Advanced Test Reactor Safety Basis Upgrade Lessons Learned Relative to Design Basis Verification and Safety Basis Management

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

G. L. Sharp; R. T. McCracken

The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) is a pressurized light-water reactor with a design thermal power of 250 MW. The principal function of the ATR is to provide a high neutron flux for testing reactor fuels and other materials. The reactor also provides other irradiation services such as radioisotope production. The ATR and its support facilities are located at the Test Reactor Area of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). An audit conducted by the Department of Energy's Office of Independent Oversight and Performance Assurance (DOE OA) raised concerns that design conditions at the ATR were not adequately analyzedmore » in the safety analysis and that legacy design basis management practices had the potential to further impact safe operation of the facility.1 The concerns identified by the audit team, and issues raised during additional reviews performed by ATR safety analysts, were evaluated through the unreviewed safety question process resulting in shutdown of the ATR for more than three months while these concerns were resolved. Past management of the ATR safety basis, relative to facility design basis management and change control, led to concerns that discrepancies in the safety basis may have developed. Although not required by DOE orders or regulations, not performing design basis verification in conjunction with development of the 10 CFR 830 Subpart B upgraded safety basis allowed these potential weaknesses to be carried forward. Configuration management and a clear definition of the existing facility design basis have a direct relation to developing and maintaining a high quality safety basis which properly identifies and mitigates all hazards and postulated accident conditions. These relations and the impact of past safety basis management practices have been reviewed in order to identify lessons learned from the safety basis upgrade process and appropriate actions to resolve possible concerns with respect to the current ATR

Factors Implicated in Safety-related Firefighter Fatalities.

PubMed

Kahn, Steven A; Palmieri, Tina L; Sen, Soman; Woods, Jason; Gunter, Oliver L

Firefighting is wrought with risk, as 80-100 firefighters (FFs) die on the job each year in the United States. Many of the fatalities have been analyzed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to determine contributing factors. The purpose of this study is to determine variables that put FFs at risk for potentially preventable workplace mortality such as use of personal protective equipment (PPE), seat belts, and appropriate training/fitness/clearance for duty. The NIOSH FF Fatality Database reports from 2009 to 2014 were analyzed. Data including age, gender, years on the job, weather, other calls on the same shift, and department type were compared between FFs who employed PPE, seat belts, or wellness/fitness and those who did not. A second group of FFs was determined by NIOSH to have inexperience, lack of training, or inappropriate clearance for duty implicated in their fatalities. Comparisons for the second group were between those whose department used training and safety-related standard operating protocols and those who did not. In 84/176 deaths, PPE/seat belts/fitness was implicated in the fatality. Lack of PPE was more likely on clear days (P = .03) but less likely on cloudy and windy days (P < .001). These FFs dying with lack of PPE had more time on the job in a single department, 18 vs 13 years (P = .03), and more time in a volunteer department, 17 vs 8 years (P < .01). Being deployed on another call during the same shift was associated with lack of PPE-34 vs 16% of those who had not been on another call (P = .005). Lack of training, experience, or medical clearance was implicated in fatalities for 100/176 FFs. FFs who worked in departments that lacked standard operating protocols for respirator fit testing, PPE, fitness testing, rapid intervention, medical clearance, safety/distress alarms, vehicle maintenance, or incident command were statistically more likely to have lack of experience/training/clearance implicated in the

Certification of highly complex safety-related systems.

PubMed

Reinert, D; Schaefer, M

1999-01-01

The BIA has now 15 years of experience with the certification of complex electronic systems for safety-related applications in the machinery sector. Using the example of machining centres this presentation will show the systematic procedure for verifying and validating control systems using Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) and microcomputers for safety functions. One section will describe the control structure of machining centres with control systems using "integrated safety." A diverse redundant architecture combined with crossmonitoring and forced dynamization is explained. In the main section the steps of the systematic certification procedure are explained showing some results of the certification of drilling machines. Specification reviews, design reviews with test case specification, statistical analysis, and walk-throughs are the analytical measures in the testing process. Systematic tests based on the test case specification, Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI), and environmental testing, and site acceptance tests on the machines are the testing measures for validation. A complex software driven system is always undergoing modification. Most of the changes are not safety-relevant but this has to be proven. A systematic procedure for certifying software modifications is presented in the last section of the paper.

Creating an Oversight Infrastructure for Electronic Health Record-Related Patient Safety Hazards

PubMed Central

Singh, Hardeep; Classen, David C.; Sittig, Dean F.

2013-01-01

Electronic health records (EHRs) have potential quality and safety benefits. However, reports of EHR-related safety hazards are now emerging. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology (HIT) recently sponsored an Institute of Medicine committee to evaluate how HIT use affects patient safety. In this paper, we propose the creation of a national EHR oversight program to provide dedicated surveillance of EHR-related safety hazards and to promote learning from identified errors, close calls, and adverse events. The program calls for data gathering, investigation/analysis and regulatory components. The first two functions will depend on institution-level EHR safety committees that will investigate all known EHR-related adverse events and near-misses and report them nationally using standardized methods. These committees should also perform routine safety self-assessments to proactively identify new risks. Nationally, we propose the long-term creation of a centralized, non-partisan board with an appropriate legal and regulatory infrastructure to ensure the safety of EHRs. We discuss the rationale of the proposed oversight program and its potential organizational components and functions. These include mechanisms for robust data collection and analyses of all safety concerns using multiple methods that extend beyond reporting; multidisciplinary investigation of selected high-risk safety events; and enhanced coordination with other national agencies in order to facilitate broad dissemination of hazards information. Implementation of this proposed infrastructure can facilitate identification of EHR-related adverse events and errors and potentially create a safer and more effective EHR-based health care delivery system. PMID:22080284

18 CFR 12.10 - Reporting safety-related incidents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... report of any death or serious injury considered or alleged to be project related must also describe any... be verified in accordance with § 12.13. (3) Accidents that are not project-related may be reported by... COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY REGULATIONS UNDER THE FEDERAL POWER ACT SAFETY OF WATER POWER PROJECTS AND...

Two level approach to safety planning incorporating the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) network screening : [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

In this project, University of Central Florida researchers combined two types of safety analysis, microscopic and macroscopic, to overcome their limitations. Microscopic models focus on traffic flows and related parameters. Macroscopic models are bas...

Effect of consuming a purple-fleshed sweet potato beverage on health-related biomarkers and safety parameters in Caucasian subjects with elevated levels of blood pressure and liver function biomarkers: a 4-week, open-label, non-comparative trial

PubMed Central

OKI, Tomoyuki; KANO, Mitsuyoshi; WATANABE, Osamu; GOTO, Kazuhisa; BOELSMA, Esther; ISHIKAWA, Fumiyasu; SUDA, Ikuo

2016-01-01

An open-label study with one treatment arm was conducted to investigate changes in health-related biomarkers (blood pressure and liver enzyme activity) and the safety of 4 weeks of consuming a purple-fleshed sweet potato beverage in Caucasian subjects. Twenty healthy adults, 18–70 years of age, with a body mass index >25 kg/m2, elevated blood pressure and elevated levels of liver function biomarkers consumed two cartons of purple-fleshed sweet potato beverage (125 ml, including 117 mg anthocyanin per carton) daily for 4 weeks. Hematology, serum clinical profile, dipstick urinalysis and blood pressure were determined before consumption, at 2 and 4 weeks of consumption and after a 2-week washout period. A trend was found toward lowering systolic blood pressure during the treatment period (p=0.0590). No significant changes were found in diastolic blood pressure throughout the study period. Systolic blood pressure was significantly lower after 4 weeks of consumption compared with before consumption (p=0.0125) and was significantly higher after the 2-week washout period compared with after consumption (p=0.0496). The serum alanine aminotransferase level significantly increased over time, but aspartate aminotransferase and γ-glutamyltransferase levels stayed within the normal range of reference values. Safety parameters of the blood and urine showed no clinically relevant changes. The consumption of a purple-fleshed sweet potato beverage for 4 weeks resulted in no clinically relevant changes in safety parameters of the blood and urine and showed a trend toward lowering systolic blood pressure. PMID:27508114

Preventive Effects of Safety Helmets on Traumatic Brain Injury after Work-Related Falls

PubMed Central

Kim, Sang Chul; Ro, Young Sun; Shin, Sang Do; Kim, Joo Yeong

2016-01-01

Introduction: Work-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by falls is a catastrophic event that leads to disabilities and high socio-medical costs. This study aimed to measure the magnitude of the preventive effect of safety helmets on clinical outcomes and to compare the effect across different heights of fall. Methods: We collected a nationwide, prospective database of work-related injury patients who visited the 10 emergency departments between July 2010 and October 2012. All of the adult patients who experienced work-related fall injuries were eligible, excluding cases with unknown safety helmet use and height of fall. Primary and secondary endpoints were intracranial injury and in-hospital mortality. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of safety helmet use and height of fall for study outcomes, and adjusted for any potential confounders. Results: A total of 1298 patients who suffered from work-related fall injuries were enrolled. The industrial or construction area was the most common place of fall injury occurrence, and 45.0% were wearing safety helmets at the time of fall injuries. The safety helmet group was less likely to have intracranial injury comparing with the no safety helmet group (the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 0.42 (0.24–0.73)), however, there was no statistical difference of in-hospital mortality between two groups (the adjusted ORs (95% CI): 0.83 (0.34–2.03). In the interaction analysis, preventive effects of safety helmet on intracranial injury were significant within 4 m height of fall. Conclusions: A safety helmet is associated with prevention of intracranial injury resulting from work-related fall and the effect is preserved within 4 m height of fall. Therefore, wearing a safety helmet can be an intervention for protecting fall-related intracranial injury in the workplace. PMID:27801877

Preventive Effects of Safety Helmets on Traumatic Brain Injury after Work-Related Falls.

PubMed

Kim, Sang Chul; Ro, Young Sun; Shin, Sang Do; Kim, Joo Yeong

2016-10-29

Work-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by falls is a catastrophic event that leads to disabilities and high socio-medical costs. This study aimed to measure the magnitude of the preventive effect of safety helmets on clinical outcomes and to compare the effect across different heights of fall. We collected a nationwide, prospective database of work-related injury patients who visited the 10 emergency departments between July 2010 and October 2012. All of the adult patients who experienced work-related fall injuries were eligible, excluding cases with unknown safety helmet use and height of fall. Primary and secondary endpoints were intracranial injury and in-hospital mortality. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of safety helmet use and height of fall for study outcomes, and adjusted for any potential confounders. A total of 1298 patients who suffered from work-related fall injuries were enrolled. The industrial or construction area was the most common place of fall injury occurrence, and 45.0% were wearing safety helmets at the time of fall injuries. The safety helmet group was less likely to have intracranial injury comparing with the no safety helmet group (the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 0.42 (0.24-0.73)), however, there was no statistical difference of in-hospital mortality between two groups (the adjusted ORs (95% CI): 0.83 (0.34-2.03). In the interaction analysis, preventive effects of safety helmet on intracranial injury were significant within 4 m height of fall. A safety helmet is associated with prevention of intracranial injury resulting from work-related fall and the effect is preserved within 4 m height of fall. Therefore, wearing a safety helmet can be an intervention for protecting fall-related intracranial injury in the workplace.

Work stress and patient safety: observer-rated work stressors as predictors of characteristics of safety-related events reported by young nurses.

PubMed

Elfering, A; Semmer, N K; Grebner, S

This study investigates the link between workplace stress and the 'non-singularity' of patient safety-related incidents in the hospital setting. Over a period of 2 working weeks 23 young nurses from 19 hospitals in Switzerland documented 314 daily stressful events using a self-observation method (pocket diaries); 62 events were related to patient safety. Familiarity of safety-related events and probability of recurrence, as indicators of non-singularity, were the dependent variables in multilevel regression analyses. Predictor variables were both situational (self-reported situational control, safety compliance) and chronic variables (job stressors such as time pressure, or concentration demands and job control). Chronic work characteristics were rated by trained observers. The most frequent safety-related stressful events included incomplete or incorrect documentation (40.3%), medication errors (near misses 21%), delays in delivery of patient care (9.7%), and violent patients (9.7%). Familiarity of events and probability of recurrence were significantly predicted by chronic job stressors and low job control in multilevel regression analyses. Job stressors and low job control were shown to be risk factors for patient safety. The results suggest that job redesign to enhance job control and decrease job stressors may be an important intervention to increase patient safety.

Commercial grade item (CGI) dedication of generators for nuclear safety related applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Das, R.K.; Hajos, L.G.

1993-03-01

The number of nuclear safety related equipment suppliers and the availability of spare and replacement parts designed specifically for nuclear safety related application are shrinking rapidly. These have made it necessary for utilities to apply commercial grade spare and replacement parts in nuclear safety related applications after implementing proper acceptance and dedication process to verify that such items conform with the requirements of their use in nuclear safety related application. The general guidelines for the commercial grade item (CGI) acceptance and dedication are provided in US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Generic Letters and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Report NP-5652,more » Guideline for the Utilization of Commercial Grade Items in Nuclear Safety Related Applications. This paper presents an application of these generic guidelines for procurement, acceptance, and dedication of a commercial grade generator for use as a standby generator at Salem Generating Station Units 1 and 2. The paper identifies the critical characteristics of the generator which once verified, will provide reasonable assurance that the generator will perform its intended safety function. The paper also delineates the method of verification of the critical characteristics through tests and provide acceptance criteria for the test results. The methodology presented in this paper may be used as specific guidelines for reliable and cost effective procurement and dedication of commercial grade generators for use as standby generators at nuclear power plants.« less

Basic Safety II. Apprentice Related Training Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Eric; Spetz, Sally H.

One in a series of core instructional materials for apprentices to use during the first or second years of apprentice-related subjects training, this booklet deals with basic safety. The first section consists of an outline of the content and scope of the core materials as well as a self-assessment pretest. Covered in the four instructional…

Safety surrogate histograms (SSH): A novel real-time safety assessment of dilemma zone related conflicts at signalized intersections.

PubMed

Ghanipoor Machiani, Sahar; Abbas, Montasir

2016-11-01

Drivers' indecisiveness in dilemma zones (DZ) could result in crash-prone situations at signalized intersections. DZ is to the area ahead of an intersection in which drivers encounter a dilemma regarding whether to stop or proceed through the intersection when the signal turns yellow. An improper decision to stop by the leading driver, combined with the following driver deciding to go, can result in a rear-end collision, unless the following driver recognizes a collision is imminent and adjusts his or her behavior at or shortly after the onset of yellow. Considering the significance of DZ-related crashes, a comprehensive safety measure is needed to characterize the level of safety at signalized intersections. In this study, a novel safety surrogate measure was developed utilizing real-time radar field data. This new measure, called safety surrogate histogram (SSH), captures the degree and frequency of DZ-related conflicts at each intersection approach. SSH includes detailed information regarding the possibility of crashes, because it is calculated based on the vehicles conflicts. An example illustrating the application of the new methodology at two study sites in Virginia is presented and discussed, and a comparison is provided between SSH and other DZ-related safety surrogate measures mentioned in the literature. The results of the study reveal the efficacy of the SSH as complementary to existing surrogate measures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aviation Trends Related to Atmospheric Environment Safety Technologies Project Technical Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reveley, Mary S.; Withrow, Colleen A.; Barr, Lawrence C.; Evans, Joni K.; Leone, Karen M.; Jones, Sharon M.

2014-01-01

Current and future aviation safety trends related to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Atmospheric Environment Safety Technologies Project's three technical challenges (engine icing characterization and simulation capability; airframe icing simulation and engineering tool capability; and atmospheric hazard sensing and mitigation technology capability) were assessed by examining the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident database (1989 to 2008), incidents from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accident/incident database (1989 to 2006), and literature from various industry and government sources. The accident and incident data were examined for events involving fixed-wing airplanes operating under Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Parts 121, 135, and 91 for atmospheric conditions related to airframe icing, ice-crystal engine icing, turbulence, clear air turbulence, wake vortex, lightning, and low visibility (fog, low ceiling, clouds, precipitation, and low lighting). Five future aviation safety risk areas associated with the three AEST technical challenges were identified after an exhaustive survey of a variety of sources and include: approach and landing accident reduction, icing/ice detection, loss of control in flight, super density operations, and runway safety.

Role of the law in ensuring work related road safety.

PubMed

Griffith, Richard; Tengnah, Cassam

2007-12-01

Some 150 deaths and serious injuries are caused each week by people who were driving in the course of their work. The police, health and safety executive and government are seeking to improve this startling statistic by ensuring that organizations, including NHS Trusts, comply with health and safety law and fulfil their duty to carry out an assessment of risks associated with work related driving and implement a policy to minimize those risks. Failing to comply could result in prosecution by the police and health and safety executive.

New conducted electrical weapons: Electrical safety relative to relevant standards.

PubMed

Panescu, Dorin; Nerheim, Max; Kroll, Mark W; Brave, Michael A

2017-07-01

We have previously published about TASER ® conducted electrical weapons (CEW) compliance with international standards. CEWs deliver electrical pulses that can inhibit a person's neuromuscular control or temporarily incapacitate. An eXperimental Rotating-Field (XRF) waveform CEW and the X2 CEW are new 2-shot electrical weapon models designed to target a precise amount of delivered charge per pulse. They both can deploy 1 or 2 dart pairs, delivered by 2 separate cartridges. Additionally, the XRF controls delivery of incapacitating pulses over 4 field vectors, in a rotating sequence. As in our previous study, we were motivated by the need to understand the cardiac safety profile of these new CEWs. The goal of this paper is to analyze the nominal electrical outputs of TASER XRF and X2 CEWs in reference to provisions of all relevant international standards that specify safety requirements for electrical medical devices and electrical fences. Although these standards do not specifically mention CEWs, they are the closest electrical safety standards and hence give very relevant guidance. The outputs of several TASER XRF and X2 CEWs were measured under normal operating conditions. The measurements were compared against manufacturer specifications. CEWs electrical output parameters were reviewed against relevant safety requirements of UL 69, IEC 60335-2-76 Ed 2.1, IEC 60479-1, IEC 60479-2, AS/NZS 60479.1, AS/NZS 60479.2, IEC 60601-1 and BS EN 60601-1. Our study confirmed that the nominal electrical outputs of TASER XRF and X2 CEWs lie within safety bounds specified by relevant standards.

Uncertainty relation based on unbiased parameter estimations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Liang-Liang; Song, Yong-Shun; Qiao, Cong-Feng; Yu, Sixia; Chen, Zeng-Bing

2017-02-01

Heisenberg's uncertainty relation has been extensively studied in spirit of its well-known original form, in which the inaccuracy measures used exhibit some controversial properties and don't conform with quantum metrology, where the measurement precision is well defined in terms of estimation theory. In this paper, we treat the joint measurement of incompatible observables as a parameter estimation problem, i.e., estimating the parameters characterizing the statistics of the incompatible observables. Our crucial observation is that, in a sequential measurement scenario, the bias induced by the first unbiased measurement in the subsequent measurement can be eradicated by the information acquired, allowing one to extract unbiased information of the second measurement of an incompatible observable. In terms of Fisher information we propose a kind of information comparison measure and explore various types of trade-offs between the information gains and measurement precisions, which interpret the uncertainty relation as surplus variance trade-off over individual perfect measurements instead of a constraint on extracting complete information of incompatible observables.

Perceived crime and traffic safety is related to physical activity among adults in Nigeria.

PubMed

Oyeyemi, Adewale L; Adegoke, Babatunde O; Sallis, James F; Oyeyemi, Adetoyeje Y; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse

2012-05-17

Neighborhood safety is inconsistently related to physical activity, but is seldom studied in developing countries. This study examined associations between perceived neighborhood safety and physical activity among Nigerian adults. In a cross-sectional study, accelerometer-based physical activity (MVPA), reported walking, perceived crime and traffic safety were measured in 219 Nigerian adults. Logistic regression analysis was conducted, and the odds ratio for meeting health guidelines for MVPA and walking was calculated in relation to four safety variables, after adjustment for potential confounders. Sufficient MVPA was related to more perception of safety from traffic to walk (OR=2.28, CI=1.13- 6.25) and more safety from crime at night (OR=1.68, CI=1.07-3.64), but with less perception of safety from crime during the day to walk (OR=0.34, CI=0.06- 0.91). More crime safety during the day and night were associated with more walking. Perceived safety from crime and traffic were associated with physical activity among Nigerian adults. These findings provide preliminary evidence on the need to provide safe traffic and crime environments that will make it easier and more likely for African adults to be physically active.

Relatives in end-of-life care--part 2: a theory for enabling safety.

PubMed

Ohlén, Joakim; Andershed, Birgitta; Berg, Christina; Frid, Ingvar; Palm, Carl-Axel; Ternestedt, Britt-Marie; Segesten, Kerstin

2007-02-01

To develop a goal-oriented praxis theory for enabling safety for relatives when an adult or older patient is close to end-of-life. This is the second part of a project focusing on the situation and needs of relatives in end-of-life care. Our interpretation of the existing corpus of knowledge pertaining to the needs of close relatives in this situation showed the significance of relatives' need for safety. The theory was developed step-by-step, through triangulation of critical review of empirical research in the field, our own clinical experiences from end-of-life care, renewed literature searches and theoretical reasoning. The foundation for the theory is taken from the ethical intention of the philosopher Paul Ricoeur. From this, the theory focuses on relatives in the context of end-of-life care with the goal of enabling safety. This is proposed by four aphorisms functioning as safety enablers and these are directed towards the professional's approach and attitude, the relative's concern for the patient, the specific situation for the relative and the patient's end-of-life period as a period in the life of the relative. Implications for end-of-life practice are considered and include aspects for promotion of just institutions in end-of-life care, the significance of negotiated partnership in end-of-life care, enabling safety for relatives living in existential and practical uncertainty in connection with end-of-life care and diversity of relatives' preferences as they live through this particular period.

