Usage Trends and Biomechanical Evaluation of Tethered Tools

Struck-by injuries and death caused by dropped objects continue to be a prevalent problem in industries where work is conducted at height. Securing objects from height with tethers, especially hand tools used to conduct work, and an increase in regulatory oversight would reduce these incidences. To date, no research has been conducted to investigate tethered tool usage patterns in industry to include user preference, task performance and the biomechanical impact of using tethered tools in lieu of their untethered counterparts. Due to the lack of information on tethered tool usage, it was necessary to develop and distribute a survey to gather data on tethered tool usage patterns, tool carrying methods, drop history and perceived risks while working at height. This thesis is a two-part study aimed at 1) identifying tethered tool usage trends in industries that conduct work at height and 2) identifying the biomechanical impact of using a tether on a tool to conduct in comparison to using the tool without a tether. Study 1 found that when employers provided tethered tools and means of carrying tethered tool, their usage was significantly increased. Study 2 found that tethered tool usage resulted in no statistically significant biomechanical impact to the user when conducting a task

Factors affecting the Affordable Care Act Marketplace stand-alone pediatric dental plan premiums

BACKGROUND: Children from lower income families have inadequate dental insurance coverage and poorer dental health in the United States. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created Health Insurance Exchange Marketplaces to increase competition among health insurers and to provide low-income families with less costly health plans. The study examined Marketplace pediatric stand-alone dental plans (SADPs) and factors that affect their premiums. METHODS: The data used were 2016 Federal-Facilitated and State-Partnership Marketplace pediatric SADP data. Ordinary least squares regressions were applied to estimate contributing factors' effects on SADP premiums. RESULTS: Great premium variation was found among low and high coverage level SADPs, respectively. Premiums of Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) SADPs were significantly less expensive than Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) SADPs. SADPs charged significantly higher premiums for more types of services covered. SADPs also charged higher premiums in states where there are larger proportions of low-income people who report poor dental health, more dentists per capita, or higher dentists' wages. The number of insurance companies offering pediatric SADPs in a Marketplace was negatively associated with premiums. CONCLUSION: The current Marketplace pediatric SADPs may have limited effects on increasing economically disadvantaged children's access to quality dental care. Marketplaces can promote competition among its pediatric dental insurers on providing lower-cost pediatric SADPs

Examination of the Impact of Various Training Approaches on Different UAS Operator Populations

In recent years, the UAS industry has extended beyond military and recreational use and is now positioned to become a major portion of the aviation industry. As we move toward UAS integration into the national airspace system, UAS operators need effective training to ensure safe operation. Training UAS operators in an engaging way is important to ensure the best performance and transfer of training. Training methods that elicit high levels of learner engagement have been shown to improve knowledge gains, performance, and therefore such training techniques provide an opportunity for improving UAS training effectiveness and transfer. The growth of the UAS industry across various domains such as first responders and industrial inspectors has resulted in a broad demographic of end users. Given this, training may need to be tailored based on the population to ensure an engaging experience. To examine this topic, a study was conducted in which UAS pilots from the student population and first responder population participated in UAS training to test the effect of different training approaches on learner engagement of different end user populations. Participants engaged in instructional videos, simulation challenges, and live obstacle courses and were measured on their engagement levels and performance. This presentation will describe the methods and findings associated with the study along with implications for the aviation industry

Advanced Air Mobility Human factors Considerations for Current eVTOL Pilot Interfaces

Advanced air mobility (AAM) is a novel transportation concept using electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to move people and cargo in urban and rural environments. The emergence of AAM has led to a range of different eVTOL vehicle designs at different stages in development, flight testing, and certification. Although these aircraft will serve similar markets, they will have different operational capabilities and pilot interfaces. These aircraft vary in whether they are (a) multi-rotor and have tilt-rotor capabilities, or (b) winged with tilt-wing capabilities, vectored thrust, fans, or propellers. The pilot interfaces in eVTOL align with the concept of simplified vehicle operations (SVO), which emphasizes the use of automation to simplify the physical control a pilot has on the aircraft, effectively reducing workload. Pilot interfaces range in their level of landing precision information, the number of displays, checklist presentation, and how battery information is presented. A preliminary survey was conducted to determine common trends in eVTOL pilot interfaces. Common trends identified include large displays, integration of flight information such as speed, altitude, heading, climb and descent rate, flight path, battery power information, origin and destination of the flight, weather information, aircraft range and location, tilt information, and rotation per minute (RPM). This presentation will investigate trends in the eVTOL pilot interfaces and the associated human factors issues that may arise due to these interfaces. Additionally, simulation testbeds available to examine the human factors issues associated with these pilot interfaces will be presented

Parties’ perceptions of apologies in the State Administrative Tribunal and Equal Opportunity Commission of Western Australia

Complainants\u27 and respondents\u27 experiences of the settlement of equal opportunity complaints of discrimination or harassment were investigated. The aim was to gather information on the nature and value of apologies in the settlement process. One specific aim was to learn about parties\u27 perceptions about the value of ordered apologies..

