Vapor swellable colloidal photonic crystals with pressure tunability

Polyferrocenylsilane gel photonic crystals have been reversibly swollen using solvent vapors, and exhibit precise pressure tunability over a wavelength range of greater than 100 nmGeneralitat Valenciana CTDIA/2002/2

Rémunération, postes de travail et accidents: Une relation interactive

La principale conclusion de cet article est qu'il existe un lien significatif entre le mode de rémunération et le risque d'accidents qui est interactif avec le poste de travail, la remuneration au rendement s'accompagnant d'un risque réduit chez les ébénistes et menuisiers et accru chez les manœuvres. De plus, chez ces derniers, le risque d'accidents est significativement plus élevé pour certains sièges spécifiques de lésion: la colonne lombaire, les poignets et les doigts.The accident rates of piecework and salaried workers from the furniture industry were compared in five job categories. A significant difference in relative risk was found between jobs: labourers 36.3%, upholsterers 17.2%, polishers 10.0%, cabinet-makers and carpenters 8.5% and sawyers 7.4% (chi-square = 288.2, p < 10"^). There was no significant difference between piecework and salaried workers on the average risk: 19.5% and 13.9% respectively (chi-square = .26, p < .65). However, when wage modes were compared within each job category, a significant increase in relative risk was found for the piecework labourers (31 observed, 16 expected; chi-square 21.4, p < IO"'*). By contrast, a significant decrease in relative risk was found for the piecework cabinet-makers and carpenters (9 observed, 21 expected; chi-square 7.3, p < .05). The relative risk was not significantly different between wage modes for the other three job categories. When injury sites were compared, piecework labourers were also found to have an excess of accidents involving lower-back injury (5 observed, 1 expected; chisquare 20.5, p. < 10~4); the wrist (7 observed, 1 expected; chi-square 29.5, p < 10_<*); and the fingers (11 observed, 4 expected; chi-square 14.6, p < 10"^). We conclude that the relationship between wage modes and accident rates interacts with job categories producing (depending on the job) a significant increase or decrease in the relative risk. These results are discussed in terms of the intrinsic market of the incentive. For the labourers they are strictly quantitative and incorporating; in the job content of the cabinet-makers and carpenters, they involve quality controls on the finished product. We, therefore, define the labourers as structural concentrators of risks both through their average relative risks and the negative impact of piecework in their case. We believe that more attention should be paid to the analysis of accident rates by making internal-job comparisons. We also suggest that a careful analysis of the structural concentrators of risks in the division of labour should be approached by task redesign which would tend to eliminate incentives solely based on the quantity of production

L’absentéisme hospitalier au Québec : aspects culturels et socio-démographiques

Cet article porte sur certains aspects de l'absentéisme en milieu hospitalier au Québec. L'intérêt principal ici réside dans la remise en question de certaines pratiques analytiques.Research on sociodemographical and cultural determinants of work absenteeism has been plagued with empirically inconsistent results. It has been suggested that the failure to analyze the data beyond a simple linear bivariate approach, as well as insufficient levels of aggregation (eg: individual without organizational units) is possibly responsible for the inconsistencies.This study was designed to demonstrate these deficiencies. Although the study is limited in scope, an attempt has been made to compare and contrast the different results that could be obtained when a linear, as opposed to interactive, approach is used. And further, it raises many questions concerning the adequacy of published research which attributes absenteeism to sociodemographical characteristics without delving into the real complexity of this phenomenon.Four hundred seven (407) subjects employed in six Québec hospitals, representing a wide variety of occupations, participated in this study. Personal and sociodemographical characteristics were obtained from questionnaires administered in the course of another research project carried out by the authors.The results show a significant difference in absenteeism depending on the level and type of the analysis performed. For example, it is found that the mean absence rate for the ' 'Francophone hospitals" was significantly higher than that of the "Anglophone hospitals". Cultural reasons are advanced to explain these differences.At the individual level of analysis, several findings emerge. First, it is shown that sex is an important determinant of absence behavior. Such finding is consistent with other published results, which point out that women have significantly higher rates of absence than men. Yet, when further analysis is undertaken, the concomitant effects of other related sociodemographic variables are more clearly revealed. For example, married women are absent more often than single women while the opposite tendency is found for men. The combined effect of sex and marital status may point to an explanation of absenteeism in terms of "family social responsibility". This explanation differs from that which might be advanced based on the simple analysis of each of these variables treated independently. Further, bivariate analysis of absence by the level of education, shows an inverse relationship between these two variables. However, when the same analysis is repeated, adjusting for sex, it is found that women have systematically higher rates of absence in each category of education. Other relationships found for income, age and absenteeism are also discussed in the text.The implications of the results are discussed in terms of a research strategy for the conduct of a sociodemographical and cultural study of absenteeism

Effect of pelvic stabilization and hip position on trunk extensor activity during back extension exercises on a roman chair

Objective: To assess the effect of pelvic stabilization and hip position on the electromyographic activity of trunk extensors during Roman chair exercise. A secondary objective was to compare genders. Design: Repeated measures. Subjects: Eleven men and 11 women volunteers. Methods: Five trunk flexion-extension cycles for 3 Roman chair conditions: (i) pelvis unrestrained; (ii) pelvis restrained; and (iii) hip at 40° flexion. Electromyographic signals were recorded on the back muscles, as well as on the gluteus maximus and biceps femoris. The percentage of electro¬myographic amplitude relative to the maximal activity was used to assess the level of muscular activation of each muscle group across the exercises. Results: For both genders, the Roman chair conditions did not influence the activity of the back and gluteus muscles. The hip-at-40°-flexion condition significantly reduced the activity of the biceps femoris (average of 4–18%) relative to the other 2 conditions. Gender differences were observed on the activity of the biceps femoris in all Roman chair conditions. Conclusion: The hip-at-40°-flexion condition would allow the Roman chair exercise to train the targeted back muscles more specifically by overloading them over a longer duration in order to induce physiological changes

