Engaging Occupational Safety and Health Professionals in Bridging Research and Practice:Evaluation of a Participatory Workshop Program in the Danish Construction Industry

Engaging occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals has scarcely been evaluated as a means for transferring knowledge to practice about physical workload in the construction industry. The aim of this work was to examine how participants used and incorporate research-based knowledge from a three-day training course into practice. Twenty OSH professionals from the Danish construction industry participated in a workshop-training course. Researchers presented new knowledge and results about physically demanding work. The participants selected which themes they wanted to work with and developed an action plan. Evaluation was done using surveys and phone interviews. Analysis was based on how the OSH-professionals describe themselves, organizations, and the construction industry. Participant’s average scores on the level of implementation of their chosen action plans were 3 (on a response scale from 1–5, where 1 is ‘to a very low degree’ and 5 is ‘to a very high degree’) immediately after the workshop program and 2.5 at follow-up. Qualitative evaluations showed that actions had been initiated, and some progress had been made. The participants were satisfied with the workshop course and the possibility to increase their knowledge through inputs from researchers and colleges and strongly believe that they would succeed with implementing their action plans in the future

In Situ Detection of Active Edge Sites in Single-Layer MoS2_2 Catalysts

MoS2 nanoparticles are proven catalysts for processes such as hydrodesulphurization and hydrogen evolution, but unravelling their atomic-scale structure under catalytic working conditions has remained significantly challenging. Ambient pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (AP-XPS) allows us to follow in-situ the formation of the catalytically relevant MoS2 edge sites in their active state. The XPS fingerprint is described by independent contributions to the Mo3d core level spectrum whose relative intensity is sensitive to the thermodynamic conditions. Density Functional Theory (DFT) is used to model the triangular MoS2 particles on Au(111) and identify the particular sulphidation state of the edge sites. A consistent picture emerges in which the core level shifts for the edge Mo atoms evolve counter-intuitively towards higher binding energies when the active edges are reduced. The shift is explained by a surprising alteration in the metallic character of the edge sites, which is a distinct spectroscopic signature of the MoS2 edges under working conditions

Participatory intervention with objectively measured physical risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders in the construction industry:study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: There is high prevalence of back pain and neck-shoulder pain among blue collar workers in Denmark. Excessive physical exposures such as heavy lifting or working with bended or twisted back are risk factors for back pain among workers in the construction industry. Technical evaluation of awkward postures and kinematics of upper/ lower extremities (accelerometry) during work combined with the level of muscular activity (EMG) and video recordings can improve quantification of physical exposure and thereby can facilitate designing preventive strategies. Participatory ergonomics potentially increase the success of interventions aimed at reducing excessive physical exposures. The objectives of this study are to; 1) determine which work-tasks in selected job-groups involve excessive physical load of the back and shoulders during a normal working day (measured with accelerometers, EMG and video recordings). And 2) investigate whether a participatory intervention can reduce the excessive physical workloads, drawing on measurements from phase 1. METHODS/DESIGN: A two-armed parallel-group, single-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial with allocation concealment will be conducted in the Danish construction industry. Approximately 20 construction gangs (≈80 subjects) will be recruited and randomized at the cluster level (gang). We will record in situ physical workload using technical measurements (EMG, accelerometers and video recordings) during a working day before and after the intervention. Based on these measurements a physical load matrix for each worker will be developed. The participatory intervention consist of three workshops: 1) One at baseline, involving presentation of video clips of the work-tasks with excessive physical load customized for each gang, followed by a participatory development of solutions on how to reduce excessive workloads, leading to development of an action plan on how to implement these solutions at the workplace. 2) A second workshop where the implemented solutions will be further developed and qualitatively evaluated during group discussions. 3) A final workshop at follow-up to enhance long-time organizational sustainability of the implemented solutions. DISCUSSION: The results will provide knowledge about the level of physical exposure of the back and shoulders during specific work tasks in the construction industry, and will provide information on options to implement participatory interventions aiming at reducing excessive physical workload. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02498197), registered 29 June 2015

Non-Invasive Assessment of Dairy Products Using Spatially Resolved Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy

The quality of a dairy product is largely determined by its microstructure which also affects its optical properties. Consequently, an assessment of the optical properties during production may be part of a feedback system for ensuring the quality of the production process. This paper presents a novel camera-based measurement technique that enables robust quantification of a wide range of reduced scattering coefficients and absorption coefficients. Measurements are based on hyperspectral images of diffuse reflectance in the wavelength range of 470 to 1020 nm. The optical properties of commercially available milk and yogurt products with three different levels of fat content are measured. These constitute a relevant range of products at a dairy plant. The measured reduced scattering properties of the samples are presented and show a clear discrimination between levels of fat contents as well as fermentation. The presented measurement technique and method of analysis is thus suitable for a rapid, non-contact, and non-invasive inspection that can deduce physically interpretable properties. </jats:p

Pharmacokinetic Drug Interactions Involving Vortioxetine (Lu AA21004), a Multimodal Antidepressant

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The identification and quantification of potential drug–drug interactions is important for avoiding or minimizing the interaction-induced adverse events associated with specific drug combinations. Clinical studies in healthy subjects were performed to evaluate potential pharmacokinetic interactions between vortioxetine (Lu AA21004) and co-administered agents, including fluconazole (cytochrome P450 [CYP] 2C9, CYP2C19 and CYP3A inhibitor), ketoconazole (CYP3A and P-glycoprotein inhibitor), rifampicin (CYP inducer), bupropion (CYP2D6 inhibitor and CYP2B6 substrate), ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel (CYP3A substrates) and omeprazole (CYP2C19 substrate and inhibitor). METHODS: The ratio of central values of the test treatment to the reference treatment for relevant parameters (e.g., area under the plasma concentration–time curve [AUC] and maximum plasma concentration [C(max)]) was used to assess pharmacokinetic interactions. RESULTS: Co-administration of vortioxetine had no effect on the AUC or C(max) of ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel or 5′-hydroxyomeprazole, or the AUC of bupropion; the 90 % confidence intervals for these ratios of central values were within 80–125 %. Steady-state AUC and C(max) of vortioxetine increased when co-administered with bupropion (128 and 114 %, respectively), fluconazole (46 and 15 %, respectively) and ketoconazole (30 and 26 %, respectively), and decreased by 72 and 51 %, respectively, when vortioxetine was co-administered with rifampicin. Concomitant therapy was generally well tolerated; most adverse events were mild or moderate in intensity. CONCLUSION: Dosage adjustment may be required when vortioxetine is co-administered with bupropion or rifampicin. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40261-013-0117-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users