the most important factors. Promotion of the use of seat belts without this legislation is very difficult and time-consuming. So far, the

Analysis of WBV on standing and seated passengers during off-peak operation in KL monorail

Science.gov (United States)

Hasnan, K.; Bakhsh, Q.; Ahmed, A.; Ali, D.; Jamali, A. R.

2018-03-01

In this study, the Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) was analyzed on the standing and seated passenger during off-peak operating hours when train was on the track. The experiments were conducted on two car train at one constant location (bogie-1, which is near to driver’s cabin) during downward direction from KL sentral station towards Titiwangsa station. The aim of this study was to analyze that, in which posture of passenger’s exposures the maximum level of WBV. Since, one passenger was performed the whole journey in standing posture whereas, the other passenger was in seated posture. The result obtained from experiments for the RMS accelerations (Arms), maximum acceleration (Amax) and minimum acceleration (Amin) during the trip. As per standard ISO 2631-1, the daily vibration exposure (A8), Vibration Dose value (VDV) and Crest Factor (CF) of this trip for both standing and sitting orientations were calculated. Results shows that the seated passenger was exposed to longer periods of continuous vibration as compared to the standing passenger. Whereas, the Vibration Dose value (VDV) value was greater than the action value as per ISO 2631-1 and within the limit values. The study concluded that whole body vibration transmitted towards both passengers either standing or seated during their journey. But in overall results comparison of both orientations, the seated passengers gained higher vibration than the standing one.

Impact of valve failures on the safety and reliability of light water nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riddington, J.W.; Reyer, R.J.

1980-01-01

A study of the causes of, and solutions for, recurrent valve failures has been performed. The frequency and root causes of valve problems were identified from licensee event reports and meetings with utility, NSSS, and valve manufacturer personnel. Three generic problems (stem leakage, seat leakage, and inadequate specification) and four valve specific problems were identified. The four valve specific problems and their principal causes are: (1) BWR pilot operated safety relief valves (pilot valve leakage); (2) spring loaded safety relief valves (water solid and two-phase flow behavior); (3) PWR feedwater regulating valves (trim degradation and packing failures); and (4) air operated solenoid valves (jamming due to foreign matter in service air). The first two valve specific problems are the subject of current industry programs. Programs intended to address stem leakage, seat leakage, timely exchange of valve failure information, testing of valves, and adequate specification, selection, and maintenance of valves will be outlined

Average male and female virtual dummy model (BioRID and EvaRID) simulations with two seat concepts in the Euro NCAP low severity rear impact test configuration.

Science.gov (United States)

Linder, Astrid; Holmqvist, Kristian; Svensson, Mats Y

2018-05-01

Soft tissue neck injuries, also referred to as whiplash injuries, which can lead to long term suffering accounts for more than 60% of the cost of all injuries leading to permanent medical impairment for the insurance companies, with respect to injuries sustained in vehicle crashes. These injuries are sustained in all impact directions, however they are most common in rear impacts. Injury statistics have since the mid-1960s consistently shown that females are subject to a higher risk of sustaining this type of injury than males, on average twice the risk of injury. Furthermore, some recently developed anti-whiplash systems have revealed they provide less protection for females than males. The protection of both males and females should be addresses equally when designing and evaluating vehicle safety systems to ensure maximum safety for everyone. This is currently not the case. The norm for crash test dummies representing humans in crash test laboratories is an average male. The female part of the population is not represented in tests performed by consumer information organisations such as NCAP or in regulatory tests due to the absence of a physical dummy representing an average female. Recently, the world first virtual model of an average female crash test dummy was developed. In this study, simulations were run with both this model and an average male dummy model, seated in a simplified model of a vehicle seat. The results of the simulations were compared to earlier published results from simulations run in the same test set-up with a vehicle concepts seat. The three crash pulse severities of the Euro NCAP low severity rear impact test were applied. The motion of the neck, head and upper torso were analysed in addition to the accelerations and the Neck Injury Criterion (NIC). Furthermore, the response of the virtual models was compared to the response of volunteers as well as the average male model, to that of the response of a physical dummy model. Simulations

Reduced energy and volume air pump for a seat cushion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vaughn, M.R.; Constantineau, E.J.; Groves, G.E.

1997-08-19

An efficient pump system is described for transferring air between sets of bladders in a cushion. The pump system utilizes a reversible piston within a cylinder in conjunction with an equalizing valve in the piston which opens when the piston reaches the end of travel in one direction. The weight of a seated user then forces air back across the piston from an inflated bladder to the previously deflated bladder until the pressure is equalized. In this fashion the work done by the pump is cut in half. The inflation and deflation of the different bladders is controlled to vary the pressure on the several pressure points of a seated user. A principal application is for wheel chair use to prevent pressure ulcers. 12 figs.

Reduced energy and volume air pump for a seat cushion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vaughn, Mark R. (Albuquerque, NM); Constantineau, Edward J. (Albuquerque, NM); Groves, Gordon E. (Tijeras, NM)

1997-01-01

An efficient pump system for transferring air between sets of bladders in a cushion. The pump system utilizes a reversible piston within a cylinder in conjunction with an equalizing valve in the piston which opens when the piston reaches the end of travel in one direction. The weight of a seated user then forces air back across the piston from an inflated bladder to the previously deflated bladder until the pressure is equalized. In this fashion the work done by the pump is cut in half. The inflation and deflation of the different bladders is controlled to vary the pressure on the several pressure points of a seated user. A principal application is for wheel chair use to prevent pressure ulcers.

Descriptive study of electromagnetic wave distribution for various seating positions: using digital textbooks.

Science.gov (United States)

Seomun, GyeongAe; Kim, YoungHwan; Lee, Jung-Ah; Jeong, KwangHoon; Park, Seon-A; Kim, Miran; Noh, Wonjung

2014-04-01

To better understand environmental electromagnetic wave exposure during the use of digital textbooks by elementary school students, we measured numeric values of the electromagnetic fields produced by tablet personal computers (TPCs). Specifically, we examined the distribution of the electromagnetic waves for various students' seating positions in an elementary school that uses digital textbooks. Electric and magnetic fields from TPCs were measured using the HI-3603 Visual Display Terminal/ Very Low Frequency (VDT/VLF) radiation measurement system. Electromagnetic field values from TPCs measured at a student's seat and at a teacher's computer were deemed not harmful to health. However, electromagnetic field values varied based on the distance between students, other electronic devices such as a desktop computers, and student posture while using a TPC. Based on these results, it is necessary to guide students to observe proper posture and to arrange seats at an appropriate distance in the classroom.

Rural and Urban Differences in Passenger-Vehicle-Occupant Deaths and Seat Belt Use Among Adults - United States, 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Beck, Laurie F; Downs, Jonathan; Stevens, Mark R; Sauber-Schatz, Erin K

2017-09-22

Motor-vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States. Compared with urban residents, rural residents are at an increased risk for death from crashes and are less likely to wear seat belts. These differences have not been well described by levels of rurality. 2014. Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were used to identify passenger-vehicle-occupant deaths from motor-vehicle crashes and estimate the prevalence of seat belt use. FARS, a census of U.S. motor-vehicle crashes involving one or more deaths, was used to identify passenger-vehicle-occupant deaths among adults aged ≥18 years. Passenger-vehicle occupants were defined as persons driving or riding in passenger cars, light trucks, vans, or sport utility vehicles. Death rates per 100,000 population, age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population and the proportion of occupants who were unrestrained at the time of the fatal crash, were calculated. BRFSS, an annual, state-based, random-digit-dialed telephone survey of the noninstitutionalized U.S. civilian population aged ≥18 years, was used to estimate prevalence of seat belt use. FARS and BRFSS data were analyzed by a six-level rural-urban designation, based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture 2013 rural-urban continuum codes, and stratified by census region and type of state seat belt enforcement law (primary or secondary). Within each census region, age-adjusted passenger-vehicle-occupant death rates per 100,000 population increased with increasing rurality, from the most urban to the most rural counties: South, 6.8 to 29.2; Midwest, 5.3 to 25.8; West, 3.9 to 40.0; and Northeast, 3.5 to 10.8. (For the Northeast, data for the most rural counties were not reported because of suppression criteria; comparison is for the most urban to the second-most rural counties.) Similarly, the proportion of occupants who were unrestrained at the time of the fatal crash

Putting road safety awareness into practice

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

To round off the series of articles and posters published as part of its road safety awareness campaign, CERN is organising two information and demonstration open days on 23 and 25 September. Can you brake in time ? Did you know that you are 21 times more at risk of being killed if you are not wearing a seat belt in the event of your car rolling over? All your questions on road safety will be answered at two special days that are being organized on 23 and 25 September. You will also be able to test your reflexes and your knowledge by taking part in demonstrations. The CERN Management attaches high priority to an improvement in safety standards on the Laboratory's roads. These two open days have been arranged to round off the road safety awareness and highway courtesy campaign which was launched last year. They are intended to provide us with an opportunity, through a more "hands-on" approach, of heightening our awareness of the risks associated with road traffic, of the legislation in force, and above all t...

Oil Stiction in Fast Switching Annular Seat Valves for Digital Displacement Fluid Power Machines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roemer, Daniel Beck; Johansen, Per; Pedersen, Henrik C.

2014-01-01

Digital Displacement (DD) fluid power machines utilizes electronically controlled seat valves connected to pressure chambers to obtain variable displacement with high operational efficiency and high bandwidth. To achieve high efficiency, fast valve switching is essential and all aspects related...... to the dynamic behaviour of the seat valves must be considered to optimize the machine efficiency. A significant effect influencing the valves switching performance is the presence of oil stiction when separating the contact surfaces in valve opening movement. This oil stiction force is limited by cavitation...... for low pressure levels, e.g. valves connected to the low pressure manifold, however for valves operated at higher pressure levels, the oil stiction force is dominating when the separating surfaces are close to contact. This paper presents an analytic solution to the oil stiction force for annular seat...

Microenvironment temperature prediction between body and seat interface using autoregressive data-driven model.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhuofu; Wang, Lin; Luo, Zhongming; Heusch, Andrew I; Cascioli, Vincenzo; McCarthy, Peter W

2015-11-01

There is a need to develop a greater understanding of temperature at the skin-seat interface during prolonged seating from the perspectives of both industrial design (comfort/discomfort) and medical care (skin ulcer formation). Here we test the concept of predicting temperature at the seat surface and skin interface during prolonged sitting (such as required from wheelchair users). As caregivers are usually busy, such a method would give them warning ahead of a problem. This paper describes a data-driven model capable of predicting thermal changes and thus having the potential to provide an early warning (15- to 25-min ahead prediction) of an impending temperature that may increase the risk for potential skin damages for those subject to enforced sitting and who have little or no sensory feedback from this area. Initially, the oscillations of the original signal are suppressed using the reconstruction strategy of empirical mode decomposition (EMD). Consequentially, the autoregressive data-driven model can be used to predict future thermal trends based on a shorter period of acquisition, which reduces the possibility of introducing human errors and artefacts associated with longer duration "enforced" sitting by volunteers. In this study, the method had a maximum predictive error of body insensitivity and disability requiring them to be immobile in seats for prolonged periods. Copyright © 2015 Tissue Viability Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of control rod drive mechanism seating position detector for JRR-3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohuchi, Satoshi; Kurumada, Osamu; Kamiishi, Eigo; Sato, Masayuki; Ikekame, Yoshinori; Wada, Shigeru

2016-06-01

The purpose of the control rod drive mechanism seating position detector for JRR-3 is one of methods for confirming the shutdown condition of the reactor and sending out the seat position signal to other systems. The detector has been utilizing more than 25 years with maintenance regularly. However, some troubles occurred recently. Moreover, the detector has already been discontinued, and it is confirmed that the successor detector is unsuitable for the control rod drive mechanism of JRR-3. Therefore, it was necessary to select the adequate detector to the control rod drive mechanism of JRR-3. Accordingly, we built a test device with the aim of verifying several detectors for integrity and function. At the time of the test for performance confirmation, it was occurred unexpected problems. Nevertheless, we devise improvement of the problems and took measures. Thus we were able to make adequate detector for JRR-3 and replace to enhanced detector. This paper reports the Enhanced of Control rod drive mechanism seating position detector. (author)

Delineation of potential deep seated landslides in a watershed using environmental index

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Siao Ying; Lin, Chao Yuan; Lin, Cheng Yu

2016-04-01

The extreme rainfall induced deep seated landslides cause more attentions recently. Extreme rainfall can accelerate soil moisture content and surface runoff in slopeland which usually results in severe headward erosion and slope failures in an upstream watershed. It's a crucial issue for disaster prevention to extract the sites of potential deep seated landslide dynamically. Landslide risk and scale in a watershed were well discussed in this study. Risk of landslide occurrence in a watershed can be calculated from the multiplication of hazard and vulnerability for a certain event. A synthesis indicator derived from the indices of inverted extreme rainfall, road development and inverted normalized difference vegetation index can be effectively used as vulnerability for a watershed before the event. Landslide scale estimated from the indices of soil depth, headward erosion, river concave and dip slope could be applied to locate the hotspots of deep seated landslide in a watershed. The events of Typhoon Morakot in 2009 and Soudelor in 2015 were also selected in this study to verify the delineation accuracy of the model for the references of related authorities.

Burn from car seat heater in a man with paraplegia: case report

Science.gov (United States)

Benjamin, Cheryl; Gittler, Michelle; Lee, Ray

2011-01-01

Objective/background Heated car seats are a common feature in newer automobiles. They are increasingly being recognized as potential hazards as there have been multiple reports of significant burns to its users. The potential for harm is considerably increased in those with impaired sensation with the possibility of a devastating injury. Methods Case report and literature review. Results A 26-year-old male with a T8 ASIA A paraplegia presented to the outpatient clinic for management of a hip burn. Two weeks prior to his visit he was driving a 2004 Jeep Cherokee for approximately 30 minutes. He was unaware that the driver's side seat warmer was set on high. He denied that his seat belt was in direct contact with the skin of his right hip. He presented to an acute care hospital that evening with a hip burn where he was prescribed silver sulfadiazine cream and instructed to apply it until his scheduled follow-up clinic visit. In clinic, the hip wound was unstageable with approximately 95% eschar. A dressing of bismuth tribromophenate in petrolatum was applied to the wound and he was instructed to change the dressing daily. This was later changed to an antimicrobial alginate dressing. The ulcer eventually healed. Conclusions This case illustrates the significant risk of car seat heaters in individuals with spinal cord injuries or neurological impairment who have decreased sensation. Additionally, it highlights an atypical area of potential for burn. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for a heightened awareness for this unique and dangerous situation. PMID:21756574

Restaurant No. 1 seating capacity increases by 240

CERN Document Server

Laëtitia Pedroso

2010-01-01

These days you need patience when looking for a seat in Restaurant No. 1 to eat your lunch. The opening of the new dining room, which will increase the restaurant’s seating capacity by 240, should alleviate the problem and improve service.   The new restaurant area. For the past several years the number of people using Restaurant No. 1 has grown steadily. Now, for a change, the restaurant itself is growing. Luz Lopez-Hernandez, leader of the project in the GS Department, explains: “Enlarging the restaurant has been on the GS Department's agenda for several years, but the project really got off the ground in 2009. Once it was approved and the design completed, construction itself only took seven months.” Seven months later, the restaurant extension is indeed on the verge of opening. One of the people who will be particularly happy is Joël Nallet, who manages the Novae restaurant: “I am thrilled, because until now, even if we managed to increase...

Parental practice of child car safety in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Ndu, K I; Ekwochi, U; Osuorah, D C; Ifediora, O C; Amadi, F O; Asinobi, I N; Okenwa, O W; Orjioke, J C; Ogbuka, F N; Ulasi, T O

2016-01-01

Child safety restraints and seat belts are regarded as the most successful safety and cost-effective protective devices available to vehicle occupants, which have saved millions of lives. This cross-sectional descriptive study evaluated the practice and use of child car restraints (CCRs) among 458 purposively selected respondents resident in two local government areas in Enugu State, Nigeria. Self-administered questionnaires were sent to parents of children attending private schools who owned a car. Chi-square and multivariate analyses were used to assess the determinants of the use of car restraints in children among respondents. In all, 56% and 45% of adults and children, respectively, used car restraints regularly. The awareness of child safety laws and actual use of age-appropriate CCRs among respondents was negatively and weakly correlated ( r =-0.121, P =0.310). Only respondent's use of seat belt during driving ( P =0.001) and having being cautioned for non-use of CCRs ( P =0.005) maintained significance as determinants of the use of CCRs in cars on multivariate analysis. The most frequent reasons given for the non-use of CCRs included the child being uncomfortable, 64 (31%); restraints not being important, 53 (26%), and restraints being too expensive, 32 (15%). Similarly, for irregular users, exceptions for non-use included the child being asleep (29%), inadequate number of CCRs (22%), and the child being sick (18%). There is a need for a strategy change to enforce the use of CCRs in Nigeria.