Evaluating North Carolina Food Pantry Food Safety-Related Operating Procedures.

PubMed

Chaifetz, Ashley; Chapman, Benjamin

2015-11-01

Almost one in seven American households were food insecure in 2012, experiencing difficulty in providing enough food for all family members due to a lack of resources. Food pantries assist a food-insecure population through emergency food provision, but there is a paucity of information on the food safety-related operating procedures used in the pantries. Food pantries operate in a variable regulatory landscape; in some jurisdictions, they are treated equivalent to restaurants, while in others, they operate outside of inspection regimes. By using a mixed methods approach to catalog the standard operating procedures related to food in 105 food pantries from 12 North Carolina counties, we evaluated their potential impact on food safety. Data collected through interviews with pantry managers were supplemented with observed food safety practices scored against a modified version of the North Carolina Food Establishment Inspection Report. Pantries partnered with organized food bank networks were compared with those that operated independently. In this exploratory research, additional comparisons were examined for pantries in metropolitan areas versus nonmetropolitan areas and pantries with managers who had received food safety training versus managers who had not. The results provide a snapshot of how North Carolina food pantries operate and document risk mitigation strategies for foodborne illness for the vulnerable populations they serve. Data analysis reveals gaps in food safety knowledge and practice, indicating that pantries would benefit from more effective food safety training, especially focusing on formalizing risk management strategies. In addition, new tools, procedures, or policy interventions might improve information actualization by food pantry personnel.

Comparative Safety and Tolerability of Anti-VEGF therapy in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

PubMed Central

Modi, Yasha S.; Tanchon, Carley; Ehlers, Justis P

2015-01-01

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness. Over the last decade, the treatment of NVAMD has been revolutionized by the development intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies. Several anti-VEGF medications are used for the treatment of NVAMD. The safety and tolerability of these medications deserve review given the high prevalence of NVAMD and the significant utilization of these medications. Numerous large randomized clinical trials have not shown any definitive differential safety relative to ocular or systemic safety of these medications. Intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy does appear to impact systemic VEGF levels, but the implications of these changes remain unclear. One unique safety concern relates drug compounding and the potential risks of contamination, specifically for bevacizumab. Continued surveillance for systemic safety concerns, particularly for rare events is merited. Overall these medications are well tolerated and effective in the treatment of NVAMD. PMID:25700714

Effect of Aripiprazole Lauroxil on Metabolic and Endocrine Profiles and Related Safety Considerations Among Patients With Acute Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Nasrallah, Henry A; Newcomer, John W; Risinger, Robert; Du, Yangchun; Zummo, Jacqueline; Bose, Anjana; Stankovic, Srdjan; Silverman, Bernard L; Ehrich, Elliot W

2016-11-01

Aripiprazole lauroxil, a long-acting injectable antipsychotic, demonstrated safety and efficacy in treating symptoms of schizophrenia in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Because the metabolic profile of antipsychotics is an important safety feature, the effects of aripiprazole lauroxil on body weight, endocrine and metabolic profiles, and safety were examined in a secondary analysis. Patients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV-TR criteria) were randomly assigned to aripiprazole lauroxil 441 mg, aripiprazole lauroxil 882 mg, or placebo intramuscularly once monthly between December 2011 and March 2014. Changes in body weight, body mass index, fasting blood glucose and serum lipids, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and prolactin over 12 weeks were assessed. The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) was evaluated. Among 622 randomized patients, no clinically relevant changes from baseline to week 12 were observed for any serum lipid, lipoprotein, plasma glucose, or HbA1c value with placebo or either dose of aripiprazole lauroxil. Both doses of aripiprazole lauroxil were associated with reductions in mean prolactin levels, whereas placebo treatment was not. The mean (standard deviation) change from baseline for body weight was 0.74 (3.9) kg, 0.86 (3.7) kg, and 0.01 (3.6) kg for aripiprazole lauroxil 441 mg, aripiprazole lauroxil 882 mg, and placebo groups, respectively. AEs related to metabolic parameters were reported in 2.4%, 1.4%, and 2.4% of patients in the aripiprazole lauroxil 441 mg, aripiprazole lauroxil 882 mg, and placebo groups, respectively. Aripiprazole lauroxil was well tolerated, with a low-risk metabolic profile relative to published data for other antipsychotics. Changes similar to those observed with placebo were observed in the aripiprazole lauroxil groups for metabolic parameters, with modest weight gain in the active treatment groups over the 12-week course. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01469039. © Copyright 2016 Physicians

78 FR 25488 - Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-01

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2013-0079] Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in... regulatory guide (DG), DG-1235, ``Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants...-251- 7495, email: [email protected] . Both of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear...

Perceived crime and traffic safety is related to physical activity among adults in Nigeria

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Neighborhood safety is inconsistently related to physical activity, but is seldom studied in developing countries. This study examined associations between perceived neighborhood safety and physical activity among Nigerian adults. Methods In a cross-sectional study, accelerometer-based physical activity (MVPA), reported walking, perceived crime and traffic safety were measured in 219 Nigerian adults. Logistic regression analysis was conducted, and the odds ratio for meeting health guidelines for MVPA and walking was calculated in relation to four safety variables, after adjustment for potential confounders. Results Sufficient MVPA was related to more perception of safety from traffic to walk (OR=2.28, CI=1.13- 6.25) and more safety from crime at night (OR=1.68, CI=1.07-3.64), but with less perception of safety from crime during the day to walk (OR=0.34, CI=0.06- 0.91). More crime safety during the day and night were associated with more walking. Conclusions Perceived safety from crime and traffic were associated with physical activity among Nigerian adults. These findings provide preliminary evidence on the need to provide safe traffic and crime environments that will make it easier and more likely for African adults to be physically active. PMID:22520066

A red-flag-based approach to risk management of EHR-related safety concerns.

PubMed

Sittig, Dean F; Singh, Hardeep

2013-01-01

Although electronic health records (EHRs) have a significant potential to improve patient safety, EHR-related safety concerns have begun to emerge. Based on 369 responses to a survey sent to the memberships of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management and the American Health Lawyers Association and supplemented by our previous work in EHR-related patient safety, we identified the following common EHR-related safety concerns: (1) incorrect patient identification; (2) extended EHR unavailability (either planned or unplanned); (3) failure to heed a computer-generated warning or alert; (4) system-to-system interface errors; (5) failure to identify, find, or use the most recent patient data; (6) misunderstandings about time; (7) incorrect item selected from a list of items; and (8) open or incomplete orders. In this article, we present a "red-flag"-based approach that can be used by risk managers to identify potential EHR safety concerns in their institutions. An organization that routinely conducts EHR-related surveillance activities, such as the ones proposed here, can significantly reduce risks associated with EHR implementation and use. © 2013 American Society for Healthcare Risk Management of the American Hospital Association.

78 FR 67206 - Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-08

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2013-0079] Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in..., ``Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants.'' This RG is being revised to provide... power plants. This RG is proposed Revision 1 of RG 1.73, ``Qualification Tests of Electric Valve...

Factors related to increasing safety belt use in states with safety belt use laws : second annual report to Congress

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-01-01

This report is the second in a series of four annual reports to the Congress on provisions of state safety belt use laws and other programmatic factors related to increasing safety belt use levels. The first Congressional Report reviewed what was kno...

Xylitol: a review on bioproduction, application, health benefits, and related safety issues.

PubMed

Ur-Rehman, Salim; Mushtaq, Zarina; Zahoor, Tahir; Jamil, Amir; Murtaza, Mian Anjum

2015-01-01

Xylitol is a pentahydroxy sugar-alcohol which exists in a very low quantity in fruits and vegetables (plums, strawberries, cauliflower, and pumpkin). On commercial scale, xylitol can be produced by chemical and biotechnological processes. Chemical production is costly and extensive in purification steps. However, biotechnological method utilizes agricultural and forestry wastes which offer the possibilities of economic production of xylitol by reducing required energy. The precursor xylose is produced from agricultural biomass by chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis and can be converted to xylitol primarily by yeast strain. Hydrolysis under acidic condition is the more commonly used practice influenced by various process parameters. Various fermentation process inhibitors are produced during chemical hydrolysis that reduce xylitol production, a detoxification step is, therefore, necessary. Biotechnological xylitol production is an integral process of microbial species belonging to Candida genus which is influenced by various process parameters such as pH, temperature, time, nitrogen source, and yeast extract level. Xylitol has application and potential for food and pharmaceutical industries. It is a functional sweetener as it has prebiotic effects which can reduce blood glucose, triglyceride, and cholesterol level. This review describes recent research developments related to bioproduction of xylitol from agricultural wastes, application, health, and safety issues.

18 CFR 12.10 - Reporting safety-related incidents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...-related incidents. 12.10 Section 12.10 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY REGULATIONS UNDER THE FEDERAL POWER ACT SAFETY OF WATER POWER PROJECTS AND... providing a copy of a clipping from a newspaper article, if available. (4) For the purposes of this...

49 CFR 191.23 - Reporting safety-related conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., controls, or processes gas or LNG. (4) Any material defect or physical damage that impairs the... strength. (5) Any malfunction or operating error that causes the pressure of a pipeline or LNG facility... structural integrity of an LNG storage tank. (8) Any safety-related condition that could lead to an imminent...

Screening Electronic Health Record-Related Patient Safety Reports Using Machine Learning.

PubMed

Marella, William M; Sparnon, Erin; Finley, Edward

2017-03-01

The objective of this study was to develop a semiautomated approach to screening cases that describe hazards associated with the electronic health record (EHR) from a mandatory, population-based patient safety reporting system. Potentially relevant cases were identified through a query of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System. A random sample of cases were manually screened for relevance and divided into training, testing, and validation data sets to develop a machine learning model. This model was used to automate screening of remaining potentially relevant cases. Of the 4 algorithms tested, a naive Bayes kernel performed best, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.927 ± 0.023, accuracy of 0.855 ± 0.033, and F score of 0.877 ± 0.027. The machine learning model and text mining approach described here are useful tools for identifying and analyzing adverse event and near-miss reports. Although reporting systems are beginning to incorporate structured fields on health information technology and the EHR, these methods can identify related events that reporters classify in other ways. These methods can facilitate analysis of legacy safety reports by retrieving health information technology-related and EHR-related events from databases without fields and controlled values focused on this subject and distinguishing them from reports in which the EHR is mentioned only in passing. Machine learning and text mining are useful additions to the patient safety toolkit and can be used to semiautomate screening and analysis of unstructured text in safety reports from frontline staff.

Gravitational Stokes parameters. [for electromagnetic and gravitational radiation in relativity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anile, A. M.; Breuer, R. A.

1974-01-01

The electromagnetic and gravitational Stokes parameters are defined in the general theory of relativity. The general-relativistic equation of radiative transfer for polarized radiation is then derived in terms of the Stokes parameters for both high-frequency electromagnetic and gravitational waves. The concept of Stokes parameters is generalized for the most general class of metric theories of gravity, where six (instead of two) independent states of polarization are present.

Factors related to increasing safety belt use in states with safety belt use laws : second annual report to Congress, 1988.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-01-01

This report. is the second in a series of four annual reports to the : Congress on provisions of state safety belt use laws and other : programmatic factors related to increasing safety belt use levels. : The first Congressional Report reviewed what ...

Efficacy, safety, predictability, aberrations and corneal biomechnical parameters after SMILE and FLEx: Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Ma, Jing; Cao, Nan-Jue; Xia, Li-Kun

2016-01-01

To identify possible differences of efficacy, safety, predictability, higher-order aberrations and corneal biomechnical parameters after small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and femtosecond lenticule extraction (FLEx). A systematic literature retrieval was conducted in Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library, up to October, 2015. The included studies were subject to a Meta-analysis. Comparison between SMILE and FLEx was measured as pooled odds ratio (OR) or weighted mean differences (WMD). Of 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to analyze data. A total of seven studies were included. Firstly, there were no differences in uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) 20/20 or better (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.69 to 2.69; P=0.37) and logMAR UDVA (WMD, -0.02; 95% CI, -0.05 to 0.01; P=0.17) after SMILE versus FLEx. We found no differences in corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) unchanged (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.46 to 2.11; P=0.97) and logMAR CDVA (WMD, -0.00; 95% CI, -0.01 to 0.01; P=0.90) either. Secondly, we found no differences in refraction within ±1.00 D (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.13 to 7.28; P=0.99) and ±0.50 D (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 0.62 to 4.28; P=0.33) of target postoperatively. Thirdly, for higher-order aberrations, we found no differences in the total higher-order aberrations (WMD, -0.04; 95% CI, -0.09 to 0.01; P=0.14), coma (WMD, -0.04; 95% CI, -0.09 to 0.01; P=0.11), spherical (WMD, 0.01; 95% CI, -0.02 to 0.03; P=0.60) and trefoil (WMD, -0.00; 95% CI, -0.04 to 0.03; P=0.76). Furthermore, for corneal biomechanical parameters, we also found no differences (WMD, 0.08; 95% CI, -0.17 to 0.33; P=0.54) after SMILE versus FLEx. There are no statistically differences in efficacy, safety, predictability, higher-order aberrations and corneal biomechnical parameters postoperative between SMILE and FLEx.

How important is vehicle safety in the new vehicle purchase process?

PubMed

Koppel, Sjaanie; Charlton, Judith; Fildes, Brian; Fitzharris, Michael

2008-05-01

Whilst there has been a significant increase in the amount of consumer interest in the safety performance of privately owned vehicles, the role that it plays in consumers' purchase decisions is poorly understood. The aims of the current study were to determine: how important vehicle safety is in the new vehicle purchase process; what importance consumers place on safety options/features relative to other convenience and comfort features, and how consumers conceptualise vehicle safety. In addition, the study aimed to investigate the key parameters associated with ranking 'vehicle safety' as the most important consideration in the new vehicle purchase. Participants recruited in Sweden and Spain completed a questionnaire about their new vehicle purchase. The findings from the questionnaire indicated that participants ranked safety-related factors (e.g., EuroNCAP (or other) safety ratings) as more important in the new vehicle purchase process than other vehicle factors (e.g., price, reliability etc.). Similarly, participants ranked safety-related features (e.g., advanced braking systems, front passenger airbags etc.) as more important than non-safety-related features (e.g., route navigation systems, air-conditioning etc.). Consistent with previous research, most participants equated vehicle safety with the presence of specific vehicle safety features or technologies rather than vehicle crash safety/test results or crashworthiness. The key parameters associated with ranking 'vehicle safety' as the most important consideration in the new vehicle purchase were: use of EuroNCAP, gender and education level, age, drivers' concern about crash involvement, first vehicle purchase, annual driving distance, person for whom the vehicle was purchased, and traffic infringement history. The findings from this study are important for policy makers, manufacturers and other stakeholders to assist in setting priorities with regard to the promotion and publicity of vehicle safety features

Gendered role of appraisals of safety in psychological outcome in relation to trauma.

PubMed

Padmanabhanunni, Anita; Campbell, Jerome; Pretorius, Tyrone B

2017-09-01

This study investigated gender differences in the role of appraisals of safety in the relationship between exposure to violence and trauma-related symptoms among South African adolescents living in low socioeconomic settings. Limited research exists in developing contexts on the role of cognitive appraisals in mitigating outcome following exposure to violence. Given the prevalence of violence in South Africa and the vulnerability of youth, this type of research is valuable in identifying adolescents at risk of negative psychological outcome following exposure, and in informing intervention efforts. Adolescents (N = 498) completed an adapted version of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (Mollica et al., 1992) and the Safety Index (Ward, Flisher, Zissis, Muller, & Lombard, 2001). The results indicate a significant positive relationship between all violence subscales and trauma-related symptoms, whereas a significant negative relationship was found between sense of safety and trauma-related symptoms. Important gender differences were identified in the role of appraisals of safety, with more effects noted for women than men. For men, the obtained results only demonstrated a health-sustaining role. For women, the results indicated a health-sustaining role, an indirect effect, and a stress-reducing role. These findings stress the necessity of gender-specific interventions. Assessment of psychological trauma, particularly among female adolescents, needs to include measures of cognitive appraisals related to safety. Therapeutic techniques that may be particularly beneficial to adolescent girls are those focusing on promoting sense of safety and targeting dysfunctional threat appraisals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Clinical Evaluation of a Safety-device to Prevent Urinary Catheter Inflation Related Injuries.

PubMed

Davis, Niall F; Cunnane, Eoghan M; Mooney, Rory O'C; Forde, James C; Walsh, Michael T

2018-05-01

To evaluate the feasibility of a novel "safety-valve" device for preventing catheter related urethral trauma during urethral catheterization (UC). To assess the opinions of clinicians on the performance of the safety-valve device. A validated prototype "safety-valve" device for preventing catheter balloon inflation related urethral injuries was prospectively piloted in male patients requiring UC in a tertiary referral teaching hospital (n = 100). The device allows fluid in the catheter system to decant through an activated safety threshold pressure valve if the catheter anchoring balloon is misplaced. Users evaluated the "safety-valve" with an anonymous questionnaire. The primary outcome measurement was prevention of anchoring balloon inflation in the urethra. Secondary outcome measurement was successful inflation of urinary catheter anchoring balloon in the bladder. Patient age was 76 ± 12 years and American Society of Anaesthesiologists grade was 3 ± 1.4. The "safety-valve" was utilized by 34 clinicians and activated in 7% (n = 7/100) patients during attempted UC, indicating that the catheter anchoring balloon was incorrectly positioned in the patient's urethra. In these 7 cases, the catheter was successfully manipulated into the urinary bladder and inflated. 31 of 34 (91%) clinicians completed the questionnaire. Ten percent (n = 3/31) of respondents had previously inflated a urinary catheter anchoring balloon in the urethra and 100% (n = 31) felt that a safety mechanism for preventing balloon inflation in the urethra should be compulsory for all UCs. The safety-valve device piloted in this clinical study offers an effective solution for preventing catheter balloon inflation related urethral injuries. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transformational leadership and safety performance among nurses: the mediating role of knowledge-related job characteristics.

PubMed

Lievens, Ilse; Vlerick, Peter

2014-03-01

To report the impact of transformational leadership on two dimensions of nurses' safety performance (i.e. safety compliance and safety participation) and to study the mediating role of knowledge-related job characteristics in this relationship. Safety performance refers to the behaviours that employees exhibit to adhere to safety guidelines and to promote health and safety at their workplace. Nurses' safety performance is a major challenge for healthcare settings, urging the need to identify the key determinants and psychological mechanisms that influence it. A cross-sectional survey study. The study was carried out in September 2010 in a large Belgian hospital. We used self-administered questionnaires; 152 nurses participated. The hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression analyses. In line with our first hypothesis, the results show that transformational leadership exerted a significant positive impact on both dimensions of nurses' safety performance. This positive relation was mediated by knowledge-related job characteristics, supporting our second hypothesis. Head nurses' transformational leadership can enhance nurses' compliance with and participation in safety. Furthermore, transformational head nurses are able to influence the perception that their nurses have about the kind and amount of knowledge in their job, which can also lead to increases in both dimensions of nurses' safety performance. This study therefore demonstrates the key impact that transformational head nurses have, both directly and indirectly, on the safety performance of their nurses. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Smooth handling: the lack of safety-related consumer information in car advertisements.

PubMed

Wilson, Nick; Maher, Anthony; Thomson, George; Keall, Michael

2007-10-01

To examine the content and trends of safety-related consumer information in magazine vehicle advertisements, as a case study within the worldwide marketing of vehicles. Content analysis of popular current affairs magazines in New Zealand for the 5-year period 2001-2005 was undertaken (n = 514 advertisements), supplemented with vehicle data from official websites. Safety information in advertisements for light passenger vehicles was relatively uncommon with only 27% mentioning one or more of nine key safety features examined (average: 1.7 out of nine features in this 27%). Also included were potentially hazardous features of: speed imagery (in 29% of advertisements), power references (14%), and acceleration data (4%). The speed and power aspects became relatively more common over the 5-year period (p < 0.05 for trend). To enhance informed consumer choice and improve injury prevention, governments should consider regulating the content of vehicle advertisements and vehicle marketing - as already occurs with many other consumer products.

Relative effectiveness of worker safety and health training methods.

PubMed

Burke, Michael J; Sarpy, Sue Ann; Smith-Crowe, Kristin; Chan-Serafin, Suzanne; Salvador, Rommel O; Islam, Gazi

2006-02-01

We sought to determine the relative effectiveness of different methods of worker safety and health training aimed at improving safety knowledge and performance and reducing negative outcomes (accidents, illnesses, and injuries). Ninety-five quasi-experimental studies (n=20991) were included in the analysis. Three types of intervention methods were distinguished on the basis of learners' participation in the training process: least engaging (lecture, pamphlets, videos), moderately engaging (programmed instruction, feedback interventions), and most engaging (training in behavioral modeling, hands-on training). As training methods became more engaging (i.e., requiring trainees' active participation), workers demonstrated greater knowledge acquisition, and reductions were seen in accidents, illnesses, and injuries. All methods of training produced meaningful behavioral performance improvements. Training involving behavioral modeling, a substantial amount of practice, and dialogue is generally more effective than other methods of safety and health training. The present findings challenge the current emphasis on more passive computer-based and distance training methods within the public health workforce.

