Comparison of Provisions from Colorado's Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform and Federal Health Care Reform

A new issue brief commissioned by The Colorado Trust, and authored by the two lead staff members of the Colorado's Blue Ribbon Commission on Healthcare Reform (the 208 Commission), Tracy L. Johnson, PhD, Health Policy Solutions and Sarah Schulte, MHSA, Schulte Consulting, shows that there is significant agreement between our state's recommendations and the new federal law

The limitations of using only CAD and DHM in design relating to high value manufacturing

The ergonomics suites available within computer aided design and digital human modelling programs are increasingly being used to predict and prevent ergonomic and human factors risk due to poor design. To further aid the reduction in poor design, it is of importance to understand the need for user input and the limitations of these software programs. These limitations include: the small number of available anthropometric population samples; and the disconnect between what a designer perceives as possible, and what is possible within a manufacturing environment. A method of mitigating these limitations is the use of user input using virtual reality suites, mock-ups and motion capture technology

The use of job aids for visual inspection in manufacturing and maintenance

Visual inspection is a task regularly seen in manufacturing applications and is still primarily carried out by human operators. This study explored the use of job aids (anything used to assist the operator with the task, such as lists, check sheets or pictures) to assist with visual inspection within a manufacturing facility that inspects used parts. Job aids in the form of inspection manuals were used regularly during the inspection process, and how accurately they were followed was dependent on a number of factors such as size of part, experience of the operator, and accuracy of the inspection manuals. If the job aids were well structured, well written and accessible, then the inspectors were seen to follow them, however for certain jobs inspectors were seen to change the inspection order making inspection more efficient. The findings of the study suggest that prior experience can help in designing efficient, easy to use job aids and that a collaborative approach to design as well as using pictorial examples for comparison purposes would improve the inspection process

A study to trial the use of inertial non-optical motion capture for ergonomic analysis of manufacturing work

It is going to be increasingly important for manufacturing system designers to incorporate human activity data and ergonomic analysis with other performance data in digital design modelling and system monitoring. However, traditional methods of capturing human activity data are not sufficiently accurate to meet the needs of digitised data analysis; qualitative data are subject to bias and imprecision, and optically derived data are hindered by occlusions caused by structures or other people in a working environment. Therefore, to meet contemporary needs for more accurate and objective data, inertial non-optical methods of measurement appear to offer a solution. This article describes a case study conducted within the aerospace manufacturing industry, where data on the human activities involved in aircraft wing system installations was first collected via traditional ethnographic methods and found to have limited accuracy and suitability for digital modelling, but similar human activity data subsequently collected using an automatic non-optical motion capture system in a more controlled environment showed better suitability. Results demonstrate the potential benefits of applying not only the inertial non-optical method in future digital modelling and performance monitoring but also the value of continuing to include qualitative analysis for richer interpretation of important explanatory factors

Book Review: The Favored Queen, by Carolly Erickson

Book review of The Favored Queen, by Carolly Erickson

The Favored Queen, by Carolly Erickson

Book review of The Favored Queen, by Carolly Erickson

The Winter Palace, by Eva Stachniak

Book review of The Winter Palace, by Eva Stachniak

Book review: The Winter Palace, by Eva Stachniak

Book review of The Winter Palace, by Eva Stachniak

Hot Topics and Themes in Historical Fiction

A guide for librarians and readers, providing lists of hot topics and themes in historical fiction along with relevant titles fitting each theme. This handout accompanied a talk provided to members of the Historical Novel Society Nashville Chapter

Book review: Caleb\u27s Crossing, by Geraldine Brooks

Book review of Caleb\u27s Crossing, by Geraldine Brooks