Design Control Systems of Human Machine Interface in the NTVS-2894 Seat Grinder Machine to Increase the Productivity

Science.gov (United States)

Ardi, S.; Ardyansyah, D.

2018-02-01

In the Manufacturing of automotive spare parts, increased sales of vehicles is resulted in increased demand for production of engine valve of the customer. To meet customer demand, we carry out improvement and overhaul of the NTVS-2894 seat grinder machine on a machining line. NTVS-2894 seat grinder machine has been decreased machine productivity, the amount of trouble, and the amount of downtime. To overcome these problems on overhaul the NTVS-2984 seat grinder machine include mechanical and programs, is to do the design and manufacture of HMI (Human Machine Interface) GP-4501T program. Because of the time prior to the overhaul, NTVS-2894 seat grinder machine does not have a backup HMI (Human Machine Interface) program. The goal of the design and manufacture in this program is to improve the achievement of production, and allows an operator to operate beside it easier to troubleshoot the NTVS-2894 seat grinder machine thereby reducing downtime on the NTVS-2894 seat grinder machine. The results after the design are HMI program successfully made it back, machine productivity increased by 34.8%, the amount of trouble, and downtime decreased 40% decrease from 3,160 minutes to 1,700 minutes. The implication of our design, it could facilitate the operator in operating machine and the technician easer to maintain and do the troubleshooting the machine problems.

Characterization of Vertical Impact Device Acceleration Pulses Using Parametric Assessment: Phase 3 Wiaman Seat

Science.gov (United States)

2016-07-01

711 HPW/RHCPT) and their in-house technical support contractor , Infoscitex, conducted a series of tests to identify the performance capabilities of...Cell Seat Configuration Drop Ht . (in) Mean Peak Acceleration (G) Mean Velocity Change (ft/s) SH1 WS1 20 80.08 ± 3.71 13.54 ± 0.49 SH2...6. Test Matrix for VID Response with WS2 Test Cell Seat (Felt) Configuration Drop Ht . (in) Mean Peak Acceleration (G

Modeling the Impact of Space Suit Components and Anthropometry on the Center of Mass of a Seated Crewmember

Science.gov (United States)

Blackledge, Christopher; Margerum, Sarah; Ferrer, Mike; Morency, Richard; Rajulu, Sudhakar

2010-01-01

The Crew Impact Attenuation System (CIAS) is the energy-absorbing strut concept that dampens Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) landing loads to levels sustainable by the crew. Significant COM variations across suited crew configurations would amplify the inertial effects of the pallet and potentially create unacceptable crew loading during launch and landing. The objective of this study was to obtain data needed for dynamic simulation models by quantifying the effects of posture, suit components, and the expected range of anthropometry on the COM of a seated individual. Several elements are required for the COM calculation of a suited human in a seated position: anthropometry, body segment mass, suit component mass, suit component location relative to the body, and joint angles defining the seated posture. Three-dimensional (3D) human body models, suit mass data, and vector calculus were utilized to compute the COM positions for 12 boundary manikins in two different seated postures. The analysis focused on two objectives: (1) quantify how much the wholebody COM varied from the smallest to largest subject and (2) quantify the effects of the suit components on the overall COM in each seat configuration. The location of the anterior-posterior COM varied across all boundary manikins by about 7 cm, and the vertical COM varied by approximately 9 to 10 cm. The mediolateral COM varied by 1.2 cm from the midline sagittal plane for both seat configurations. The suit components caused an anterior shift of the total COM by approximately 2 cm and a shift to the right along the mediolateral axis of 0.4 cm for both seat configurations. When the seat configuration was in the standard posture the suited vertical COM shifted inferiorly by as much as 1 cm, whereas in the CEV posture the vertical COM had no appreciable change. These general differences were due to the high proportion of suit mass located in the boots and lower legs and their corresponding distance from the body COM

75 FR 81224 - Availability of Recreational Diving, Oil and Gas Operations and Commercial Fishing Seats for the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-27

... Recreational Diving, Oil and Gas Operations and Commercial Fishing Seats for the Flower Garden Banks National... Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce DOC). ACTION... seats on the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Recreational Diving, Oil...

Child Safety Seats on Commercial Airliners: A Demonstration of Cross-Price Elasticities

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Shane; Weisman, Dennis L.; Li, Dong; Grimes, Paul, Ed.

2008-01-01

The cross-price elasticity concept can be difficult for microeconomics students to grasp. The authors provide a real-life application of cross-price elasticities in policymaking. After a debate that spanned more than a decade and included input from safety engineers, medical personnel, politicians, and economists, the Federal Aviation…

Modeling the Impact of Space Suit Components and Anthropometry on the Center of Mass of a Seated Crewmember

Science.gov (United States)

Rajulu, Sudhakar; Blackledge, Christopher; Ferrer, Mike; Margerum, Sarah

2009-01-01

The designers of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) utilize an intensive simulation program in order to predict the launch and landing characteristics of the Crew Impact Attenuation System (CIAS). The CIAS is the energy absorbing strut concept that dampens loads to levels sustainable by the crew during landing and consists of the crew module seat pallet that accommodates four to six seated astronauts. An important parameter required for proper dynamic modeling of the CIAS is knowledge of the suited center of mass (COM) variations within the crew population. Significant center of mass variations across suited crew configurations would amplify the inertial effects of the pallet and potentially create unacceptable crew loading during launch and landing. Established suited, whole-body, and posture-based mass properties were not available due to the uncertainty of the final CEV seat posture and suit hardware configurations. While unsuited segmental center of mass values can be obtained via regression equations from previous studies, building them into a model that was posture dependent with custom anthropometry and integrated suit components proved cumbersome and time consuming. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify the effects of posture, suit components, and the expected range of anthropometry on the center of mass of a seated individual. Several elements are required for the COM calculation of a suited human in a seated position: anthropometry; body segment mass; suit component mass; suit component location relative to the body; and joint angles defining the seated posture. Anthropometry and body segment masses used in this study were taken from a selection of three-dimensional human body models, called boundary manikins, which were developed in a previous project. These boundary manikins represent the critical anthropometric dimension extremes for the anticipated astronaut population. Six male manikins and 6 female manikins, representing a

Topology Selection and Analysis of Actuator for Seat Valves suitable for use in Digital Displacement Pumps/Motors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rømer, Daniel; Johansen, Per; Pedersen, Henrik C.

2013-01-01

seat valves is developed, and the resulting dynamic response of the seat valve is presented. Requirements for the valve actuator is established based on the DD application, and three feasible actuator topologies are analyzed by means of transient electro-magnetic FEA simulation. From this analysis...

Lack of conformity between Indian classroom furniture and student dimensions: proposed future seat/table dimensions.

Science.gov (United States)

Savanur, C S; Altekar, C R; De, A

2007-10-01

Children spend one-quarter of a day in school. Of this, 60-80% of time is spent in the classroom. Classroom features, such as workspace and personal space play an important role in children's growth and performance as this age marks the period of anatomical, physiological and psychological developments. Since the classroom is an influential part of a student's life the present study focused on classroom furniture in relation to students' workspace and personal space requirements and standards and was conducted in five schools at Mumbai, India. Dimensions of 104 items of furniture (chairs and desks) were measured as were 42 anthropometric dimensions of 225 students from grade six to grade nine (age: 10-14 years). Questionnaire responses of 292 students regarding the perceived adequacy of their classroom furniture were collected. Results indicated that the seat and desk heights (450 mm, 757 mm respectively) were higher than the comparable students' anthropometric dimensions and that of the recommendations of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) (340 + 3 mm, 380 + 3 mm seat-heights, 580 + 3 mm 640 + 3 mm desk-heights) as well as Time-Saver Standards (TSS) (381.0 mm seat-height and 660.4 mm desk-height). The depth of the seats and the desks (299 mm, 319 mm, respectively) were less than comparable students' anthropometric dimensions and the recommendations of BIS (IS 4837: 1990). Students reported discomfort in shoulder, wrist, knee and ankle regions. Based on the students' anthropometric data, proposed future designs with fixed table-heights and adjustable seat-heights along with footrests were identified.

Influence of an Enforcement Campaign on Seat-Belt and Helmet Wearing, Karachi-Hala Highway, Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatti, Junaid A.; Ejaz, Kiran; Razzak, Junaid A.; Tunio, Israr Ali; Sodhar, Irshad

2011-01-01

This study assessed to what extent an enforcement campaign influenced seat-belt and helmet wearing on a Pakistani highway. The study setting was the Karachi-Hala highway where a traffic enforcement campaign was conducted from Dec 2009 to Feb 2010. Seat-belt and helmet wearing were observed in Nov 2009 and Apr 2010 at Karachi toll plaza. Differences in wearing rates as a function of occupants’ age, sex, and vehicle type were compared between the two periods. On average, 9 119 (Standard deviation=1 896) traffic citations were issued per month from Aug 2009 to Feb 2010; 4.2% of which were for not wearing helmet. A 22.5% increase in citations was observed for Dec 2009 to Feb 2010 periods compared with Aug 2009 to Oct 2009 periods. Nearly six thousand four-wheeled and four hundred two-wheeled motorized vehicle occupants were observed in Nov 2009 and Apr 2010. Overall, two of the five drivers and one of the five front seat occupants wore seat belts. This proportion was significantly higher in drivers and front-seat occupants of cars than those of heavier vehicles. Similarly, one of two motorcyclists used a helmet but this proportion was 5.8% for pillion riders in Nov 2009. The increased enforcement had a limited influence on belt wearing in drivers (+4.0%; 95% Confidence Interval [95%CI]=1.8–6.1) and occupants (+6.2%; 95%CI=4.2–8.2). A higher increase was observed for motorcyclists (+9.8%; 95%CI=2.6–16.8) and pillion riders (+12.8%; 95%CI=5.4, 20.5). These results suggested that serious efforts are required to increase seat-belt and helmet use on Pakistani highways. Improving enforcement resources, increased fines, not allowing such vehicles on roads, and awareness campaigns targeting drivers of heavy vehicles might increase wearing rates in Pakistan. PMID:22105384

Modeling and Analysis of Static and Dynamic Characteristics of Nonlinear Seat Suspension for Off-Road Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhenhua Yan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Low-frequency vibrations (0.5–5 Hz that harm drivers occur in off-road vehicles. Thus, researchers have focused on finding methods to effectively isolate or control low-frequency vibrations. A novel nonlinear seat suspension structure for off-road vehicles is designed, whose static characteristics and seat-human system dynamic response are modeled and analyzed, and experiments are conducted to verify the theoretical solutions. Results show that the stiffness of this nonlinear seat suspension could achieve real zero stiffness through well-matched parameters, and precompression of the main spring could change the nonlinear seat suspension performance when a driver’s weight changes. The displacement transmissibility curve corresponds with the static characteristic curve of nonlinear suspension, where the middle part of the static characteristic curve is gentler and the resonance frequency of the displacement transmissibility curve and the isolation minimum frequency are lower. Damping should correspond with static characteristics, in which the corresponding suspension damping value should be smaller given a flatter static characteristic curve to prevent vibration isolation performance reduction.

Differences in smartphone usage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gustarini, Mattia; Scipioni, Marcello Paolo; Fanourakis, Marios

2016-01-01

We analyze the users’ intimacy to investigate the differences in smartphone usage, considering the user’s location and number and kind of people physically around the user. With a first user study we (1) validate the intimacy concept, (2) evaluate its correlation to smartphone usage features and ...

Vibration isolation of a ship's seat

Science.gov (United States)

Agahi, Maryam; Samani, Mehrdad B.; Behzad, Mehdi

2005-05-01

Different factors cause vibration. These vibrations make the voyages difficult and reduce comfort and convenience in passenger ships. In this paper, the creating factors of vibration have discussed first, then with mathematical modelling it will be attempted to minimize the vibration over the crew's seat. The modelling consists of a system with two degrees of freedom and by using vibrationisolation with passive method of Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) it will be tried to reduce the vibration over personnel. Moreover using active control systems will be compared with passive systems.

Concepts and embodiment design of a reentry recumbent seating system for the NASA Space Shuttle

Science.gov (United States)

Mcmillan, Scott; Looby, Brent; Devany, Chris; Chudej, Chris; Brooks, Barry

1993-01-01

This report deals with the generation of a recumbent seating system which will be used by NASA to shuttle astronauts from the Russian space station Mir. We begin by examining the necessity for designing a special couch for the returning astronauts. Next, we discuss the operating conditions and constraints of the recumbent seating system and provide a detailed function structure. After working through the conceptual design process, we came up with ten alternative designs which are presented in the appendices. These designs were evaluated and weighted to systematically determine the best choice for embodiment design. A detailed discussion of all components of the selected system follows with design calculations for the seat presented in the appendices. The report concludes with an evaluation of the resulting design and recommendations for further development.

Improvement programme of safety performance indicators (SPIs) in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.Y.

2001-01-01

KINS has developed and used Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs), which are count based and composed of 10 indicators in 8 areas, to monitor the trend of performance of NPPs in Korea since 1997. However, the limited usage of SPIs and the increasing worldwide interest on SPIs became the motivation of the SPI improvement programme in Korea. Korea is planning to establish plant performance evaluation programme through analysis of SPI and result of inspection. The SPI improvement programme is a part of the plant performance evaluation programme and includes study on performance evaluation areas, indicator categories, selection and development of indicators, redefinition of indicators and introduction of graphical display system. The selected performance evaluation areas are general performance, reactor safety and radiation safety. Each area will have categories as sub-areas and a total of six categories are selected. One or two indicators for each category are determined or will be developed to make a set of Safety Performance Indicators. Also, a graphic display system will be introduced to extend the usage of SPIs. (author)

A comparative policy analysis of seat belt laws : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-24

This analysis examined data from a variety of sources to estimate the benefit of enhancing Iowas current law to require all : passengers to use seat belts. In addition to assessing Iowans opinions about changing the law, a literature review, a ...

Temporal behavior of deep-seated gravitational slope deformations: A review

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pánek, T.; Klimeš, Jan

2016-01-01

Roč. 156, MAY (2016), s. 14-38 ISSN 0012-8252 Institutional support: RVO:67985891 Keywords : deep-seated gravitational slope deformations * catastrophic slope failures * deformation rates * dating * monitoring Subject RIV: DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography Impact factor: 7.051, year: 2016

Gaming Device Usage Patterns Predict Internet Gaming Disorder: Comparison across Different Gaming Device Usage Patterns

OpenAIRE

Soo-Hyun Paik; Hyun Cho; Ji-Won Chun; Jo-Eun Jeong; Dai-Jin Kim

2017-01-01

Gaming behaviors have been significantly influenced by smartphones. This study was designed to explore gaming behaviors and clinical characteristics across different gaming device usage patterns and the role of the patterns on Internet gaming disorder (IGD). Responders of an online survey regarding smartphone and online game usage were classified by different gaming device usage patterns: (1) individuals who played only computer games; (2) individuals who played computer games more than smart...

Numerical and Experimental Investigation on the Performance of a Thermoelectric Cooling Automotive Seat

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Chuqi; Dong, Wenbin; Deng, Yadong; Wang, Yiping; Liu, Xun

2018-06-01

Heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) is the most significant auxiliary load in vehicles and largely increases extra emissions. Therefore, thermoelectric cooling automotive seat, a relatively new technology, is used in an attempt to reduce HVAC consumption and improve thermal comfort. In this study, three design schemes of the thermoelectric cooler (TEC) are proposed. Then the numerical simulation is used to analyze their heat transfer performance, and evaluate the improvement of the seat cooling in terms of the occupant back thermal comfort. Moreover, an experiment is conducted to validate the accuracy of the simulation results. The experimental results show that: (1) an average reduction in air temperature of 4°C in 60 s is obtained; (2) the temperature of the occupant's back drops from 33.5°C to 25.7°C in cooperation with the HVAC system; (3) back thermal comfort is greatly improved. As expected, the thermoelectric cooling automotive seat is able to provide an improvement in the occupant's thermal comfort at a reduced energy consumption rate, which makes it promising for vehicular application.

[Exploring nurse, usage effectiveness of mobile nursing station].

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Fang-Mei; Lee, Ting-Ting

2013-04-01

A mobile nursing station is an innovative cart that integrates a wireless network, information technology devices, and online charts. In addition to improving clinical work and workflow efficiencies, data is integrated among different information systems and hardware devices to promote patient safety. This study investigated the effectiveness of mobile nursing cart use. We compared different distributions of nursing activity working samples to evaluate the nursing information systems in terms of interface usability and usage outcomes. There were two parts of this study. Part one used work sampling to collect nursing activity data necessary to compare a unit that used a mobile nursing cart (mobile group, n = 18) with another that did not (traditional group, n = 14). Part two applied a nursing information system interface usability questionnaire to survey the mobile unit with nurses who had used a mobile nursing station (including those who had worked in this unit as floating nurses) (n = 30) in order to explore interface usability and effectiveness. We found that using the mobile nursing station information system increased time spent on direct patient care and decreased time spent on indirect patient care and documentation. Results further indicated that participants rated interface usability as high and evaluated usage effectiveness positively. Comments made in the open-ended question section raised several points of concern, including problems / inadequacies related to hardware devices, Internet speed, and printing. This study indicates that using mobile nursing station can improve nursing activity distributions and that nurses hold generally positive attitudes toward mobile nursing station interface usability and usage effectiveness. The authors thus encourage the continued implementation of mobile nursing stations and related studies to further enhance clinical nursing care.

