3D anthropometry: quantifying the shape and size variability within the UK male offshore oil and gas workforce.

Background: UK male offshore workers typically increased in weight by 19% since 1985, and are also heavier than the background UK male population. Aim: To conduct an anthropometric survey on UK offshore workers, employing the latest portable 3D scanning technology, to quantify size and shape change associated with weight increase and identify differing physique groups among the sample. Method: 588 male offshore workers within seven pre-determined weight categories were scanned, using the Artec L portable 3D scanner, in three different postures; whilst wearing form-fitting clothing and while wearing a survival suit. 404 of the 588 participants also undertook a helicopter window escape task. Results: The sample population had average weight of 90.5 kg, and matched the weight distribution of the workforce population as a whole (chi squared=11.7; 11df, P>0.05). Five extracted girths (neck, chest, waist, hip and wrist) were found be 13.5% greater than in 1985, with the highest average measurement 17.3% greater at the waist. The 99th percentile of extracted measures had increased more than twice that of the 1st percentile (18.3% v 8.9% increase respectively). The reliability of extracted measures was high with average TEM of 1.15%. 11 distinct physique clusters were identified, across four morphological somatotypes, displaying a tendency towards endomorphic and mesomorphic phenotypes and a predisposition towards obesity (average BMI=28.3 kg/m2). 51% of the sample successfully passed through the smallest industry standard escape exit, with the best morphological prediction of window egress giving a predictive accuracy of 73.5%. Conclusion: The dramatic increase in size and shape within the offshore workforce over the last 30 years represents an expanding universe of physique and weight variability. The challenge this presents to designers is considerable in ensuring the on-going ergonomic fit of the industrys working environment for the offshore population

Reproducibility of body volume assessments in survival clothing in fixed and portable scanning systems.

The recent development of portable 3D scanning systems for industries such as animation and museum artefact digitisation have considerable potential for applications involving human body measurement. However, this requires a system for validation of measurements against a criterion, which this study aimed to provide. Forty four adult males were scanned in duplicate in both a fixed Hamamatsu and portable Artec L scanning systems in two postures and two different clothing assemblages. Following inspection of all scans, complete data for duplicate scans of 38 participants were available for the study. Both scanners demonstrated good precision, however significant differences in body volume prevailed for both egress and scanner postures in form-fitting clothing and the scanner posture in survival suit scans, with the Hamamatsu providing greater volumes than the Artec system (by 2.7, 2.8 and 2.1 litres respectively). Regression analysis indicated the results from the portable scanner explained between 96 and 98% of the variability in the results from the fixed scanner. The biases in body volume probably relate to different software approaches to its calculation, and a possible interaction with posture and clothing. Validation of the Artec against the Hamamatsu system provides valuable information for its use in field and industrial settings

Volumetric and space requirements of the offshore workforce: the effects of donning a survival suit.

Confined space working is common place within the offshore oil and gas infrastructure and it is a persons absolute size that governs their fit within this built environment. The design and adjustability of the environment must be based on the assumed size of the workforce; 95th percentile of the male size. The last anthropometric survey of the offshore workforce was conducted almost 30 years ago and since then the average weight of the workforce has increased by 19%; although the size and shape change associated with this increase remains unknown. With advances in portable 3D scanning technology and its potential for anthropometric measurement; this study aimed to quantify the volumetric and space requirements of the offshore workforce and size increases associated with donning personal protective equipment. Forty-three male participants were measured using both a static Hamamatsu and a portable Artec L 3D scanner in three different clothing assemblages. Volumetric and linear measures indicated a 71.3% increase in total body volume and a 101.9% gain in space requirements associated with donning a survival suit. Size increases due to survival clothing was found to have a close relationship with BMI; smaller individuals increase in body volume and space requirements more than their larger counterparts, r = 0.815 and r = 0.659 respectively. This pilot study identifies a need for further research into space requirements, especially in confined spaces and using specialist clothing

A two-way photonic interface for linking Sr+ transition at 422 nm to the telecommunications C-band

We report a single-stage bi-directional interface capable of linking Sr+ trapped ion qubits in a long-distance quantum network. Our interface converts photons between the Sr+ emission wavelength at 422 nm and the telecoms C-band to enable low-loss transmission over optical fiber. We have achieved both up- and down-conversion at the single photon level with efficiencies of 9.4% and 1.1% respectively. Furthermore we demonstrate noise levels that are low enough to allow for genuine quantum operation in the future.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Defying geometric similarity: Shape centralization in male UK offshore workers.

