Physiological Measurements for Real-time Fatigue Monitoring in Train Drivers: Review of the State of the Art and Reframing the Problem

The impact of fatigue on train drivers is one of the most important safety-critical issues in rail. It affects drivers’ performance, significantly contributing to railway incidents and accidents. To address the issue of real-time fatigue detection in drivers, most reliable and applicable psychophysiological indicators of fatigue need to be identified. Hence, this paper aims to examine and present the current state of the art in physiological measures for real-time fatigue monitoring that could be applied in the train driving context. Three groups of such measures are identified: EEG, eye-tracking and heart-rate measures. This is the first paper to provide the analysis and review of these measures together on a granular level, focusing on specific variables. Their potential application to monitoring train driver fatigue is discussed in respective sections. A summary of all variables, key findings and issues across these measures is provided. An alternative reconceptualization of the problem is proposed, shifting the focus from the concept of fatigue to that of attention. Several arguments are put forward in support of attention as a better-defined construct, more predictive of performance decrements than fatigue, with serious ramifications on human safety. Proposed reframing of the problem coupled with the detailed presentation of findings for specific relevant variables can serve as a guideline for future empirical research, which is needed in this field

Factors affecting knowledge creation in academic libraries

Περιέχει το πλήρες κείμενο.Knowledge has been widely recognised as the most valuable asset of an organisation and the creation of new knowledge as a prerequisite for improving service quality and achieving innovation. The current study, adopting a business-oriented approach, aims to explore the factors that affect knowledge creation in Greek academic libraries. More specifically, building on the findings of a preliminary study, it empirically tests the influence of knowledge enablers, namely organisational culture, organisational structure, human resource management and information technology, on both knowledge-centred strategy implementation and knowledge creation, using structural equation modelling. The results suggest that libraries must develop and implement a knowledge-centred strategy, supported by the proper social and technological context, to achieve the creation of new knowledge. Organisational culture emerged as the most important influencing factor, thus indicating that library leaders must focus on building a knowledge-conducive culture, characterised by collaboration and trust

Genome-Wide Analysis Reveals Mucociliary Remodeling of the Nasal Airway Epithelium Induced by Urban PM2.5.

Air pollution particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM2.5) exposure is associated with poor respiratory outcomes. Mechanisms underlying PM2.5-induced lung pathobiology are poorly understood but likely involve cellular and molecular changes to the airway epithelium. We extracted and chemically characterized the organic and water-soluble components of air pollution PM2.5 samples, then determined the whole transcriptome response of human nasal mucociliary airway epithelial cultures to a dose series of PM2.5 extracts. We found that PM2.5 organic extract (OE), but not water-soluble extract, elicited a potent, dose-dependent transcriptomic response from the mucociliary epithelium. Exposure to a moderate OE dose modified the expression of 424 genes, including activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling and an IL-1 inflammatory program. We generated an OE-response gene network defined by eight functional enrichment groups, which exhibited high connectivity through CYP1A1, IL1A, and IL1B. This OE exposure also robustly activated a mucus secretory expression program (>100 genes), which included transcriptional drivers of mucus metaplasia (SPDEF and FOXA3). Exposure to a higher OE dose modified the expression of 1,240 genes and further exacerbated expression responses observed at the moderate dose, including the mucus secretory program. Moreover, the higher OE dose significantly increased the MUC5AC/MUC5B gel-forming mucin expression ratio and strongly downregulated ciliated cell expression programs, including key ciliating cell transcription factors (e.g., FOXJ1 and MCIDAS). Chronic OE stimulation induced mucus metaplasia-like remodeling characterized by increases in MUC5AC+ secretory cells and MUC5AC mucus secretions. This epithelial remodeling may underlie poor respiratory outcomes associated with high PM2.5 exposure