A study on the Horizontal Control of a Seat for Heavy Machinery using a Phase Adjusting Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kim Chae-sil.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This study proposes a dynamic plant model to simulate the performance of a heavy equipment vehicle seat system. The system controls the transmission of vibration using a phase adjustment control method. First, a dynamic model for the flexible heavy equipment seat is proposed using a commercial multi-body dynamic analysis tool, ADAMS. This model is used as a plant model. Then a phase adjustment control mechanism for reducing the vibration and shock transmitted by the seat is applied to the driving dynamics control plant model. Angle control using the phase adjustment control was confirmed. This technique is expected to be the basis for a future commercial system.

75 FR 52614 - Special Conditions: Embraer Model ERJ 170-100 SU Series Airplanes; Seats With Non-Traditional...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-27

... being mostly fabric and metal, the contribution to a fire in the cabin had been minimized and was not..., non-metallic panels that would affect survivability during a post-crash fire event. The applicable..., seats were designed with a metal frame covered by fabric, not with large, non-metallic panels. Seats...

Knowledge management and safety compliance in a high-risk distributed organizational system.

Science.gov (United States)

Gressgård, Leif Jarle

2014-06-01

In a safety perspective, efficient knowledge management is important for learning purposes and thus to prevent errors from occurring repeatedly. The relationship between knowledge exchange among employees and safety behavior may be of particular importance in distributed organizational systems where similar high-risk activities take place at several locations. This study develops and tests hypotheses concerning the relationship between knowledge exchange systems usage, knowledge exchange in the organizational system, and safety compliance. The operational context of the study is petroleum drilling and well operations involving distributed high-risk activities. The hypotheses are tested by use of survey data collected from a large petroleum operator company and eight of its main contractors. The results show that safety compliance is influenced by use of knowledge exchange systems and degree of knowledge exchange in the organizational system, both within and between units. System usage is the most important predictor, and safety compliance seems to be more strongly related to knowledge exchange within units than knowledge exchange between units. Overall, the study shows that knowledge management is central for safety behavior.

Emergency department transport rates of children from the scene of motor vehicle collisions: do booster seats make a difference?

Science.gov (United States)

House, Darlene R; Huffman, Gretchen; Walthall, Jennifer D H

2012-11-01

Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are the leading cause of death and disability among children older than 1 year. Many states currently mandate all children between the ages of 4 and 8 years be restrained in booster seats. The implementation of a booster-seat law is generally thought to decrease the occurrence of injury to children. We hypothesized that appropriate restraint with booster seats would also cause a decrease in emergency department (ED) visits compared with children who were unrestrained. This is an important measure as ED visits are a surrogate marker for injury. The main purpose of this study was to look at the rate of ED visits between children in booster seats compared with those in other or no restraint systems involved in MVCs. Injury severity was compared across restraint types as a secondary outcome of booster-seat use after the implementation of a state law. A prospective observational study was performed including all children 4 to 8 years old involved in MVCs to which emergency medical services was dispatched. Ambulance services used a novel on-scene computer charting system for all MVC-related encounters to collect age, sex, child-restraint system, Glasgow Coma Scale score, injuries, and final disposition. One hundred fifty-nine children were studied with 58 children (35.6%) in booster seats, 73 children in seatbelts alone (45.2%), and 28 children (19.1%) in no restraint system. 76 children (47.7%), 74 by emergency medical services and 2 by private vehicle, were transported to the ED with no significant difference between restraint use (P = 0.534). Utilization of a restraint system did not significantly impact MVC injury severity. However, of those children who either died (n = 2) or had an on-scene decreased Glasgow Coma Scale score (n = 6), 75% (6/8) were not restrained in a booster seat. The use of booster-seat restraints does not appear to be associated with whether a child will be transported to the ED for trauma evaluation.

Wheelchair Seating Assessment and Intervention: A Comparison Between Telerehabilitation and Face-to-Face Service

Science.gov (United States)

Barlow, Ingrid G; Liu, Lili; Sekulic, Angela

2009-01-01

This study compared outcomes of wheelchair seating and positioning interventions provided by telerehabilitation (n=10) and face-to-face (n=20; 10 in each of two comparison groups, one urban and one rural). Comparison clients were matched to the telerehabilitation clients in age, diagnosis, and type of seating components received. Clients and referring therapists rated their satisfaction and identified if seating intervention goals were met. Clients recorded travel expenses incurred or saved, and all therapists recorded time spent providing service. Wait times and completion times were tracked. Clients seen by telerehabilitation had similar satisfaction ratings and were as likely to have their goals met as clients seen face-to-face; telerehabilitation clients saved travel costs. Rural referring therapists who used telerehabilitation spent more time in preparation and follow-up than the other groups. Clients assessed by telerehabilitation had shorter wait times for assessment than rural face-to-face clients, but their interventions took as long to complete. PMID:25945159

Seating Arrangement, Group Composition and Competition-driven Interaction: Effects on Students' Performance in Physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roxas, R. M.; Monterola, C.; Carreon-Monterola, S. L.

2010-01-01

We probe the effect of seating arrangement, group composition and group-based competition on students' performance in Physics using a teaching technique adopted from Mazur's peer instruction method. Ninety eight lectures, involving 2339 students, were conducted across nine learning institutions from February 2006 to June 2009. All the lectures were interspersed with student interaction opportunities (SIO), in which students work in groups to discuss and answer concept tests. Two individual assessments were administered before and after the SIO. The ratio of the post-assessment score to the pre-assessment score and the Hake factor were calculated to establish the improvement in student performance. Using actual assessment results and neural network (NN) modeling, an optimal seating arrangement for a class was determined based on student seating location. The NN model also provided a quantifiable method for sectioning students. Lastly, the study revealed that competition-driven interactions increase within-group cooperation and lead to higher improvement on the students' performance.

Excipients and their role in approved injectable products: current usage and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Nema, Sandeep; Brendel, Ronald J

2011-01-01

This review article is a current survey of excipients used in approved injectable products. Information provided includes concentration ranges, function, frequency of use, and role in dosage form. This article is an update of a paper published more than a decade ago (reference 11). Since then many new products have been approved. Safety concerning excipients has evolved as the scientific community continues to learn about their usage. New excipients are being used in early phases of clinical trials to support novel therapeutic entities like RNAi, aptamers, anti-sense, fusion proteins, monoclonal antibodies, and variant scaffolds. Because these excipients are not inert, various pharmacopoeias are responding with monographs or informational chapters addressing excipient functionality. The final sections of this article discuss new excipients, serving specific needs that traditional excipients are unable to provide and for which safety studies are necessary to support a novel excipient for marketing applications. Excipients are added to parenteral dosage forms to serve a variety of functions including stabilization and as vehicles. This review article is a survey of excipients used in approved injectable products. Information provided includes excipient concentrations, functional roles, and frequency of use. This article is an update of an article originally published over a decade ago. Since then new products have been approved and safety concerns have evolved as the scientific community has learned about the usage of excipients. In addition, new excipients are being used in early phases of clinical trials to support novel therapeutic entities such as RNAi, aptamers, anti-sense, fusion proteins, monoclonal antibodies, and variant scaffolds. Because these excipients are not inert, various pharmacopoeias are responding with monographs or informational chapters addressing excipient functionality. The final sections of this article discuss new excipients, serving

Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L. Vahl: From Traditional Usage to Pharmacological Evidence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pearl Majorie Liew

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L. Vahl belongs to the family of Verbenaceae and is commonly known as Gervao, Brazilian tea, verbena cimarrona, rooter comb, or blue porter weed. It is one of the important plants with high medicinal and nutraceutical benefits. S. jamaicensis contains various medicinal properties in traditional and folk medicinal systems, with cures for several diseases. Objective. The objective of this review paper is to collect information concerning the morphology, distribution, traditional usage, phytochemical compositions, biological activities, and safety data of S. jamaicensis. Materials and Methods. The information was obtained from literature search through electronic databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar on S. jamaicensis. Results and Conclusion. The high medicinal properties of this plant, for instance, antimicrobial and antifungal effect as the main activities, but verbascoside as the main active chemical component, make it a valuable source of the medicinal compound. This review paper summarizes all information concerning the morphology, distribution, traditional usage, phytochemical compositions, pharmacological activities, and toxicological studies of S. jamaicensis.

Development of an Emergency Locking Unit for a Belt-In-Seat (BIS System Using a MEMS Acceleration Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang Hyun Baek

2010-04-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes an emergency locking unit (ELU for a seat belt retractor which is mounted on the back frame of a vehicle seat. The proposed unit uses a recliner sensor based on a MEMS acceleration sensor and solenoid mechanism. The seat has an upper frame supported to tilt on a lower frame. The retractor in belt in seat (BIS system is supported by the upper frame. The proposed recliner sensor based on a MEMS acceleration sensor comprises orientation means for maintaining a predetermined orientation of emergency relative to the lower frame independently of the force of gravity when the upper frame tilts on the lower frame. Experimental results show that the developed recliner sensor unit operates effectively with respect to rollover angles. Thus, the developed unit will have a considerable potential to offer a new design concept in BIS system.

Semi-active variable stiffness vibration control of vehicle seat suspension using an MR elastomer isolator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Haiping; Li, Weihua; Zhang, Nong

2011-01-01

This paper presents a study on continuously variable stiffness control of vehicle seat suspension using a magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) isolator. A concept design for an MRE isolator is proposed in the paper and its behavior is experimentally evaluated. An integrated seat suspension model, which includes a quarter-car suspension and a seat suspension with a driver body model, is used to design a sub-optimal H ∞ controller for an active isolator. The desired control force generated by this active isolator is then emulated by the MRE isolator through its continuously variable stiffness property when the actuating condition is met. The vibration control effect of the MRE isolator is evaluated in terms of driver body acceleration responses under both bump and random road conditions. The results show that the proposed control strategy achieves better vibration reduction performance than conventional on–off control

A study on the piston ring wear in automotive engine Seat 1500 CA by means of radioactive tracer technique; Estudio del desgaste de segmentos en motor Seat 1500 CA mediante trazadores radiactivos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Val Cob, M del; Chul, Y; Fuentes Figuera de Vargas, J.

1971-07-01

The iron side wear in the chromium-plated top compression ring has been a matter of interest for the engine makers and it has been required by them to investigate the wear characteristics of the chromium-plated piston ring. Meanwhile, Bureau of Nuclear Energy in Spain (Junta de Energia Nuclear) and Seat Car Manufacturing Company (Sociedad Espanola de Automoviles de Turismo) agreed to study the wear characteristics of chromium-plated piston ring of type CA gasoline engine for Seat 1500 car by means of radioactive tracer technique. (Author) 9 refs.

Effectiveness of Ford's belt reminder system in increasing seat belt use

OpenAIRE

Williams, A; Wells, J; Farmer, C

2002-01-01

Objectives: The study investigated the effectiveness in increasing seat belt use of Ford's belt reminder system, a supplementary system that provides intermittent flashing lights and chimes for five minutes if drivers are not belted.

In-situ Study of Seating Static Comfort in Passenger Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seraj Umi Salmah

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In today’s automotive market, comfort is huge selling point of a vehicle. Priority is given by buyers to how comfortable a seat feels during purchase decisions. The measure of comfort is harmonious mix of many aspects such as human ergonomics and physiological factors. However, a gap still exists between objective and subjective measures due to lack of emphasis by past researchers. This is particularly obvious in the lumbar support feature that has still not been able to address the health problems related to driving. This project focuses on bridging the gap by giving users the ability to define true preferred posture in realistic settings. This is done by the creation of a apparatus that allows users to individually manipulate the seat contour for optimum support in more segments than just lumbar area. The experiment is performed in 3 parts, where in each part different segments of the apparatus are manipulatable (lumbar segment, sacral & thoracic segment, and all segments. Sixty human subjects’ statistics are recorded (gender, age, BMI and height and the subjects are palpated to locate internal joints. These joints are marked and postural angles between them are measured using a goniometer. In each seat configuration, the angles are measured and a comfort rating is taken to be compared. It was found that the posture angles are different among the 3 experiments, and there is a change in comfort felt. Some human factors have also been proven to contribute heavily to angles chosen by occupants.

Embedding gesture recognition into airplane seats for in-flight entertainment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Westelaken, H.F.M.; Hu, J.; Liu, H.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.

2011-01-01

In order to reduce both psychological and physical stress in air travel, sensors are integrated into airplane seats to detect gestures as input for in-flight entertainment systems. The content provided by the entertainment systems helps to reduce psychological stress, and gesture recognition is used

Japanese high school students' usage of mobile phones while cycling.

Science.gov (United States)

Ichikawa, Masao; Nakahara, Shinji

2008-03-01

To investigate the perception and actual use of mobile phones among Japanese high school students while riding their bicycles, and their experience of bicycle crash/near-crash. A questionnaire survey was carried out at high schools that were, at the time of the survey, commissioned by the National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health to conduct school safety research. In the survey, we found that mobile phone use while riding a bicycle was quite common among the students during their commute, but those who have a higher perception of danger in this practice, and those who perceived that this practice is prohibited, were less likely to engage in this practice. Male students and students commuting to school by bicycle only were more likely to have used phones while riding. There was a significant relationship between phone usage while riding a bicycle and the experience of bicycle crash/near-crash, although its causality was not established. Bicycle crash/near-crash experienced while using a phone was less prevalent among the students who had a higher perception of danger in phone usage while riding, students who perceived that this practice is prohibited, and students with a shorter travel time by bicycle during the commute. Since mobile phone use while riding a bicycle potentially increases crash risk among cyclists, student bicycle commuters should be made aware of this risk. Moreover, they should be informed that cyclists' phone usage while riding is prohibited according to the road traffic law.

The Evaluation of the Safety Benefits of Combined Passive and On-Board Active Safety Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Page, Yves; Cuny, Sophie; Zangmeister, Tobias; Kreiss, Jens-Peter; Hermitte, Thierry

2009-01-01

One of the objectives of the European TRACE project (TRaffic Accident Causation in Europe, 2006–2008) was to estimate the proportion of injury accidents that could be avoided and/or the proportion of injury accidents where the severity could be mitigated for on-the-market safety applications, if 100 % of the car fleet would be equipped with them. We have selected for evaluation the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and the Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) applications. As for passive safety systems, recent cars are designed to offer overall safety protection. Car structure, load limiters, front airbags, side airbags, knee airbags, pretensioners, padding and non aggressive structures in the door panel, the dashboard, the windshield, the seats, and the head rest also contribute to applying more protection. The whole safety package is very difficult to evaluate separately, one element independently segmented from the others. We decided to consider evaluating the effectivenessof the whole passive safety package, This package,, for the sake of simplicity, was the number of stars awarded at the Euro NCAP testing. The challenges were to compare the effectiveness of some safety configuration SC I, with the effectiveness of a different safety configuration SC II. A safety configuration is understood as a package of safety functions. Ten comparisons have been carried out such as the evaluation of the safety benefit of a fifth star given that the car has four stars and an EBA. The main outcome of this analysis is that any addition of a passive or active safety function selected in this analysis is producing increased safety benefits. For example, if all cars were five stars fitted with EBA and ESC, instead of four stars without ESC and EBA, injury accidents would be reduced by 47.2% for severe injuries and 69.5% for fatal injuries. PMID:20184838

Experimental and numerical study of back-cooling car-seat system using embedded heat pipes to improve passenger’s comfort

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatoum, Omar; Ghaddar, Nesreen; Ghali, Kamel; Ismail, Nagham

2017-01-01

Graphical abstract: Heat pipe assembly (a) with the insulation layer (b) without the insulation layer; and (c) thermal manikin test on the heat pipe chair. - Highlights: • A new back cooling system for a car seat using embedded heat pipes was modeled numerically. • The heat-pipe seat model was experimentally validated using heated thermal manikin. • An integrated heat pipe model and bio-heat model was used to predict local thermal comfort. • The heat pipe system reduced the back skin temperature by 1 °C compared to seat without heat pipes. • The heat pipe system increased the overall thermal comfort of the passenger by 30%. - Abstract: This work develops a back-cooling system for a car seat using seat embedded heat pipes to improve passenger comfort. The heat pipe system utilizes the temperature difference between the passenger back and the car cabin air to remove heat from the human body and enhance the comfort state. The developed seat heat-pipe model was validated experimentally using a thermal manikin with controlled constant skin temperature mode in a climatic chamber. Good agreement was found between the measured and the numerically predicted values of base panel temperature. By integrating the validated heat pipe with a bio-heat model, the back segmental skin temperature as well as the overall thermal comfort was predicted and compared with the conventional seat case without the heat pipe system. The heat pipes were able to reduce the skin temperature by 1 °C and to increase the overall thermal comfort of the body by 30%. In addition, a parametric study was performed to determine the optimal number of heat pipes that ensure the thermal comfort of the passenger.