Applying geometric similarity predictions of body dimensions to specific occupational groups has the potential to reveal useful ergonomic and health implications. This study assessed a representative sample of the male UK offshore workforce, and examined how body dimensions from sites typifying musculoskeletal development or fat accumulation, differed from predicted values

A Randomized Controlled Study of Parent-assisted Children’s Friendship Training with Children having Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study evaluated Children’s Friendship Training (CFT), a manualized parent-assisted intervention to improve social skills among second to fifth grade children with autism spectrum disorders. Comparison was made with a delayed treatment control group (DTC). Targeted skills included conversational skills, peer entry skills, developing friendship networks, good sportsmanship, good host behavior during play dates, and handling teasing. At post-testing, the CFT group was superior to the DTC group on parent measures of social skill and play date behavior, and child measures of popularity and loneliness, At 3-month follow-up, parent measures showed significant improvement from baseline. Post-hoc analysis indicated more than 87% of children receiving CFT showed reliable change on at least one measure at post-test and 66.7% after 3 months follow-up

Variations in the pre-operative status of patients coming to primary hip replacement for osteoarthritis in European orthopaedic centres.

addresses: Nuffield Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Oxford, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Headington, Oxford, UK. [email protected]: PMCID: PMC2654855types: Journal Article; Multicenter Study; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't© 2009 Dieppe et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Total hip joint replacement (THR) is a high volume, effective intervention for hip osteoarthritis (OA). However, indications and determinants of outcome remain unclear. The 'EUROHIP consortium' has undertaken a cohort study to investigate these questions. This paper describes the variations in disease severity in this cohort and the relationships between clinical and radiographic severity, and explores some of the determinants of variation

Basic science232. Certolizumab pegol prevents pro-inflammatory alterations in endothelial cell function

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a major comorbidity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a leading cause of death. Chronic systemic inflammation involving tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF) could contribute to endothelial activation and atherogenesis. A number of anti-TNF therapies are in current use for the treatment of RA, including certolizumab pegol (CZP), (Cimzia ®; UCB, Belgium). Anti-TNF therapy has been associated with reduced clinical cardiovascular disease risk and ameliorated vascular function in RA patients. However, the specific effects of TNF inhibitors on endothelial cell function are largely unknown. Our aim was to investigate the mechanisms underpinning CZP effects on TNF-activated human endothelial cells. Methods: Human aortic endothelial cells (HAoECs) were cultured in vitro and exposed to a) TNF alone, b) TNF plus CZP, or c) neither agent. Microarray analysis was used to examine the transcriptional profile of cells treated for 6 hrs and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysed gene expression at 1, 3, 6 and 24 hrs. NF-κB localization and IκB degradation were investigated using immunocytochemistry, high content analysis and western blotting. Flow cytometry was conducted to detect microparticle release from HAoECs. Results: Transcriptional profiling revealed that while TNF alone had strong effects on endothelial gene expression, TNF and CZP in combination produced a global gene expression pattern similar to untreated control. The two most highly up-regulated genes in response to TNF treatment were adhesion molecules E-selectin and VCAM-1 (q 0.2 compared to control; p > 0.05 compared to TNF alone). The NF-κB pathway was confirmed as a downstream target of TNF-induced HAoEC activation, via nuclear translocation of NF-κB and degradation of IκB, effects which were abolished by treatment with CZP. In addition, flow cytometry detected an increased production of endothelial microparticles in TNF-activated HAoECs, which was prevented by treatment with CZP. Conclusions: We have found at a cellular level that a clinically available TNF inhibitor, CZP reduces the expression of adhesion molecule expression, and prevents TNF-induced activation of the NF-κB pathway. Furthermore, CZP prevents the production of microparticles by activated endothelial cells. This could be central to the prevention of inflammatory environments underlying these conditions and measurement of microparticles has potential as a novel prognostic marker for future cardiovascular events in this patient group. Disclosure statement: Y.A. received a research grant from UCB. I.B. received a research grant from UCB. S.H. received a research grant from UCB. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Single-photon-level interface for linking Sr⁺ transition at 422nm with the telecommunications C-band

We present a single-stage bi-directional interface capable of linking Sr+ trapped ion qubits emitting single photons at 422 nm with the telecoms C-band. We achieve external up(down) conversion efficiencies of 9.4% (1.1%)