Relative Effectiveness of Worker Safety and Health Training Methods

PubMed Central

Burke, Michael J.; Sarpy, Sue Ann; Smith-Crowe, Kristin; Chan-Serafin, Suzanne; Salvador, Rommel O.; Islam, Gazi

2006-01-01

Objectives. We sought to determine the relative effectiveness of different methods of worker safety and health training aimed at improving safety knowledge and performance and reducing negative outcomes (accidents, illnesses, and injuries). Methods. Ninety-five quasi-experimental studies (n=20991) were included in the analysis. Three types of intervention methods were distinguished on the basis of learners’ participation in the training process: least engaging (lecture, pamphlets, videos), moderately engaging (programmed instruction, feedback interventions), and most engaging (training in behavioral modeling, hands-on training). Results. As training methods became more engaging (i.e., requiring trainees’ active participation), workers demonstrated greater knowledge acquisition, and reductions were seen in accidents, illnesses, and injuries. All methods of training produced meaningful behavioral performance improvements. Conclusions. Training involving behavioral modeling, a substantial amount of practice, and dialogue is generally more effective than other methods of safety and health training. The present findings challenge the current emphasis on more passive computer-based and distance training methods within the public health workforce. PMID:16380566

The moderating role of safety-specific trust on the relation between safety-specific leadership and safety citizenship behaviors.

PubMed

Conchie, Stacey M; Donald, Ian J

2009-04-01

The authors examined whether safety-specific trust moderates or mediates the relationship between safety-specific transformational leadership and subordinates' safety citizenship behavior. Data from 139 subordinate-supervisor dyads were collected from the United Kingdom construction industry and analyzed using hierarchical regression models. Results showed that safety-specific trust moderated rather than mediated the effects of safety-specific transformational leaders on subordinates' behavior. Specifically, in conditions of high and moderate safety-specific trust, leaders had a significant effect on subordinates' safety citizenship behavior. However, in conditions of low safety-specific trust, leaders did not significantly influence subordinates' safety citizenship behavior. The implications of these findings for general safety theory and practice are discussed.

32 CFR 861.7 - Disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) Processing requests for disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information. Requests for public... will protect the information from public disclosure, and that it will not release such information...-related information. 861.7 Section 861.7 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF...

32 CFR 861.7 - Disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) Processing requests for disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information. Requests for public... will protect the information from public disclosure, and that it will not release such information...-related information. 861.7 Section 861.7 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF...

32 CFR 861.7 - Disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) Processing requests for disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information. Requests for public... will protect the information from public disclosure, and that it will not release such information...-related information. 861.7 Section 861.7 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF...

32 CFR 861.7 - Disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) Processing requests for disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information. Requests for public... will protect the information from public disclosure, and that it will not release such information...-related information. 861.7 Section 861.7 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF...

Automating Nuclear-Safety-Related SQA Procedures with Custom Applications

DOE PAGES

Freels, James D.

2016-01-01

Nuclear safety-related procedures are rigorous for good reason. Small design mistakes can quickly turn into unwanted failures. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory worked with COMSOL to define a simulation app that automates the software quality assurance (SQA) verification process and provides results in less than 24 hours.

Relating stick-slip friction experiments to earthquake source parameters

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGarr, Arthur F.

2012-01-01

Analytical results for parameters, such as static stress drop, for stick-slip friction experiments, with arbitrary input parameters, can be determined by solving an energy-balance equation. These results can then be related to a given earthquake based on its seismic moment and the maximum slip within its rupture zone, assuming that the rupture process entails the same physics as stick-slip friction. This analysis yields overshoots and ratios of apparent stress to static stress drop of about 0.25. The inferred earthquake source parameters static stress drop, apparent stress, slip rate, and radiated energy are robust inasmuch as they are largely independent of the experimental parameters used in their estimation. Instead, these earthquake parameters depend on C, the ratio of maximum slip to the cube root of the seismic moment. C is controlled by the normal stress applied to the rupture plane and the difference between the static and dynamic coefficients of friction. Estimating yield stress and seismic efficiency using the same procedure is only possible when the actual static and dynamic coefficients of friction are known within the earthquake rupture zone.

Relational approach in managing construction project safety: a social capital perspective.

PubMed

Koh, Tas Yong; Rowlinson, Steve

2012-09-01

Existing initiatives in the management of construction project safety are largely based on normative compliance and error prevention, a risk management approach. Although advantageous, these approaches are not wholly successful in further lowering accident rates. A major limitation lies with the approaches' lack of emphasis on the social and team processes inherent in construction project settings. We advance the enquiry by invoking the concept of social capital and project organisational processes, and their impacts on project safety performance. Because social capital is a primordial concept and affects project participants' interactions, its impact on project safety performance is hypothesised to be indirect, i.e. the impact of social capital on safety performance is mediated by organisational processes in adaptation and cooperation. A questionnaire survey was conducted within Hong Kong construction industry to test the hypotheses. 376 usable responses were received and used for analyses. The results reveal that, while the structural dimension is not significant, the mediational thesis is generally supported with the cognitive and relational dimensions affecting project participants' adaptation and cooperation, and the latter two processes affect safety performance. However, the cognitive dimension also directly affects safety performance. The implications of these results for project safety management are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of snowboard-related concussion safety education for recognizing possible concussions.

PubMed

Koh, J O

2011-12-01

The aim of this study was to examine the understanding of snowboard-related concussion and to measure the recognition of possible concussion occurrence after an intervention of snowboard-related concussion safety education in snowboarding. Incidence cohort design. 2008-2009 season Gangwon-do Ski resorts, South Korea. A total of 208 university students (female-72; male-136; age-18 to 32) who registered for a snowboarding class and received credit participated in this project. Snowboard-related concussion safety education class was administered for 30 minutes before the snowboard class began. The knowledge of snowboard-related concussion before and after the safety education was evaluated. Concussion data were collected via a self-report case form at the last day of snowboarding class. The incidence of possible concussion and factors associated with concussions were analyzed by χ2 test. The mean score of snowboard-related concussion knowledge improved from fifteen points to eighteen points out of 20 total points possible. Overall the incidence of concussion was 10 per 100 snowboarder-exposures. χ2 tests showed concussion rates to be significantly different in female snowboarders (P=0.00) and in helmet users (P=0.02). The incidence of possible concussion is high among snowboarding class participants. Emphasis should be given for instituting pre-participation balance training, especially for females to reduce falling in snowboarding. To verify the effects of pre-participation balance training and falling results in a concussion, more research is needed in the future.

Unintentional and undetermined firearm related deaths: a preventable death analysis for three safety devices.

PubMed

Vernick, J S; O'Brien, M; Hepburn, L M; Johnson, S B; Webster, D W; Hargarten, S W

2003-12-01

To determine the proportion of unintentional and undetermined firearm related deaths preventable by three safety devices: personalization devices, loaded chamber indicators (LCIs), and magazine safeties. A personalized gun will operate only for an authorized user, a LCI indicates when the gun contains ammunition, and a magazine safety prevents the gun from firing when the ammunition magazine is removed. Information about all unintentional and undetermined firearm deaths from 1991-98 was obtained from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Maryland, and from the Wisconsin Firearm Injury Reporting System for Milwaukee. Data regarding the victim, shooter, weapon, and circumstances were abstracted. Coding rules to classify each death as preventable, possibly preventable, or not preventable by each of the three safety devices were also applied. There were a total of 117 firearm related deaths in our sample, 95 (81%) involving handguns. Forty three deaths (37%) were classified as preventable by a personalized gun, 23 (20%) by a LCI, and five (4%) by a magazine safety. Overall, 52 deaths (44%) were preventable by at least one safety device. Deaths involving children 0-17 (relative risk (RR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.1 to 5.1) and handguns (RR 8.1, 95% CI 1.2 to 53.5) were more likely to be preventable. Projecting the findings to the entire United States, an estimated 442 deaths might have been prevented in 2000 had all guns been equipped with these safety devices. Incorporating safety devices into firearms is an important injury intervention, with the potential to save hundreds of lives each year.

Hospital nurses' working conditions in relation to motivation and patient safety.

PubMed

Toode, Kristi; Routasalo, Pirkko; Helminen, Mika; Suominen, Tarja

2015-03-01

There is a lack of empirical knowledge about nurses' perceptions of their workplace characteristics and conditions, such as level of autonomy and decision authority, work climate, teamwork, skill exploitation and learning opportunities, and their work motivation in relation to practice outputs such as patient safety. Such knowledge is needed particularly in countries, such as Estonia, where hospital systems for preventing errors and improving patient safety are in the early stages of development. This article reports the findings from a cross-sectional survey of hospital nurses in Estonia that was aimed at determining their perceptions of workplace characteristics, working conditions, work motivation and patient safety, and at exploring the relationship between these. Results suggest that perceptions of personal control over their work can affect nurses' motivation, and that perceptions of work satisfaction might be relevant to patient safety improvement work.

Contractor-, steward-, and coworker-safety practice: associations with musculoskeletal pain and injury-related absence among construction apprentices.

PubMed

Kim, Seung-Sup; Dutra, Lauren M; Okechukwu, Cassandra A

2014-07-01

This paper sought to assess organizational safety practices at three different levels of hierarchical workplace structure and to examine their association with injury outcomes among construction apprentices. Using a cross-sectional sample of 1,775 construction apprentices, three measures of organizational safety practice were assessed: contractor-, steward-, and coworker-safety practice. Each safety practice measure was assessed using three similar questions (i.e., on-the-job safety commitment, following required or recommended safe work practices, and correcting unsafe work practices); the summed average of the responses ranged from 1 to 4, with a higher score indicating poorer safety practice. Outcome variables included the prevalence of four types of musculoskeletal pain (i.e., neck, shoulder, hand, and back pain) and injury-related absence. In adjusted analyses, contractor-safety practice was associated with both hand pain (OR: 1.27, 95 % CI: 1.04, 1.54) and back pain (OR: 1.40, 95 % CI: 1.17, 1.68); coworker-safety practice was related to back pain (OR: 1.42, 95 % CI: 1.18, 1.71) and injury-related absence (OR: 1.36, 95 % CI: 1.11, 1.67). In an analysis that included all three safety practice measures simultaneously, the association between coworker-safety practice and injury-related absence remained significant (OR: 1.68, 95 % CI: 1.20, 2.37), whereas all other associations became non-significant. This study suggests that organizational safety practice, particularly coworker-safety practice, is associated with injury outcomes among construction apprentices.

Margin of Safety Definition and Examples Used in Safety Basis Documents and the USQ Process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beaulieu, R. A.

The Nuclear Safety Management final rule, 10 CFR 830, provides an undefined term, margin of safety (MOS). Safe harbors listed in 10 CFR 830, Table 2, such as DOE-STD-3009 use but do not define the term. This lack of definition has created the need for the definition. This paper provides a definition of MOS and documents examples of MOS as applied in a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approved safety basis for an existing nuclear facility. If we understand what MOS looks like regarding Technical Safety Requirements (TSR) parameters, then it helps us compare against other parameters that do notmore » involve a MOS. This paper also documents parameters that are not MOS. These criteria could be used to determine if an MOS exists in safety basis documents. This paper helps DOE, including the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and its contractors responsible for the safety basis improve safety basis documents and the unreviewed safety question (USQ) process with respect to MOS.« less

Atmospheric mold spore counts in relation to meteorological parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katial, R. K.; Zhang, Yiming; Jones, Richard H.; Dyer, Philip D.

Fungal spore counts of Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Epicoccum were studied during 8 years in Denver, Colorado. Fungal spore counts were obtained daily during the pollinating season by a Rotorod sampler. Weather data were obtained from the National Climatic Data Center. Daily averages of temperature, relative humidity, daily precipitation, barometric pressure, and wind speed were studied. A time series analysis was performed on the data to mathematically model the spore counts in relation to weather parameters. Using SAS PROC ARIMA software, a regression analysis was performed, regressing the spore counts on the weather variables assuming an autoregressive moving average (ARMA) error structure. Cladosporium was found to be positively correlated (P<0.02) with average daily temperature, relative humidity, and negatively correlated with precipitation. Alternaria and Epicoccum did not show increased predictability with weather variables. A mathematical model was derived for Cladosporium spore counts using the annual seasonal cycle and significant weather variables. The model for Alternaria and Epicoccum incorporated the annual seasonal cycle. Fungal spore counts can be modeled by time series analysis and related to meteorological parameters controlling for seasonallity; this modeling can provide estimates of exposure to fungal aeroallergens.

Parental and Adolescent Perceptions of Neighborhood Safety Related to Adolescents’ Physical Activity in Their Neighborhood

PubMed Central

Esteban-Cornejo, Irene; Carlson, Jordan A.; Conway, Terry L.; Cain, Kelli L.; Saelens, Brian E.; Frank, Lawrence D.; Glanz, Karen; Roman, Caterina G.; Sallis, James F.

2017-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the association between adolescent and parental perceptions of neighborhood safety and adolescents’ physical activity in multiple locations and to investigate the moderating effect of sex within this association. Method This cross-sectional study was conducted with 928 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years old and 1 of their parents. Adolescents and parents reported their perceptions of neighborhood safety (traffic safety, pedestrian safety, crime safety, and stranger danger safety). Adolescents reported how often they were physically active in multiple locations (physical activity in the neighborhood, in parks, and for active transport). Mixed-effects linear regression models were used to investigate these associations while controlling for demographics and the Walkability Index. Results Parent-perceived crime safety was positively associated with adolescents’ physical activity in parks (B = .094, p = .024). Parent-perceived traffic safety was positively associated with adolescents’ reported physical activity in the neighborhood (B = .186, p = .014). Adolescents’ physical activity for active transport was positively associated with parent-perceived traffic safety (B = .179, p = .001), stranger danger safety (B = .110, p = .013), and crime safety (B = .077, p = .035). There were 2 interactions by sex on the relation between adolescent traffic safety perception and parent pedestrian safety perception in the neighborhood and adolescents’ physical activity in parks (i.e., statistically significant only for boys). Conclusions Parents’ perceptions of traffic, stranger danger, and crime safety were all related to adolescents’ active transportation. Multiple safety concerns may be motivating parents to restrict adolescent mobility by walking and bicycling. PMID:27030158

Unintentional and undetermined firearm related deaths: a preventable death analysis for three safety devices

PubMed Central

Vernick, J; O'Brien, M; Hepburn, L; Johnson, S; Webster, D; Hargarten, S

2003-01-01

Objective: To determine the proportion of unintentional and undetermined firearm related deaths preventable by three safety devices: personalization devices, loaded chamber indicators (LCIs), and magazine safeties. A personalized gun will operate only for an authorized user, a LCI indicates when the gun contains ammunition, and a magazine safety prevents the gun from firing when the ammunition magazine is removed. Design: Information about all unintentional and undetermined firearm deaths from 1991–98 was obtained from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Maryland, and from the Wisconsin Firearm Injury Reporting System for Milwaukee. Data regarding the victim, shooter, weapon, and circumstances were abstracted. Coding rules to classify each death as preventable, possibly preventable, or not preventable by each of the three safety devices were also applied. Results: There were a total of 117 firearm related deaths in our sample, 95 (81%) involving handguns. Forty three deaths (37%) were classified as preventable by a personalized gun, 23 (20%) by a LCI, and five (4%) by a magazine safety. Overall, 52 deaths (44%) were preventable by at least one safety device. Deaths involving children 0–17 (relative risk (RR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.1 to 5.1) and handguns (RR 8.1, 95% CI 1.2 to 53.5) were more likely to be preventable. Projecting the findings to the entire United States, an estimated 442 deaths might have been prevented in 2000 had all guns been equipped with these safety devices. Conclusion: Incorporating safety devices into firearms is an important injury intervention, with the potential to save hundreds of lives each year. PMID:14693889

Using naturalistic driving data to explore the association between traffic safety-related events and crash risk at driver level.

PubMed

Wu, Kun-Feng; Aguero-Valverde, Jonathan; Jovanis, Paul P

2014-11-01

There has been considerable research conducted over the last 40 years using traffic safety-related events to support road safety analyses. Dating back to traffic conflict studies from the 1960s these observational studies of driver behavior have been criticized due to: poor quality data; lack of available and useful exposure measures linked to the observations; the incomparability of self-reported safety-related events; and, the difficulty in assessing culpability for safety-related events. This study seeks to explore the relationships between driver characteristics and traffic safety-related events, and between traffic safety-related events and crash involvement while mitigating some of those limitations. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study dataset, in which the participants' vehicles were instrumented with various cameras and sensors during the study period, was used for this study. The study data set includes 90 drivers observed for 12-13 months driving. This study focuses on single vehicle run-off-road safety-related events only, including 14 crashes and 182 safety-related events (30 near crashes, and 152 crash-relevant incidents). Among the findings are: (1) drivers under age 25 are significantly more likely to be involved in safety-related events and crashes; and (2) significantly positive correlations exist between crashes, near crashes, and crash-relevant incidents. Although there is still much to learn about the factors affecting the positive correlation between safety-related events and crashes, a Bayesian multivariate Poisson log-normal model is shown to be useful to quantify the associations between safety-related events and crash risk while controlling for driver characteristics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contractor-, steward-, and coworker-safety practice: associations with musculoskeletal pain and injury-related absence among construction apprentices

PubMed Central

Dutra, Lauren M.; Okechukwu, Cassandra A.

2013-01-01

Objectives This paper sought to assess organizational safety practices at three different levels of hierarchical workplace structure and to examine their association with injury outcomes among construction apprentices. Methods Using a cross-sectional sample of 1,775 construction apprentices, three measures of organizational safety practice were assessed: contractor-, steward-, and coworker-safety practice. Each safety practice measure was assessed using three similar questions (i.e., on-the-job safety commitment, following required or recommended safe work practices, and correcting unsafe work practices); the summed average of the responses ranged from 1 to 4, with a higher score indicating poorer safety practice. Outcome variables included the prevalence of four types of musculoskeletal pain (i.e., neck, shoulder, hand, and back pain) and injury-related absence. Results In adjusted analyses, contractor-safety practice was associated with both hand pain (OR: 1.27, 95 % CI: 1.04, 1.54) and back pain (OR: 1.40, 95 % CI: 1.17, 1.68); coworker-safety practice was related to back pain (OR: 1.42, 95 % CI: 1.18, 1.71) and injury-related absence (OR: 1.36, 95 % CI: 1.11, 1.67). In an analysis that included all three safety practice measures simultaneously, the association between coworker-safety practice and injury-related absence remained significant (OR: 1.68, 95 % CI: 1.20, 2.37), whereas all other associations became non-significant. Conclusions This study suggests that organizational safety practice, particularly coworker-safety practice, is associated with injury outcomes among construction apprentices. PMID:23748366

Safety-related requirements for photovoltaic modules and arrays. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Levins, A.

1984-03-01

Underwriters Laboratories has conducted a study to identify and develop safety requirements for photovoltaic module and panel designs and configurations for residential, intermediate, and large scale applications. Concepts for safety systems, where each system is a collection of subsystems which together address the total anticipated hazard situation, are described. Descriptions of hardware, and system usefulness and viability are included. This discussion of safety systems recognizes that there is little history on which to base the expected safety related performance of a photovoltaic system. A comparison of these systems, as against the provisions of the 1984 National Electrical Code covering photovoltaicmore » systems is made. A discussion of the UL investigation of the photovoltaic module evaluated to the provisions of the Proposed UL Standard for Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Modules and Panels is included. Grounding systems, their basis and nature, and the advantages and disadvantages of each are described. The meaning of frame grounding, circuit grounding, and the type of circuit ground are covered. The development of the Standard for Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Modules and Panels has continued, and with both industry comment and a product submittal and listing, the Standard has been refined to a viable document allowing an objective safety review of photovoltaic modules and panels. How this document, and other UL documents would cover investigations of certain other photovoltaic system components is described.« less

The new car assessment program: does it predict the relative safety of vehicles in actual crashes?

PubMed

Nirula, Ram; Mock, Charles N; Nathens, Avery B; Grossman, David C

2004-10-01

Federal motor vehicle safety standards are based on crash test dummy analyses that estimate the relative risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and severe thoracic injury (STI) by quantifying head (Head Injury Criterion [HIC]) and chest (Chest Gravity Score [CGS]) acceleration. The New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) combines these probabilities to yield the vehicle's five-star rating. The validity of the NCAP system as it relates to an actual motor vehicle crash (MVC) remains undetermined. We therefore sought to determine whether HIC and CGS accurately predict TBI and STI in actual crashes, and compared the NCAP five-star rating system to the rates of TBI and/or STI in actual MVCs. We analyzed frontal crashes with restrained drivers from the 1994 to 1998 National Automotive Sampling System. The relationship of HIC and CGS to the probabilities of TBI and STI derived from crash tests were respectively compared with the HIC-TBI and CGS-STI risk relationships observed in actual crashes while controlling for covariates. Receiver operating characteristic curves determined the sensitivity and specificity of HIC and CGS as predictors of TBI and STI, respectively. Estimates of the likelihood of TBI and/or STI (in actual MVCs) were compared with the expected probabilities of TBI and STI (determined by crash test analysis), as they relate to NCAP ratings. The crash tests overestimate TBI likelihood at HIC scores >800 and underestimate it at scores <500. STI likelihood is overestimated when CGS exceeds 40 g. Receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated poor sensitivity and specificity of HIC and CGS in predicting injury. The actual MVC injury probability estimates did not vary between vehicles of different NCAP rating. HIC and CGS are poor predictors of TBI and STI in actual MVCs. The NCAP five-star rating system is unable to differentiate vehicles of varying crashworthiness in actual MVCs. More sensitive parameters need to be developed and incorporated into vehicle

Recent findings relating to firefighter safety zones

Treesearch

Bret Butler; Russ Parsons; William Mell

2015-01-01

Designation of safety zones is a primary duty of all wildland firefighters. Unfortunately, information regarding what constitutes an adequate safety zone is inadequately defined. Measurements of energy release from wildland fires have been used to develop an empirically based safety zone guideline. The basis for this work is described here.