Job safety and awareness analysis of safety implementation among electrical workers in airport service company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Putra Perdana Suteja

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Electrical is a fundamental process in the company that has high risk and responsibility especially in public service company such as an airport. Hence, the company that operates activities in the airport has to identify and control the safety activities of workers. On the safety implementation, the lack of workers’ awareness is fundamental aspects to the safety failure. Therefore, this study aimed to analyse the safety awareness and identify risk in the electrical workplace. Safety awareness questionnaires are distributed to ten workers in order to analyse their awareness. Job safety analysis method used to identify the risk in the electrical workplace. The preliminary study stated that workers were not aware of personal protective equipment usage so that the awareness and behavioural need to be analysed. The result is the hazard was found such as electrical shock and noise for various intensity in the workplace. While electrical workers were aware of safety implementation but less of safety behaviour. Furthermore, the recommendation can be implemented are the implementation of behaviour-based safety (BBS, 5S implementation and accident report list.

Active Prompting to Decrease Cell Phone Use and Increase Seat Belt Use While Driving

OpenAIRE

Clayton, Michael; Helms, Bridgett; Simpson, Cathy

2006-01-01

Automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for those aged 3 to 33, with 43,005 (118 per day) Americans killed in 2002 alone. Seat belt use reduces the risk of serious injury in an accident, and refraining from using a cell phone while driving reduces the risk of an accident. Cell phone use while driving increases accident rates, and leads to 2,600 U.S. fatalities each year. An active prompting procedure was employed to increase seat belt use and decrease cell phone use among drivers ex...

Smartphone Usage Patterns by Canadian Neurosurgery Residents: A National Cross-Sectional Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Kameda-Smith, Michelle Masayo; Iorio-Morin, Christian; Winkler-Schwartz, Alexander; Ahmed, Uzair S; Bergeron, David; Bigder, Mark; Dakson, Ayoub; Elliott, Cameron A; Guha, Daipayan; Lavergne, Pascal; Makarenko, Serge; Taccone, Michael S; Tso, Michael; Wang, Bill; Fortin, David

2018-03-01

Smartphones and their apps are used ubiquitously in medical practice. However, in some cases their use can be at odds with current patient data safety regulations such as Canada's Personal Health Information Protection Act of 2004. To assess current practices and inform mobile application development, we sought to better understand mobile device usage patterns among Canadian neurosurgery residents. Through the Canadian Neurosurgery Research Collaborative, an online survey characterizing smartphone ownership and usage patterns was developed and sent to all Canadian neurosurgery resident in April of 2016. Questionnaires were collected and completed surveys analyzed. Of 146 eligible residents, 76 returned completed surveys (52% response rate). Of these 99% of respondents owned a smartphone, with 79% running on Apple's iOS. Four general mobile uses were identified: 1) communication between members of the medical team, 2) decision support, 3) medical reference, and 4) documentation through medical photography. Communication and photography were areas where the most obvious breaches in the Canadian Personal Health Information Protection Act were noted, with 89% of respondents taking pictures of patients' radiologic studies and 75% exchanging them with Short Message System. Hospital policies had no impact on user behaviors. Smartphones are used daily by most neurosurgery residents. Identified usage patterns are associated with perceived gains in efficacy and challenges in privacy and data reliability. We believe creating and improving workflows that address these usage patterns has a greater potential to improve privacy than changing policies and enforcing regulations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Codon usage bias and the evolution of influenza A viruses. Codon Usage Biases of Influenza Virus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wong Emily HM

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The influenza A virus is an important infectious cause of morbidity and mortality in humans and was responsible for 3 pandemics in the 20th century. As the replication of the influenza virus is based on its host's machinery, codon usage of its viral genes might be subject to host selection pressures, especially after interspecies transmission. A better understanding of viral evolution and host adaptive responses might help control this disease. Results Relative Synonymous Codon Usage (RSCU values of the genes from segment 1 to segment 6 of avian and human influenza viruses, including pandemic H1N1, were studied via Correspondence Analysis (CA. The codon usage patterns of seasonal human influenza viruses were distinct among their subtypes and different from those of avian viruses. Newly isolated viruses could be added to the CA results, creating a tool to investigate the host origin and evolution of viral genes. It was found that the 1918 pandemic H1N1 virus contained genes with mammalian-like viral codon usage patterns, indicating that the introduction of this virus to humans was not through in toto transfer of an avian influenza virus. Many human viral genes had directional changes in codon usage over time of viral isolation, indicating the effect of host selection pressures. These changes reduced the overall GC content and the usage of G at the third codon position in the viral genome. Limited evidence of translational selection pressure was found in a few viral genes. Conclusions Codon usage patterns from CA allowed identification of host origin and evolutionary trends in influenza viruses, providing an alternative method and a tool to understand the evolution of influenza viruses. Human influenza viruses are subject to selection pressure on codon usage which might assist in understanding the characteristics of newly emerging viruses.

Design Optimisation and Conrol of a Pilot Operated Seat Valve

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Brian; Andersen, Torben Ole; Hansen, Michael Rygaard

2004-01-01

The paper gives an approach for optimisation of the bandwidth of a pilot operated seat valve for mobile applications. Physical dimensions as well as parameters of the implemented control loop are optimised simultaneously. The frequency response of the valve varies as a function of the pressure drop...

Integrating gesture recognition in airplane seats for in-flight entertainment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Westelaken, H.F.M.; Hu, J.; Liu, H.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.; Pan, Z.; Zhang, X.; El Rhalibi, A.; Woo, W.; Li, Y.

2008-01-01

In order to reduce both the psychological and physical stress in air travel, sensors are integrated in airplane seats to detect the gestures as input for in-flight entertainment systems. The content provided by the entertainment systems helps to reduce the psychological stress, and the gesture

TU-H-CAMPUS-TeP1-02: Seated Treatment: Setup Uncertainty Comparable to Supine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCarroll, R [UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States); UT Health Science Center, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX (United States); Beadle, B; Fullen, D; Balter, P; Followill, D; Stingo, F; Yang, J; Court, L [UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: For some head and neck patients, positioning in the supine position is not well tolerated. For these patients, treatment in a seated position would be preferred. We have evaluated inter- and intra- fraction uncertainty of patient set-up in a novel treatment chair which is compatible with modern linac designs. Methods: Five head-and-neck cancer patients were positioned in the chair, fitted with immobilization devices, and imaged with orthogonal X-rays. The couch (with chair attached) was rotated to simulate delivery (without actual treatment), another set of images were acquired, providing a measure of intra-fraction displacement. The patient then got off of and back onto the chair and the process was repeated, thus providing a measure of inter-fraction set-up uncertainty. Six sub-regions in the head-and-neck were rigidly registered to evaluate local intra- and interfraction displacement. Image guidance was simulated by first registering one sub-region; the residual displacement of other sub-regions was then measured. Additionally, a patient questionnaire was administered to evaluate tolerance of the seated position. Results: The chair design is such that all advantages of couch motions may be utilized. Average inter- and intrafraction displacements of all sub-regions in the seated position were less than 2 and 3 mm, respectively. When image guidance was simulated, interfraction displacements were reduced by an average of 4 mm, providing comparable setup to the supine position. The enrolled patients, who had no indication for a seated treatment position, reported no preference for the seated or the supine position. Conclusion: The novel chair design provides acceptable inter- and intra-fraction displacement, with reproducibility similar to that observed for patients in the supine position. Such a chair will be utilized for patients who cannot tolerate the supine position and use with CBCT images for planning, in a fixed-beam linac system, and for other

Development of intelligent model for personalized guidance on wheelchair tilt and recline usage for people with spinal cord injury: methodology and preliminary report.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Jicheng; Jones, Maria; Jan, Yih-Kuen

2014-01-01

Wheelchair tilt and recline functions are two of the most desirable features for relieving seating pressure to decrease the risk of pressure ulcers. The effective guidance on wheelchair tilt and recline usage is therefore critical to pressure ulcer prevention. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using machine learning techniques to construct an intelligent model to provide personalized guidance to individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The motivation stems from the clinical evidence that the requirements of individuals vary greatly and that no universal guidance on tilt and recline usage could possibly satisfy all individuals with SCI. We explored all aspects involved in constructing the intelligent model and proposed approaches tailored to suit the characteristics of this preliminary study, such as the way of modeling research participants, using machine learning techniques to construct the intelligent model, and evaluating the performance of the intelligent model. We further improved the intelligent model's prediction accuracy by developing a two-phase feature selection algorithm to identify important attributes. Experimental results demonstrated that our approaches held the promise: they could effectively construct the intelligent model, evaluate its performance, and refine the participant model so that the intelligent model's prediction accuracy was significantly improved.

The efficacy of airflow and seat vibration on reducing visually induced motion sickness.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Amour, Sarah; Bos, Jelte E; Keshavarz, Behrang

2017-09-01

Visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) is a well-known sensation in virtual environments and simulators, typically characterized by a variety of symptoms such as pallor, sweating, dizziness, fatigue, and/or nausea. Numerous methods to reduce VIMS have been previously introduced; however, a reliable countermeasure is still missing. In the present study, the effect of airflow and seat vibration to alleviate VIMS was investigated. Eighty-two participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups (airflow, vibration, combined airflow and vibration, and control) and then exposed to a 15 min long video of a bicycle ride shot from first-person view. VIMS was measured using the Fast Motion Sickness Scale (FMS) and the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ). Results showed that the exposure of airflow significantly reduced VIMS, whereas the presence of seat vibration, in contrast, did not have an impact on VIMS. Additionally, we found that females reported higher FMS scores than males, however, this sex difference was not found in the SSQ scores. Our findings demonstrate that airflow can be an effective and easy-to-apply technique to reduce VIMS in virtual environments and simulators, while vibration applied to the seat is not a successful method.

Sliding and pressure evaluation on conventional and V-shaped seats of reclining wheelchairs for stroke patients with flaccid hemiplegia: a crossover trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Chi-Myn

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Reclining wheelchairs are commonly used to transport elderly stroke patients in Taiwan. However, there is concern that the patient's body in the wheelchair often slides forward when they return to a seated position, increasing the sitting pressure. Therefore, a novel reclining wheelchair with an ergonomic "V-Seat" was designed to prevent forward sliding and pressure sores. The use of these reclining chairs by stroke patients has not yet been studied. Thus, we investigated the effects of V-shaped and conventional seats in reclining wheelchairs on the extent of forward sliding and on the sitting pressure of stroke patients with flaccid hemiplegia and of able-bodied elders. Methods We recruited 13 able-bodied elders and 11 stroke patients with flaccid hemiplegia and performed 5 reclining cycles in both types of wheelchair. The amount of sliding along the backrest (BS plane and the seat (SS plane, the mean sitting pressure (MP, and the sacral peak pressure (SPP of the subjects were recorded. We used the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare the BS, SS, MP, and SPP in wheelchairs with conventional and V-shaped seats, and we used the Wilcoxon rank sum test to compare the differences in BS and SS between stroke patients and able-bodied elders in both types of reclining wheelchair. Results The BS, SS, and SPP of stroke patients were significantly lower in the wheelchairs with V-shaped seats than in conventional wheelchairs in most comparisons; however, the BS of able-bodied elders was higher in V-shaped seats than in conventional seats. The SS and SPP of stroke patients were significantly higher than those of able-bodied elders in both types of reclining wheelchair, and the BS of stroke patients was significantly higher than that of able-bodied elders only in conventional reclining wheelchairs. Conclusions The use of V-shaped seats in reclining wheelchairs can help reduce the forward sliding and sacral peak pressure of stroke patients

Reliability and validity of a talent identification test battery for seated and standing Paralympic throws.

Science.gov (United States)

Spathis, Jemima Grace; Connick, Mark James; Beckman, Emma Maree; Newcombe, Peter Anthony; Tweedy, Sean Michael

2015-01-01

Paralympic throwing events for athletes with physical impairments comprise seated and standing javelin, shot put, discus and seated club throwing. Identification of talented throwers would enable prediction of future success and promote participation; however, a valid and reliable talent identification battery for Paralympic throwing has not been reported. This study evaluates the reliability and validity of a talent identification battery for Paralympic throws. Participants were non-disabled so that impairment would not confound analyses, and results would provide an indication of normative performance. Twenty-eight non-disabled participants (13 M; 15 F) aged 23.6 years (±5.44) performed five kinematically distinct criterion throws (three seated, two standing) and nine talent identification tests (three anthropometric, six motor); 23 were tested a second time to evaluate test-retest reliability. Talent identification test-retest reliability was evaluated using Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots (Limits of Agreement). Spearman's correlation assessed strength of association between criterion throws and talent identification tests. Reliability was generally acceptable (mean ICC = 0.89), but two seated talent identification tests require more extensive familiarisation. Correlation strength (mean rs = 0.76) indicated that the talent identification tests can be used to validly identify individuals with competitively advantageous attributes for each of the five kinematically distinct throwing activities. Results facilitate further research in this understudied area.

Evaluation of the vibration attenuation properties of an air-inflated cushion with two different heavy machinery seats in multi-axis vibration environments including jolts.

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Xiaoxu; Eger, Tammy R; Dickey, James P

2017-03-01

Seats and cushions can attenuate whole-body vibration (WBV) exposures and minimize health risks for heavy machine operators. We successfully developed neural network (NN) algorithms to identify the vibration attenuation properties for four different seating conditions (seat/cushion combinations), and implemented each of the NN models to predict the equivalent daily exposure A(8) values for various vehicles in the forestry and mining environments. We also evaluated the performance of the new prototype No-Jolt™ air-inflated cushion and the original cushion of each seat with jolt exposures. We observed that the air cushion significantly improved the vibration attenuation properties of the seat that initially had good performance, but not for the seat that had relatively poor vibration attenuation properties. In addition, operator's anthropometrics and sex influenced the performance of the air-inflated cushion when the vibration environment included jolt exposures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vehicle seat design : state of the art and recent development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tan, C.F.; Delbressine, F.L.M.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.; Mokhtar, A.S.; Abdullah, E.J.; Adam, N.M.

2007-01-01

Seats are one of the most important components of vehicles and they are the place where professional driver spend most of their time. For example, according to Occupational Outlook Handbook by United State Department of Labor, the truck drivers frequently work 50 or more hours a week. The truck

Advocacy for booster seat legislation in Florida: a lesson in politics and policy formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Haring, R Sterling; Frattaroli, Shannon; Schneider, Eric B; Holland, M Becker; Vernick, Jon S

2015-04-01

MVCs are a major contributor to child injury and death. Infant restraint seats and child booster seats have been shown to reduce the odds of severe injury or death when used correctly. While all states have mandated the use of these restraint systems, the age at which a child can be legally restrained using an adult seat belt varies from state to state. Efforts to strengthen Florida's weak child restraint laws have failed for more than a decade; in the 2014 legislative session, advocates succeeded in raising the state's age requirement from 3 years to 5  years. While many factors contributed to this year's success, some key elements included efficient communication of supporting data, a strong and broad advocacy network and the leveraging of election year political rivalries. Efforts to further strengthen the law will continue into future legislative sessions. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Prospects of improvement of accelerated bread technologies by usage of dogrose and hawthorn

OpenAIRE

Лебеденко, Тетяна Євгеніївна; Кожевнікова, Вікторія Олегівна; Новічкова, Тамара Петрівна

2014-01-01

In this article the analysis of main problems of baking industry connected with introduction of resource-saving technologies and reduction of quality of derivable product has been conducted; the current problems facing bread manufacturers have been determined. The objective of this research is the development of methods of complex increase of quality of products, their consumer properties, safety and nutritional value by usage of fruit phyto-additives.In this work on the basis of analysis of ...

Internet Safety and Security Surveys - A Review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sharp, Robin

This report gives a review of investigations into Internet safety and security over the last 10 years. The review covers a number of surveys of Internet usage, of Internet security in general, and of Internet users' awareness of issues related to safety and security. The focus and approach...... of the various surveys is considered, and is related to more general proposals for investigating the issues involved. A variety of proposals for how to improve levels of Internet safety and security are also described, and they are reviewed in the light of studies of motivational factors which affect the degree...

