Electronic Library Collections and Users with Visual Impairments: Challenges, Developments, and the State of Collections Policies in Academic and Public Libraries

Academic and public library collections are developed based on the needs of the communities that surround them. Technology has increased the way users access information, and the way libraries offer information to their users. However, the accessibility of electronic resources for users with print disabilities remains an issue that has yet to have an equitable remedy. This paper identifies the challenges of visually impaired users, the developments in law, the current state of accessibility in academic and public library collections policies, and the current formats and products that are leading the way

Evaluating a fatigue management training program for coach drivers

[Abstract]: A nonprescriptive fatigue management training program was developed that aimed at identifying specific factors contributing to coach driver fatigue and assisting coach drivers to develop more effective coping strategies to manage difficult or stressful work situations. The training program incorporated a strategy of presenting realistic, job related situations and multiple responses to drivers and asking them to indicate the effectiveness of each response in dealing with that situation. The advantage of using this methodology was that drivers were presented with stimulus material that was directly related to their work tasks, that is, had a high level of psychological fidelity. The evaluation of the training indicated that drivers who perceived the situational exercises as most realistic reported better training outcomes. Overall, the drivers reported positive reactions to the training, high levels of posttraining self efficacy, and strong level of transfer intentions

Predicting job satisfaction and depression at work: how important are work-related factors?

This study compared the degree to which work characteristics added to the prediction of two outcomes (job satisfaction and depression) in a sample of employed Australians after controlling for measures of personality and affectivity (both positive and negative). The main purpose was to examine the unique contribution of various work characteristics to the prediction of job satisfaction and depression. A total of 280 employed participants completed the online survey that assessed the four work characteristics (demands, control, supervisor support and co-worker support), personality (Extraversion and Neuroticism),both positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA), job satisfaction and depressive symptoms. Several hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. The results of the analyses predicting job satisfaction showed that the four work characteristics explained a small but significant proportion of job satisfaction ( R2 = .04, p > .001) after controlling for PA and NA at step 1 (R2 = .60, p > .001) and personality variables at step 2 ( R2 = .00, ns). Control and co-worker support were significant unique predictors of job satisfaction. The results of the analyses predicting depression showed that the four work characteristics explained a nonsignificant proportion of depression ( R2 = .01, ns) after controlling for PA and NA at step 1 (R2 = .29, p > .001) and personality variables at step 2 ( R2 = .21, p > .001). These results are important in that levels of job satisfaction are mainly explained by affect (PA and NA) with a weak contribution from level of job control and co-worker support but no unique contribution from personality variables. When predicting the presence of depressive symptoms, the personality variables contributed additional variance after controlling for PA and NA but there were no unique contributions from the work characteristics. This study compared the degree to which work characteristics added to the prediction of two outcomes(job satisfaction and depression) in a sample of employed Australians after controlling for measures of personality and affectivity (both positive and negative). The main purpose was to examine the unique contribution of various work characteristics to the prediction of job satisfaction and depression. A total of 280 employed participants completed the online survey that assessed the four work characteristics (demands, control, supervisor support and co-worker support), personality (Extraversion and Neuroticism), both positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA), job satisfaction and depressive symptoms. Several hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. The results of the analyses predicting job satisfaction showed that the four work characteristics explained a small but significant proportion of job satisfaction ( R2 = .04, p > .001) after controlling for PA and NA at step 1 (R2 = .60, p > .001) and personality variables at step 2 ( R2 = .00, ns). Control and co-worker support were significant unique predictors of job satisfaction. The results of the analyses predicting depression showed that the four work characteristics explained a nonsignificant proportion of depression ( R2 = .01, ns) after controlling for PA and NA at step 1 (R2 = .29, p > .001) and personality variables at step 2 ( R2 = .21, p > .001). These results are important in that levels of job satisfaction are mainly explained by affect (PA and NA) with a weak contribution from level of job control and co-worker support but no unique contribution from personality variables. When predicting the presence of depressive symptoms, the personality variables contributed additional variance after controlling for PA and NA but there were no unique contributions from the work characteristics. The focus of work-related interventions designed to improve satisfaction or alleviate depression should give priority to the determinants of PA and NA which have been found to include several workplace characteristics (work demands, control, supervisor support and co-worker support), personality traits, and personal resources such as mastery and efficacy beliefs, a sense of autonomy, positive relatedness with others, and self acceptanc

Fully articulated four-point-bend loading fixture

A fully articulated four-point bend loading fixture for Modulus of Rupture (MOR) and fracture toughness specimens utilizes an upper loading plate in combination with a lower loading plate. The lower plate has a pair of spring loaded ball bearings which seat in V-shaped grooves located in the upper plate. The ball bearings are carried in the arms of the lower plate. A load is applied to the specimen through steel rollers, one large roller and one smaller roller each located on both the upper and lower plates. The large rollers have needle roller bearings which enable a single loading roller to rotate relative to the plate to which it is attached

Regular Polyhedra of Index Two, II

A polyhedron in Euclidean 3-space is called a regular polyhedron of index 2 if it is combinatorially regular and its geometric symmetry group has index 2 in its combinatorial automorphism group; thus its automorphism group is flag-transitive but its symmetry group has two flag orbits. The present paper completes the classification of finite regular polyhedra of index 2 in 3-space. In particular, this paper enumerates the regular polyhedra of index 2 with vertices on one orbit under the symmetry group. There are ten such polyhedra.Comment: 33 pages; 5 figures; to appear in "Contributions to Algebra and Geometry

Positioning system of the ANTARES Neutrino Telescope

Completed in May 2008, the ANTARES neutrino telescope is located 40 km off the coast of Toulon, at a depth of about 2500 m. The telescope consists of 12 detect or lines housing a total of 884 optical modules. Each line is anchored to the seabed and pulled taught by the buoyancy of the individual optical modules and a top buoy. Due to the fluid nature of the sea-water detecting medium and the flexible nature of the detector lines, the optical modules of the ANTARES telescope can suffer from deviations of up to several meters from the vertical and as such, real time positioning is needed. Real time positioning of the ANTARES telescope is achieved by a combination of an acoustic positioning system and a lattice of tiltmeters and compasses. These independent and complementary systems are used to compute a global fit to each individual detector line, allowing us to construct a 3 dimensional picture of the ANTARES neutrino telescope with an accuracy of less than 10 cm. In this paper we describe the positioning system of the ANTARES neutrino telescope and discuss its performance during the first year of 12 line data taking.Comment: Proceedings of 31st ICRC conference, Lodz 2009, 4 pages, 3 picture

Credit Rationing in the U.S. Mortgage Market: Evidence from Variation in FHA Market Shares

This paper examines the nature of mortgage credit rationing across geographic markets and time. Particular attention is paid to the response of conventional mortgage supply to higher risk conditions associated with regional recessions. We develop a series of four indirect tests based on the spatial variation of the FHA share of mortgages, both endorsements and applications, as well as FHA and conventional rejection rates. Results of these four tests indicate that conventional mortgage underwriting criteria do not become more flexible and may even become more demanding when local economic conditions deteriorate. This result indicates the use of non-price credit rationing in the mortgage market and suggests a special role for FHA-insured mortgages as a mechanism for maintaining mortgage credit supply in declining housing markets

Xanthogranulomatous endometritis

Xanthogranulomatous inflammatory changes of the endometrium are rare and appear to be related to obstructive changes in the endocervical canal. An elderly patient with an advanced squamous carcinoma of the cervix uteri presented with this condition. Other similar cases are discussed in relation to aetiology and pathogenesis.peer-reviewe

Phyllobates terribilis

Number of Pages: 5Integrative BiologyGeological Science