Ergonomic Standards for Disabled People in Pedestrian Areas : Results from Leeds Observation Work 1988/89

This working paper is one of a series (WP 252, 253, 254, 255, 274, 275), describing work undertaken under contract to TRRL investigating design guidance for pedestrian areas and footways to satisfy the needs of disabled and elderly people. This working paper reports on fieldwork conducted with disabled people in Leeds to investigate movement distances; assessments of surface conditions including gaps, undulation, gradients, camber and friction; and assessments of bus shelter seating

Ergonomic Standards for Disabled People in Pedestrian Areas : Results from Leeds Observation Work 1988/89

This working paper is one of a series (WP 252, 253, 254, 255, 274, 275), describing work undertaken under contract to TRRL investigating design guidance for pedestrian areas and footways to satisfy the needs of disabled and elderly people. This working paper reports on fieldwork conducted with disabled people in Leeds to investigate movement distances; assessments of surface conditions including gaps, undulation, gradients, camber and friction; and assessments of bus shelter seating

Do Community-Level Models Account for the Effects of Biotic Interactions? A Comparison of Community-Level and Species Distribution Modeling of Rocky Mountain Conifers

Community-level models (CLMs) aim to improve species distribution modeling (SDM) methods by attempting to explicitly incorporate the influences of interacting species. However, the ability of CLMs to appropriately account for biotic interactions is unclear. We applied CLM and SDM methods to predict the distributions of three dominant conifer tree species in the U.S. Rocky Mountains and compared CLM and SDM predictive accuracy as well as the ability of each approach to accurately reproduce species co-occurrence patterns. We specifically evaluated the performance of two statistical algorithms, MARS and CForest, within both CLM and SDM frameworks. Across all species, differences in SDM and CLM predictive accuracy were slight and can be attributed to differences in model structure rather than accounting for the effects of biotic interactions. In addition, CLMs generally over-predicted species cooccurrence, while SDMs under-predicted cooccurrence. Our results demonstrate no real improvement in the ability of CLMs to account for biotic interactions relative to SDMs. We conclude that alternative modeling approaches are needed in order to accurately account for the effects of biotic interactions on species distributions

Economic Standards for Pedestrian Areas for Disabled People: Results of the Initial and Main Interview

1.1.1 The Institute for Transport Studies was invited by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory to submit a research proposal, with costs, aimed at establishing suitable llErgonomic Standards for Pedestrian Areas for Disabled People". The project commenced on 1st July, 1986 and was split into two parts, with part one involving four monthso work over the period to 31st December, 1986 and part two finishing on 30th April, 1988. 1.1.2 The main objectives of the Study laid down in the design brief by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory were: a) To produce a guide to good practice for the design and maintenance of footways and pedestrianised areas; b) To provide, where possible, recommended standards for design and maintenance. The good practice guide and the recommended standards were to be primarily aimed at disabled people and the elderly, but the requirements of the able-bodied were also to be considered, as were conflicts between the needs of different groups of user. The economic implications of implementation and maintenance were also to be detailed

Investigations of meltwater refreezing and density variations in the snowpack and firn within the percolation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet

The mass balance of polythermal ice masses is critically dependent on the proportion of surface-generated meltwater that subsequently refreezes in the snowpack and firn. In order to quantify this effect and to characterize its spatial variability, we measured near-surface (26%, resulting in a 32% increase in net accumulation. This 'seasonal densification' increased at lower elevations, rising to 47% 10 km closer to the ice-sheet margin at 1860 m a. s. l. Density/depth profiles from nine sites within 1 km2 at ∼1945 m a.s.l. reveal complex stratigraphies that change over short spatial scales and seasonally. We conclude that estimates of mass-balance change cannot be calculated solely from observed changes in surface elevation, but that near-surface densification must also be considered. However, predicting spatial and temporal variations in densification may not be straightforward. Further, the development of complex firn-density profiles both masks discernible annual layers in the near-surface firn and ice stratigraphy and is likely to introduce error into radar-derived estimates of surface elevation

Attachment Styles, Quality of Attachment Relationships, and Components of Self-Esteem in Adolescence

Attachment style was assessed in relation to self-esteem and quality of parental and peer relationships in a sample (N = 495) of high school students. It was predicted that there would be a high degree of relationship between secure attachment, quality of relationships, and self-esteem, and that there would be differential relationships between the various attachment styles and components of self-esteem. Results indicated that both Secure and Dismissive attachment styles were associated with high quality of attachment to mother and father but only Secure attachment was associated with high quality of attachment to peers. Examination of the components of self-esteem revealed that the quality of relationships to peers predicted Self-Liking but not Self-Competence. The results suggest complexity in the relationship between different elements of attachment and self-esteem

Underwater near infrared spectroscopy (uNIRS) can measure training adaptations in adolescent swimmers

The development of an underwater near-infrared spectroscopy (uNIRS) device has enabled previously unattainable measurements of peripheral muscle hemodynamics and oxygenation to be taken within the natural aquatic environment. The purposes of this study were (i) to trial the use of uNIRS, in a real world training study, and (ii) to monitor the effects of a swim training program upon muscle oxygenation status in short distance swimming. 14 junior club level swimmers completed a repeated swim sprint test before and after an eight week endurance training program. A waterproof, portable NIRS device was attached to the vastus lateralis. uNIRS successfully measured changes in muscle oxygenation and blood volume in all individuals; rapid sub-second time resolution of the device was able to demonstrate muscle oxygenation changes during the characteristic swim movements. Post training heart rate recovery and swim performance time were significantly improved. uNIRS data also showed significant changes. A larger rise in deoxyhemoglobin during individual sprints suggested training induced an increase in muscle oxygen extraction; a faster recovery time for muscle oxygenation suggested positive training induced changes and significant changes in muscle blood volume also occur. As a strong correlation was seen between an increased reoxygenation rate and an improved swim performance time, these findings support the use of uNIRS as a new performance analysis tool in swimming

DAzLE: The Dark Ages z (redshift) Lyman-alpha Explorer

DAzLE is an near infrared narrowband differential imager being built by the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, in collaboration with the Anglo-Australian observatory. It is a special purpose instrument designed with a sole aim; the detection of redshifted Lyman-alpha emission from star forming galaxies at z>7. DAzLE will use pairs of high resolution (R=1000) narrowband filters to exploit low background `windows' in the near infrared sky emission spectrum. This will enable it to reach sensitivities of ~2E-21 W/m^2, thereby allowing the detection of z>7 galaxies with star formation rates as low as a few solar masses per year. The design of the instrument, and in particular the crucial narrowband filters, are presented. The predicted performance of DAzLE, including the sensitivity, volume coverage and expected number counts, is discussed. The current status of the DAzLE project, and its projected timeline, are also presented.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 5492, Ground-based Instrumentation for Astronom