Analysis of vibroprotection characteristics of pneumatic relaxation seat suspension with capability of vibration energy recuperation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lyashenko Mikhail

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes mechanism and control algorithm for pneumatic relaxation system of suspension with vibration energy recuperation applied to standard vehicle operator seat (“Sibeko” company. Mathematical model of the seat pneumatic relaxation suspension with two additional air volumes was created. Pneumatic motor – recuperator activated by means of air flow from the one additional volume to another is installed in air piping between additional volumes. Computational research was made in Matlab/Simulink. Amplitude-frequency characteristics of transmission coefficient for standard and proposed suspensions were plotted for preliminary evaluation of vibration protection properties of seat suspension. Performed comparative analysis of amplitude-frequency characteristics shows that noticeable improvement of vibration protection properties of pneumatic relaxation suspension system with vibration energy recuperation in comparison with standard system both in region of resonance disturbances and in above-resonance region. Main ways for further improvement of vibration protection properties of proposed system were marked out.

Can nurse education in the postpartum period reduce car seat misuse among newborns?

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Steven C; Gallo, Karen; Saleheen, Hassan; Lapidus, Garry

2013-10-01

Despite national, state, and hospital policies that require newborns to be transported in correctly used child safety seats (CSSs), significant CSS misuse frequently occurs among newborn infants. The objective of this study was to evaluate a comprehensive educational CSS training program for nurses and parents in a maternal/newborn unit. In the preintervention phase, we conducted a survey among maternal/newborn unit nurses in a large urban teaching hospital to measure CSS knowledge, attitude, and practice. We then enrolled 60 maternal-newborn dyads at discharge to survey maternal CSS knowledge and observe the CSS misuse rate. Our intervention phase included a 1-hour "mandatory" nurse CSS education classroom session, a nurse hands-on CSS demonstration and practice in a mother's room. During the postintervention phase, we enrolled 70 maternal-newborn dyads at discharge to survey maternal CSS knowledge and observe change in CSS misuse rate. In the preintervention phase, 43 (73%) of 59 eligible nurses completed the survey, and 47 (80%) of 59 completed the CSS education and training program. In the preintervention CSS survey, 23% of the nurses reported that education is part of their routine, 44% have CSS educational materials, 32% feel comfortable providing CSS education to parents, 12% feel CSS trained, 25% have time, 84% identify that CSS misuse is a problem, and 16% received CSS training.Enrolled mothers reflect maternal/newborn unit demographics as follows: maternal mean age of 29 years (range, 16-48 years), white (54%), black (11%), Hispanic origin (28%), English as primary language (83%), high school degree (31%), college degree (30%), Medicaid (23%), and private insurance (65%).Of 70 postintervention mothers, 44% reported receiving no nurse education, 21% reported receiving a brochure only, and 31% reported receiving nurse education. CSS misuse among mothers who received registered nurse education was not reduced compared with mother's who received a brochure

A Web-Based Nuclear Criticality Safety Bibliographic Database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koponen, B L; Huang, S

2007-01-01

A bibliographic criticality safety database of over 13,000 records is available on the Internet as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) website. This database is easy to access via the Internet and gets substantial daily usage. This database and other criticality safety resources are available at ncsp.llnl.gov. The web database has evolved from more than thirty years of effort at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), beginning with compilations of critical experiment reports and American Nuclear Society Transactions

Take a Seat.

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, Deborah R.

1999-01-01

Examines the factors involved in purchasing school furnishings that will help ensure its long-time use, safety, and ability to resist abuse. Cost and safety factors discussed include resisting trendy colors to reduce cost in furniture matching, managing computer and office wiring for safety, considering ergonomics in the purchasing decision, and…

Safety Issues with Hydrogen as a Vehicle Fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

L. C. Cadwallader; J. S. Herring

1999-09-01

This report is an initial effort to identify and evaluate safety issues associated with the use of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel in automobiles. Several forms of hydrogen have been considered: gas, liquid, slush, and hydrides. The safety issues have been discussed, beginning with properties of hydrogen and the phenomenology of hydrogen combustion. Safety-related operating experiences with hydrogen vehicles have been summarized to identify concerns that must be addressed in future design activities and to support probabilistic risk assessment. Also, applicable codes, standards, and regulations pertaining to hydrogen usage and refueling have been identified and are briefly discussed. This report serves as a safety foundation for any future hydrogen safety work, such as a safety analysis or a probabilistic risk assessment.

Safety Issues with Hydrogen as a Vehicle Fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cadwallader, Lee Charles; Herring, James Stephen

1999-10-01

This report is an initial effort to identify and evaluate safety issues associated with the use of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel in automobiles. Several forms of hydrogen have been considered: gas, liquid, slush, and hydrides. The safety issues have been discussed, beginning with properties of hydrogen and the phenomenology of hydrogen combustion. Safety-related operating experiences with hydrogen vehicles have been summarized to identify concerns that must be addressed in future design activities and to support probabilistic risk assessment. Also, applicable codes, standards, and regulations pertaining to hydrogen usage and refueling have been identified and are briefly discussed. This report serves as a safety foundation for any future hydrogen safety work, such as a safety analysis or a probabilistic risk assessment.

Relationship between organisational safety culture dimensions and crashes.

Science.gov (United States)

Varmazyar, Sakineh; Mortazavi, Seyed Bagher; Arghami, Shirazeh; Hajizadeh, Ebrahim

2016-01-01

Knowing about organisational safety culture in public transportation system can provide an appropriate guide to establish effective safety measures and interventions to improve safety at work. The aim of this study was investigation of association between safety culture dimensions (leadership styles and company values, usage of crashes information and prevention programmes, management commitment and safety policy, participation and control) with involved self-reported crashes. The associations were considered through Spearman correlation, Pearson chi-square test and logistic regression. The results showed an association among self-reported crashes (occurrence or non-occurrence) and factors including leadership styles and company values; management commitment and safety policy; and control. Moreover, it was found a negative correlation and an odds ratio less than one between control and self-reported crashes.

Generative Programming for Functional Safety in Mobile Robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adam, Marian Sorin

2018-01-01

execution environment. The effective usage of DeRoS to specify safetyrelated properties of mobile robots and generation of a runtime verification infrastructure for the different controllers has been experimentally demonstrated on ROS-based systems, safety PLCs and microcontrollers. The key issue of making......Safety is a major challenge in robotics, in particular for mobile robots operating in an open and unpredictable environment. Safety certification is desired for commercial robots, but the existing approaches for addressing safety do not provide a clearly defined and isolated programmatic safety...... layer, with an easily understandable specification for facilitating safety certification. Moreover, mobile robots are advanced systems often implemented using a distributed architecture where software components are deployed on heterogeneous hardware modules. Many components are key to the overall...

Child Passenger Safety (A Minute of Health with CDC)

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

Using the correct car seat for your child can be a lifesaver. This podcast discusses the importance of ensuring children are buckled up in car seats or booster seats that are appropriate for their age and size until adult seat belts fit properly.

Development of production technology for deep-seated geothermal resources; Shinbu chinetsu shigen seisan gijutsu no kaihatsu gaiyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wada, T.; Akazawa, T. [New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-11-01

In order to increase the geothermal power generation volume in Japan furthermore after now, it is necessary to develop the deep-seated geothermal fluid collecting technique at 3,000 to 4,000m in depth and about 350degC. In order to collect the deep-seated geothermal resources economically and effectively, there are some principally important problems on production techniques such as P (pressure)-T(temperature)-S (flow rate)-D (fluid density) logging technique, P (pressure)-T (temperature)-C (chemical composition) monitoring technique, high temperature tracer monitoring technique, scale monitoring technique, scale protection and removal technique and so on. The PTSD logging technique is a measuring technique for collecting some data necessary to conduct production management effectively. The PTC monitoring technique is a technique for collecting data on the geothermal resources essential for the resources evaluation and presumption, and tracer monitoring technique is a technique for collecting actual measurement data of fluid flow analysis in the deep-seated geothermal resources. And the sale monitoring is a technique for collecting data on various kinds of scale components of the deep-seated geothermal water and in the steam. In this paper, these techniques are summarized. 8 figs.

Evaluation of the five-year Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Road Safety Program in the Russian Federation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, S; Paichadze, N; Gritsenko, E; Klyavin, V; Yurasova, E; Hyder, A A

2017-03-01

Road traffic injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. In Russia, a road safety program was implemented in Lipetskaya and Ivanovskaya oblasts (regions) as part of a 10-country effort funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The program was focused on increasing seat belt and child restraint use and reducing speeding. The primary goals of this monitoring and evaluation study are to assess trends in seat belt use, child restraint use, and speed compliance in the two oblasts over the 5 years and to explore the overall impact of the program on road traffic injury and death rates. Primary data via roadside observations and interviews, and secondary data from official government sources were collected and analyzed for this study. Our results indicate significant improvements in seat belt wearing and child seat use rates and in prevalence of speeding in both intervention oblasts. The observations were consistent with the results from the roadside interviews. In Lipetskaya, restraint use by all occupants increased from 52.4% (baseline, October 2010) to 77.4% (final round, October 2014) and child restraint use increased from 20.9% to 54.1% during the same period. In Ivanovskaya, restraint use by all occupants increased from 48% (baseline, April 2012) to 88.7% (final round, October 2014) and child restraint use increased from 20.6% to 89.4% during the same period. In Lipetskaya, the overall prevalence of speeding (vehicles driving above speed limit) declined from 47.0% (baseline, July 2011) to 30.4% (final round, October 2014) and a similar pattern was observed in Ivanovskaya where the prevalence of speeding decreased from 54.6% (baseline, March 2012) to 46.6% (final round, October 2014). Through 2010-2014, the road traffic crash and injury rates per 100,000 population decreased in Lipetskaya oblast (191.5 and 246.9 in 2010 and 170.4 and 208.6 in 2014, respectively) and slightly increased in Ivanovskaya oblast (184.4 and 236.0 in 2010 and 186.7 and 243

The Physiologic and Behavioral Implications of Playing Active and Sedentary Video Games in a Seated and Standing Position.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Gabriel J; Rebold, Michael; Peacock, Corey A; Williamson, Meagan L; Santo, Antonio S; Barkley, Jacob E

Previous studies have assessed physiologic response while playing video games per manufacturer instructions with participants standing during active video game play and seated during sedentary game play. It is not known whether an assigned seated or standing position affects positional preference and oxygen consumption (VO2) while gaming. The purpose of the study was to assess VO2 and preference of playing active and sedentary video games in a seated and standing position. VO2 was assessed in 25 participants during four, 20-minute conditions; resting, PlayStation 2 Madden NFL Football 2011, Nintendo Wii-Sports Boxing and Nintendo Wii Madden NFL Football 2011. Each condition was divided into two positional conditions (10 minutes seated, 10 minutes standing) and each participant indicated their positional preference after each 20-minute condition. Standing VO2 (4.4 ± 0.2 ml • kg-1 • min-1 PS2, 4.6 ± 0.1 ml • kg-1 • min-1 Wii Madden, 6.8 ± 0.3 ml • kg-1 • min-1Wii Boxing) was significantly (p ≤ 0.001) greater than seated VO2 (4.0 ± 0.1 ml • kg-1 • min-1 PS2, 4.2 ± 0.1 ml • kg-1 • min-1 Wii Madden, 6.1 ± 0.3 ml • kg-1 • min-1Wii Boxing) for each gaming condition. Participants preferred (p ≤ 0.001) to sit for all gaming conditions except Wii Boxing. Playing video games while standing increases VO2 to a greater extent than playing the same games in a seated position. Standing was only preferred for the most physiologically challenging game, Wii Boxing. Gaming position should be considered when assessing the physiologic and behavioral outcomes of playing video games.

Will the Driver Seat Ever Be Empty?

OpenAIRE

Fraichard , Thierry

2014-01-01

Self-driving technologies have matured and improved to the point that, in the past few years, self-driving cars have been able to safely drive an impressive number of kilometers. It should be noted though that, in all cases, the driver seat was never empty: a human driver was behind the wheel, ready to take over whenever the situation dictated it. This is an interesting paradox since the point of a self-driving car is to remove the most unreliable part of the car, namely the human driver. So,...

The optimization of aircraft seat cushion fire-blocking layers. Full Scale: Test description and results

Science.gov (United States)

Schutter, K. J.; Duskin, F. E.

1982-01-01

Full-scale burn tests were conducted on thirteen different seat cushion configurations in a cabin fire simulator. The fire source used was a quartz lamp radiant energy panel with a propane pilot flame. During each test, data were recorded for cushion temperatures, radiant heat flux, rate of weight loss of test specimens, and cabin temperatures. When compared to existing passenger aircraft seat cushions, the test specimens incorporating a fire barrier and those fabricated from advance materials, using improved construction methods, exhibited significantly greater fire resistance.

Vital Sign Monitoring and Mobile Phone Usage Detection Using IR-UWB Radar for Intended Use in Car Crash Prevention

OpenAIRE

Seong Kyu Leem; Faheem Khan; Sung Ho Cho

2017-01-01

In order to avoid car crashes, active safety systems are becoming more and more important. Many crashes are caused due to driver drowsiness or mobile phone usage. Detecting the drowsiness of the driver is very important for the safety of a car. Monitoring of vital signs such as respiration rate and heart rate is important to determine the occurrence of driver drowsiness. In this paper, robust vital signs monitoring through impulse radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) radar is discussed. We propose a...

Acquisition: Defense Hotline Allegations Concerning the Procurement of the Seat Management Initiative

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2002-01-01

...) to the development of the Seat Management initiative, We performed the audit in response to allegations made to the Defense Hotline concerning the contracting for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense...

Determining the Relationship of Primary Seat Belt Laws to Minority Ticketing

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-01

Racial profiling is often raised as an issue when States change their seat belt law from secondary enforcement (i.e., stop only for some other violation) to primary enforcement (i.e., stop for an observed belt law violation alone). Thirteen States ma...

Health Care providers and Teen Driving Safety: Topics Discussed and Educational Resources Used in Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Dellinger, Ann M; West, Bethany A

2015-11-01

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death among teens. Health care providers have an opportunity to address what works to keep teens safe on the road during the patient visit. An online survey was conducted of 1088 health care providers who saw patients at or near driving age. The survey assessed which road safety topics were discussed and which types of educational products were used most often. Family and general practice physicians represented 44.3% of the sample, followed by pediatricians (22.5%), nurse practitioners (17.6%), and internists (15.5%). Nearly all respondents (92.9%) reported addressing one or more driving safety factors (seat belt use, nighttime driving, fatigue, teen passengers, alcohol/drug use, speeding/reckless driving, and cell phone use/texting) with adolescent patients and/or their parents. Seat belt use was reported more often (83.7%) than other topics. The use of parent-teen driving agreements, a known effective intervention, was reported by less than 10% of respondents. Since health care providers expressed interest in receiving written resource materials, distribution of parent-teen driving agreements to health care providers might encourage greater uptake and use of this effective intervention.

Critical safety function guidelines for experimental fusion facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadwallader, L.C.

1989-01-01

As fusion experiments proceed toward deuterium-tritium operation, more attention is being given to public safety. This paper presents the four classes of functions that fusion experiments must provide to assure safe, stable shutdown and retention of radionuclides. These functions are referred to as critical safety functions (CSFs). Selecting CSFs is an important step in probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). An example of CSF selection and usage for the Compact Ignition Tokamak (CIT) is also presented

Seat belt and mobile phone use among vehicle drivers in the city of Doha, Qatar: an observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahfoud, Ziyad R; Cheema, Sohaila; Alrouh, Hekmat; Al-Thani, Mohammed Hamad; Al-Thani, Al Anoud Mohammed; Mamtani, Ravinder

2015-09-22

In Qatar traffic injuries and fatalities are of serious concern. Mobile phone use whilst driving has been associated with increased risk of vehicular collisions and injuries. Seat belt use has been demonstrated to save lives and reduce the severity of road traffic injuries. Whereas previously published studies may have looked at all front passengers, this study aims to obtain reliable estimates of the prevalence of seat belt and mobile phone use among vehicle drivers in the city of Doha, Qatar. Additionally, we aim to investigate the association of these behaviors with other variables namely gender, time of the day and type of vehicle. An observational study on 2,011 vehicles was conducted in 2013. Data were collected at ten sites within Doha city over a two-week period. Two trained observers surveyed each car and recorded observations on a data collection form adapted from a form used in a 2012 Oklahoma observational study. Associations were assessed using the Chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test. A p-value of .05 or less was considered statistically significant. Overall, 1,463 (72.7 %) drivers were found using a seat belt (95 % CI: 70.8-74.7 %) and 150 (7.5 %) their mobile phones (95 % CI: 6.3-8.6 %) during the observation period. Mobile phone use was significantly associated with not using a seat belt and driving a sport utility vehicle. Significantly lower rates of seat belt use were observed in the early morning and late afternoon. No gender differences were observed. Seatbelt use in Doha was found to be similar to countries in the region but lower than those in western countries. Also, studies from other high-income locations, reported lower rates of mobile phone use while driving than in Doha. Despite road traffic crashes being one of the leading causes of death in Qatar, three out of 10 drivers in Doha, Qatar, do not use a seat belt and about one in 12 use a mobile phone while driving. More efforts, in the form of awareness campaigns and increased law

Afterloading technique for interstitial irradiation of lesions in deep-seated organs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitagawa, T.; Kakehi, M.; Kunieda, T.; Tsukiyama, I.; Hamada, M.; Inakoshi, H.; Sakudo, M.; Suemasu, K.; Matsumoto, K.; Yoneyama, T.; Iizuka, T.; Nomura, K.; Kawachi, K.

