Fast shower simulation in the ATLAS calorimeter

The time to simulate pp collisions in the ATLAS detector is largely dominated by the showering of electromagnetic particles in the heavy parts of the detector, especially the electromagnetic barrel and endcap calorimeters. Two procedures have been developed to accelerate the processing time of electromagnetic particles in these regions: (1) a fast shower parameterisation and (2) a frozen shower library. Both work by generating the response of the calorimeter to electrons and positrons with Geant 4, and then reintroduce the response into the simulation at runtime. In the fast shower parameterisation technique, a parameterisation is tuned to single electrons and used later by simulation. In the frozen shower technique, actual showers from low-energy particles are used in the simulation. Full Geant 4 simulation is used to develop showers down to ~1 GeV, at which point the shower is terminated by substituting a frozen shower. Judicious use of both techniques over the entire electromagnetic portion of the ATLAS calorimeter produces an important improvement of CPU time. We discuss the algorithms and their performance in this paper

Occupational health and safety in the industry 4.0 era: A cause for major concern?

Real-time communication, Big Data, human–machine cooperation, remote sensing, monitoring and process control, autonomous equipment and interconnectivity are becoming major assets in modern industry. As the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0 becomes the predominant reality, it will bring new paradigm shifts, which will have an impact on the management of occupational health and safety (OHS). In the midst of this new and accelerating industrial trend, are we giving due consideration to changes in OHS imperatives? Are the OHS consequences of Industry 4.0 being evaluated properly? Do we stand to lose any of the gains made through proactive approaches? Are there rational grounds for major concerns? In this article, we examine these questions in order to raise consciousness with regard to the integration of OHS into Industry4.0. It is clear that if the technologies driving Industry 4.0 develop in silos and manufacturers’ initiatives are isolated and fragmented, the dangers will multiply and the net impact on OHS will be negative. As major changes are implemented, previous gains in preventive management of workplace health and safety will be at risk. If we are to avoid putting technological progress and OHS on a collision course, researchers, field experts and industrialists will have to collaborate on a smooth transition towards Industry 4.0

Corticomotor excitability reduction induced by experimental pain remains unaffected by performing a working memory task as compared to staying at rest

Experimental pain inhibits primary motor cortex (M1) excitability. Attenuating pain-related inhibition of M1 excitability may be useful during rehabilitation in individuals with pain. One strategy to attenuate M1 excitability is to influence prefrontal and premotor cortex activity. Working memory tasks, e.g. the two-back task (TBT), engage prefrontal and premotor cortices and may influence M1 excitability. We hypothesized that performing the TBT during pain would influence pain-related changes in M1 excitability. Participants (n = 28) received rigorous training in the TBT before baseline testing. Experimental pain was induced by injecting hypertonic saline into the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle. Participants rated pain intensity on a 0–10 numerical rating scale (NRS) every second min until pain-resolved (PR) during the performance of the TBT (n = 14) or during REST (n = 14). In the TBT, letters were presented pseudo-randomly, and accuracy and reaction time to identified letters corresponding to letters shown two times back were recorded. M1 excitability was assessed using transcranial magnetic stimulation. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded at baseline, and at PR, PR + 10, PR + 20, and PR + 30 min. Four minutes after hypertonic saline injection, the pain NRS scores were higher in the TBT group than the REST group (p = 0.009). No time x group interaction was found for MEPs (p = 0.73), but a main effect of time (p < 0.0005) revealed a reduction of MEPs at PR up until PR + 30 (p < 0.008). The TBT accuracy improved at PR + 30 in both groups (p = 0.019). In conclusion, the pain-induced reduction in corticomotor excitability was unaffected by performing a working memory task, despite greater pain in the TBT group

Sustainable development in the mining industry: Towards the development of tools for evaluating socioeconomic impact in the Canadian context

In spite of its economic outputs, the Canadian mining sector has suffered from several setbacks that have compromised its reputation. This has led many of its stakeholders to adopt a shift towards a new paradigm focused on sustainable development. In this review of the literature, we identify the impact that mining activities have had on various social, economic and environmental issues in Canadian society. We also survey the criteria and indicators included in various models that may be used to evaluate the adequacy of the transition of mines towards sustainable development. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of eight tools that have been applied to the socioeconomic impact of mines are analysed. A clear vision of prospects for promoting sustainable development in Canadian mining emerges from this survey. Our analysis reveals important factors not given adequate consideration in the models used currently to evaluate and suggests opportunities to improve these evaluation tools through identification of more relevant criteria and indicators. The research undertaken should incite stakeholders to develop social and economic impact evaluation tools that are better adapted to the Canadian context