78 FR 29392 - Embedded Digital Devices in Safety-Related Systems, Systems Important to Safety, and Items Relied...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-20

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2013-0098] Embedded Digital Devices in Safety-Related Systems... (NRC) is issuing for public comment Draft Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2013-XX, ``Embedded Digital... requirements for the quality and reliability of basic components with embedded digital devices. DATES: Submit...

Focused ultrasound-mediated noninvasive blood-brain barrier modulation: preclinical examination of efficacy and safety in various sonication parameters.

PubMed

Shin, Jaewoo; Kong, Chanho; Cho, Jae Sung; Lee, Jihyeon; Koh, Chin Su; Yoon, Min-Sik; Na, Young Cheol; Chang, Won Seok; Chang, Jin Woo

2018-02-01

OBJECTIVE The application of pharmacological therapeutics in neurological disorders is limited by the ability of these agents to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Focused ultrasound (FUS) has recently gained attention for its potential application as a method for locally opening the BBB and thereby facilitating drug delivery into the brain parenchyma. However, this method still requires optimization to maximize its safety and efficacy for clinical use. In the present study, the authors examined several sonication parameters of FUS influencing BBB opening in small animals. METHODS Changes in BBB permeability were observed during transcranial sonication using low-intensity FUS in 20 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. The authors examined the effects of FUS sonication with different sonication parameters, varying acoustic pressure, center frequency, burst duration, microbubble (MB) type, MB dose, pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and total exposure time. The focal region of BBB opening was identified by Evans blue dye. Additionally, H & E staining was used to identify blood vessel damage. RESULTS Acoustic pressure amplitude and burst duration were closely associated with enhancement of BBB opening efficiency, but these parameters were also highly correlated with tissue damage in the sonicated region. In contrast, MB types, MB dose, total exposure time, and PRF had an influence on BBB opening without conspicuous tissue damage after FUS sonication. CONCLUSIONS The study aimed to identify these influential conditions and provide safety and efficacy values for further studies. Future work based on the current results is anticipated to facilitate the implementation of FUS sonication for drug delivery in various CNS disease states in the near future.

Safety-Related Concerns of Parents for Children with Disabilities and Chronic Conditions.

PubMed

Olsen, Lise L; Kruse, Sami; Miller, Anton R; Brussoni, Mariana

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore the safety-related concerns of parents of children with a variety of disabilities and chronic conditions. We sought to examine concerns common to parents as they related to their children's delayed development, behavioral difficulties, and chronic conditions. A qualitative approach guided by grounded theory was used. Participants included parents of children between 1 and 5 years with a disability or chronic condition who resided in British Columbia, Canada. Data were collected using in-depth in-person interviews and analysis conducted using constant comparative methods. Three themes were identified that reflected parental safety concerns. These included concerns about: (1) Child's level of understanding about danger; (2) Child interactions with physical environment (concerns about child movement, concerns about ingestions); (3) Child interactions with social environment. Difficult-to-manage behaviors and cognitive limitations exacerbated parents' safety concerns. Parents were found to share safety concerns about movement and ingestions across a range of types of child health conditions. For themes of child movement and child ingestions, findings supported the utility of a noncategorical approach for the design of injury prevention strategies for these types of concerns. Parent concerns about child lack of understanding about risk and social safety concerns were linked to a smaller number of conditions and supported a more tailored approach. Flexible approaches may be needed that can offer both generic and specific information and to meet the needs of parents and clinicians.

[Diagnostic value of quantitative pharmacokinetic parameters and relative quantitative pharmacokinetic parameters in breast lesions with dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI].

PubMed

Sun, T T; Liu, W H; Zhang, Y Q; Li, L H; Wang, R; Ye, Y Y

2017-08-01

Objective: To explore the differential between the value of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI quantitative pharmacokinetic parameters and relative pharmacokinetic quantitative parameters in breast lesions. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 255 patients(262 breast lesions) who was obtained by clinical palpation , ultrasound or full-field digital mammography , and then all lessions were pathologically confirmed in Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University from May 2012 to May 2016. A 3.0 T MRI scanner was used to obtain the quantitative MR pharmacokinetic parameters: volume transfer constant (K(trans)), exchange rate constant (k(ep))and extravascular extracellular volume fraction (V(e)). And measured the quantitative pharmacokinetic parameters of normal glands tissues which on the same side of the same level of the lesions; and then calculated the value of relative pharmacokinetic parameters: rK(rans)、rk(ep) and rV(e).To explore the diagnostic value of two pharmacokinetic parameters in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast lesions using receiver operating curves and model of logistic regression. Results: (1)There were significant differences between benign lesions and malignant lesions in K(trans) and k(ep) ( t =15.489, 15.022, respectively, P <0.05), there were no significant differences between benign lesions and malignant lesions in V(e)( t =-2.346, P >0.05). The areas under the ROC curve(AUC)of K(trans), k(ep) and V(e) between malignant and benign lesions were 0.933, 0.948 and 0.387, the sensitivity of K(trans), k(ep) and V(e) were 77.1%, 85.0%, 51.0% , and the specificity of K(trans), k(ep) and V(e) were 96.3%, 93.6%, 60.8% for the differential diagnosis of breast lesions if taken the maximum Youden's index as cut-off. (2)There were significant differences between benign lesions and malignant lesions in rK(trans), rk(ep) and rV(e) ( t =14.177, 11.726, 2.477, respectively, P <0.05). The AUC of rK(trans), rk(ep) and rV(e) between malignant and benign

Insights from an international stakeholder consultation to identify informational needs related to seafood safety

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tediosi, Alice, E-mail: alice.tediosi@aeiforia.eu; Fait, Gabriella; Jacobs, Silke

Food safety assessment and communication have a strong importance in reducing human health risks related to food consumption. The research carried out within the ECsafeSEAFOOD project aims to assess seafood safety issues, mainly related to non-regulated priority environmental contaminants, and to evaluate their impact on public health. In order to make the research results accessible and exploitable, and to respond to actual stakeholders' demands, a consultation with international stakeholders was performed by means of a survey. The focus was on policy and decision makers, food producers and processors, and agencies (i.e. EU and National or Regional agencies related to Foodmore » Safety or Public Health) and consumer organisations. The survey considered questions related to: seafood safety assessment and mitigation strategies, availability of data, such as the level of information on different contaminants, and communication among different stakeholder groups. Furthermore, stakeholders were asked to give their opinion on how they believe consumers perceive risks associated with environmental contaminants. The survey was distributed to 531 key stakeholders and 91 responses were received from stakeholders from 30 EU and non-EU countries. The main results show that communication between different groups of stakeholders needs to be improved and that there is a deficit of information and data in the field of seafood safety. This pertains mainly to the transfer of contaminants between the environment and seafood, and to the diversity of environmental contaminants such as plastic additives, algal toxins and hormones. On-line tools were perceived to be the most useful communication channel. - Highlights: • We consulted stakeholders to identify their needs about seafood safety. • An on-line survey was prepared and sent to gather stakeholders' opinions. • Communication among stakeholders needs to be improved. • There is a deficit of information and data in the

Reconstructing gravitational wave source parameters via direct comparisons to numerical relativity I: Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lange, Jacob; O'Shaughnessy, Richard; Healy, James; Lousto, Carlos; Shoemaker, Deirdre; Lovelace, Geoffrey; Scheel, Mark; Ossokine, Serguei

2016-03-01

In this talk, we describe a procedure to reconstruct the parameters of sufficiently massive coalescing compact binaries via direct comparison with numerical relativity simulations. For sufficiently massive sources, existing numerical relativity simulations are long enough to cover the observationally accessible part of the signal. Due to the signal's brevity, the posterior parameter distribution it implies is broad, simple, and easily reconstructed from information gained by comparing to only the sparse sample of existing numerical relativity simulations. We describe how followup simulations can corroborate and improve our understanding of a detected source. Since our method can include all physics provided by full numerical relativity simulations of coalescing binaries, it provides a valuable complement to alternative techniques which employ approximations to reconstruct source parameters. Supported by NSF Grant PHY-1505629.

Parameters affecting of Akkuyu's safety assessment for severe core damages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavun, Yusuf; Karasulu, Muzaffer

2015-07-01

We have looked at all past core meltdowns (Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima incidents) and postulated the fourth one might be taking place in the future most probably in a newly built reactors anywhere of the earth in any type of NPP. The probability of this observation is high considering the nature of the machine and human interaction. Operation experience is a very significant parameter as well as the safety culture of the host nation. The concerns is not just a lack of experience with industry with the new comers, but also the infrastructure and established institutions who will be dealing with the Emergencies. Lack of trained and educated Emergency Response Organizations (ERO) is a major concern. The culture on simple fire drills even makes the difference when a severe condition occurs in the industry. The study assumes the fourth event will be taking place at the Akkuyu NGS and works backwards as required by the "what went wrong " scenarios and comes up with interesting results. The differences studied in depth to determine the impact to the severe accidents. The all four design have now core catchers. We have looked at the operator errors'like in TMI); Operator errors combined with design deficiencies(like in Chernobyl) and natural disasters( like in Fukushima) and found operator errors to be more probable event on the Akkuyu's postulated next incident. With respect to experiences of the operators we do not have any data except for long and successful operating history of the Soviet design reactors up until the Chernobyl incident. Since the Akkuyu will be built, own and operated by the Russians we have found no alarming concerns at the moment. At the moment, there is no body be able to operate those units in Turkey. Turkey is planning to build the required manpower during the transition period. The resolution of the observed parameters lies to work and educate, train of the host nation and exercise together.

Insights from an international stakeholder consultation to identify informational needs related to seafood safety.

PubMed

Tediosi, Alice; Fait, Gabriella; Jacobs, Silke; Verbeke, Wim; Álvarez-Muñoz, Diana; Diogene, Jorge; Reuver, Marieke; Marques, António; Capri, Ettore

2015-11-01

Food safety assessment and communication have a strong importance in reducing human health risks related to food consumption. The research carried out within the ECsafeSEAFOOD project aims to assess seafood safety issues, mainly related to non-regulated priority environmental contaminants, and to evaluate their impact on public health. In order to make the research results accessible and exploitable, and to respond to actual stakeholders' demands, a consultation with international stakeholders was performed by means of a survey. The focus was on policy and decision makers, food producers and processors, and agencies (i.e. EU and National or Regional agencies related to Food Safety or Public Health) and consumer organisations. The survey considered questions related to: seafood safety assessment and mitigation strategies, availability of data, such as the level of information on different contaminants, and communication among different stakeholder groups. Furthermore, stakeholders were asked to give their opinion on how they believe consumers perceive risks associated with environmental contaminants. The survey was distributed to 531 key stakeholders and 91 responses were received from stakeholders from 30 EU and non-EU countries. The main results show that communication between different groups of stakeholders needs to be improved and that there is a deficit of information and data in the field of seafood safety. This pertains mainly to the transfer of contaminants between the environment and seafood, and to the diversity of environmental contaminants such as plastic additives, algal toxins and hormones. On-line tools were perceived to be the most useful communication channel. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A randomized, controlled intervention of machine guarding and related safety programs in small metal-fabrication businesses.

PubMed

Parker, David L; Brosseau, Lisa M; Samant, Yogindra; Xi, Min; Pan, Wei; Haugan, David

2009-01-01

Metal fabrication employs an estimated 3.1 million workers in the United States. The absence of machine guarding and related programs such as lockout/tagout may result in serious injury or death. The purpose of this study was to improve machine-related safety in small metal-fabrication businesses. We used a randomized trial with two groups: management only and management-employee. We evaluated businesses for the adequacy of machine guarding (machine scorecard) and related safety programs (safety audit). We provided all businesses with a report outlining deficiencies and prioritizing their remediation. In addition, the management-employee group received four one-hour interactive training sessions from a peer educator. We evaluated 40 metal-fabrication businesses at baseline and 37 (93%) one year later. Of the three nonparticipants, two had gone out of business. More than 40% of devices required for adequate guarding were missing or inadequate, and 35% of required safety programs and practices were absent at baseline. Both measures improved significantly during the course of the intervention. No significant differences in changes occurred between the two intervention groups. Machine-guarding practices and programs improved by up to 13% and safety audit scores by up to 23%. Businesses that added safety committees or those that started with the lowest baseline measures showed the greatest improvements. Simple and easy-to-use assessment tools allowed businesses to significantly improve their safety practices, and safety committees facilitated this process.

The conception of fashion products for children: reflections on safety parameters.

PubMed

Prete, Lígia Gomes Pereira; Emidio, Lucimar de Fátima Bilmaia; Martins, Suzana Barreto

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to reflect on safety requirements for children's clothing, based on the standardization proposed by the ABNT (Technical Standardization Brazilian Association). Bibliographic research and case studies were considered on writing this work. We also discuss the importance of adding other safety requirements to the current standardization, as well as the increasing of the actual age range specified by the ABNT, following the children's clothing safety standardizations in Portugal and the United States, also stated here.

The Penn State Safety Floor: Part I--Design parameters associated with walking deflections.

PubMed

Casalena, J A; Ovaert, T C; Cavanagh, P R; Streit, D A

1998-08-01

A new flooring system has been developed to reduce peak impact forces to the hips when humans fall. The new safety floor is designed to remain relatively rigid under normal walking conditions, but to deform elastically when impacted during a fall. Design objectives included minimizing peak force experienced by the femur during a fall-induced impact, while maintaining a maximum of 2 mm of floor deflection during walking. Finite Element Models (FEMs) were developed to capture the complex dynamics of impact response between two deformable bodies. Validation of the finite element models included analytical calculations of theoretical buckling column response, experimental quasi-static loading of full-scale flooring prototypes, and flooring response during walking trials. Finite Element Method results compared well with theoretical and experimental data. Both finite element and experimental data suggest that the proposed safety floor can effectively meet the design goal of 2 mm maximum deflection during walking, while effectively reducing impact forces during a fall.

Citation parameters of contact lens-related articles published in the ophthalmic literature.

PubMed

Cardona, Genís; Sanz, Joan P

2014-09-01

This study aimed at exploring the citation parameters of contact lenses articles published in the Ophthalmology thematic category of the Journal Citation Reports (JCR). The Thompson Reuters Web of Science database was accessed to record bibliometric information and citation parameters of all journals listed under the Ophthalmology area of the 2011 JCR edition, including the journals with main publication interests in the contact lens field. In addition, the same database was used to unveil all contact lens-related articles published in 2011 in the same thematic area, whereupon differences in citation parameters between those articles published in contact lens and non-contact lens-related journals were explored. Significant differences in some bibliometric indicators such as half-life and overall citation count were found between contact lens-related journals (shorter half-life and fewer citations) and the median values for the Ophthalmology thematic area of the JCR. Visual examination of all Ophthalmology journals uncovered a total of 156 contact lens-related articles, published in 28 different journals, with 27 articles each for Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, Eye & Contact Lens, and Optometry and Vision Science. Significant differences in citation parameters were encountered between those articles published in contact lens and non-contact lens source journals. These findings, which disclosed contact lenses to be a fertile area of research, may be of interest to researchers and institutions. Differences in bibliometric indicators are of relevance to avoid unwanted bias when conducting between- and within-discipline comparisons of articles, journals, and researchers.

Safety and compliance-related hazards in the medical practice: Part one.

PubMed

Calway, R C

2001-01-01

Safety and risk management hazards are a fact of life for the medical practice, and the costs of these incidents can place the group at significant risk of liability. Good compliance and risk management programs help minimize these incidents, improve staff morale, increase a practice's visibility in the community, and positively affect the practice's financial and operational bottom line performance. Medical practices that implement effective safety and risk management programs can realize savings in staffing costs, operational efficiency, morale, insurance premiums, and improved third-party relationships while at the same time avoiding embarrassing risks, fines, and liability. This article outlines some of the most common safety and risk management-related deficiencies seen in medical practices today. The author explains how to remedy these deficiencies and provides a self-test tool to enable the reader to assess areas within his or her own practice in need of attention.

Safety analysis of proposed data-driven physiologic alarm parameters for hospitalized children.

PubMed

Goel, Veena V; Poole, Sarah F; Longhurst, Christopher A; Platchek, Terry S; Pageler, Natalie M; Sharek, Paul J; Palma, Jonathan P

2016-12-01

Modification of alarm limits is one approach to mitigating alarm fatigue. We aimed to create and validate heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) percentiles for hospitalized children, and analyze the safety of replacing current vital sign reference ranges with proposed data-driven, age-stratified 5th and 95th percentile values. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, nurse-charted HR and RR data from a training set of 7202 hospitalized children were used to develop percentile tables. We compared 5th and 95th percentile values with currently accepted reference ranges in a validation set of 2287 patients. We analyzed 148 rapid response team (RRT) and cardiorespiratory arrest (CRA) events over a 12-month period, using HR and RR values in the 12 hours prior to the event, to determine the proportion of patients with out-of-range vitals based upon reference versus data-driven limits. There were 24,045 (55.6%) fewer out-of-range measurements using data-driven vital sign limits. Overall, 144/148 RRT and CRA patients had out-of-range HR or RR values preceding the event using current limits, and 138/148 were abnormal using data-driven limits. Chart review of RRT and CRA patients with abnormal HR and RR per current limits considered normal by data-driven limits revealed that clinical status change was identified by other vital sign abnormalities or clinical context. A large proportion of vital signs in hospitalized children are outside presently used norms. Safety evaluation of data-driven limits suggests they are as safe as those currently used. Implementation of these parameters in physiologic monitors may mitigate alarm fatigue. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2015;11:817-823. © 2015 Society of Hospital Medicine. © 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine.

The relationship between resident burnout and safety-related and acceptability-related quality of healthcare: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Dewa, Carolyn S; Loong, Desmond; Bonato, Sarah; Trojanowski, Lucy; Rea, Margaret

2017-11-09

There has been increasing interest in examining the relationship between physician wellbeing and quality of patient care. However, few reviews have specifically focused on resident burnout and quality of patient care. The purpose of this systematic literature review of the current scientific literature is to address the question, "How does resident burnout affect the quality of healthcare related to the dimensions of acceptability and safety?" This systematic literature review uses a multi-step screening process of publicly available peer-reviewed studies from five electronic databases: (1) Medline Current, (2) Medline In-process, (3) PsycINFO, (4) Embase, and (5) Web of Science. The electronic literature search resulted in the identification of 4638 unique citations. Of these, 10 articles were included in the review. Studies were assessed for risk of bias. Of the 10 studies that met the inclusion criteria, eight were conducted in the US, one in The Netherlands, and one in Mexico. Eight of the 10 studies focused on patient safety. The results of these included studies suggest there is moderate evidence that burnout is associated with patient safety (i.e., resident self-perceived medical errors and sub-optimal care). There is less evidence that specific dimensions of burnout are related to acceptability (i.e., quality of care, communication with patients). The results of this systematic literature review suggest a relationship between patient safety and burnout. These results potentially have important implications for the medical training milieu because residents are still in training and at the same time are asked to teach students. The results also indicate a need for more evidence-based interventions that support continued research examining quality of care measures, especially as they relate to acceptability.

Safety parameter considerations of anodal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in rats.

PubMed

Jackson, Mark P; Truong, Dennis; Brownlow, Milene L; Wagner, Jessica A; McKinley, R Andy; Bikson, Marom; Jankord, Ryan

2017-08-01

A commonly referenced transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) safety threshold derives from tDCS lesion studies in the rat and relies on electrode current density (and related electrode charge density) to support clinical guidelines. Concerns about the role of polarity (e.g. anodal tDCS), sub-lesion threshold injury (e.g. neuroinflammatory processes), and role of electrode montage across rodent and human studies support further investigation into animal models of tDCS safety. Thirty-two anesthetized rats received anodal tDCS between 0 and 5mA for 60min through one of three epicranial electrode montages. Tissue damage was evaluated using hemotoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, Iba-1 immunohistochemistry, and computational brain current density modeling. Brain lesion occurred after anodal tDCS at and above 0.5mA using a 25.0mm 2 electrode (electrode current density: 20.0A/m 2 ). Lesion initially occurred using smaller 10.6mm 2 or 5.3mm 2 electrodes at 0.25mA (23.5A/m 2 ) and 0.5mA (94.2A/m 2 ), respectively. Histological damage was correlated with computational brain current density predictions. Changes in microglial phenotype occurred in higher stimulation groups. Lesions were observed using anodal tDCS at an electrode current density of 20.0A/m 2 , which is below the previously reported safety threshold of 142.9A/m 2 using cathodal tDCS. The lesion area is not simply predicted by electrode current density (and so not by charge density as duration was fixed); rather computational modeling suggests average brain current density as a better predictor for anodal tDCS. Nonetheless, under the assumption that rodent epicranial stimulation is a hypersensitive model, an electrode current density of 20.0A/m 2 represents a conservative threshold for clinical tDCS, which typically uses an electrode current density of 2A/m 2 when electrodes are placed on the skin (resulting in a lower brain current density). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Materials-related issues in the safety and licensing of nuclear fusion facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, N.; Merrill, B.; Cadwallader, L.; Di Pace, L.; El-Guebaly, L.; Humrickhouse, P.; Panayotov, D.; Pinna, T.; Porfiri, M.-T.; Reyes, S.; Shimada, M.; Willms, S.