1982-01-01

An afterloading procedure using 192 Ir seeds was developed for the control of both localized primary lesions that are difficult to remove and superficial residual lesions that remain after the partial removal of tumors in relatively inaccessible, deep-seated organs. This technique makes possible the delivery of a minimal radiation dose to lesions in deep-seated organs. Fewer complications result, the seeds can be adjusted at appropriate intervals in proportion to the amount of radioactivity desired, and radiation exposure to personnel can be reduced. This paper describes the techniques and apparatus used to place the seeds in the tubing. Primary lesions of the urinary bladder, the prostate gland, and the esophagus, residual lesions in the brain and lung, and metastases in intrapelvic lymph nodes were treated. No technical difficulties or complications were encountered. Radiation exposures to personnel were minimized. The results indicate that the procedure has practical applications

Seat headrest-incorporated personalized ventilation: Thermal comfort and inhaled air quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Melikov, Arsen Krikor; Ivanova, T.; Stefanova, G.

2012-01-01

inhaled by the manikin was measured and used to assess the clean air supply efficiency of the SHPV. The response of 35 subjects was collected to examine thermal comfort with the SHPV. The subjects participated in 3 experiments at personalized air temperature and room air temperature of 22/20 °C, 23/23 °C......The performance of personalized ventilation with seat headrest-mounted air supply terminal devices (ATD), named seat headrest personalized ventilation (SHPV), was studied. Physical measurements using a breathing thermal manikin were taken to identify its ability to provide clean air to inhalation...... depending on design, shape, size and positioning of the ATD, flow rate and temperature of personalized air, room temperature, clothing thermal insulation of the manikin, etc. Tracer gas was mixed with the room air. The air supplied by the SHPV was free of tracer gas. Tracer gas concentration in the air...

Chemical Hazards and Safety Issues in Fusion Safety Design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadwallader, L.C.

2003-01-01

Radiological inventory releases have dominated accident consequences for fusion; these consequences are important to analyze and are generally the most severe result of a fusion facility accident event. However, the advent of, or plan for, large-scale usage of some toxic materials poses the additional hazard of chemical exposure from an accident event. Examples of toxic chemicals are beryllium for magnetic fusion and fluorine for laser fusion. Therefore, chemical exposure consequences must also be addressed in fusion safety assessment. This paper provides guidance for fusion safety analysis. US Department of Energy (DOE) chemical safety assessment practices for workers and the public are reviewed. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published some guidance on public exposure to releases of mixtures of chemicals, this guidance has been used to create an initial guideline for treating mixed radiological and toxicological releases in fusion; for example, tritiated hazardous dust from a tokamak vacuum vessel. There is no convenient means to judge the hazard severity of exposure to mixed materials. The chemical fate of mixed material constituents must be reviewed to determine if there is a separate or combined radiological and toxicological carcinogenesis, or if other health threats exist with radiological carcinogenesis. Recommendations are made for fusion facility chemical safety evaluation and safety guidance for protecting the public from chemical releases, since such levels are not specifically identified in the DOE fusion safety standard

Analysis of Transportation Alternatives for Ejection Seat Training

OpenAIRE

Gambel, Ray; Lundy, David; Murphy, William; Southmost Consulting

2011-01-01

EMBA Project Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Student Military Aviators who complete primary flight training at Training Wing FOUR and select jets for their advanced training track will require Naval Aviation Survival Training Program (NASTP) Class 1 training until the T-6B replaces the T-34C as the primary flight training aircraft. This Class 1 training instructs students in ejection seat equipment and procedures for emergency egress of their new aircraft. Of the eight available Aviation Survi...

Ispitivanje piropatrona i raketnog motora pilotskog sedišta / Testing pyrocartridges and the rocket motor of the ejection seat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milorad Savković

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Raketni motor pilotskog sedišta ima složen geometrijski oblik, tako da njegov potisak deluje pod određenim uglom u odnosu na ravan simetrije pilotskog sedišta. Radi određivanja intenziteta i napadne linije potiska izvršen je veći broj eksperimenata. Meren je potisak raketnog motora na višekomponentnom opitnom stolu. Letno ispitivanje pilotskog sedišta obavljeno je pomoću lutke koja simulira masu pilota. Takođe, analizirano je letno ispitivanje pilotskog sedišta u početnom periodu katapultiranja za vreme rada raketnog motora. Obrađeni su i rezultati merenja ubrzanja, koji su korišćeni za određivanje karakteristika leta pilotskog sedišta. U radu je prikazan teorijski model kretanja sedišta. / Due to a complex geometrical shape of the rocket motor of the ejection seat, the rocket motor thrust occurs under certain angle in relation to the plane of symmetry of the ejection seat. A number of tests were carried out in order to determine thrust intensity and angle of attack. The rocket motor thrust was measured on the multicomponent test stand. The ejection seat whit a dummy simulating a mass of a pilot was tested during ejection. The paper presents an analysis of the ejection seat flight in the initial phase of ejection, during the rocket motor running. The results of the acceleration read-outs were processed and then used for the determination of the characteristics of the ejection seat flight. A theoretical model of the ejection seat flight is given in the paper.

The effects of motion and g-seat cues on pilot simulator performance of three piloting tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Showalter, T. W.; Parris, B. L.

1980-01-01

Data are presented that show the effects of motion system cues, g-seat cues, and pilot experience on pilot performance during takeoffs with engine failures, during in-flight precision turns, and during landings with wind shear. Eight groups of USAF pilots flew a simulated KC-135 using four different cueing systems. The basic cueing system was a fixed-base type (no-motion cueing) with visual cueing. The other three systems were produced by the presence of either a motion system or a g-seat, or both. Extensive statistical analysis of the data was performed and representative performance means were examined. These data show that the addition of motion system cueing results in significant improvement in pilot performance for all three tasks; however, the use of g-seat cueing, either alone or in conjunction with the motion system, provides little if any performance improvement for these tasks and for this aircraft type.

ICT in University Education: Usage and Challenges among ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study was a survey which explored ICT usage and challenges among academic staff. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to determine the areas of ICT usage among academic staff; identify the obstacles to their ICT usage and identify their areas of training need in ICT usage. Five research questions were posed ...

CRASH SAFETY OF A TYPICAL BAY TABLE IN A RAILWAY VEHICLE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuel MATSIKA

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Increasingly, urban and high speed trains are incorporating tables (workstations as common railway vehicle interior furniture because passengers prefer seating by bay tables. Among table design characteristics, the most challenging is meeting crashworthiness requirements. Past accident data and sled test results have shown that in the event of railway vehicle frontal impact, occupants located in the bay seating are exposed to chest and abdominal injuries upon contact with tables resulting from secondary collision. In some cases tables have tended to be structurally weak; they easily detach from the side walls and/or floor mounting. Subsequently these become unguided missiles that strike occupants, resulting in injuries. This paper presents an analysis of the crash performance of a typical bay table. The results provide some understanding of the table’s crash safety, giving an indication of its impact aggression. Table materials are characterised using quasi-static compressive tests. In addition, experimental dynamic (impact tests are conducted using a pendulum representing a body block (mass. The results provide information about the possible loading of the table on the occupant in the event of a crash. Contact forces are compared with chest and abdominal injury tolerance thresholds to infer the collision injury potential. Recommendations are then made on design of bay tables to meet the “functional-strength-and-safety balance”.

The Scope of Usage-based Theory

OpenAIRE

Paul eIbbotson

2013-01-01

Usage-based approaches typically draw on a relatively small set of cognitive processes, such as categorization, analogy, and chunking to explain language structure and function. The goal of this paper is to first review the extent to which the “cognitive commitment” of usage-based theory has had success in explaining empirical findings across domains, including language acquisition, processing, and typology. We then look at the overall strengths and weaknesses of usage-based theory and highli...

Neck injury criteria and certification procedure for side-facing aircraft seats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Philippens, M.M.G.M.; Forbes, P.A.; Wismans, J.S.H.M.; DeWeese, R.; Moorcroft, D.

2011-01-01

This report documents research started in 2002 that identified the potential need for explicit neck injury criteria and tolerances for certification of side-facing seats in aircraft. Laboratory sled tests with full-body postmortem human subjects proved that there is a substantial risk for serious

Response of the seated human body to whole-body vertical vibration: biodynamic responses to mechanical shocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Zhen; Griffin, Michael J

2017-03-01

The biodynamic response of the seated human body has been investigated with 20 males exposed to upward and downward shocks at 13 fundamental frequencies (1-16 Hz) and 18 magnitudes (up to ±8.3 ms -2 ). For 1- and 2- degree-of-freedom models, the stiffness and damping coefficients were obtained by fitting seat acceleration waveforms predicted from the measured force to the measured seat acceleration waveform. Stiffness and damping coefficients were also obtained in the frequency domain with random vibration. The optimum stiffness and damping coefficients varied with the magnitude and the frequency of shocks. With both upward and downward shocks, the resonance frequency of the models decreased from 6.3 to 4 Hz as the vibration dose values of the shocks increased from 0.05 to 2.0 ms -1.75 . The stiffness and damping obtained from responses to shocks were correlated with, and similar to, the stiffness and damping obtained with random vibration. Practitioner Summary: When modelling the dynamic response of the seated human body to vertical acceleration less than 1 g, the relation between force and acceleration can be well represented by a single degree-of-freedom model although the optimum stiffness and damping depend on the magnitude and frequency of sinusoidal, random or shock motion.

A wireless lingual feedback device to reduce overpressures in seated posture: a feasibility study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olivier Chenu

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Pressure sores are localized injuries to the skin and underlying tissues and are mainly resulting from overpressure. Paraplegic peoples are particularly subjects to pressure sores because of long-time seated postures and sensory deprivation at the lower limbs.Here we report outcomes of a feasibility trial involving a biofeedback system aimed at reducing buttock overpressure whilst an individual is seated. The system consists of (1 pressure sensors, (2 a laptop coupling sensors and actuator (3 a wireless Tongue Display Unit (TDU consisting of a circuit embedded in a dental retainer with electrodes put in contact with the tongue. The principle consists in (1 detecting overpressures in people who are seated over long periods of time, (2 estimating a postural change that could reduce these overpressures and (3 communicating this change through directional information transmitted by the TDU.Twenty-four healthy subjects voluntarily participated in this study. Twelve healthy subjects initially formed the experimental group (EG and were seated on a chair with the wireless TDU inside their mouth. They were asked to follow TDU orders that were randomly spread throughout the session. They were evaluated during two experimental sessions during which 20 electro-stimulations were sent. Twelve other subjects, added retrospectively, formed the control group (CG. These subjects participated in one session of the same experiment without any biofeedback.Three dependent variables were computed: (1 the ability of subjects to reach target posture (EG versus CG, (2 high pressure reductions after a biofeedback (EG versus CG and (3 the level of these reductions relative to their initial values (EG only. Results show (1 that EG reached target postures in 90.2% of the trials, against 5,3% in the CG, (2 a significant reduction in overpressures in the EG compared to the CG and (3, for the EG, that the higher the initial pressures were, the more they were decreased

A Wireless Lingual Feedback Device to Reduce Overpressures in Seated Posture: A Feasibility Study

Science.gov (United States)

Chenu, Olivier; Vuillerme, Nicolas; Demongeot, Jacques; Payan, Yohan

2009-01-01

Background Pressure sores are localized injuries to the skin and underlying tissues and are mainly resulting from overpressure. Paraplegic peoples are particularly subjects to pressure sores because of long-time seated postures and sensory deprivation at the lower limbs. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we report outcomes of a feasibility trial involving a biofeedback system aimed at reducing buttock overpressure whilst an individual is seated. The system consists of (1) pressure sensors, (2) a laptop coupling sensors and actuator (3) a wireless Tongue Display Unit (TDU) consisting of a circuit embedded in a dental retainer with electrodes put in contact with the tongue. The principle consists in (1) detecting overpressures in people who are seated over long periods of time, (2) estimating a postural change that could reduce these overpressures and (3) communicating this change through directional information transmitted by the TDU.Twenty-four healthy subjects voluntarily participated in this study. Twelve healthy subjects initially formed the experimental group (EG) and were seated on a chair with the wireless TDU inside their mouth. They were asked to follow TDU orders that were randomly spread throughout the session. They were evaluated during two experimental sessions during which 20 electro-stimulations were sent. Twelve other subjects, added retrospectively, formed the control group (CG). These subjects participated in one session of the same experiment without any biofeedback.Three dependent variables were computed: (1) the ability of subjects to reach target posture (EG versus CG), (2) high pressure reductions after a biofeedback (EG versus CG) and (3) the level of these reductions relative to their initial values (EG only). Results show (1) that EG reached target postures in 90.2% of the trials, against 5,3% in the CG, (2) a significant reduction in overpressures in the EG compared to the CG and (3), for the EG, that the higher the initial pressures

Development of a shear force measurement dummy for seat comfort.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Seong Guk; Ko, Chang-Yong; Kim, Dong Hyun; Song, Ye Eun; Kang, Tae Uk; Ahn, Sungwoo; Lim, Dohyung; Kim, Han Sung

2017-01-01

Seat comfort is one of the main factors that consumers consider when purchasing a car. In this study, we develop a dummy with a shear-force sensor to evaluate seat comfort. The sensor has dimensions of 25 mm × 25 mm × 26 mm and is made of S45C. Electroless nickel plating is employed to coat its surface in order to prevent corrosion and oxidation. The proposed sensor is validated using a qualified load cell and shows high accuracy and precision (measurement range: -30-30 N; sensitivity: 0.1 N; linear relationship: R = 0.999; transverse sensitivity: <1%). The dummy is manufactured in compliance with the SAE standards (SAE J826) and incorporates shear sensors into its design. We measure the shear force under four driving conditions and at five different speeds using a sedan; results showed that the shear force increases with speed under all driving conditions. In the case of acceleration and deceleration, shear force significantly changes in the lower body of the dummy. During right and left turns, it significantly changes in the upper body of the dummy.

Update on the usage and safety of epinephrine auto-injectors, 2017

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Posner LS

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Larry S Posner,1 Carlos A Camargo Jr2 1North Bay Allergy and Asthma Associates, Inc., Napa, CA, 2Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Abstract: Anaphylaxis is a serious, potentially fatal allergic reaction. Guidelines recommend prompt intramuscular injections of epinephrine as the first-line therapy for anaphylaxis. Delayed epinephrine treatment may cause undesirable clinical outcomes, including death. In the community, epinephrine auto-injectors (EAIs are commonly used to treat anaphylaxis. This literature review examines several recent concerns regarding the safety of EAIs that may prevent the timely administration of epinephrine. Reports of cardiovascular complications are linked with epinephrine administration, although recent studies suggest that these events are much more commonly associated with intravenous epinephrine rather than with EAIs. Recent studies have also highlighted accidental injections of EAIs in patients’ or caregivers’ fingers and lacerations associated with the use of EAI in children. However, the data suggest that both accidental injections and lacerations are rare and require limited medical intervention. In addition, patients may receive conflicting information on the safety and efficacy of using expired EAIs. Overall, it is believed that the benefits of using EAIs far outweigh the potential risks of not administering an EAI. Although legitimate safety concerns are associated with EAIs, adverse events are rare. Continued training of medical providers, caregivers, and patients may be beneficial to address these concerns and reduce EAI-associated injuries while ensuring that patients receive necessary medical care. Keywords: allergy, anaphylaxis, asthma, pediatrics

Demonstration of the trauma nurses talk tough seat belt diversion program in North Carolina reaches high-risk drivers : traffic tech.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-03-01

Nationally, more than 8 of every 10 drivers wear seat belts, but : individual State belt rates vary from as high as 98% to as low as : 69%. Within individual States, rural areas often have lower rates. : Strong seat belt laws and highly visible enfor...

Facebook usage by students in higher education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wesseling, N.F.; de la Poza, Elena; Dormènech, Jozep; Lloret, Jaime; Vincent Vela, M. Cinta; Zuriaga Agustí, Elena

2015-01-01

In this paper I measure first year student Facebook usage as part of a broader PhD study into the influence of social media usage on the success of students in higher education. A total of 906 students were asked to complete 3 surveys on Facebook usage with their peers, for two consecutive years

Assessing retro-reflective markers (RRMs usage on heavy vehicles with respect to MS 828:2011

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd Amirudin M.R

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Malaysia is continuously developing and enhancing the safety system and policies for road users. One of the essential elements of safety is a good marking and thus the visibility of vehicles on the road. Since 2011, MS 828:2011 has been gazetted to guide industry on the right specification to follow with regards to RRMs. However, the RRMs that being used by heavy and long vehicle including in the current market were not up to the standard. Thus, the objectives of this study is to identify the current status of RRMs in Malaysia besides to measure the photometric values of current RRMs and to determine the usage rate of substandard RRMs on heavy vehicles and current market. Market surveillance and sample testing were conducted to determine on current RRMs usage and to analyse the RRMs with respect to MS 828:2011. As a result, 62% of RRMs condition on heavy vehicles are still not in a good condition or covered by dust. Also, only 4% of the RRMs sample complied to MS 828:2011. From this paper, it can be concluded that majority or 96% of the RRMs in current market and have been used by current heavy vehicles are substandard markings.