Prevention of occupational diseases in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in QUEBEC (CANADA) – Study of prevention management practices

Prevention of accidents and occupational diseases plays a major role in the viability of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises. However, occupational health and safety conditions in this setting are often precarious compared to large corporations, in which occupational diseases occur eight times less frequently. In a previous study [1], it has been identified, by reviewing the literature, the measures practiced by managers of businesses in this category in the province of Quebec in their efforts to decrease the incidence of occupational diseases. The initial research work reduced these measures to a catalog of elements of management. In the present article, the findings on the application of these elements will be presented, based on a survey of about 400 manufacturing businesses, of which 252 agreed to answer the questionnaire. The present article provides a descriptive statistic from the analysis of the responses. This work allowed to portray the strengths and deficiencies of occupational disease risk management practices in Quebec based on complete and valid responses from 32 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Overall, this portrayal reflects a serious effort to take up the cause of occupational health and safety in this type of business. It nevertheless reveals room for improvement of the implementation of health and safety risk management systems, and prevention of musculoskeletal diseases and hearing loss, which were found to occur in respectively 63% and 25% of these companies. This work therefore recommends that these diseases be treated as a priority by researchers and expert practitioners of occupational health and safety

Breaking down automaticity: Case ambiguity and the shift to reflective approaches in clinical reasoning

Context: Two modes of case processing have been shown to underlie diagnostic judgements: analytical and non-analytical reasoning. An optimal form of clinical reasoning is suggested to combine both modes. Conditions leading doctors to shift from the usual mode of non-analytical reasoning to reflective reasoning have not been identified. This paper reports a study aimed at exploring these conditions by investigating the effects of ambiguity of clinical cases on clinical reasoning. Methods: Participants were 16 internal medicine residents in the Brazilian state of Ceará. They were asked to diagnose 20 clinical cases and recall case information. The independent variable was the degree of ambiguity of clinical cases, with 2 levels: straightforward (i.e. non-ambiguous) and ambiguous. Dependent variables were processing time, diagnostic accuracy and proposition per category recalled. Data were analysed using a repeated measures design. Results: Participants processed straightforward cases faster and more accurately than ambiguous ones. The proportion of text propositions recalled was significantly lower (t[15] = 2.29, P = 0.037) in ambiguous cases, and an interaction effect between case version and proposition category was also found (F[5, 75] = 4.52, P = 0.001, d = 0.232, observed power = 0.962). Furthermore, participants recalled significantly more literal propositions from the ambiguous cases than from the straightforward cases (t[15] = 2.28, P = 0.037). Conclusions: Ambiguity of clinical cases was shown to lead residents to switch from automatic to reflective reasoning, as indicated by longer processing time, and more literal propositions recalled in ambiguous cases

Impact of Seabed Resuspension on Oxygen and Nitrogen Dynamics in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: A Numerical Modeling Study