2017-09-01

Fusion power holds the promise of electricity production with a high degree of safety and low environmental impact. Favourable characteristics of fusion as an energy source provide the potential for this very good safety and environmental performance. But to fully realize the potential, attention must be paid in the design of a demonstration fusion power plant (DEMO) or a commercial power plant to minimize the radiological hazards. These hazards arise principally from the inventory of tritium and from materials that become activated by neutrons from the plasma. The confinement of these radioactive substances, and prevention of radiation exposure, are the primary goals of the safety approach for fusion, in order to minimize the potential for harm to personnel, the public, and the environment. The safety functions that are implemented in the design to achieve these goals are dependent on the performance of a range of materials. Degradation of the properties of materials can lead to challenges to key safety functions such as confinement. In this paper the principal types of material that have some role in safety are recalled. These either represent a potential source of hazard or contribute to the amelioration of hazards; in each case the related issues are reviewed. The resolution of these issues lead, in some instances, to requirements on materials specifications or to limits on their performance.

Do you see what I see? Effects of national culture on employees' safety-related perceptions and behavior.

PubMed

Casey, Tristan W; Riseborough, Karli M; Krauss, Autumn D

2015-05-01

Growing international trade and globalization are increasing the cultural diversity of the modern workforce, which often results in migrants working under the management of foreign leadership. This change in work arrangements has important implications for occupational health and safety, as migrant workers have been found to be at an increased risk of injuries compared to their domestic counterparts. While some explanations for this discrepancy have been proposed (e.g., job differences, safety knowledge, and communication difficulties), differences in injury involvement have been found to persist even when these contextual factors are controlled for. We argue that employees' national culture may explain further variance in their safety-related perceptions and safety compliance, and investigate this through comparing the survey responses of 562 Anglo and Southern Asian workers at a multinational oil and gas company. Using structural equation modeling, we firstly established partial measurement invariance of our measures across cultural groups. Estimation of the combined sample structural model revealed that supervisor production pressure was negatively related to willingness to report errors and supervisor support, but did not predict safety compliance behavior. Supervisor safety support was positively related to both willingness to report errors and safety compliance. Next, we uncovered evidence of cultural differences in the relationships between supervisor production pressure, supervisor safety support, and willingness to report errors; of note, among Southern Asian employees the negative relationship between supervisor production pressure and willingness to report errors was stronger, and for supervisor safety support, weaker as compared to the model estimated with Anglo employees. Implications of these findings for safety management in multicultural teams within the oil and gas industry are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relativity Parameters Determined from Lunar Laser Ranging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, J. G.; Newhall, X. X.; Dickey, J. O.

1996-01-01

Analysis of 24 years of lunar laser ranging data is used to test the principle of equivalence, geodetic precession, the PPN parameters beta and gamma, and G/G. Recent data can be fitted with a rms scatter of 3 cm. (a) Using the Nordtvedt effect to test the principle of equivalence, it is found that the Moon and Earth accelerate alike in the Sun's field. The relative accelerations match to within 5 x 10(exp -13) . This limit, combined with an independent determination of y from planetary time delay, gives beta. Including the uncertainty due to compositional differences, the parameter beta differs from unity by no more than 0.0014; and, if the weak equivalence principle is satisfied, the difference is no more than 0.0006. (b) Geodetic precession matches its expected 19.2 marc sec/yr rate within 0.7%. This corresponds to a 1% test of gamma. (c) Apart from the Nordtvedt effect, beta and gamma can be tested from their influence on the lunar orbit. It is argued theoretically that the linear combination 0.8(beta) + 1.4(gamma) can be tested at the 1% level of accuracy. For solutions using numerically derived partial derivatives, higher sensitivity is found. Both 6 and y match the values of general relativity to within 0.005, and the linear combination beta+ gamma matches to within 0,003, but caution is advised due to the lack of theoretical understanding of these sensitivities. (d) No evidence for a changing gravitational constant is found, with absolute value of G/G less than or equal to 8 x lO(exp -12)/yr. There is significant sensitivity to G/G through solar perturbations on the lunar orbit.

The role of autonomy and social support in the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress in health care workers.

PubMed

Havermans, Bo M; Boot, Cécile R L; Houtman, Irene L D; Brouwers, Evelien P M; Anema, Johannes R; van der Beek, Allard J

2017-06-08

Health care workers are exposed to psychosocial work factors. Autonomy and social support are psychosocial work factors that are related to stress, and are argued to largely result from the psychosocial safety climate within organisations. This study aimed to assess to what extent the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress in health care workers can be explained by autonomy and social support. In a cross-sectional study, psychosocial safety climate, stress, autonomy, co-worker support, and supervisor support were assessed using questionnaires, in a sample of health care workers (N = 277). Linear mixed models analyses were performed to assess to what extent social support and autonomy explained the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress. A lower psychosocial safety climate score was associated with significantly higher stress (B = -0.21, 95% CI = -0.27 - -0.14). Neither co-worker support, supervisor support, nor autonomy explained the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress. Taken together, autonomy and both social support measures diminished the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress by 12% (full model: B = -0.18, 95% CI = -0.25 - -0.11). Autonomy and social support together seemed to bring about a small decrease in the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress in health care workers. Future research should discern whether other psychosocial work factors explain a larger portion of this relation. This study was registered in the Netherlands National Trial Register, trial code: NTR5527 .

Evolution of System Safety at NASA as Related to Defense-in-Depth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dezfuli, Homayoon

2015-01-01

Presentation given at the Defense-in-Depth Inter-Agency Workshop on August 26, 2015 in Rockville, MD by Homayoon Dezfuli. The presentation addresses the evolution of system safety at NASA as related to Defense-in-Depth.

A primer on criticality safety

DOE PAGES

Costa, David A.; Cournoyer, Michael E.; Merhege, James F.; ...

2017-05-01

Criticality is the state of a nuclear chain reacting medium when the chain reaction is just self-sustaining (or critical). Criticality is dependent on nine interrelated parameters. Moreover, we design criticality safety controls in order to constrain these parameters to minimize fissions and maximize neutron leakage and absorption in other materials, which makes criticality more difficult or impossible to achieve. We present the consequences of criticality accidents are discussed, the nine interrelated parameters that combine to affect criticality are described, and criticality safety controls used to minimize the likelihood of a criticality accident are presented.

32 CFR 861.7 - Disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... THE AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE COMMERCIAL AIR TRANSPORTATION QUALITY AND SAFETY REVIEW...-related information voluntarily provided to DOD by an air carrier for the purposes of this Part if DOD determines that— (1) The disclosure of the information would, in the future, inhibit an air carrier from...

Transformational and passive leadership as cross-level moderators of the relationships between safety knowledge, safety motivation, and safety participation.

PubMed

Jiang, Lixin; Probst, Tahira M

2016-06-01

While safety knowledge and safety motivation are well-established predictors of safety participation, less is known about the impact of leadership styles on these relationships. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether the positive relationships between safety knowledge and motivation and safety participation are contingent on transformational and passive forms of safety leadership. Using multilevel modeling with a sample of 171 employees nested in 40 workgroups, we found that transformational safety leadership strengthened the safety knowledge-participation relationship, whereas passive leadership weakened the safety motivation-participation relationship. Under low transformational leadership, safety motivation was not related to safety participation; under high passive leadership, safety knowledge was not related to safety participation. These results are discussed in light of organizational efforts to increase safety-related citizenship behaviors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.

49 CFR 176.704 - Requirements relating to transport indices and criticality safety indices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Requirements relating to transport indices and... Requirements relating to transport indices and criticality safety indices. (a) The sum of the transport indices..., transport and unloading are to be supervised by persons qualified in the transport of radioactive material...

49 CFR 176.704 - Requirements relating to transport indices and criticality safety indices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Requirements relating to transport indices and... Requirements relating to transport indices and criticality safety indices. (a) The sum of the transport indices..., transport and unloading are to be supervised by persons qualified in the transport of radioactive material...

Electrical safety of conducted electrical weapons relative to requirements of relevant electrical standards.

PubMed

Panescu, Dorin; Nerheim, Max; Kroll, Mark

2013-01-01

TASER(®) conducted electrical weapons (CEW) deliver electrical pulses that can inhibit a person's neuromuscular control or temporarily incapacitate. TASER X26, X26P, and X2 are among CEW models most frequently deployed by law enforcement agencies. The X2 CEW uses two cartridge bays while the X26 and X26P CEWs have only one. The TASER X26P CEW electronic output circuit design is equivalent to that of any one of the two TASER X2 outputs. The goal of this paper was to analyze the nominal electrical outputs of TASER X26, X26P, and X2 CEWs in reference to provisions of several international standards that specify safety requirements for electrical medical devices and electrical fences. Although these standards do not specifically mention CEWs, they are the closest electrical safety standards and hence give very relevant guidance. The outputs of two TASER X26 and two TASER X2 CEWs were measured and confirmed against manufacturer and other published specifications. The TASER X26, X26P, and X2 CEWs electrical output parameters were reviewed against relevant safety requirements of UL 69, IEC 60335-2-76 Ed 2.1, IEC 60479-1, IEC 60479-2, AS/NZS 60479.1, AS/NZS 60479.2 and IEC 60601-1. Prior reports on similar topics were reviewed as well. Our measurements and analyses confirmed that the nominal electrical outputs of TASER X26, X26P and X2 CEWs lie within safety bounds specified by relevant requirements of the above standards.

Safe RESIDential Environments? A longitudinal analysis of the influence of crime-related safety on walking.

PubMed

Foster, Sarah; Hooper, Paula; Knuiman, Matthew; Christian, Hayley; Bull, Fiona; Giles-Corti, Billie

2016-02-16

Numerous cross-sectional studies have investigated the premise that the perception of crime will cause residents to constrain their walking; however the findings to date are inconclusive. In contrast, few longitudinal or prospective studies have examined the impact of crime-related safety on residents walking behaviours. This study used longitudinal data to test whether there is a causal relationship between crime-related safety and walking in the local neighbourhood. Participants in the RESIDential Environments Project (RESIDE) in Perth, Australia, completed a questionnaire before moving to their new neighbourhood (n = 1813) and again approximately one (n = 1467), three (n = 1230) and seven years (n = 531) after relocating. Self-report measures included neighbourhood perceptions (modified NEWS items) and walking inside the neighbourhood (min/week). Objective built environmental measures were generated for each participant's 1600 m neighbourhood at each time-point, and the count of crimes reported to police were generated at the suburb-level for the first three time-points only. The impact of crime-related safety on walking was examined in SAS using the Proc Mixed procedure (marginal repeated measures model with unrestricted variance pattern). Initial models controlled for demographics, time and self-selection, and subsequent models progressively adjusted for other built and social environment factors based on a social ecological model. For every increase of one level on a five-point Likert scale in perceived safety from crime, total walking within the local neighbourhood increased by 18.0 min/week (p = 0.000). This relationship attenuated to an increase of 10.5 min/week after accounting for other built and social environment factors, but remained significant (p = 0.008). Further analyses examined transport and recreational walking separately. In the fully adjusted models, each increase in safety from crime was associated with a 7.0�

Hospital safety climate and safety behavior: A social exchange perspective.

PubMed

Ancarani, Alessandro; Di Mauro, Carmela; Giammanco, Maria D

Safety climate is considered beneficial to the improvement of hospital safety outcomes. Nevertheless, the relations between two of its key constituents, namely those stemming from leader-subordinate relations and coworker support for safety, are still to be fully ascertained. This article uses the theoretical lens of Social Exchange Theory to study the joint impact of leader-member exchange in the safety sphere and coworker support for safety on safety-related behavior at the hospital ward level. Social exchange constructs are further related to the existence of a shame-/blame-free environment, seen as a potential antecedent of safety behavior. A cross-sectional study including 166 inpatients in hospital wards belonging to 10 public hospitals in Italy was undertaken to test the hypotheses developed. Hypothesized relations have been analyzed through a fully mediated multilevel structural equation model. This methodology allows studying behavior at the individual level, while keeping into account the heterogeneity among hospital specialties. Results suggest that the linkage between leader support for safety and individual safety behavior is mediated by coworker support on safety issues and by the creation of a shame-free environment. These findings call for the creation of a safety climate in which managerial efforts should be directed not only to the provision of new safety resources and the enforcement of safety rules but also to the encouragement of teamwork and freedom to report errors as ways to foster the capacity of the staff to communicate, share, and learn from each other.

Parameter estimation method that directly compares gravitational wave observations to numerical relativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lange, J.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Boyle, M.; Calderón Bustillo, J.; Campanelli, M.; Chu, T.; Clark, J. A.; Demos, N.; Fong, H.; Healy, J.; Hemberger, D. A.; Hinder, I.; Jani, K.; Khamesra, B.; Kidder, L. E.; Kumar, P.; Laguna, P.; Lousto, C. O.; Lovelace, G.; Ossokine, S.; Pfeiffer, H.; Scheel, M. A.; Shoemaker, D. M.; Szilagyi, B.; Teukolsky, S.; Zlochower, Y.

2017-11-01

We present and assess a Bayesian method to interpret gravitational wave signals from binary black holes. Our method directly compares gravitational wave data to numerical relativity (NR) simulations. In this study, we present a detailed investigation of the systematic and statistical parameter estimation errors of this method. This procedure bypasses approximations used in semianalytical models for compact binary coalescence. In this work, we use the full posterior parameter distribution for only generic nonprecessing binaries, drawing inferences away from the set of NR simulations used, via interpolation of a single scalar quantity (the marginalized log likelihood, ln L ) evaluated by comparing data to nonprecessing binary black hole simulations. We also compare the data to generic simulations, and discuss the effectiveness of this procedure for generic sources. We specifically assess the impact of higher order modes, repeating our interpretation with both l ≤2 as well as l ≤3 harmonic modes. Using the l ≤3 higher modes, we gain more information from the signal and can better constrain the parameters of the gravitational wave signal. We assess and quantify several sources of systematic error that our procedure could introduce, including simulation resolution and duration; most are negligible. We show through examples that our method can recover the parameters for equal mass, zero spin, GW150914-like, and unequal mass, precessing spin sources. Our study of this new parameter estimation method demonstrates that we can quantify and understand the systematic and statistical error. This method allows us to use higher order modes from numerical relativity simulations to better constrain the black hole binary parameters.

Millwright Apprenticeship. Related Training Modules. 1.1-1.8 Safety.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane Community Coll., Eugene, OR.

This packet, part of the instructional materials for the Oregon apprenticeship program for millwright training, contains eight modules covering safety. The modules provide information on the following topics: general safety, hand tool safety, power tool safety, fire safety, hygiene, safety and electricity, types of fire and fire prevention, and…

Effects of psychological stress test on the cardiac response of public safety workers: alternative parameters to autonomic balance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huerta-Franco, M. R.; Vargas-Luna, F. M.; Delgadillo-Holtfort, I.

2015-01-01

It is well known that public safety workers (PSW) face many stressful situations that yield them as high-risk population for suffering chronic stress diseases. In this multidisciplinary research the cardiac response to induced psychological stress by a short duration Stroop test was evaluated in 20 female and 19 male PSW, in order to compare traditionally used cardiac response parameters with alternative ones. Electrocardiograms have been recorded using the Eindhoven electrodes configuration for 1 min before, 3 min during and 1 min after the test. Signals analysis has been performed for the heart rate and the power spectra of its variability and of the variability of the amplitude of the R-wave, i.e. the highest peak of the electrocardiographic signal periodic sequence. The results demonstrated that the traditional autonomic balance index shows no significant differences between stages. In contrast, the median of the area of the power spectrum of the R-wave amplitude variability in the frequency region dominated by the autonomous nervous system (0.04-to-0.4 Hz) is the more sensitive parameter. Moreover, this parameter allows to identify gender differences consistent with those encountered in other studies.

Working Safely at Some Times and Unsafely at Others: A Typology and Within-Person Process Model of Safety-Related Work Behaviors.

PubMed

Beus, Jeremy M; Taylor, William D

2017-06-22

Why do individuals choose to work safely in some instances and unsafely in others? Though this inherently within-person question is straightforward, the preponderance of between-person theory and research in the workplace safety literature is not equipped to answer it. Additionally, the limited way in which safety-related behaviors tend to be conceptualized further restricts understanding of why individuals vary in their safety-related actions. We use a goal-focused approach to conceptually address this question of behavioral variability and contribute to workplace safety research in 2 key ways. First, we establish an updated typology of safety-related behaviors that differentiates behaviors based on goal choice (i.e., safe vs. unsafe behaviors), goal-directedness (i.e., intentional vs. unintentional behaviors), and the means of goal pursuit (i.e., commission vs. omission and promotion vs. prevention-focused behaviors). Second, using an expectancy-value theoretical framework to explain variance in goal choice, we establish within-person propositions stating that safety-related goal choice and subsequent behaviors are a function of the target of safety-related behaviors, the instrumentality and resource requirement of behaviors, and the perceived severity, likelihood, and immediacy of the threats associated with behaviors. Taken together, we define what safety-related behaviors are, explain how they differ, and offer propositions concerning when and why they may vary within-persons. We explore potential between-person moderators of our theoretical propositions and discuss the practical implications of our typology and process model of safety-related behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Investigation of uncertainty in CO 2 reservoir models: A sensitivity analysis of relative permeability parameter values

DOE PAGES

Yoshida, Nozomu; Levine, Jonathan S.; Stauffer, Philip H.

2016-03-22

Numerical reservoir models of CO 2 injection in saline formations rely on parameterization of laboratory-measured pore-scale processes. Here, we have performed a parameter sensitivity study and Monte Carlo simulations to determine the normalized change in total CO 2 injected using the finite element heat and mass-transfer code (FEHM) numerical reservoir simulator. Experimentally measured relative permeability parameter values were used to generate distribution functions for parameter sampling. The parameter sensitivity study analyzed five different levels for each of the relative permeability model parameters. All but one of the parameters changed the CO 2 injectivity by <10%, less than the geostatistical uncertainty that applies to all large subsurface systems due to natural geophysical variability and inherently small sample sizes. The exception was the end-point CO 2 relative permeability, kmore » $$0\\atop{r}$$ CO2, the maximum attainable effective CO 2 permeability during CO 2 invasion, which changed CO2 injectivity by as much as 80%. Similarly, Monte Carlo simulation using 1000 realizations of relative permeability parameters showed no relationship between CO 2 injectivity and any of the parameters but k$$0\\atop{r}$$ CO2, which had a very strong (R 2 = 0.9685) power law relationship with total CO 2 injected. Model sensitivity to k$$0\\atop{r}$$ CO2 points to the importance of accurate core flood and wettability measurements.« less

Investigation of uncertainty in CO 2 reservoir models: A sensitivity analysis of relative permeability parameter values

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yoshida, Nozomu; Levine, Jonathan S.; Stauffer, Philip H.

Numerical reservoir models of CO 2 injection in saline formations rely on parameterization of laboratory-measured pore-scale processes. Here, we have performed a parameter sensitivity study and Monte Carlo simulations to determine the normalized change in total CO 2 injected using the finite element heat and mass-transfer code (FEHM) numerical reservoir simulator. Experimentally measured relative permeability parameter values were used to generate distribution functions for parameter sampling. The parameter sensitivity study analyzed five different levels for each of the relative permeability model parameters. All but one of the parameters changed the CO 2 injectivity by <10%, less than the geostatistical uncertainty that applies to all large subsurface systems due to natural geophysical variability and inherently small sample sizes. The exception was the end-point CO 2 relative permeability, kmore » $$0\\atop{r}$$ CO2, the maximum attainable effective CO 2 permeability during CO 2 invasion, which changed CO2 injectivity by as much as 80%. Similarly, Monte Carlo simulation using 1000 realizations of relative permeability parameters showed no relationship between CO 2 injectivity and any of the parameters but k$$0\\atop{r}$$ CO2, which had a very strong (R 2 = 0.9685) power law relationship with total CO 2 injected. Model sensitivity to k$$0\\atop{r}$$ CO2 points to the importance of accurate core flood and wettability measurements.« less

Effect of changes in technical parameters in radiological safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avendaño, Ge; Fernandez, C.

2007-11-01

This work analyzes the generation of secondary radiation that affects the professionals of health during interventional X ray procedures in first level hospitals. The research objectives were, on the one hand, to quantify the amount of radiation and to compare it with norms in force with respect to magnitudes, and on the other hand to evaluate the elements of protection used. The measurements will help to improve the radiological safety, to assess the eventuality of risks and, in the last term, to the possibility of norms modification for the improvement of the protection, especially that of the personnel who daily make a certain amount of interventional procedures guided by radiation, like angiographic cine applications, using continuous or pulsed fluoroscopy. The motivation of the study is in the suspicion that present interventionism is made with a false sensation of safety, based only in the use of lead apron and protection elements incorporated in the equipment by the manufacturer, nevertheless not always the health personnel are conscious that an excessive proximity with the tube and the patient body becomes a risky source of secondary and scattered radiation. The obtained results allow us to demonstrate the existence of conditions of risk, even possible iatrogenic events, in particular when the procedures imply the use of certain techniques of radiographic exploration, thus reaching the conclusion that the radiographic methodology must be changed in order to rationalize so much?. In order to achieve this we propose modifications to the present norms and legislation referred to the radiological safety in Chile.