Efficacy and safety profile of antibiotic prophylaxis usage in clean and clean-contaminated plastic and reconstructive surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yi; Dong, Jiasheng; Qiao, Yufei; He, Jinguang; Wang, Tao; Ma, Sunxiang

2014-01-01

There is no consensus with regard to antibiotic prophylaxis usage in clean and clean-contaminated plastic and reconstructive surgery. This meta-analysis sought to assess the efficacy and safety of antibiotic prophylaxis and to determine appropriate duration of prophylaxis. An English language literature search was conducted using PubMed and the Cochrane Collaboration for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluate the use of antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) in patients undergoing clean and clean-contaminated plastic and reconstructive surgery. Data from intention-to-treat analyses were used where available. For the dichotomous data, results for each study were odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and combined for meta-analysis using the Mantel-Haenszel method or the DerSimonian and Laird method. Study quality was critically appraised by 2 reviewers using established criteria. STATA version 12 was used for meta-analyses. Twelve RCTs involving 2395 patients were included, of which 8 trials were considered to be of high methodological quality. Effect of antibiotic prophylaxis in plastic and reconstructive surgery was found favorable over placebo in SSI prevention (13 studies; 2449 participants; OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.4-0.7; P plastic surgeries with high-risk factors and clean-contaminated plastic surgeries. Besides, a short-course administration regimen seemed to be of adequate efficacy and safety. High-quality prospective trials on larger scale are needed to further confirm these findings.

Seating position, seat belt wearing, and the consequences in facial fractures in car occupants Posição no veículo, uso de cinto de segurança e suas conseqüências nas fraturas de face em ocupantes de carros

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre Siqueira Franco Fonseca

2007-01-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Trauma caused by traffic accidents is among the main etiologies involved in the occurrence of facial fractures throughout the world. However, the trauma mechanisms involved are different according to the location where the study was performed, due to different conditions of development, legislation, and culture. A retrospective study was done between February 2001 and July 2006, with the purpose of determining the epidemiology and the mechanisms involved in the occurrence of facial fractures among car occupants in the metropolitan area of São Paulo. METHODS: Data were collected from 297 patients admitted with facial fractures to the emergency room of the Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo University Medical School. Within this period, 151 individuals had been involved in traffic accidents, among which 56 (37.08% were inside passenger cars. These were grouped based on the seating position that they were occupying at the time of the accident and the wearing of seat belts. Data concerning the number and location of fracture lines were obtained from the different groups, and a fracture/patient index (F/P I was calculated to compare and make reference to the impact energy among these groups, for subsequent analysis and discussion. RESULTS: 323 fracture lines occurred among 56 patients who were car occupants. By applying the F/P I, we obtained higher values in the group of rear-seat passengers who were not wearing seat belts (7.23 fractures per patient, followed by the group of drivers not wearing seat belts (6.33 fractures per patient, the group of front-seat passengers not wearing seat belts (5.58 fractures per patient, the group of drivers wearing seat belts (5.54 fractures per patient and, finally, the group of front-seat passengers wearing seat belts (4.00 fractures per patient. None of the rear-seat passengers was wearing seat belts. CONCLUSION: The data collected indicate that the driver position shows a high incidence of facial

Critical safety function guidelines for experimental fusion facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadwallader, L.C.

1989-01-01

As fusion experiments proceed toward deuterium-tritium operation, more attention is being given to public safety. This paper presents the four classes of functions that fusion experiments must provide to assure safe, stable shutdown and retention of radionuclides. These functions are referred to as critical safety functions (CSFs). Selecting CSFs is an important step in probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). An example of CSF selection and usage for the Compact Ignition Tokamak (CIT) is also presented. 10 refs., 6 figs

Birds of a feather sit together: physical similarity predicts seating choice.

Science.gov (United States)

Mackinnon, Sean P; Jordan, Christian H; Wilson, Anne E

2011-07-01

Across four studies, people sat (or reported they would sit) closer to physically similar others. Study 1 revealed significant aggregation in seating patterns on two easily observed characteristics: glasses wearing and sex. Study 2 replicated this finding with a wider variety of physical traits: race, sex, glasses wearing, hair length, and hair color. The overall tendency for people to sit beside physically similar others remained significant when controlling for sex and race, suggesting people aggregate on physical dimensions other than broad social categories. Study 3 conceptually replicated these results in a laboratory setting. The more physically similar participants were to a confederate, the closer they sat before an anticipated interaction when controlling for sex, race, and attractiveness similarity. In Study 4, overall physical similarity and glasses wearing similarity predicted self-reported seating distance. These effects were mediated by perceived attitudinal similarity. Liking and inferred acceptance also received support as mediators for glasses wearing similarity. © 2011 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc

Continuous restraint control systems: safety improvement for various occupants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laan, E. van der; Jager, B. de; Veldpaus, F.; Steinbuch, M.; Nunen, E. van; Willemsen, D.

2009-01-01

Occupant safety can be significantly improved by continuous restraint control systems. These restraint systems adjust their configuration during the impact according to the actual operating conditions, such as occupant size, weight, occupant position, belt usage and crash severity. In this study,

Child Passenger Safety (A Minute of Health with CDC)

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2016-09-29

Using the correct car seat for your child can be a lifesaver. This podcast discusses the importance of ensuring children are buckled up in car seats or booster seats that are appropriate for their age and size until adult seat belts fit properly. .  Created: 9/29/2016 by MMWR.   Date Released: 9/29/2016.

Comparison of seating, powered characteristics and functions and costs of electrically powered wheelchairs in a general population of users.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolan, Michael John; Bolton, Megan Jennifer; Henderson, Graham Iain

2017-10-26

To profile and compare the seating and powered characteristics and functions of electrically powered wheelchairs (EPWs) in a general user population including equipment costs. Case notes of adult EPW users of a regional NHS service were reviewed retrospectively. Seating equipment complexity and type were categorized using the Edinburgh classification. Powered characteristics and functions, including control device type, were recorded. 482 cases were included; 53.9% female; mean duration EPW use 8.1 years (SD 7.4); rear wheel drive 88.0%; hand joystick 94.8%. Seating complexity: low 73.2%, medium 18.0%, high 8.7%. Most prevalent diagnoses: multiple sclerosis (MS) 25.3%, cerebral palsy (CP) 18.7%, muscular dystrophy (8.5%). Compared to CP users, MS users were significantly older at first use, less experienced, more likely to have mid-wheel drive and less complex seating. Additional costs for muscular dystrophy and spinal cord injury users were 3-4 times stroke users. This is the first large study of a general EPW user population using a seating classification. Significant differences were found between diagnostic groups; nevertheless, there was also high diversity within each group. The differences in provision and the equipment costs across diagnostic groups can be used to improve service planning. Implications for Rehabilitation At a service planning level, knowledge of a population's diagnostic group and age distribution can be used to inform decisions about the number of required EPWs and equipment costs. At a user level, purchasing decisions about powered characteristics and functions of EPWs and specialised seating equipment need to be taken on a case by case basis because of the diversity of users' needs within diagnostic groups. The additional equipment costs for SCI and MD users are several times those of stroke users and add between 60 and 70% of the cost of basic provision.

Interference of Different Types of Seats on Postural Control System during a Forward-Reaching Task in Individuals with Paraplegia

Science.gov (United States)

de Abreu, Daniela Cristina Carvalho; Takara, Kelly; Metring, Nathalia Lopes; Reis, Julia Guimaraes; Cliquet, Alberto, Jr.

2012-01-01

We aimed to evaluate the influence of different types of wheelchair seats on paraplegic individuals' postural control using a maximum anterior reaching test. Balance evaluations during 50, 75, and 90% of each individual's maximum reach in the forward direction using two different cushions on seat (one foam and one gel) and a no-cushion condition…

78 FR 73692 - Revisions to Safety Standards for Infant Bath Seats, Toddler Beds, and Full-Size Baby Cribs

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-09

... standard issued under the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act was based, the revision... standard. Section 26(c) of the CPSA also provides that states or political subdivisions of states may apply... CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION 16 CFR Parts 1215, 1217 and 1219 Revisions to Safety Standards...

Immersion Suit Usage Within the RAAF

Science.gov (United States)

1992-01-01

IMMERSION SUIT USED UVIC QDIS HOLDINGS 202. in 12 Sizes, held by ALSS 492SQN REQUIREMENTS No comment USAGE POLICY REFERENCE DIRAF) AAP 7215.004-1 (P3C...held by ALSS 492SQN. REQUIREMENTS No comment ISACE POLICY REFERENCE DIIAF) AAP 7215.004-1 (P3C Flight Manual) RAAF Supplement No 92 USAGE POUICY UVIC...TYPE P3C REFERENCE Telecon FLTLT Toft I I SQNfRESO AVMED Dated 22 Mar 91 IMMERSION SUIT USED UVIC QDIS HOLDINGS No comment REQUIREMENTS No comment USAGE

Life extension of components with high cumulative fatigue usage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Server, W.L.

1985-01-01

The current ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code fatigue design approach has significant margins of safety as evidenced by fatigue data on full-scale vessels. In order to extend qualification (life) of components which have reached the Code design usage limit of unity, improved criteria are needed which address crack initiation and propagation separately such that safe operation of these components is ensured. The fatigue initiation phase is composed of two processes: initial microcracking of internal particles or accumulation of local strain (cyclic slip) creating discontinuities which form microcracks, and the growth of the microcracks in a noncontinuum manner. The microcracks which initiate will eventually grow to a size in which continuum mechanics apply, and fracture mechanics concepts have been employed. The later propagation to failure of a component is also composed of two parts, continuum crack growth in a stable manner and eventual unstable fracture of the remaining ligament of material. This paper reviews the current status of technology in assessing initiation and propagation relative to the current design Code and suggests areas of improvement to cover extended life of high usage factor components. To illustrate some of these considerations, a case study for a small manufacturing defect was reviewed. A realistic component was analyzed to investigate the interrelationship between the ASME Code Section III design life and crack propagation behavior of a small manufacturing defect. A pressurized water reactor (PWR) primary coolant system was used in the analysis, and the terminal end of the hot-leg pipe at the safe end weld was selected since usage factors as high as 0.95 had been reported. The particular plant chosen was Zion-1 because the necessary information on loading, including thermal transients, was available in the open literature. 11 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab

Structural Equation Modelling in Behavioral Intention to Use Safety Helmet Reminder System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosli Naida

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Motorcycle is one of private transportation which has been widely used in many countries including Malaysia. However, motorcycles are the most dangerous form of motorized transport. Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM statistics recorded that motorcycle is the highest vehicle (45.9% involved in traffic accident compared to other vehicles. The potential cause of the death to the motorcyclist was due to the head injury. One of strategy to mitigate this problem is through proper usage of safety helmet. Therefore, this paper was introduce a new approach on motorcyclist safety by using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM with additional determinants that contribute to behavioral intention and to increase the proper usage of safety helmets among Malaysian motorcyclists. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM was used to test the structural TAM proposed. The evaluation for structural model showed the goodness of fit indices are excellent fit. This study found that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and social norm are significant towards behavioral intention to use Safety Helmet Reminder System (SHR.

ACES II Seat Roller Study: Findings of Detrimental Friction under High Windblast or Adverse Flight Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

2015-08-12

speed, in zero wind) kt = knot lbf = pounds of force (=1 lbm x 1g) lbm = pounds of mass (=1/32.174 of a slug) MDRC = Multi-Axial Dynamic Response...pilot whose weight has been waived to the modern limits (i.e. originally limited to 211 lbm pilots for seat qualification, now waived up to 245 lbm ...below [repeating Ref-1 figures], by the DRS of the subject mishap, and by the aft seat (heavyweight; 198 lbm nude, 95th percentile) of sled test 110E

Three experiments to support the design of lightweight comfortable vehicle seats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vink, P.; Franz, M.; Kampa, I.; Zenk, R.

2012-01-01

Seats need to be more lightweight for airplanes, cars, busses and even trains to contribute to a better environment and to reduce energy consumption. However, a reduction in comfort due to weight reduction is not preferable, which opens a new area of research: improving comfort with a minimum of

Body height and arterial pressure in seated and supine young males during +2 G centrifugation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arvedsen, Sine K.; Eiken, Ola; Kölegård, Roger

2015-01-01

by the use of a human centrifuge would increase mean arterial pressure (MAP) more in tall than in short males in the seated position. In short (162-171cm, n=8) and tall (194-203cm, n=10) healthy males (18-41yr), brachial arterial pressure, heart rate (HR) and cardiac output were measured during +2G...... centrifugation, while they were seated upright with the legs kept horizontal (+2Gz). In a separate experiment, the same measurements were done with the subjects supine (+2Gx). During +2Gz MAP increased in the short (22±2 mmHg, P 

Using haptic feedback to increase seat belt use of service vehicle drivers.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

This study pilot-tested a new application of a technology-based intervention to increase seat belt use. The technology was based on a : contingency in which unbelted drivers experienced sustained haptic feedback to the gas pedal when they exceeded 25...

E-book usage: counting the challenges and opportunities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela Conyers

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Academic libraries are spending a growing proportion of their increasingly stretched budgets on e-books each year. Within this context, demonstrating a return on investment is imperative, but gathering data about e-resource usage is not always easy.    This article summarizes how libraries and library consortia are acquiring and evaluating e-books, how usage statistics feature within library workflows, the issues faced in doing so and the resulting impact of these issues on understanding usage and informing purchasing of new titles. Discussions with publishers indicate how usage data are being used within the organization, the requirements of customers and the challenges involved in providing usage data for e-books. Assessing and evaluating e-book usage is a complex and challenging task with processes and workflows in development. A transition from print to e-books represents a significant change for libraries, and the availability of reliable usage statistics to support purchase decisions is vital. The article is based on a series of case study interviews with representatives from a small cross-section of academic libraries, library consortia, publishers and aggregators.    This work is of interest to anyone with responsibility for creating, managing, developing, delivering and supporting usage statistics and standards for e-books.

Increasing patient knowledge on the proper usage of a PCA machine with the use of a post-operative instructional card.

Science.gov (United States)

Shovel, Louisa; Max, Bryan; Correll, Darin J

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to see if an instructional card, attached to the PCA machine following total hip arthroplasty describing proper use of the device, would positively affect subjects' understanding of device usage, pain scores, pain medication consumption and satisfaction. Eighty adults undergoing total hip replacements who had been prescribed PCA were randomized into two study groups. Forty participants received the standard post-operative instruction on PCA device usage at our institution. The other 40 participants received the standard of care in addition to being given a typed instructional card immediately post-operatively, describing proper PCA device use. This card was attached to the PCA device during their recovery period. On post-operative day one, each patient completed a questionnaire on PCA usage, pain scores and satisfaction scores. The pain scores in the Instructional Card group were significantly lower than the Control group (p = 0.024). Subjects' understanding of PCA usage was also improved in the Instructional Card group for six of the seven questions asked. The findings from this study strongly support that postoperative patient information on proper PCA use by means of an instructional card improves pain control and hence the overall recovery for patients undergoing surgery. In addition, through improved understanding it adds an important safety feature in that patients and potentially their family members and/or friends may refrain from PCA-by-proxy. This article demonstrates that the simple intervention of adding an instructional card to a PCA machine is an effective method to improve patients' knowledge as well as pain control and potentially increase the safety of the device use.