Resuspension affects water quality in coastal environments by entraining seabed organic matter into the water column, which can increase remineralization, alter seabed fluxes, decrease water clarity, and affect oxygen and nutrient dynamics. Nearly all numerical models of water column biogeochemistry, however, simplify seabed and bottom boundary layer processes and neglect resuspension. Here we implemented HydroBioSed, a coupled hydrodynamic-sediment transport-biogeochemical model to examine the role of resuspension in regulating oxygen and nitrogen dynamics on timescales of a day to a month. The model was implemented for the northern Gulf of Mexico, where the extent of summertime hypoxia is sensitive to seabed and bottom boundary layer processes. Results indicated that particulate organic matter remineralization in the bottom water column increased by an order of magnitude during resuspension events. This increased sediment oxygen consumption and ammonium production, which were defined as the sum of seabed fluxes of oxygen and ammonium, plus oxygen consumption and ammonium production in the water column due to resuspended organic matter. The increases in remineralization impacted biogeochemical dynamics to a greater extent than resuspension-induced seabed fluxes and oxidation of reduced chemical species. The effect of resuspension on bottom water biogeochemistry increased with particulate organic matter availability, which was modulated by sediment transport patterns. Overall, when averaged over the shelf and on timescales of a month in the numerical model, cycles of erosion and deposition accounted for about two thirds of sediment oxygen consumption and almost all of the sediment ammonium production. In coastal waters, oxygen and nitrogen levels affect the health of fish and other organisms. In the Gulf of Mexico, for example, low-oxygen regions called hypoxic areas or dead zones form in the summertime near the seabed in bottom water . It can be difficult to understand and quantify variations in bottom water oxygen and nitrogen levels, however, because: (1) water quality there is affected by many different physical and biological processes; and (2) observational studies are limited by cost, safety and technological advances. To complement previous observational studies, this paper used a new numerical modeling approach that accounts for many physical and biological processes in the seabed and water. Specifically, we used the model to evaluate how resuspension, especially the entrainment of organic matter from the seabed into the water, affected oxygen and nitrogen levels in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Model results indicated that resuspension increased the decomposition of organic matter, decreasing oxygen levels and increasing ammonium (a form of nitrogen) levels in bottom water. This effect was largest in regions with abundant seabed organic matter and frequent resuspension. These modeling results can help scientists and environmental managers understand how resuspension affects oxygen and nitrogen levels in bottom waters

Multi-criteria evaluation of the socioeconomic impact of mining in Canada from a sustainable development perspective: A theoretical model

The socioeconomic impact of mining in Canada has positive and negative aspects. Effective evaluation of its impact suffers from the inadequacy of the criteria and indicators chosen to measure its sustainability and the limitations of the current means used to minimize the subjectivity of expert judgments. Constraints associated with legislation and standards governing mining activities must also be considered. In this study, a theoretical model is proposed for evaluating the socioeconomic impact of mining in Canada. This model combines the multi-criteria analysis methods known as the analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy integrated judgment. Based on a simulation, the model is able to take into account the subjectivity of expert judgments. In addition to reducing this subjectivity and allowing measurement of sensitivity, the model provided an overview of the progress achieved by a mine during its transition towards sustainable development

Persistent Polypharmacy and Fall Injury Risk: The Health, Aging and Body Composition Study

Background Older adults receive treatment for fall injuries in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The effect of persistent polypharmacy (i.e. using multiple medications over a long period) on fall injuries is understudied, particularly for outpatient injuries. We examined the association between persistent polypharmacy and treated fall injury risk from inpatient and outpatient settings in community-dwelling older adults. Methods The Health, Aging and Body Composition Study included 1764 community-dwelling adults (age 73.6 ± 2.9 years; 52% women; 38% black) with Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) claims at or within 6 months after 1998/99 clinic visit. Incident fall injuries (N = 545 in 4.6 ± 2.9 years) were defined as the initial claim with an ICD-9 fall E-code and non-fracture injury, or fracture code with/without a fall code from 1998/99 clinic visit to 12/31/08. Those without fall injury (N = 1219) were followed for 8.1 ± 2.6 years. Stepwise Cox models of fall injury risk with a time-varying variable for persistent polypharmacy (defined as ≥6 prescription medications at the two most recent consecutive clinic visits) were adjusted for demographics, lifestyle characteristics, chronic conditions, and functional ability. Sensitivity analyses explored if persistent polypharmacy both with and without fall risk increasing drugs (FRID) use were similarly associated with fall injury risk. Results Among 1764 participants, 636 (36%) had persistent polypharmacy over the follow-up period, and 1128 (64%) did not. Fall injury incidence was 38 per 1000 person-years. Persistent polypharmacy increased fall injury risk (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.31 [1.06, 1.63]) after adjusting for covariates. Persistent polypharmacy with FRID use was associated with a 48% increase in fall injury risk (95%CI: 1.10, 2.00) vs. those who had non-persistent polypharmacy without FRID use. Risks for persistent polypharmacy without FRID use (HR: 1.22 [0.93, 1.60]) and non-persistent polypharmacy with FRID use (HR: 1.08 [0.77, 1.51]) did not significantly increase compared to non-persistent polypharmacy without FRID use. Conclusions Persistent polypharmacy, particularly combined with FRID use, was associated with increased risk for treated fall injuries from inpatient and outpatient settings. Clinicians may need to consider medication management for FRID and other fall prevention strategies in community-dwelling older adults with persistent polypharmacy to reduce fall injury risk