Safety huddles to proactively identify and address electronic health record safety

PubMed Central

Menon, Shailaja; Singh, Hardeep; Giardina, Traber D; Rayburn, William L; Davis, Brenda P; Russo, Elise M

2017-01-01

Objective: Methods to identify and study safety risks of electronic health records (EHRs) are underdeveloped and largely depend on limited end-user reports. “Safety huddles” have been found useful in creating a sense of collective situational awareness that increases an organization’s capacity to respond to safety concerns. We explored the use of safety huddles for identifying and learning about EHR-related safety concerns. Design: Data were obtained from daily safety huddle briefing notes recorded at a single midsized tertiary-care hospital in the United States over 1 year. Huddles were attended by key administrative, clinical, and information technology staff. We conducted a content analysis of huddle notes to identify what EHR-related safety concerns were discussed. We expanded a previously developed EHR-related error taxonomy to categorize types of EHR-related safety concerns recorded in the notes. Results: On review of daily huddle notes spanning 249 days, we identified 245 EHR-related safety concerns. For our analysis, we defined EHR technology to include a specific EHR functionality, an entire clinical software application, or the hardware system. Most concerns (41.6%) involved “EHR technology working incorrectly,” followed by 25.7% involving “EHR technology not working at all.” Concerns related to “EHR technology missing or absent” accounted for 16.7%, whereas 15.9% were linked to “user errors.” Conclusions: Safety huddles promoted discussion of several technology-related issues at the organization level and can serve as a promising technique to identify and address EHR-related safety concerns. Based on our findings, we recommend that health care organizations consider huddles as a strategy to promote understanding and improvement of EHR safety. PMID:28031286

Radiographers' professional knowledge regarding parameters and safety issues in plain radiography: a questionnaire survey.

PubMed

Farajollahi, A R; Fouladi, D F; Ghojazadeh, M; Movafaghi, A

2014-08-01

To review the knowledge of radiographers and examine the possible sociodemographic and situational contributors to this knowledge. A questionnaire survey was devised and distributed to a cohort of 120 radiographers. Each questionnaire contained two sections. In the first section, background data, including sex, age, highest academic level, grade point average (GPA), length of time from graduation, work experience as a radiographer and the status of previous refresher course(s), were collected. The second section contained 17 multiple-choice questions concerning radiographic imaging parameters and safety issues. The response rate was 63.8%. In univariate analytic model, higher academic degree (p < 0.001), higher GPA (r(2) = 0.11; p = 0.001), academic workplace (p = 0.04) and taking previous refresher course(s) (p = 0.01) were significantly associated with higher knowledge score. In multivariate analytic model, however, higher academic degree (B = 1.62; p = 0.01), higher GPA (B = 0.50; p = 0.01) and taking previous refresher course(s) (B = -1.26; p = 0.03) were independently associated with higher level of knowledge. Age, sex, length of time from graduation and work experience were not associated with the respondents' knowledge score. Academic background is a robust indicator of a radiographer's professional knowledge. Refresher courses and regular knowledge assessments are highly recommended. This is the first study in the literature that examines professional knowledge of radiographers in terms of technical and safety issues in plain radiography. Academic degree, GPA and refresher courses are independent predictors of this knowledge. Regular radiographer professional knowledge checks may be recommended.

Safety Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD.

Safety policies, procedures, and related information are presented in this manual to assist school personnel in a continuing program of accident prevention. Chapter 1 discusses safety education and accident prevention in general. Chapter 2 covers traffic regulations relating to school safety patrols, school bus transportation, bicycles, and…

Allelic Variation of Risk for Anxiety Symptoms Moderates the Relation Between Adolescent Safety Behaviors and Social Anxiety Symptoms

PubMed Central

Thomas, Sarah A.; Weeks, Justin W.; Dougherty, Lea R.; Lipton, Melanie F.; Daruwala, Samantha E.; Kline, Kathryn

2015-01-01

Social anxiety often develops in adolescence, and precedes the onset of depression and substance use disorders. The link between social anxiety and use of behaviors to minimize distress in social situations (i.e., safety behaviors) is strong and for some patients, this link poses difficulty for engaging in, and benefiting from, exposure-based treatment. Yet, little is known about whether individual differences may moderate links between social anxiety and safety behaviors, namely variations in genetic alleles germane to anxiety. We examined the relation between adolescent social anxiety and expressions of safety behaviors, and whether allelic variation for anxiety moderates this relation. Adolescents (n=75; ages 14–17) were recruited from two larger studies investigating measurement of family relationships or adolescent social anxiety. Adolescents completed self-report measures about social anxiety symptoms and use of safety behaviors. They also provided saliva samples to assess allelic variations for anxiety from two genetic polymorphisms (BDNF rs6265; TAQ1A rs1800497). Controlling for adolescent age and gender, we observed a significant interaction between social anxiety symptoms and allelic variation (β=0.37, t=2.41, p=.02). Specifically, adolescents carrying allelic variations for anxiety evidenced a statistically significant and relatively strong positive relation between social anxiety symptoms and safety behaviors (β=0.73), whereas adolescents not carrying allelic variation evidenced a statistically non-significant and relatively weak relation (β=0.22). These findings have important implications for treating adolescent social anxiety, in that we identified an individual difference variable that can be used to identify people who evidence a particularly strong link between use of safety behaviors and expressing social anxiety. PMID:26692635

General Safety and Waste Management Related to SAM

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The General Safety and Waste Management page offers section-specific safety and waste management details for chemicals, radiochemicals, pathogens, and biotoxins included in EPA's Selected Analytical Methods for Environmental Remediation and Recovery (SAM).

Consensus-based Recommendations for Research Priorities Related to Interventions to Safeguard Patient Safety in the Crowded Emergency Department

PubMed Central

Fee, Christopher; Hall, Kendall; Morrison, J. Bradley; Stephens, Robert; Cosby, Karen; Fairbanks, Rollin (Terry) J.; Youngberg, Barbara; Lenehan, Gail; Abualenain, Jameel; O’Connor, Kevin; Wears, Robert

2012-01-01

This article describes the results of the Interventions to Safeguard Safety breakout session of the 2011 Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM) consensus conference entitled “Interventions to Assure Quality in the Crowded Emergency Department.” Using a multistep nominal group technique, experts in emergency department (ED) crowding, patient safety, and systems engineering defined knowledge gaps and priority research questions related to the maintenance of safety in the crowded ED. Consensus was reached for seven research priorities related to interventions to maintain safety in the setting of a crowded ED. Included among these are: 1) How do routine corrective processes and compensating mechanism change during crowding? 2) What metrics should be used to determine ED safety? 3) How can checklists ensure safer care and what factors contribute to their success or failure? 4) What constitutes safe staffing levels / ratios? 5) How can we align emergency medicine (EM)-specific patient safety issues with national patient safety issues? 6) How can we develop metrics and skills to recognize when an ED is getting close to catastrophic overload conditions? and 7) What can EM learn from experts and modeling from fields outside of medicine to develop innovative solutions? These priorities have the potential to inform future clinical and human factors research and extramural funding decisions related to this important topic. PMID:22168192

Commercial grade item (CGI) dedication of MDR relays for nuclear safety related applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Das, R.K.; Julka, A.; Modi, G.

1994-08-01

MDR relays manufactured by Potter and Brumfield (P and B) have been used in various safety related applications in commercial nuclear power plants. These include emergency safety features (ESF) actuation systems, emergency core cooling systems (ECCS) actuation, and reactor protection systems. The MDR relays manufactured prior to May 1990 showed signs of generic failure due to corrosion and outgassing of coil varnish. P and B has made design changes to correct these problems in relays manufactured after May 1990. However, P and B does not manufacture the relays under any 10CFR50 Appendix B quality assurance (QA) program. They manufacture themore » relays under their commercial QA program and supply these as commercial grade items. This necessitates CGI Dedication of these relays for use in nuclear-safety-related applications. This paper presents a CGI dedication program that has been used to dedicate the MDR relays manufactured after May 1990. The program is in compliance with current Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) guidelines and applicable industry standards; it specifies the critical characteristics of the relays, provides the tests and analysis required to verify the critical characteristics, the acceptance criteria for the test results, performs source verification to qualify P and B for its control of the critical characteristics, and provides documentation. The program provides reasonable assurance that the new MDR relays will perform their intended safety functions.« less

Estimating the Prevalence of Heat-Related Symptoms and Sun Safety-Related Behavior among Latino Farmworkers in Eastern North Carolina.

PubMed

Kearney, Gregory D; Hu, Hui; Xu, Xiaohui; Hall, Marla B; Balanay, Jo Anne G

2016-01-01

In hot weather, thermal heat generated by the body, combined with environmental heat from the sun, can lead outdoor workers to experience heat-related stress, severe illness, or even death. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of heat-related symptoms and potential risk factors associated with sun safety-related behavior among Latino farmworkers. Data from interviewer-administered questionnaires were collected from a cross-sectional survey among farmworkers (N = 158) from August to September 2013. Data analysis assessed associations between work activities, sun safety behavior, and the prevalence of heat-related illness (HRI) symptoms among workers. Nearly two thirds (72%) of farmworkers experienced at least one HRI symptom and lacked proper cooling methods when working outdoors. Most workers reported wearing long-sleeved shirts (85%), long pants (98%), and baseball caps (93%). The prevalence of having one HRI symptom was 72% and 27% among workers having three or more HRI symptoms. The majority of farmworkers experience symptoms of HRI and are not provided with proper shade protection when working outdoors. Increased emphasis on administrative controls, particularly educating field supervisors and workers on how to avoid and recognize HRI, should be a priority.

Senior charge nurses' leadership behaviours in relation to hospital ward safety: a mixed method study.

PubMed

Agnew, Cakil; Flin, Rhona

2014-05-01

High standards of quality and patient safety in hospital wards cannot be achieved without the active role of the nursing leaders that manage these units. Previous studies tended to focus on the leadership behaviours of nurses in relation to staff job satisfaction and other organizational outcomes. Less is known about the leadership skills of senior charge nurses that are effective for ensuring safety for patients and staff in their wards. The aim of the two studies was to identify the leadership behaviours of senior charge nurses that are (a) typically used and, (b) that relate to safety outcomes. In study one, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 senior charge nurses at an acute NHS hospital. Transcribed interviews were coded using Yukl's Managerial Practices Survey (MPS) framework. In study two, self ratings of leadership (using the MPS) from 15 senior charge nurses (SCN) and upward ratings from 82 staff nurses reporting to them were used to investigate associations between SCNs' leadership behaviours and worker and patient-related safety outcomes. The interviews in study one demonstrated the relevance of the MPS leadership framework for nurses at hospital ward level. The SCNs mainly engaged in relations-oriented (n=370, 49%), and task-oriented (n=342, 45%) behaviours, with fewer change-oriented (n=25, 3%), and lead by example behaviours (n=26, 3%). In demanding situations, more task-oriented behaviours were reported. In study two, staff nurses' ratings of their SCNs' behaviours (Monitoring and Recognizing) were related to staff compliance with rules and patient injuries (medium severity), while the self ratings of SCNs indicated that Supporting behaviours were linked to lower infection rates and Envisioning change behaviours were linked to lower infection and other safety indicators for both patients and staff. This study provides preliminary data on the usability of a standard leadership taxonomy (Yukl et al., 2002), and the related MPS

A road safety performance indicator for vehicle fleet compatibility.

PubMed

Christoph, Michiel; Vis, Martijn Alexander; Rackliff, Lucy; Stipdonk, Henk

2013-11-01

This paper discusses the development and the application of a safety performance indicator which measures the intrinsic safety of a country's vehicle fleet related to fleet composition. The indicator takes into account both the 'relative severity' of individual collisions between different vehicle types, and the share of those vehicle types within a country's fleet. The relative severity is a measure for the personal damage that can be expected from a collision between two vehicles of any type, relative to that of a collision between passenger cars. It is shown how this number can be calculated using vehicle mass only. A sensitivity analysis is performed to study the dependence of the indicator on parameter values and basic assumptions made. The indicator is easy to apply and satisfies the requirements for appropriate safety performance indicators. It was developed in such a way that it specifically scores the intrinsic safety of a fleet due to its composition, without being influenced by other factors, like helmet wearing. For the sake of simplicity, and since the required data is available throughout Europe, the indicator was applied to the relative share of three of the main vehicle types: passenger cars, heavy goods vehicles and motorcycles. Using the vehicle fleet data from 13EU Member States and Norway, the indicator was used to rank the countries' safety performance. The UK was found to perform best in terms of its fleet composition (value is 1.07), while Greece has the worst performance with the highest indicator value (1.41). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A relational leadership perspective on unit-level safety climate.

PubMed

Thompson, Debra N; Hoffman, Leslie A; Sereika, Susan M; Lorenz, Holly L; Wolf, Gail A; Burns, Helen K; Minnier, Tamra E; Ramanujam, Rangaraj

2011-11-01

This study compared nursing staff perceptions of safety climate in clinical units characterized by high and low ratings of leader-member exchange (LMX) and explored characteristics that might account for differences. Frontline nursing leaders' actions are critical to ensure patient safety. Specific leadership behaviors to achieve this goal are underexamined. The LMX perspective has shown promise in nonhealthcare settings as a means to explain safety climate perceptions. Cross-sectional survey of staff (n = 711) and unit directors from 34 inpatient units in an academic medical center was conducted. Significant differences were found between high and low LMX scoring units on supervisor safety expectations, organizational learning-continuous improvement, total communication, feedback and communication about errors, and nonpunitive response to errors. The LMX perspective can be used to identify differences in perceptions of safety climate among nursing staff. Future studies are needed to identify strategies to improve staff safety attitudes and behaviors. Copyright © 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Commonalities and Differences in Functional Safety Systems Between ISS Payloads and Industrial Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malyshev, Mikhail; Kreimer, Johannes

2013-09-01

Safety analyses for electrical, electronic and/or programmable electronic (E/E/EP) safety-related systems used in payload applications on-board the International Space Station (ISS) are often based on failure modes, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA). For industrial applications of E/E/EP safety-related systems, comparable strategies exist and are defined in the IEC-61508 standard. This standard defines some quantitative criteria based on potential failure modes (for example, Safe Failure Fraction). These criteria can be calculated for an E/E/EP system or components to assess their compliance to requirements of a particular Safety Integrity Level (SIL). The standard defines several SILs depending on how much risk has to be mitigated by a safety-critical system. When a FMECA is available for an ISS payload or its subsystem, it may be possible to calculate the same or similar parameters as defined in the 61508 standard. One example of a payload that has a dedicated functional safety subsystem is the Electromagnetic Levitator (EML). This payload for the ISS is planned to be operated on-board starting 2014. The EML is a high-temperature materials processing facility. The dedicated subsystem "Hazard Control Electronics" (HCE) is implemented to ensure compliance to failure tolerance in limiting samples processing parameters to maintain generation of the potentially toxic by-products to safe limits in line with the requirements applied to the payloads by the ISS Program. The objective of this paper is to assess the implementation of the HCE in the EML against criteria for functional safety systems in the IEC-61508 standard and to evaluate commonalities and differences with respect to safety requirements levied on ISS Payloads. An attempt is made to assess a possibility of using commercially available components and systems certified for compliance to industrial functional safety standards in ISS payloads.

Cycling transport safety quantification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drbohlav, Jiri; Kocourek, Josef

2018-05-01

Dynamic interest in cycling transport brings the necessity to design safety cycling infrastructure. In las few years, couple of norms with safety elements have been designed and suggested for the cycling infrastructure. But these were not fully examined. The main parameter of suitable and fully functional transport infrastructure is the evaluation of its safety. Common evaluation of transport infrastructure safety is based on accident statistics. These statistics are suitable for motor vehicle transport but unsuitable for the cycling transport. Cycling infrastructure evaluation of safety is suitable for the traffic conflicts monitoring. The results of this method are fast, based on real traffic situations and can be applied on any traffic situations.

Employee direct participation in organisational decisions and workplace safety.

PubMed

Widerszal-Bazyl, Maria; Warszewska-Makuch, Magdalena

2008-01-01

Managers from 192 companies filled out the Employee Direct Participation in Organisational Change questionnaire measuring employees' direct participation (DP) in organisational decisions. Four main forms of DP were identified: individual and group consultations, and individual and group delegation. Workplace safety was measured with the number of accidents, the number of employees working in hazardous conditions, accident absenteeism and sickness absence. Results showed that the 2 latter indicators were significantly related to some parameters of DP. Thus, companies that used face-to-face individual consultation had lower accident absenteeism than ones that did not. The same effect was true for group consultation with temporary groups, and individual and group delegation. Workplaces with high scores for scope for group consultation had lower accident absenteeism, and those with high scores for scope for group delegation had lower sickness absence. It was concluded that employee DP had a positive influence on workplace safety, even if involvement was not directly related to safety.

Effects of safety and health training on work-related injury among construction laborers.

PubMed

Dong, Xiuwen; Entzel, Pamela; Men, Yurong; Chowdhury, Risana; Schneider, Scott

2004-12-01

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of safety and health training on work-related injury in the construction industry. Union health insurance records, union training records, and workers compensation data for 1993 and 1994 were analyzed for more than 8000 construction laborers in Washington State. After controlling for demographic factors, laborers who received safety and health training during the study period were 12% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.75-1.02) less likely than nontrained laborers to file for workers compensation. Among workers 16 to 24 years old, training was associated with a 42% (95% CI = 0.35-0.95) reduction in claims. These findings provide evidence of the effectiveness of safety and health training in preventing occupational injuries among construction laborers, particularly among younger workers. However, the results cover only a limited time and the long-term effects remain unclear.

Civility norms, safety climate, and safety outcomes: a preliminary investigation.

PubMed

McGonagle, Alyssa K; Walsh, Benjamin M; Kath, Lisa M; Morrow, Stephanie L

2014-10-01

Working environments that are both civil and safe are good for business and employee well-being. Civility has been empirically linked to such important outcomes as organizational performance and individuals' positive work-related attitudes, yet research relating civility to safety is lacking. In this study, we link perceptions of civility norms to perceptions of safety climate and safety outcomes. Drawing on social exchange theory, we proposed and tested a model in 2 samples wherein civility norms indirectly relate to safety outcomes through associations with various safety climate facets. Our results supported direct relationships between civility and management safety climate and coworker safety climate. Additionally, indirect effects of civility norms on unsafe behaviors and injuries were observed. Indirect effects of civility norms on unsafe behaviors were observed through coworker safety climate and work-safety tension. Indirect effects of civility norms on injuries were observed through management safety climate and work-safety tension for full-time employees, although these effects did not hold for part-time employees. This study provides initial evidence that researchers and practitioners may want to look beyond safety climate to civility norms to more comprehensively understand the origins of unsafe behaviors and injuries and to develop appropriate preventive interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

Concerns related to Safety Management of Engineered Nanomaterials in research environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groso, A.; Meyer, Th

2013-04-01

Since the rise of occupational safety and health research on nanomaterials a lot of progress has been made in generating health effects and exposure data. However, when detailed quantitative risk analysis is in question, more research is needed, especially quantitative measures of workers exposure and standards to categorize toxicity/hazardousness data. In the absence of dose-response relationships and quantitative exposure measurements, control banding (CB) has been widely adopted by OHS community as a pragmatic tool in implementing a risk management strategy based on a precautionary approach. Being in charge of health and safety in a Swiss university, where nanomaterials are largely used and produced, we are also faced with the challenge related to nanomaterials' occupational safety. In this work, we discuss the field application of an in-house risk management methodology similar to CB as well as some other methodologies. The challenges and issues related to the process will be discussed. Since exact data on nanomaterials hazardousness are missing for most of the situations, we deduce that the outcome of the analysis for a particular process is essentially the same with a simple methodology that determines only exposure potential and the one taking into account the hazardousness of ENPs. It is evident that when reliable data on hazardousness factors (as surface chemistry, solubility, carcinogenicity, toxicity etc.) will be available, more differentiation will be possible in determining the risk for different materials. On the protective measures side, all CB methodologies are inclined to overprotection side, only that some of them suggest comprehensive protective/preventive measures and others remain with basic advices. The implementation and control of protective measures in research environment will also be discussed.

77 FR 6411 - Training, Qualification, and Oversight for Safety-Related Railroad Employees

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-07

... equipment is in a service that constitutes a train movement under part 232 of this chapter; [and] (6... Administration 49 CFR Parts 214, 232, and 243 Training, Qualification, and Oversight for Safety-Related Railroad..., 232, and 243 [Docket No. FRA-2009-0033, Notice No. 1] RIN 2130-AC06 Training, Qualification, and...

Impact Assessment of Effective Parameters on Drivers' Attention Level to Urban Traffic Signs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazemi, Mojtaba; Rahimi, Amir Masoud; Roshankhah, Sheida

2016-03-01

Traffic signs are one of the oldest safety and traffic control equipments. Drivers' reaction to installed signs is an important issue that could be studied using statistical models developed for target groups. There are 527 questionnaires have been filled up randomly in 45 days, some by drivers passing two northern cities of Iran and some by e-mail. Therefore, minimum sample size of 384 is fulfilled. In addition, Cronbach Alpha of more than 90 % verifies the questionnaire's validity. Ordinal logistic regression is used for 5-level answer variables. This relatively novel method predicts probability of different cases' considering other effective independent variables. There are 18 parameters of factor, man, vehicle, and environment are assessed and 5 parameters of number of accidents in last 5 years, occupation, driving time, number of accidents per day, and driving speed are eventually found as the most important ones. Age and gender, that are considered as key factors in other safety and accident studies, are not recognized as effective ones in this paper. The results could be useful for safety planning programs.