Implementation of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 as Evidenced by a Community Action Program in Baltimore, Maryland

This research is directed to a rough and beginning evaluation of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 as evidenced through one Community Action Program, the Neighborhood Development Program, in Baltimore, Maryland during the late fall of 1966. In this study the implementation of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 is evaluated according to the perceptions of the Neighborhood Development Assistants who are the indigenous workers in the program. The purposes of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and each Community Action Program were taken directly from the Act itself, and then various phrases were operationally defined. The data was collected through interviews using a fairly open­ ended schedule. The sample of twenty assistants was selected randomly from the second level of assistants of a program in which there are four levels and level I requires the least education and experience. A pilot study to test the interview schedule was conducted before the collection of any data. Due to the newness of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and the resulting anti poverty program there is a wealth of recent literature concerning poverty and what the program should do and, as yet, apparently no evaluative studies. The data collected here is analysed primarily with respect to theories and other pertinent research, and thus much of the discussion in the analysis refers back to the literature reviewed. The main conclusions are: (l) a question concerning how representative of the poor the assistants are, (2) inadequate publication of and communication about presently existing community resources, (3) the assistants\u27 personal satisfaction with their jobs though dissatisfaction with the relationship between themselves and their supervisors and confusion concerning the value of their role, and (4) a strong need by the poor to have their physical needs met (which could be largely accomplished through more and better paying jobs) before attempting to meet more intangible goals (such as increasing political and social power). Although some of the assistants\u27 work is consistent with the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 aims (such as referrals to jobs and community resources, and encouraging group efforts, voting, and complaining by the poor themselves), it seems that overall this program is not implementing the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 primarily because there is insufficient money, resources, and wide community cooperation to meet their physical needs, and until this goal is reached, efforts in other areas are and will be relatively unsuccessful. The generality and nonspecificity of the conclusions was to be expected and not undesirable considering the purpose and limited scope of this research. The seven recommendations are directed toward opportunities for increased employment and enabling individuals (particularly men) to return to school or enter a training program, increasing the representativeness of the poor, increasing the assistants\u27 work with and on agencies on behalf of the poor, improving the communication and cooperation between the assistants and the rest of the staff, and pointing out areas for more research. With respect to relevant research there needs to be focus on the existence of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and if it, as it is operating with its present limited budget, is really doing anything about poverty or is it just raising the hopes of the poor only to smash and frustrate them once more

Physical activity and cardiovascular mortality risk: possible protective mechanisms?

INTRODUCTION: The biological mechanisms through which increased physical activity or structured exercise training lowers the risk of recurrent cardiac events are incompletely understood. We examined the extent to which modification of primary risk markers explains the association between physical activity and cardiovascular death in participants with diagnosed cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS AND RESULTS: In a prospective study of 1429 participants with physician-diagnosed CVD living in England and Scotland (age = 66.5 ± 11.1 yr (mean ± SD), 54.2% men), we measured physical activity and several risk markers (body mass index, total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio, diagnosed diabetes, systolic blood pressure, resting heart rate, C-reactive protein) at baseline. The main outcome was CVD death. There were a total of 446 all-cause deaths during an average of 7.0 ± 3.1 yr of follow-up, of which 213 were attributed to cardiovascular causes. Participation in moderate to vigorous physical activity at least three sessions per week was associated with lower risk of CVD death (hazard ratio = 0.61, 95% confidence interval = 0.38-0.98). Physically active participants demonstrated significantly lower levels of body mass index, diabetes, and inflammatory risk (C-reactive protein). Metabolic (body mass index, total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio, and physician-diagnosed diabetes) and inflammatory risk factors explained an estimated 12.8% and 15.4%, respectively, of the association between physical activity and CVD death. CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity may reduce the risk of secondary CVD events, in part, by improving metabolic and inflammatory risk markers

Spherulites growth in trachytic melts: a textural quantitative study from synchrotron X-ray microtomography and SEM data

This study shows the first textural data on synthetic alkali-feldspar spherulites grown in trachytic melts during cooling and decompression experiments with water-saturated conditions. Previous textural studies have shown the shape evolution and the growth process of spherulites as a function of undercooling (deltaT) and water content, although just in basaltic and rhyolitic melts [1-3]. Spherulites are spherical clusters of polycrystalline aggregates that occur commonly in rhyolitic melts under highly non-equilibrium conditions [3-4]. Cooling and decompression experiments have been carried out on trachytic melts in order to investigate crys- tallization kinetics of alkali feldspars and the implications for magma dynamics during the ascent towards the surface. Experiments have been conducted using cold seal pressure vessel apparatus at pressure range of 30 - 200 MPa, temperature of 750 - 850 degrees C and time of 2 - 16 hours, thereby reproducing pre- and syn-eruptive conditions of the Campi Flegrei volcanoes. This study presents quantitative data on spherulite morphologies obtained both by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and synchrotron X-ray microtomography. Size, aspect ratio, number and crystallographic misorientation of alkali feldspar crystals will be measured. Furthermore, experiments performed at different durations could allow us to follow the growth and the evolution of spherulites. The shape of spherulites changes as a function of delta T and experimental durations. Two kind of spherulites occured during experiments: open spherulites and close spherulites. The open spherulites are characterized by an structure with large (generally rectangular prismatic), widely spaced fibers with main axis converging towards a central nucleus, in agreement with previous observations [5-6]. Instead, the close spherulites consist of acicular and tiny fibers radially aggregated around a nucleus and single crystals are hardly distinguishable. First preliminary results show: a) spherulites grow between 70-200 MPa, thus the nucleation process was favored at higher water contents; b) open spherulites seem to be favored at low deltaT, whereas close spherulites were favored in experiments at higher delta T and long durations; c) estimated growth rates of spherulites were of 10-7 cm/s