The demands of vertical ladder ergometer climbing relating to the wind energy industry.

The current medical fitness standard guidelines issued by Renewable UK for wind turbine technicians were adopted from the UK Fire and Rescue service. However, on the face of it, the two industries have different demands. This thesis aimed to ascertain the day-to-day nature of the role of a wind turbine technician - specifically, it aimed to understand the effect of external loads on vertical ladder ergometer climbing, the effect of a climb assist device and the effect of space restriction on ladder climbing. A further aim was to understand the difference between climbing a pitched and vertical ladder ergometer. Using an online survey, it was found that 50% of respondents climbed wind turbines on four, five or six days per week. The median turbine height climbed was 36 m whilst carrying external loads up to 15 kg. Finally, of the specific wind turbines involved, only 25% contained climb assist devices. This thesis ascertained that vertical ladder ergometer climbing was significantly (p 0.05) change in the horizontal space required for climbing when a space constraint was applied to participants (0.88 m, 1.03 m or 1.23 m). This thesis found that, depending on the speed and/or the presence of an external load, the intensity of vertical ladder ergometer climbing exceeds that of the medical fitness guidelines. This thesis therefore proposes that future work should re-examine the medical fitness standard - the research also highlights that more studies are needed in order to create an evidence base from which to design a bespoke industry fitness standard

Pluralism after scarcity: the benefits of digital technologies

In this latest post in our series on the role of digital intermediaries and media plurality, Peter Barron, Google’s head of communications for Europe, Middle East and Africa, and his colleague Simon Morrison, Public Policy Manager, argue that the Internet and digital technologies have only increased media pluralism

Towards a rational cervical cytology screening strategy - Case study of a peri-urban settlement

Objectives. To assess cervical cytology screening activity in a peri-urban settlement near Cape Town, with a view to informing rational policy development.Method. Total and age-specific prevalence rates of women who had been screened, relative prevalence by age group of women who had not been screened, and yield of screening were estimated from cytopathology laboratory records and available demographic data. Age-specific prevalence rates among women who had been screened were compared with age at presentation with cervical cancer at the referral hospital. Attendance for colposcopy follow-up was assessed from colposcopy clinic records.Results. The number of smears taken and the prevalence of women who had been screened peaked in the 20 - 24-year age group, and declined to low levels in those over the age of 40 years. The relative prevalence of those who had not had a smear exceeded 9 in all age groups over 39 years, compared with women of 20 - 24 years. Smears which showed signs of CIN Ill, malignancy or possible malignancy comprised 0,13%. Thirty-six per cent of women booked for colposcopy did not attend.Conclusions. Efficiency of screening could be improved by emphasising coverage of higher-risk age groups, e.g. women over the age of 30 years, and better follow-up

Digital vs paper-based checklists in high performance single pilot aircraft : a mixed methods investigation : a 190.895 (60 credit) research report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Aviation at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The aircraft checklist has been described as the most critical man-machine interface in aviation. Checklists can significantly enhance flight safety when designed well and used properly. The ‘look’ and content of a checklist affects how well pilots interact with it. Emergency checklists in particular, are only accessed during emergency situations, a time of heightened stress and cognitive degradation for the pilot. It is crucial therefore, that emergency checklists are developed with precision and skill to facilitate ease of use during times of stress. A poorly designed checklist can hinder rectification of an emergency situation and can adversely affect flight safety. The aim of this study was to determine whether flying performance is improved, and pilot workload is lower, when using a digital checklist application created specifically for the T-6C Texan II compared with the existing paper-based Quick Reference Handbook (QRH). For this study, twenty pilots from the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) underwent two emergency scenarios in a flight simulator using either the QRH or the digital checklist application. The independent variable was checklist type (paper or digital). Dependent variables were: i) time to find the checklist; ii) time to complete the checklist; iii) flight path accuracy; and iv) workload. Additionally, a qualitative investigation into error occurrences during checklist execution was undertaken. The results suggested that workload is lower when using the digital checklist application compared to the QRH, but there were mixed results regarding the improvement in flying performance with the digital checklist application. The time to find the checklist was quicker with the digital application, but checklist completion times and flight path accuracy were similar across both checklist types. The qualitative investigation noted that the digital checklist reduced errors and was easier to manipulate. The collection of qualitative data enabled the generation of a hypothesis that frequency and type of error occurrences are affected by checklist type. Despite the interface improvements of the digital checklist over the QRH, this research suggests that an enhanced checklist interface is secondary to checklist location or checklist content, and that the greatest gains in safety will likely be achieved by addressing these two factors over checklist interface. This research provides support for an iPad mount in front of the pilot in the T-6C. Additionally, this research provides further evidence that the T-6C checklist content is poorly written and can negatively impact flight safety and may assist in arguing for a content re-write. From a wider perspective, most RNZAF pilots fly with a kneeboard and this research may be relevant for other aircraft types operated by the RNZAF, noting also that other aircraft types are flown by two pilots which may negate some of the findings in this research. Further research should standardise the placement of the checklist to fully determine the relationship between flying performance and checklist type. Additionally, future research could also make use of eye tracking equipment to measure attention switching and could investigate the hypothesis generated from the qualitative data

Mechano-Biological Interactions of Endothelial Cells

Atherosclerosis is an ever-increasing cause of morbidity in the western world. Current surgical treatments include bypass grafts and coronary artery stents. However, there is still a need for alternative approaches especially for those who cannot receive conventional therapy. Tissue engineering is one such approach that may hold the key to the repair and regeneration. Tissue engineering is one such approach that may hold the key to the repair and regeneration of coronary arteries. Nevertheless, many questions need to be answered before a vialbe vascular tissie with the inherent properties of native tissue becomes a real contender with the surgical therapies in use today

Far fewer missed opportunities for inununisation in an integrated child health service

The mobile nature of the population of Khayelitsha makes it imperative that opportunities for immunisation of children are exploited at every visit to health services. Previous studies have demonstrated a high incidence of missed opportunities for immunisation at curative health services. The occurrence of undetected opportunities for immunisation are compared at two prim.ary care institutions: one in which curative and preventive services are provided separately, and one in which these functions are integrated. Far fewer opportunities for immunisation were missed at the integrated service, underscoring the urgency of integrating child health services throughout the country