Safety of fenbendazole in common peafowl (Pavo cristatus).

PubMed

Umar, Sajid; Abbas, Seema; Khan, Muhammad Irfan; Nisa, Qamarun; Younus, Muhammad; Aqil, Kiran; Qayyum, Rizwan; Yaqoob, Muhammad; Ali, Asif; Yaseen, Muhammad Asif; Shah, Muhammad Ali

2018-01-01

The present study was undertaken to find out the safety levels of fenbendazole in common peafowl. This bird, raised on aviaries and zoos, can be severely parasitized with Ascaridia galli (enteric worms) and Syngamus trachea (gapeworm) along with other parasitic worms. Fenbendazole is a highly effective benzimidazole-class anthelmintic in animals. The objective of this work was to provide target animal safety data in young peafowl and to demonstrate reproductive safety in adult birds. During the experimental study, diets containing fenbendazole at 0, 100, 200 and 300 ppm were fed for 21 days (three times the normal treatment duration). Data for feed consumption, feed conversion rate, and body weights were recorded for each bird in each group. Drug concentrations in different tissues of birds were determined to correlate concentrations with clinical observations, clinical pathology, and histologic findings. There were no morbidities or mortalities after study day 21. Additionally, there were no statistically significant treatment-related differences among above mentioned parameters. Analysis of fenbendazole concentrations in kidney, liver, leg/thigh, and breast muscle and skin with associated fat revealed that, even at the highest dose level used and with no feed withdrawal, fenbendazole concentrations were relatively low in these tissues. These findings indicate that fenbendazole has a relatively wide margin of safety in young peafowl and that the proposed dose of 100 ppm in the feed for 7 consecutive days is well within the margin of safety. In the reproductive safety study, five breeder peafowl farms fed fendbendazole at 100ppm for 7 days and collected data on hatching percentage of peahen eggs before and after treatment. Reproductive performance in peahen was not adversely affected.

Effects of chilled-then-frozen storage (up to 52weeks) on lamb M. longissimus lumborum quality and safety parameters.

PubMed

Coombs, Cassius E O; Holman, Benjamin W B; Collins, Damian; Friend, Michael A; Hopkins, David L

2017-12-01

This study evaluated the effect of chilled followed by frozen storage on lamb quality and safety parameters. Experimental (n=360) M. longissimus lumborum (LL) were randomly sampled from the boning room of a commercial Australian abattoir, at 24 h post-mortem, and assigned to five chilled storage periods (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks) and six subsequent frozen storage periods (0, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 52 weeks). Upon completion of each storage treatment combination, corresponding LL were sub-sectioned and analysed for colour stability (0, 1, 2 and 3 days), shear force, fluid losses (purge, thaw and cooking losses), intramuscular fat content, sarcomere length, water activity and microbial load (lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae sp., Brochothrix thermosphacta, Clostridium perfringens and Escherichia coli). LL stored chilled for 2-4 weeks prior to freezing presented superior results for shear force, display colour and low levels of spoilage microbes, correlating with good eating quality and safety following more than one year of frozen storage. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison on the Effects and Safety of Tualang Honey and Tribestan in Sperm Parameters, Erectile Function, and Hormonal Profiles among Oligospermic Males

PubMed Central

Ismail, Shaiful Bahari; Bakar, Mohd. Bustamanizan; Nik Hussain, Nik Hazlina; Sulaiman, Siti Amrah; Jaafar, Hasnan; Draman, Samsul; Ramli, Roszaman; Wan Yusoff, Wan Zahanim

2014-01-01

Introduction. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Tualang honey on sperm parameters, erectile function, and hormonal and safety profiles. Methodology. A randomized control trial was done using Tualang honey (20 grams) and Tribestan (750 mg) over a period of 12 weeks. Sperm parameters including sperm concentration, motility, and morphology were analyzed and erectile function was assessed using IIEF-5 questionnaire. Hormonal profiles of testosterone, FSH, and LH were studied. The volunteers were randomized into two groups and the outcomes were analyzed using SPSS version 18. Results. A total of 66 participants were involved. A significant increment of mean sperm concentration (P < 0.001), motility (P = 0.015) and morphology (P = 0.008) was seen in Tualang honey group. In Tribestan group, a significant increment of mean sperm concentration (P = 0.007), and morphology (P = 0.009) was seen. No significant differences of sperm concentration, motility, and morphology were seen between Tualang honey and Tribestan group and similar results were also seen in erectile function and hormonal profile. All safety profiles were normal and no adverse event was reported. Conclusion. Tualang honey effect among oligospermic males was comparable with Tribestan in improving sperm concentration, motility, and morphology. The usage of Tualang honey was also safe with no reported adverse event. PMID:25505918

Stability of Chronic Hepatitis-Related Parameters in Serum Samples After Long-Term Storage.

PubMed

Yu, Rentao; Dan, Yunjie; Xiang, Xiaomei; Zhou, Yi; Kuang, Xuemei; Yang, Ge; Tang, Yulan; Liu, Mingdong; Kong, Weilong; Tan, Wenting; Deng, Guohong

2017-06-01

Serum samples are widely used in clinical research, but a comprehensive research of the stability of parameters relevant to chronic hepatitis and the effect of a relatively long-term (up to 10 years) storage on the stability have rarely been studied. To investigate the stability of chronic hepatitis-related parameters in serum samples after long-term storage. The storage stability of common clinical parameters such as total bile acid (TBA), total bilirubin (TBIL), potassium, cholesterol, and protein parameters such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatine kinase (CK), γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), albumin, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and also hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10) were tested in serum samples after storing at -20°C or -70°C for 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and 10 years. Levels of TBA, TBIL, and protein parameters such as ALT, CK, GGT, HDL, and HBsAg decreased significantly, but levels of potassium and cholesterol increased significantly after long-term storage, whereas blood glucose and triglycerides were stable during storage. HBV DNA remained stable at -70°C but changed at -20°C, whereas HCV RNA was stable after 1-, 2-, and 3-year storage. CXCL10 was still detectable after 8-year storage. Low temperatures (-70°C/80°C) are necessary for storage of serum samples in chronic hepatitis B research after long-term storage.

Surface density: a new parameter in the fundamental metallicity relation of star-forming galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashimoto, Tetsuya; Goto, Tomotsugu; Momose, Rieko

2018-04-01

Star-forming galaxies display a close relation among stellar mass, metallicity, and star formation rate (or molecular-gas mass). This is known as the fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) (or molecular-gas FMR), and it has a profound implication on models of galaxy evolution. However, there still remains a significant residual scatter around the FMR. We show here that a fourth parameter, the surface density of stellar mass, reduces the dispersion around the molecular-gas FMR. In a principal component analysis of 29 physical parameters of 41 338 star-forming galaxies, the surface density of stellar mass is found to be the fourth most important parameter. The new 4D fundamental relation forms a tighter hypersurface that reduces the metallicity dispersion to 50 per cent of that of the molecular-gas FMR. We suggest that future analyses and models of galaxy evolution should consider the FMR in a 4D space that includes surface density. The dilution time-scale of gas inflow and the star-formation efficiency could explain the observational dependence on surface density of stellar mass.

The Role of Interpersonal Relations in Healthcare Team Communication and Patient Safety: A Proposed Model of Interpersonal Process in Teamwork.

PubMed

Lee, Charlotte Tsz-Sum; Doran, Diane Marie

2017-06-01

Patient safety is compromised by medical errors and adverse events related to miscommunications among healthcare providers. Communication among healthcare providers is affected by human factors, such as interpersonal relations. Yet, discussions of interpersonal relations and communication are lacking in healthcare team literature. This paper proposes a theoretical framework that explains how interpersonal relations among healthcare team members affect communication and team performance, such as patient safety. We synthesized studies from health and social science disciplines to construct a theoretical framework that explicates the links among these constructs. From our synthesis, we identified two relevant theories: framework on interpersonal processes based on social relation model and the theory of relational coordination. The former involves three steps: perception, evaluation, and feedback; and the latter captures relational communicative behavior. We propose that manifestations of provider relations are embedded in the third step of the framework on interpersonal processes: feedback. Thus, varying team-member relationships lead to varying collaborative behavior, which affects patient-safety outcomes via a change in team communication. The proposed framework offers new perspectives for understanding how workplace relations affect healthcare team performance. The framework can be used by nurses, administrators, and educators to improve patient safety, team communication, or to resolve conflicts.

Sex differences in cerebellar mechanisms involved in pain-related safety learning.

PubMed

Labrenz, Franziska; Icenhour, Adriane; Thürling, Markus; Schlamann, Marc; Forsting, Michael; Timmann, Dagmar; Elsenbruch, Sigrid

2015-09-01

Recent studies have suggested that the cerebellum contributes to the central processing of pain, including pain-related learning and memory processes. As a complex experience with multiple emotional and cognitive facets, the response to pain and its underlying neural correlates differ between men and women. However, it remains poorly understood whether and to what extent sex differences exist in the cerebellar contribution to pain-related associative learning processes. In the present conditioning study with experimental abdominal pain as unconditioned stimuli (US), we assessed sex-dependent differences in behavioral and neural responses to conditioned warning and safety cues in healthy volunteers. The results revealed that in response to visual stimuli signaling safety from abdominal pain (CS(-)), women showed enhanced cerebellar activation in lobules I-IV, V, VI, VIIIa, IX and X as well as Crus II and the dentate nucleus, which are mostly representative of somatomotor networks. On the other hand, men showed enhanced neural activation in lobules I-IV, VI, VIIb, VIIIb, IX as well as Crus I and II in response to CS(-), which are representative of frontoparietal and ventral attention networks. No sex differences were observed in response to pain-predictive warning signals (CS(+)). Similarly, men and women did not differ in behavioral measures of conditioning, including conditioned changes in CS valence and contingency awareness. Together, we could demonstrate that the cerebellum is involved in associative learning processes of conditioned anticipatory safety from pain and mediates sex differences in the underlying neural processes. Given the high prevalence of chronic pain conditions in women, these results may contribute to improve our understanding of the acquisition and manifestation of chronic abdominal pain syndromes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bayesian road safety analysis: incorporation of past evidence and effect of hyper-prior choice.

PubMed

Miranda-Moreno, Luis F; Heydari, Shahram; Lord, Dominique; Fu, Liping

2013-09-01

This paper aims to address two related issues when applying hierarchical Bayesian models for road safety analysis, namely: (a) how to incorporate available information from previous studies or past experiences in the (hyper) prior distributions for model parameters and (b) what are the potential benefits of incorporating past evidence on the results of a road safety analysis when working with scarce accident data (i.e., when calibrating models with crash datasets characterized by a very low average number of accidents and a small number of sites). A simulation framework was developed to evaluate the performance of alternative hyper-priors including informative and non-informative Gamma, Pareto, as well as Uniform distributions. Based on this simulation framework, different data scenarios (i.e., number of observations and years of data) were defined and tested using crash data collected at 3-legged rural intersections in California and crash data collected for rural 4-lane highway segments in Texas. This study shows how the accuracy of model parameter estimates (inverse dispersion parameter) is considerably improved when incorporating past evidence, in particular when working with the small number of observations and crash data with low mean. The results also illustrates that when the sample size (more than 100 sites) and the number of years of crash data is relatively large, neither the incorporation of past experience nor the choice of the hyper-prior distribution may affect the final results of a traffic safety analysis. As a potential solution to the problem of low sample mean and small sample size, this paper suggests some practical guidance on how to incorporate past evidence into informative hyper-priors. By combining evidence from past studies and data available, the model parameter estimates can significantly be improved. The effect of prior choice seems to be less important on the hotspot identification. The results show the benefits of incorporating prior

Guideline for the utilization of commercial grade items in nuclear safety related applications: Final report. [Contains Glossary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tulay, M.P.; Yurich, F.J.; Schremser, F.M. Jr.

1988-06-01

This guideline provides direction for the procurement and use of Commercial Grade Items (CGI)in safety-related applications. It is divided into five major sections. A glossary of terms and definitions, an acronym listing, and seven appendices have been included. The glossary defines terms used in this guideline. In certain instances, the definitions may be unique to this guideline. Identification of acronyms utilized in this guideline is also provided. Section 1 provides a background of the commercial grade item issues facing the nuclear industry. It provides a historical perspective of commercial grade item issues. Section 2 discusses the generic process for themore » acceptance of a commercial grade item for safety-related use. Section 3 defines the four distinct methods used to accept commercial grade items for safety-related applications. Section 4 lists specific references that are identified in this guideline. Section 5 is a bibliography of documents that were considered in developed this guideline, but were not directly referenced in the document.« less

A brief review of the occurrence, use, and safety of food-related nanomaterials.

PubMed

Magnuson, Bernadene A; Jonaitis, Tomas S; Card, Jeffrey W

2011-08-01

Nanotechnology and nanomaterials have tremendous potential to enhance the food supply through novel applications, including nutrient and bioactive absorption and delivery systems; ingredient functionality; improved colors and flavors; microbial, allergen, and contaminant detection and control; and food packaging properties and performance. To determine the current state of knowledge regarding the safety of these potential uses of nanomaterials, an appraisal of the published literature on the safety of food-related nanomaterials was undertaken. A method of assessment of reliability of toxicology studies was developed to conduct this appraisal. The review of the toxicology literature on oral exposure to food-related nanomaterials found that the number of studies is limited. Exposure to nanomaterials in the human food chain may occur not only through intentional uses in food manufacturing, but also via uses in agricultural production and carry over from use in other industries. Although a number of analytical methods are useful in physicochemical characterization of manufactured nanomaterials, new methods may be needed to more fully detect and characterize nanomaterials incorporated into foods and in other media. There is a need for additional toxicology studies of sufficient quality and duration on different types of nanomaterials to further our understanding of the characteristics of nanomaterials that affect safety of oral exposure resulting from use in various food applications. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®

Leaf Photosynthetic Parameters Related to Biomass Accumulation in a Global Rice Diversity Survey1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Zheng, Guangyong; Hamdani, Saber; Essemine, Jemaa; Song, Qingfeng; Wang, Hongru

2017-01-01

Mining natural variations is a major approach to identify new options to improve crop light use efficiency. So far, successes in identifying photosynthetic parameters positively related to crop biomass accumulation through this approach are scarce, possibly due to the earlier emphasis on properties related to leaf instead of canopy photosynthetic efficiency. This study aims to uncover rice (Oryza sativa) natural variations to identify leaf physiological parameters that are highly correlated with biomass accumulation, a surrogate of canopy photosynthesis. To do this, we systematically investigated 14 photosynthetic parameters and four morphological traits in a rice population, which consists of 204 U.S. Department of Agriculture-curated minicore accessions collected globally and 11 elite Chinese rice cultivars in both Beijing and Shanghai. To identify key components responsible for the variance of biomass accumulation, we applied a stepwise feature-selection approach based on linear regression models. Although there are large variations in photosynthetic parameters measured in different environments, we observed that photosynthetic rate under low light (Alow) was highly related to biomass accumulation and also exhibited high genomic inheritability in both environments, suggesting its great potential to be used as a target for future rice breeding programs. Large variations in Alow among modern rice cultivars further suggest the great potential of using this parameter in contemporary rice breeding for the improvement of biomass and, hence, yield potential. PMID:28739819

Hematological parameters in relation to age, sex and biochemical values for mute swans (Cygnus olor).

PubMed

Dolka, B; Włodarczyk, R; Zbikowski, A; Dolka, I; Szeleszczuk, P; Kluciński, W

2014-06-01

The knowledge of the correct morphological and biochemical parameters in mute swans is an important indicator of their health status, body condition, adaptation to habitat and useful diagnostic tools in veterinary practice and ecological research. The aim of the study was to obtain hematological parameters in relation to age, sex and serum biochemistry values in wild-living mute swans. We found the significant differences in the erythrocyte count, hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in relation to age of mute swans. There were no differences in hematological values between males and females. The leukogram and H/L ratio did not vary by age and sex in swans. Among of biochemical parameters the slightly increased AST, ALP, CK, K, urea, decreased CHOL and TG values were recorded. As far as we know, this is the first study in which the morphometric parameters of blood cells in mute swans were presented. We found extremely low concentration of lead in blood (at subthreshold level). No blood parasites were found in blood smears. The analysis of body mass and biometric parameters revealed a significant differences dependent on age and sex. No differences in the scaled mass index were found. Our results represent a normal hematologic and blood chemistry values and age-sex related changes, as reference values for the mute swan.

Relationships between psychological safety climate facets and safety behavior in the rail industry: a dominance analysis.

PubMed

Morrow, Stephanie L; McGonagle, Alyssa K; Dove-Steinkamp, Megan L; Walker, Curtis T; Marmet, Matthew; Barnes-Farrell, Janet L

2010-09-01

The goals of this study were twofold: (1) to confirm a relationship between employee perceptions of psychological safety climate and safety behavior for a sample of workers in the rail industry and (2) to explore the relative strengths of relationships between specific facets of safety climate and safety behavior. Non-management rail maintenance workers employed by a large North American railroad completed a survey (n=421) regarding workplace safety perceptions and behaviors. Three facets of safety climate (management safety, coworker safety, and work-safety tension) were assessed as relating to individual workers' reported safety behavior. All three facets were significantly associated with safety behavior. Dominance analysis was used to assess the relative importance of each facet as related to the outcome, and work-safety tension evidenced the strongest relationship with safety behavior. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Constraining smoothness parameter and the DD relation of Dyer-Roeder equation with supernovae

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Xi; Yu, Hao-Ran; Zhang, Tong-Jie, E-mail: yangwds@mail.bnu.edu.cn, E-mail: yu@bnu.edu.cn, E-mail: tjzhang@bnu.edu.cn

2013-06-01

Our real universe is locally inhomogeneous. Dyer and Roeder introduced the smoothness parameter α to describe the influence of local inhomogeneity on angular diameter distance, and they obtained the angular diameter distance-redshift approximate relation (Dyer-Roeder equation) for locally inhomogeneous universe. Furthermore, the Distance-Duality (DD) relation, D{sub L}(z)(1+z){sup −2}/D{sub A}(z) = 1, should be valid for all cosmological models that are described by Riemannian geometry, where D{sub L} and D{sub A} are, respectively, the luminosity and angular distance distances. Therefore, it is necessary to test whether if the Dyer-Roeder approximate equation can satisfy the Distance-Duality relation. In this paper, we usemore » Union2.1 SNe Ia data to constrain the smoothness parameter α and test whether the Dyer-Roeder equation meet the DD relation. By using χ{sup 2} minimization, we get α = 0.92{sub −0.32}{sup +0.08} at 1σ and 0.92{sub −0.65}{sup +0.08} at 2σ, and our results show that the Dyer-Roeder equation is in good consistency with the DD relation at 1σ.« less

Cabin Safety Issues Related to Pre-Departure and Inflight Issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connell, Linda

2014-01-01

The Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) in a partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), participating carriers, and labor organizations. It is designed to improve the National Airspace System by collecting and studying reports detailing unsafe conditions and events in the aviation industry. Employees are able to report safety issues or concerns with confidentiality and without fear of discipline. Safety reports highlighting the human element in cabin safety issues and concerns.

Inventory of Safety-related Codes and Standards for Energy Storage Systems with some Experiences related to Approval and Acceptance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Conover, David R.

The purpose of this document is to identify laws, rules, model codes, codes, standards, regulations, specifications (CSR) related to safety that could apply to stationary energy storage systems (ESS) and experiences to date securing approval of ESS in relation to CSR. This information is intended to assist in securing approval of ESS under current CSR and to identification of new CRS or revisions to existing CRS and necessary supporting research and documentation that can foster the deployment of safe ESS.

Associations of Organizational Safety Practices and Culture With Physical Workload, Perceptions About Work, and Work-Related Injury and Symptoms Among Hospital Nurses.

PubMed

Lee, Soo-Jeong; Lee, Joung Hee

The study aim was to examine the relationships of organizational safety practices with nurses' perceptions about job and risk and experiences of work-related injury and symptoms. Nursing professions report high rates of work-related injuries. Organizational safety practices have been linked to workers' safety outcomes and perceptions about work. This study analyzed data from a random sample of 280 California RNs in a cross-sectional statewide survey. Data were collected by both postal and online surveys. Higher perceptions of organizational safety practices (safety climate, ergonomic practices, people-oriented culture) were significantly associated with lower physical workload, lower job strain, higher job satisfaction, lower risk perception, and lower work-related injury and symptom experiences. Ergonomic practices and people-oriented culture were associated with less intention of leaving job. Organizational safety practices may play a pivotal role in improving positive perceptions about jobs, reducing injury risks, and promoting nurse retention.

Photosynthetic parameters in the Beaufort Sea in relation to the phytoplankton community structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huot, Y.; Babin, M.; Bruyant, F.

2013-05-01

To model phytoplankton primary production from remotely sensed data, a method to estimate photosynthetic parameters describing the photosynthetic rates per unit biomass is required. Variability in these parameters must be related to environmental variables that are measurable remotely. In the Arctic, a limited number of measurements of photosynthetic parameters have been carried out with the concurrent environmental variables needed. Such measurements and their relationship to environmental variables will be required to improve the accuracy of remotely sensed estimates of phytoplankton primary production and our ability to predict future changes. During the MALINA cruise, a large dataset of these parameters was obtained. Together with previously published datasets, we use environmental and trophic variables to provide functional relationships for these parameters. In particular, we describe several specific aspects: the maximum rate of photosynthesis (Pmaxchl) normalized to chlorophyll decreases with depth and is higher for communities composed of large cells; the saturation parameter (Ek) decreases with depth but is independent of the community structure; and the initial slope of the photosynthesis versus irradiance curve (αchl) normalized to chlorophyll is independent of depth but is higher for communities composed of larger cells. The photosynthetic parameters were not influenced by temperature over the range encountered during the cruise (-2 to 8 °C).