The Relationship between Multiple Health Behaviours and Brachial Artery Reactivity

Background. The effects of smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle on endothelial function (EF) have only been examined separately. The relative contributions of these behaviours on EF have therefore not been compared. Purpose. To compare the relative associations between these four risk factors and brachial artery reactivity in the same sample. Methods. 328 patients referred for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) exercise stress tests completed a nuclear-medicine-based forearm hyperaemic reactivity test. Self-reported exercise behaviour, smoking habits, and alcohol consumption were collected and waist circumference was measured. Results. Adjusting for relevant covariates, logistic regression analyses revealed that waist circumference, abstinence from alcohol, and past smoking significantly predicted poor brachial artery reactivity while physical activity did not. Only waist circumference predicted continuous variations in EF. Conclusions. Central adiposity, alcohol consumption, and smoking habits but not physical activity are each independent predictors of poor brachial artery reactivity in patients with or at high risk for cardiovascular disease

Correlates of coronary artery calcification prevalence and severity in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia

Background Determinants of coronary artery calcification (CAC) prevalence and severity in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) remain understudied. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate correlates of CAC in patients with HeFH. Methods A CAC score was calculated by a noncontrast computed tomography scan in women (n = 68) and men (n = 78) with genetically defined HeFH. We classified CAC prevalence and severity using 3 categories: CAC score = 0 Agatston Unit (AU), CAC score = 1-100 AU, and CAC score > 100 AU. Information on potential correlates of CAC including familial and personal health history, cardiovascular risk factors, lipid-lowering medication, and lifestyle habits was collected. Results A total of 95 patients had prevalent CAC. Independent correlates of CAC prevalence and severity included age (odds ratio [OR] per 10 years: 5.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.19, 7.93, P < 0.0001), family history of premature cardiovascular disease (OR: 3.88, 95% CI: 1.71, 8.81, P = 0.001), male sex (OR: 3.40, 95% CI: 1.49, 7.78, P = 0.004), statin use (OR: 15.5, 95% CI: 1.89, 126, P = 0.01), diet quality assessed with the Alternative Healthy Eating Index score (OR per 1 standard deviation: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.39, 0.90, P = 0.01), ever smoking (OR: 3.06, 95% CI: 1.20, 7.81, P = 0.02), receptor-negative genotype (OR: 3.17, 95% CI: 1.16, 8.66, P = 0.02), lipoprotein(a) year-score (OR per 1 standard deviation of log-transformed year-score: 1.53, 95% CI: 0.99, 2.36, P = 0.05). Conclusions In individuals with HeFH, age, family history of premature cardiovascular disease, sex, statin use, diet quality, smoking status, the LDLR genotype, and lipoprotein(a) concentrations were independently associated with CAC prevalence and severity.Contexte Les déterminants de la prévalence et de la sévérité de la calcification des artères coronaires (CAC) dans l'hypercholestérolémie familiale hétérozygote (HFHe) demeurent peu étudiés. L’objectif de cette étude transversale était d'identifier les corrélats de la CAC chez des patients atteints d’HFHe. Méthodologie Un score calcique coronarien (SCC) a été calculé par un examen de tomodensitométrie sans contraste chez des femmes (n = 68) et des hommes (n = 78) avec HFHe génétiquement définie. Nous avons classé la prévalence et la gravité de la CAC en trois catégories : SCC = 0 unité d’Agatston (UA), SCC = 1 à 100 UA et SCC > 100 UA. Des renseignements ont été recueillis sur des corrélats potentiels de la CAC, dont les antécédents médicaux familiaux et personnels, les facteurs de risque cardiovasculaire, les médicaments hypolipidémiants et les habitudes de vie. Résultats Au total, 95 patients présentaient une CAC. Les corrélats indépendants de la prévalence et de la gravité de la CAC comprenaient l’âge (rapport de cotes [RC] par tranche de 10 ans : 5,06; intervalle de confiance [IC] à 95 % : 3,19 à 7,93; p < 0,0001), des antécédents familiaux de maladie cardiovasculaire précoce (RC : 3,88; IC à 95 % : 1,71 à 8,81; p = 0,001), le sexe masculin (RC : 3,40; IC à 95 % : 1,49 à 7,78; p = 0,004), l’emploi de statines (RC : 15,5; IC à 95 % : 1,89 à 126; p = 0,01), la qualité du régime alimentaire évaluée selon le score AHEI (Alternative Healthy Eating Index) (RC par écart-type : 0,59; IC à 95 % : 0,39 à 0,90; p = 0,01), le tabagisme (RC : 3,06; IC à 95 % : 1,20 à 7,81; p = 0,02), le génotype récepteur-négatif (RC : 3,17; IC à 95 % : 1,16 à 8,66; p = 0,02) et le score lipoprotéine(a)-année (RC par écart-type du score-année transformé en logarithme : 1,53; IC à 95 % : 0,99 à 2,36; p = 0,05). Conclusions Chez les personnes atteintes d’HFHe, l’âge, les antécédents familiaux de maladie cardiovasculaire précoce, le sexe, l’emploi de statines, la qualité du régime alimentaire, le statut de tabagisme, le génotype du LDLR et les concentrations de lipoprotéine(a) ont été associés de façon indépendante à la prévalence et à la gravité de la CAC