Parental practice of child car safety in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ndu KI

2016-11-01

Full Text Available KI Ndu,1,* U Ekwochi,1,* DC Osuorah,2,* OC Ifediora,3 FO Amadi,1 IN Asinobi,1 OW Okenwa,1 JC Orjioke,1 FN Ogbuka,1 TO Ulasi4 1Department of Paediatrics, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu State, Engu, Nigeria; 2Child Survival Unit, Medical Research Council UK, The Gambia Unit, Fajara, Gambia; 3Griffiths University Medical School, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia; 4Department of Paediatrics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Child safety restraints and seat belts are regarded as the most successful safety and cost-effective protective devices available to vehicle occupants, which have saved millions of lives. This cross-sectional descriptive study evaluated the practice and use of child car restraints (CCRs among 458 purposively selected respondents resident in two local government areas in Enugu State, Nigeria. Self-administered questionnaires were sent to parents of children attending private schools who owned a car. Chi-square and multivariate analyses were used to assess the determinants of the use of car restraints in children among respondents. In all, 56% and 45% of adults and children, respectively, used car restraints regularly. The awareness of child safety laws and actual use of age-appropriate CCRs among respondents was negatively and weakly correlated (r=–0.121, P=0.310. Only respondent’s use of seat belt during driving (P=0.001 and having being cautioned for non-use of CCRs (P=0.005 maintained significance as determinants of the use of CCRs in cars on multivariate analysis. The most frequent reasons given for the non-use of CCRs included the child being uncomfortable, 64 (31%; restraints not being important, 53 (26%, and restraints being too expensive, 32 (15%. Similarly, for irregular users, exceptions for non-use included the child being asleep (29%, inadequate number of CCRs (22%, and the child being sick (18

Resection of deep-seated gliomas using neuroimaging for stereotactic placement of guidance catheters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsumoto, Kengo; Higashi, Hisato; Tomita, Susumu; Furuta, Tomohisa; Ohmoto, Takashi [Okayama Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

1995-03-01

A simple computed tomography- (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-guided stereotactic method for guided microsurgical resection of either deep-seated gliomas or tumors adjacent to an eloquent area is described. The technique employs the Brown-Roberts-Wells stereotactic system and twist drills, 2.7 mm in diameter, for the stereotactic placement of 2.4 mm diameter scaled guidance catheters through the calvaria. In a patient with a deep-seated small glioma, less than 2 cm diameter, one catheter was implanted into the center of the enhanced mass through the cerebral cortex. In the other 14 patients, three to six catheters were used which made the tumor border clearer. After implantation of the guidance catheters, the stereotactic frame was removed and a standard open craniotomy performed. Target localization is not affected by brain movement, which is inevitable during open surgery. The tumor involved the frontal lobe in eight patients, the parietal lobe in two, and the thalamus in five. In all cases the lesion was quickly localized and radical removal was acheived. Neurological complications occurred in only one patient who suffered transient hemiparesis after the resection of a lesion in the pyramidal tract. The results demonstrate that microsurgery combined with CT- or MR imaging-guided stereotactic placement of guidance catheters is a new option for surgery of deep-seated gliomas or tumors adjacent to an eloquent area. (author).

Neurotic Anxiety, Pronoun Usage, and Stress

Science.gov (United States)

Alban, Lewis Sigmund; Groman, William D.

1976-01-01

Attempts to clarify the function of a particular aspect of verbal communication, pronoun usage, by (a) using a Gestalt Therapy theory conceptual framework and (b) experimentally focusing on the relationship of pronoun usage to neurotic anxiety and emotional stress. (Author/RK)

Child Passenger Safety Technician Consultation in the Pediatric Primary Care Setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Burstein, Dina; Zonfrillo, Mark R; Baird, Janette; Mello, Michael J

2017-09-01

Correct use of a child safety seat (CSS) can reduce the risk of fatal motor vehicle crash-related injury by up to 71%; however, misuse rates for CSS are as high as 70%. We recruited 189 caregivers at 2 large suburban pediatric office practices; 94 in the intervention group and 95 in the control group. All participants completed a baseline survey and received a CSS safety brochure. Intervention participants had their CSS installation checked at enrollment by a certified child passenger safety (CPS) technician. Follow-up was conducted 4 months post enrollment. Intervention group participants had a 21.3% reduction in critical misuse at follow-up, whereas control participants critical misuse rate at follow-up was identical to the intervention group at baseline. A consult with a certified CPS technician, at the time of a routine visit to the pediatrician, resulted in a reduction in CSS misuse rates.

Environmental diagnosis of the soil usage and the water resources preservation of Juqueriquerê river’s watershed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Nunes Pinto Neto

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The management of the soil usage and the water resources protection has received more and more attention from society and environmental studies. In this perspective, geo-processing tools can help in the production of more representative diagnosis, reporting the reality of the study fields in a clearer way. This paper aims at performing a diagnosis of the soil usage as well as the state of preservation of the water resources of Juqueriquerê River’s watershed. To create the database and the final production of the maps, the following programs were used: Google Earth Plus, Global Mapper 13 e ArcGis 9.3. The analysis of the data allowed the contrast between the degradation areas which extend from the central area of the basin to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, such as many pasture areas and degraded riparian, which compromises the quality of the water resources.  Safety policies, respect of the soil usage and the proper application of environmental management plans are essential to achieve the correct use of the natural resources.

Comparison of the effectiveness of hands-on versus online education in child passenger safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Mantha, Anita; Beckworth, Kristen L; Ansiaux, John A; Chen, Carol C; Hoffman, Benjamin; Shenoi, Rohit P

2017-08-28

Community paediatricians' knowledge of appropriate child safety seat (CSS) use in vehicles may be inadequate. We compared the effectiveness of hands-on and online education in improving and retaining child passenger safety (CPS) knowledge and skills among paediatric trainees. Paediatric trainees were randomised to receive hands-on skills training versus a 1-hour online module in CPS. CSS knowledge and installation skills were assessed using a validated 10-item/point questionnaire and an assessment tool respectively at baseline and after 6 months. Preintervention and postintervention knowledge improvement and CSS installation skills between groups were assessed using paired t-tests and effect size ( d ). Forty-eight students agreed to participate and were randomised. Thirty-nine completed training (hands-on: 23 and online: 15). At entry, no significant differences in learners' demographics and prior CPS education existed. Baseline CPS knowledge scores did not differ significantly between groups (p=0.26). Postintervention, both groups demonstrated a significant increase in knowledge scores (hands-on=3.1 (95% CI 2.4 to 3.7), ponline=2.6 (95% CI 1.9 to 3.3), ponline=1.1 (95% CI 0.7 to 1.6), ponline group (ponline group (forward-facing seat: 0.9 (95% CI -0.08 to 1.9), p=0.07); rear-facing seat: -0.2 (95% CI -1.1 to 0.7), p=0.6). Among paediatric trainees, hands-on and online CPS education are both effective in improving long-term CPS knowledge. Long-term installation skills for forward-facing and rear-facing CSS persist for hands-on education but are inconclusive for online education. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Analysis of Ejection Seat Stability Using Easy Program. Volume I.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-09-01

BODY AXiS FURCE COMPONENT. L ACTING ON THE AiRPLANc FROM THE CATAPULT (Ld) C ILA1(3) - PORT ONE X,Y,L AIRPLANE BODY AXIS TORQUE COMPONENTS C ACrINu...THE AIRPLANE (FT) C EAPI3) - EARTH TO AIRPLANc . EULER ANGLES (DEG) C SKPt3) - XtYZ EARTh POSITIGN VECTOR OF THE SEAT REFERENCE L POINT (FT) f- LST(3

Video personalization for usage environment

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Belle L.; Lin, Ching-Yung; Smith, John R.

2002-07-01

A video personalization and summarization system is designed and implemented incorporating usage environment to dynamically generate a personalized video summary. The personalization system adopts the three-tier server-middleware-client architecture in order to select, adapt, and deliver rich media content to the user. The server stores the content sources along with their corresponding MPEG-7 metadata descriptions. Our semantic metadata is provided through the use of the VideoAnnEx MPEG-7 Video Annotation Tool. When the user initiates a request for content, the client communicates the MPEG-21 usage environment description along with the user query to the middleware. The middleware is powered by the personalization engine and the content adaptation engine. Our personalization engine includes the VideoSue Summarization on Usage Environment engine that selects the optimal set of desired contents according to user preferences. Afterwards, the adaptation engine performs the required transformations and compositions of the selected contents for the specific usage environment using our VideoEd Editing and Composition Tool. Finally, two personalization and summarization systems are demonstrated for the IBM Websphere Portal Server and for the pervasive PDA devices.

French grammar and usage

CERN Document Server

Hawkins, Roger

2015-01-01

Long trusted as the most comprehensive, up-to-date and user-friendly grammar available, French Grammar and Usage is a complete guide to French as it is written and spoken today. It includes clear descriptions of all the main grammatical phenomena of French, and their use, illustrated by numerous examples taken from contemporary French, and distinguishes the most common forms of usage, both formal and informal.Key features include:Comprehensive content, covering all the major structures of contemporary French User-friendly organisation offering easy-to-find sections with cross-referencing and i

Factors Influencing Facebook Usage and Facebook Addictive Tendency in University Students: The Role of Online Psychological Privacy and Facebook Usage Motivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Fu-Yuan; Chiu, Su-Lin

2016-04-01

There are few studies analysing the influence of personal traits and motivation factors on Facebook usage and Facebook addictive tendency as seen in university students. In this study, 225 Taiwanese university students completed a questionnaire to determine their online psychological privacy scale, Facebook usage motivation scale, Facebook usage scale and Facebook addictive tendency scale, in order to evaluate the items that can be conceptualized as the effect of university students' online psychological privacy personal trait and motive factors, and Facebook usage motivation with respect to Facebook usage and Facebook addictive tendency. The study found that a desire for more online psychological privacy correlates with a stronger motivation to use Facebook and more Facebook usage behaviour among university students who may become high-risk groups for Facebook addictive tendency. The study found that a desire for or an acceptance of a lower online psychological privacy correlates with a stronger motivation to use Facebook among university students who may have more Facebook usage behaviour. This study can help understand university students' Facebook usage and Facebook addictive tendency and provide feature indicators for those who may become high-risk groups for Facebook addictive tendency. Finally, this study conducts discussion and proposes relevant suggestions for future study. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hemodynamic responses to seated and supine lower body negative pressure - Comparison with +Gz acceleration

Science.gov (United States)

Polese, Alvese; Sandler, Harold; Montgomery, Leslie D.

1992-01-01

The hemodynamic responses to LBNP in seated subjects and in subjects in supine body positions were compared and were correlated with hemodynamic changes which occurred during a simulated (by centrifugation) Shuttle reentry acceleration with a slow onset rate of 0.002 G/s and during gradual onset exposures to +3 Gz and +4 Gz. Results demonstrate that seated LBNP at a level of -40 mm Hg can serve as a static simulator for changes in the heart rate and in mean blood pressure induced by gradual onset acceleration stress occurring during Shuttle reentry. The findings also provide a rationale for using LBNP during weightlessness as a means of imposing G-loading on the circulation prior to reentry.

41 CFR 301-10.124 - What are coach-class Seating Upgrade Programs?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... traveler's personal choice and therefore is at the traveler's personal expense. An agency travel... Travel Regulation System TEMPORARY DUTY (TDY) TRAVEL ALLOWANCES ALLOWABLE TRAVEL EXPENSES 10... reimburse the additional seat choice fee, according to internal agency policy. [FTR Amdt. 2009-06, 74 FR...

New devices for measuring forces on the kayak foot bar and on the seat during flat-water kayak paddling: a technical report.

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsson, Johnny E; Rosdahl, Hans G

2014-03-01

The purpose was to develop and validate portable force-measurement devices for recording push and pull forces applied by each foot to the foot bar of a kayak and the horizontal force at the seat. A foot plate on a single-point force transducer mounted on the kayak foot bar underneath each foot allowed the push and pull forces to be recorded. Two metal frames interconnected with 4 linear ball bearings, and a force transducer allowed recording of horizontal seat force. The foot-bar-force device was calibrated by loading each foot plate with weights in the push-pull direction perpendicular to the foot plate surface, while the seat-force device was calibrated to horizontal forces with and without weights on the seat. A strong linearity (r2 = .99-1.0) was found between transducer output signal and load force in the push and pull directions for both foot-bar transducers perpendicular to the foot plate and the seat-force-measuring device. Reliability of both devices was tested by means of a test-retest design. The coefficient of variation (CV) for foot-bar push and pull forces ranged from 0.1% to 1.1%, and the CV for the seat forces varied from 0.6% to 2.2%. The current study opens up a field for new investigations of the forces generated in the kayak and ways to optimize kayak-paddling performance.

MESUR metrics from scholarly usage of resources

CERN Document Server

CERN. Geneva; Van de Sompel, Herbert

2007-01-01

Usage data is increasingly regarded as a valuable resource in the assessment of scholarly communication items. However, the development of quantitative, usage-based indicators of scholarly impact is still in its infancy. The Digital Library Research & Prototyping Team at the Los Alamos National Laboratory's Research library has therefore started a program to expand the set of usage-based tools for the assessment of scholarly communication items. The two-year MESUR project, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, aims to define and validate a range of usage-based impact metrics, and issue guidelines with regards to their characteristics and proper application. The MESUR project is constructing a large-scale semantic model of the scholarly community that seamlessly integrates a wide range of bibliographic, citation and usage data. Functioning as a reference data set, this model is analyzed to characterize the intricate networks of typed relationships that exist in the scholarly community. The resulting c...

The risk of whiplash-induced medical impairment in rear-end impacts for males and females in driver seat compared to front passenger seat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bertil Jonsson

2013-07-01

Females had a relative risk of medical impairment of 3.1 compared to men after adjustment for the average increased risk in the driver position. The driver position had a doubled relative risk compared to the front passenger position. As a conclusion it may be of value to take risk differences between male and female occupants and between driver and front passenger positions into account in future automotive car and seat construction.

Development of a shear force measurement dummy for seat comfort.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seong Guk Kim

Full Text Available Seat comfort is one of the main factors that consumers consider when purchasing a car. In this study, we develop a dummy with a shear-force sensor to evaluate seat comfort. The sensor has dimensions of 25 mm × 25 mm × 26 mm and is made of S45C. Electroless nickel plating is employed to coat its surface in order to prevent corrosion and oxidation. The proposed sensor is validated using a qualified load cell and shows high accuracy and precision (measurement range: -30-30 N; sensitivity: 0.1 N; linear relationship: R = 0.999; transverse sensitivity: <1%. The dummy is manufactured in compliance with the SAE standards (SAE J826 and incorporates shear sensors into its design. We measure the shear force under four driving conditions and at five different speeds using a sedan; results showed that the shear force increases with speed under all driving conditions. In the case of acceleration and deceleration, shear force significantly changes in the lower body of the dummy. During right and left turns, it significantly changes in the upper body of the dummy.

Describing Speech Usage in Daily Activities in Typical Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Laine; Baylor, Carolyn R; Eadie, Tanya L; Yorkston, Kathryn M

2016-01-01

"Speech usage" refers to what people want or need to do with their speech to meet communication demands in life roles. The purpose of this study was to contribute to validation of the Levels of Speech Usage scale by providing descriptive data from a sample of adults without communication disorders, comparing this scale to a published Occupational Voice Demands scale and examining predictors of speech usage levels. This is a survey design. Adults aged ≥25 years without reported communication disorders were recruited nationally to complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire included the Levels of Speech Usage scale, questions about relevant occupational and nonoccupational activities (eg, socializing, hobbies, childcare, and so forth), and demographic information. Participants were also categorized according to Koufman and Isaacson occupational voice demands scale. A total of 276 participants completed the questionnaires. People who worked for pay tended to report higher levels of speech usage than those who do not work for pay. Regression analyses showed employment to be the major contributor to speech usage; however, considerable variance left unaccounted for suggests that determinants of speech usage and the relationship between speech usage, employment, and other life activities are not yet fully defined. The Levels of Speech Usage may be a viable instrument to systematically rate speech usage because it captures both occupational and nonoccupational speech demands. These data from a sample of typical adults may provide a reference to help in interpreting the impact of communication disorders on speech usage patterns. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Probabilistic safety goals. Phase 2 - Status report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmberg, J.-E.; Bjoerkman, K.; Rossi, J.; Knochenhauer, M.; Xuhong He; Persson, A.; Gustavsson, H.

2008-07-01

The second phase of the project, the outcome of which is described in this project report has mainly dealt with four issues: 1) Consistency in the usage of safety goals 2) Criteria for assessment of results from PSA level 2 3) Overview of international safety goals and experiences from their use 4) Safety goals related to other man-made risks in society. Consistency in judgement over time has been perceived to be one of the main problems in the usage of safety goals. Safety goals defined in the 80ies were met in the beginning with PSA:s performed to the standards of that time, i.e., by PSA:s that were quite limited in scope and level of detail compared to today's state of the art. This issue was investigated by performing a comparative review was performed of three generations of the same PSA, focusing on the impact from changes over time in component failure data, IE frequency, and modelling of the plant, including plant changes and changes in success criteria. It proved to be very time-consuming and in some cases next to impossible to correctly identify the basic causes for changes in PSA results. A multitude of different sub-causes turned out to combined and difficult to differentiate. Thus, rigorous book-keeping is needed in order to keep track of how and why PSA results change. This is especially important in order to differentiate 'real' differences due to plant changes and updated component and IE data from differences that are due to general PSA development (scope, level of detail, modelling issues). (au)

Probabilistic safety goals. Phase 2 - Status report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holmberg, J.-E.; Bjoerkman, K. Rossi, J. (VTT (Finland)); Knochenhauer, M.; Xuhong He; Persson, A.; Gustavsson, H. (Relcon Scandpower AB, Sundbyberg (Sweden))