Photosynthetic parameters in the Beaufort Sea in relation to the phytoplankton community structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huot, Y.; Babin, M.; Bruyant, F.

2013-01-01

To model phytoplankton primary production from remotely sensed data a method to estimate photosynthetic parameters describing the photosynthetic rates per unit biomass is required. Variability in these parameters must be related to environmental variables that are measurable remotely. In the Arctic, a limited number of measurements of photosynthetic parameter have been carried out with the concurrent environmental variables needed. Therefore, to improve the accuracy of remote estimates of phytoplankton primary production as well as our ability to predict changes in the future such measurements and relationship to environmental variables are required. During the MALINA cruise, a large dataset of these parameters were obtained. Together with previously published datasets, we use environmental and trophic variables to provide functional relationships for these parameters. In particular, we describe several specific aspects: the maximum rate of photosynthesis (Pmaxchl) normalized to chlorophyll decreases with depth and is higher for communities composed of large cells; the saturation parameter (Ek) decreases with depth but is independent of the community structure; and the initial slope of the photosynthesis versus irradiance curve (αchl) normalized to chlorophyll is independent of depth but is higher for communities composed of larger cells. The photosynthetic parameters were not influenced by temperature over the range encountered during the cruise (-2 to 8 °C).

Applying data mining techniques to determine important parameters in chronic kidney disease and the relations of these parameters to each other.

PubMed

Tahmasebian, Shahram; Ghazisaeedi, Marjan; Langarizadeh, Mostafa; Mokhtaran, Mehrshad; Mahdavi-Mazdeh, Mitra; Javadian, Parisa

2017-01-01

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) includes a wide range of pathophysiological processes which will be observed along with abnormal function of kidneys and progressive decrease in glomerular filtration rate (GFR). According to the definition decreasing GFR must have been present for at least three months. CKD will eventually result in end-stage kidney disease. In this process different factors play role and finding the relations between effective parameters in this regard can help to prevent or slow progression of this disease. There are always a lot of data being collected from the patients' medical records. This huge array of data can be considered a valuable source for analyzing, exploring and discovering information. Objectives: Using the data mining techniques, the present study tries to specify the effective parameters and also aims to determine their relations with each other in Iranian patients with CKD. Material and Methods: The study population includes 31996 patients with CKD. First, all of the data is registered in the database. Then data mining tools were used to find the hidden rules and relationships between parameters in collected data. Results: After data cleaning based on CRISP-DM (Cross Industry Standard Process for Data Mining) methodology and running mining algorithms on the data in the database the relationships between the effective parameters was specified. Conclusion: This study was done using the data mining method pertaining to the effective factors on patients with CKD.

Applying data mining techniques to determine important parameters in chronic kidney disease and the relations of these parameters to each other

PubMed Central

Tahmasebian, Shahram; Ghazisaeedi, Marjan; Langarizadeh, Mostafa; Mokhtaran, Mehrshad; Mahdavi-Mazdeh, Mitra; Javadian, Parisa

2017-01-01

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) includes a wide range of pathophysiological processes which will be observed along with abnormal function of kidneys and progressive decrease in glomerular filtration rate (GFR). According to the definition decreasing GFR must have been present for at least three months. CKD will eventually result in end-stage kidney disease. In this process different factors play role and finding the relations between effective parameters in this regard can help to prevent or slow progression of this disease. There are always a lot of data being collected from the patients’ medical records. This huge array of data can be considered a valuable source for analyzing, exploring and discovering information. Objectives: Using the data mining techniques, the present study tries to specify the effective parameters and also aims to determine their relations with each other in Iranian patients with CKD. Material and Methods: The study population includes 31996 patients with CKD. First, all of the data is registered in the database. Then data mining tools were used to find the hidden rules and relationships between parameters in collected data. Results: After data cleaning based on CRISP-DM (Cross Industry Standard Process for Data Mining) methodology and running mining algorithms on the data in the database the relationships between the effective parameters was specified. Conclusion: This study was done using the data mining method pertaining to the effective factors on patients with CKD. PMID:28497080

Nonclinical safety of mavrilimumab, an anti-GMCSF receptor alpha monoclonal antibody, in cynomolgus monkeys: Relevance for human safety

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ryan, Patricia C., E-mail: ryanp@medimmune.com; Sleeman, Matthew A.; Rebelatto, Marlon

Mavrilimumab (CAM-3001) is an investigational human IgG4 monoclonal antibody (MAb) targeting GM-CSF receptor alpha which is currently being developed for the treatment of RA. GM-CSF plays a central role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through the activation, differentiation, and survival of macrophages and neutrophils. To support clinical development, the nonclinical safety of mavrilimumab was evaluated in several studies with cynomolgus monkeys as the pharmacologically relevant species. Comprehensive toxicity parameters were assessed in each study, and treatment duration ranged from 4 to 26 weeks. Mavrilimumab has an acceptable safety profile in monkeys with no changes in any parameters othermore » than microscopic findings in lung. In several studies, minimal accumulation of foamy alveolar macrophages was observed. This finding was only seen in studies of at least 11 weeks duration, was reversible following a dose-free recovery period and was considered non-adverse. At higher dose levels (≥ 30 mg/kg/week), in a 26-week repeat-IV dose study, the presence of lung foreign material, cholesterol clefts, and granulomatous inflammation was also observed in a few animals and was considered adverse. The dose- and time-related accumulation of foamy macrophages in lung following exposure to mavrilimumab observed in several NHP studies was expected based upon the known role of GM-CSFRα signaling in the function of alveolar macrophages. Overall, a clean no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) without any effects in lung was established and provided adequate clinical safety margins. In clinical studies in RA patients, mavrilimumab has demonstrated good clinical activity with adequate safety to support further clinical development. A Phase 2b study of mavrilimumab in subjects with RA is in progress. - Highlights: • Mavrilimumab is a MAB targeting GM-CSFRα being developed for RA therapy. • Mavrilimumab has an acceptable safety profile in cynomolgus

Safety climate and attitude as evaluation measures of organizational safety.

PubMed

Isla Díaz, R; Díaz Cabrera, D

1997-09-01

The main aim of this research is to develop a set of evaluation measures for safety attitudes and safety climate. Specifically it is intended: (a) to test the instruments; (b) to identify the essential dimensions of the safety climate in the airport ground handling companies; (c) to assess the quality of the differences in the safety climate for each company and its relation to the accident rate; (d) to analyse the relationship between attitudes and safety climate; and (e) to evaluate the influences of situational and personal factors on both safety climate and attitude. The study sample consisted of 166 subjects from three airport companies. Specifically, this research was centered on ground handling departments. The factor analysis of the safety climate instrument resulted in six factors which explained 69.8% of the total variance. We found significant differences in safety attitudes and climate in relation to type of enterprise.

Optimism about safety and group-serving interpretations of safety among pedestrians and cyclists in relation to road use in general and under low light conditions.

PubMed

King, M J; Wood, J M; Lacherez, P F; Marszalek, R P

2012-01-01

Drivers are known to be optimistic about their risk of crash involvement, believing that they are less likely to be involved in a crash than other drivers. However, little comparative research has been conducted among other road users. In addition, optimism about crash risk is conceptualised as applying only to an individual's assessment of his or her personal risk of crash involvement. The possibility that the self-serving nature of optimism about safety might be generalised to the group-level as a cyclist or a pedestrian, i.e., becoming group-serving rather than self-serving, has been overlooked in relation to road safety. This study analysed a subset of data collected as part of a larger research project on the visibility of pedestrians, cyclists and road workers, focusing on a set of questionnaire items administered to 406 pedestrians, 838 cyclists and 622 drivers. The items related to safety in various scenarios involving drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, allowing predictions to be derived about group differences in agreement with items based on the assumption that the results would exhibit group-serving bias. Analysis of the responses indicated that specific hypotheses about group-serving interpretations of safety and responsibility were supported in 22 of the 26 comparisons. When the nine comparisons relevant to low lighting conditions were considered separately, seven were found to be supported. The findings of the research have implications for public education and for the likely acceptance of messages which are inconsistent with current assumptions and expectations of pedestrians and cyclists. They also suggest that research into group-serving interpretations of safety, even for temporary roles rather than enduring groups, could be fruitful. Further, there is an implication that gains in safety can be made by better educating road users about the limitations of their visibility and the ramifications of this for their own road safety, particularly in low

SOMBI: Bayesian identification of parameter relations in unstructured cosmological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frank, Philipp; Jasche, Jens; Enßlin, Torsten A.

2016-11-01

This work describes the implementation and application of a correlation determination method based on self organizing maps and Bayesian inference (SOMBI). SOMBI aims to automatically identify relations between different observed parameters in unstructured cosmological or astrophysical surveys by automatically identifying data clusters in high-dimensional datasets via the self organizing map neural network algorithm. Parameter relations are then revealed by means of a Bayesian inference within respective identified data clusters. Specifically such relations are assumed to be parametrized as a polynomial of unknown order. The Bayesian approach results in a posterior probability distribution function for respective polynomial coefficients. To decide which polynomial order suffices to describe correlation structures in data, we include a method for model selection, the Bayesian information criterion, to the analysis. The performance of the SOMBI algorithm is tested with mock data. As illustration we also provide applications of our method to cosmological data. In particular, we present results of a correlation analysis between galaxy and active galactic nucleus (AGN) properties provided by the SDSS catalog with the cosmic large-scale-structure (LSS). The results indicate that the combined galaxy and LSS dataset indeed is clustered into several sub-samples of data with different average properties (for example different stellar masses or web-type classifications). The majority of data clusters appear to have a similar correlation structure between galaxy properties and the LSS. In particular we revealed a positive and linear dependency between the stellar mass, the absolute magnitude and the color of a galaxy with the corresponding cosmic density field. A remaining subset of data shows inverted correlations, which might be an artifact of non-linear redshift distortions.

Safety Assessment of Dangerous Goods Transport Enterprise Based on the Relative Entropy Aggregation in Group Decision Making Model

PubMed Central

Wu, Jun; Li, Chengbing; Huo, Yueying

2014-01-01

Safety of dangerous goods transport is directly related to the operation safety of dangerous goods transport enterprise. Aiming at the problem of the high accident rate and large harm in dangerous goods logistics transportation, this paper took the group decision making problem based on integration and coordination thought into a multiagent multiobjective group decision making problem; a secondary decision model was established and applied to the safety assessment of dangerous goods transport enterprise. First of all, we used dynamic multivalue background and entropy theory building the first level multiobjective decision model. Secondly, experts were to empower according to the principle of clustering analysis, and combining with the relative entropy theory to establish a secondary rally optimization model based on relative entropy in group decision making, and discuss the solution of the model. Then, after investigation and analysis, we establish the dangerous goods transport enterprise safety evaluation index system. Finally, case analysis to five dangerous goods transport enterprises in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region validates the feasibility and effectiveness of this model for dangerous goods transport enterprise recognition, which provides vital decision making basis for recognizing the dangerous goods transport enterprises. PMID:25477954

Safety assessment of dangerous goods transport enterprise based on the relative entropy aggregation in group decision making model.

PubMed

Wu, Jun; Li, Chengbing; Huo, Yueying

2014-01-01

Safety of dangerous goods transport is directly related to the operation safety of dangerous goods transport enterprise. Aiming at the problem of the high accident rate and large harm in dangerous goods logistics transportation, this paper took the group decision making problem based on integration and coordination thought into a multiagent multiobjective group decision making problem; a secondary decision model was established and applied to the safety assessment of dangerous goods transport enterprise. First of all, we used dynamic multivalue background and entropy theory building the first level multiobjective decision model. Secondly, experts were to empower according to the principle of clustering analysis, and combining with the relative entropy theory to establish a secondary rally optimization model based on relative entropy in group decision making, and discuss the solution of the model. Then, after investigation and analysis, we establish the dangerous goods transport enterprise safety evaluation index system. Finally, case analysis to five dangerous goods transport enterprises in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region validates the feasibility and effectiveness of this model for dangerous goods transport enterprise recognition, which provides vital decision making basis for recognizing the dangerous goods transport enterprises.

Patient safety goals for the proposed Federal Health Information Technology Safety Center.

PubMed

Sittig, Dean F; Classen, David C; Singh, Hardeep

2015-03-01

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is expected to oversee creation of a Health Information Technology (HIT) Safety Center. While its functions are still being defined, the center is envisioned as a public-private entity focusing on promotion of HIT related patient safety. We propose that the HIT Safety Center leverages its unique position to work with key administrative and policy stakeholders, healthcare organizations (HCOs), and HIT vendors to achieve four goals: (1) facilitate creation of a nationwide 'post-marketing' surveillance system to monitor HIT related safety events; (2) develop methods and governance structures to support investigation of major HIT related safety events; (3) create the infrastructure and methods needed to carry out random assessments of HIT related safety in complex HCOs; and (4) advocate for HIT safety with government and private entities. The convening ability of a federally supported HIT Safety Center could be critically important to our transformation to a safe and effective HIT enabled healthcare system. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

American College of Radiology-American Brachytherapy Society practice parameter for electronically generated low-energy radiation sources.

PubMed

Devlin, Phillip M; Gaspar, Laurie E; Buzurovic, Ivan; Demanes, D Jeffrey; Kasper, Michael E; Nag, Subir; Ouhib, Zoubir; Petit, Joshua H; Rosenthal, Seth A; Small, William; Wallner, Paul E; Hartford, Alan C

This collaborative practice parameter technical standard has been created between the American College of Radiology and American Brachytherapy Society to guide the usage of electronically generated low energy radiation sources (ELSs). It refers to the use of electronic X-ray sources with peak voltages up to 120 kVp to deliver therapeutic radiation therapy. The parameter provides a guideline for utilizing ELS, including patient selection and consent, treatment planning, and delivery processes. The parameter reviews the published clinical data with regard to ELS results in skin, breast, and other cancers. This technical standard recommends appropriate qualifications of the involved personnel. The parameter reviews the technical issues relating to equipment specifications as well as patient and personnel safety. Regarding suggestions for educational programs with regard to this parameter,it is suggested that the training level for clinicians be equivalent to that for other radiation therapies. It also suggests that ELS must be done using the same standards of quality and safety as those in place for other forms of radiation therapy. Copyright © 2017 American Brachytherapy Society and American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fine-Tuning ADAS Algorithm Parameters for Optimizing Traffic ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

With the development of the Connected Vehicle technology that facilitates wirelessly communication among vehicles and road-side infrastructure, the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) can be adopted as an effective tool for accelerating traffic safety and mobility optimization at various highway facilities. To this end, the traffic management centers identify the optimal ADAS algorithm parameter set that enables the maximum improvement of the traffic safety and mobility performance, and broadcast the optimal parameter set wirelessly to individual ADAS-equipped vehicles. After adopting the optimal parameter set, the ADAS-equipped drivers become active agents in the traffic stream that work collectively and consistently to prevent traffic conflicts, lower the intensity of traffic disturbances, and suppress the development of traffic oscillations into heavy traffic jams. Successful implementation of this objective requires the analysis capability of capturing the impact of the ADAS on driving behaviors, and measuring traffic safety and mobility performance under the influence of the ADAS. To address this challenge, this research proposes a synthetic methodology that incorporates the ADAS-affected driving behavior modeling and state-of-the-art microscopic traffic flow modeling into a virtually simulated environment. Building on such an environment, the optimal ADAS algorithm parameter set is identified through an optimization programming framework to enable th

Safety leadership: extending workplace safety climate best practices across health care workforces.

PubMed

McCaughey, Deirdre; Halbesleben, Jonathon R B; Savage, Grant T; Simons, Tony; McGhan, Gwen E

2013-01-01

Hospitals within the United States consistently have injury rates that are over twice the national employee injury rate. Hospital safety studies typically investigate care providers rather than support service employees. Compounding the lack of evidence for this understudied population is the scant evidence that is available to examine the relationship of support service employees'perceptions of safety and work-related injuries. To examine this phenomenon, the purpose of this study was to investigate support service employees' perceptions of safety leadership and social support as well as the relationship of safety perception to levels of reported injuries. A nonexperimental survey was conducted with the data collected from hospital support service employees (n = 1,272) and examined. (1) relationships between safety leadership (supervisor and organization) and individual and unit safety perceptions; (2) the moderating effect of social support (supervisor and coworker) on individual and unit safety perceptions; and (3) the relationship of safety perception to reported injury rates. The survey items in this study were based on the items from the AHRQ Patient Safety Culture Survey and the U.S. National Health Care Surveys. Safety leadership (supervisor and organization) was found to be positively related to individual safety perceptions and unit safety grade as was supervisor and coworker support. Coworker support was found to positively moderate the following relationships: supervisor safety leadership and safety perceptions, supervisor safety leadership and unit safety grade, and senior management safety leadership and safety perceptions. Positive employee safety perceptions were found to have a significant relationship with lower reported injury rates. These findings suggest that safety leadership from supervisors and senior management as well as coworker support has positive implications for support service employees' perceptions of safety, which, in turn, are

Effect of Microstructural Parameters on the Relative Densities of Metal Foams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raj, S. V.; Kerr, Jacob A.

2010-01-01

A detailed quantitative microstructural analyses of primarily open cell FeCrAlY and 314 stainless steel metal foams with different relative densities and pores per inch (p.p.i.) were undertaken in the present investigation to determine the effect of microstructural parameters on the relative densities of metal foams. Several elements of the microstructure, such as longitudinal and transverse cell sizes, cell areas and perimeters, ligament dimensions, cell shapes and volume fractions of closed and open cells, were measured. The cross-sections of the foam ligaments showed a large number of shrinkage cavities, and their circularity factors and average sizes were determined. The volume fractions of closed cells increased linearly with increasing relative density. In contrast, the volume fractions of the open cells and ligaments decreased with increasing relative density. The relative densities and p.p.i. were not significantly dependent on cell size, cell perimeter and ligament dimensions within the limits of experimental scatter. A phenomenological model is proposed to rationalize the present microstructural observations.

Understanding the relationship between safety investment and safety performance of construction projects through agent-based modeling.

PubMed

Lu, Miaojia; Cheung, Clara Man; Li, Heng; Hsu, Shu-Chien

2016-09-01

The construction industry in Hong Kong increased its safety investment by 300% in the past two decades; however, its accident rate has plateaued to around 50% for one decade. Against this backdrop, researchers have found inconclusive results on the causal relationship between safety investment and safety performance. Using agent-based modeling, this study takes an unconventional bottom-up approach to study safety performance on a construction site as an outcome of a complex system defined by interactions among a worksite, individual construction workers, and different safety investments. Instead of focusing on finding the absolute relationship between safety investment and safety performance, this study contributes to providing a practical framework to investigate how different safety investments interacting with different parameters such as human and environmental factors could affect safety performance. As a result, we could identify cost-effective safety investments under different construction scenarios for delivering optimal safety performance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Education-Related Parameters in High Myopia: Adults versus School Children.

PubMed

Jonas, Jost B; Xu, Liang; Wang, Ya Xing; Bi, Hong Sheng; Wu, Jian Feng; Jiang, Wen Jun; Nangia, Vinay; Sinha, Ajit; Zhu, Dan; Tao, Yong; Guo, Yin; You, Qi Sheng; Wu, Li Juan; Tao, Li Xin; Guo, Xiu Hua; Ohno-Matsui, Kyoko; Panda-Jonas, Songhomitra

2016-01-01

Since high myopia in the younger generation may differ etiologically from high myopia in older generations, we examined whether education-related parameters differ between high myopia in today´s school children and high pathological myopia in today´s elderly generation. The investigation included the adult populations of the population-based Beijing Eye Study (BES) (3468 adults;mean age:64.6±9.8years;range:50-93years) and Central India Eye and Medical Study (CIEMS) (4711 adults;age:49.±13.2years;range:30-100years), and the children and teenager populations of the Shandong Children Eye Study (SCES) (6026 children;age:9.7±3.3years;range:4-18years;cycloplegic refractometry), Gobi Desert Children Eye Study (1565;age:11.9±3.5years;range:6-21 years;cycloplegic refractometry), Beijing Pediatric Eye Study (681 children;age:7.7±1.6years;range:5-13 years;non-cycloplegic refractometry,calculation of axial length to corneal curvature radius ratio), Beijing Children Eye Study (15066 children;age:13.2±3.4years;range:7-18years;non-cycloplegic refractometry), Beijing High School Teenager Eye Study (4677 children;age:16.9±0.7years;range:16-18years;non-cycloplegic refractometry). In the BES and CIEMS, educational level did not differ significantly between, or was significantly lower in the highly myopic group (myopic refractive error ≥6 diopters) than in the non-highly myopic group. In all non-adult study populations, higher prevalence of high myopia was significantly associated with higher degree of education related parameters such as attendance of high-level schools, and more time spent for indoors near work versus time spent outdoors. Comparing associations of old or genetic high myopia in adults with new or acquired high myopia in school children revealed that education-related parameters did not show a clear association with old or genetic high myopia, while in contrast, new high myopia showed strong associations with education. It confirms previous studies that the

Education-Related Parameters in High Myopia: Adults versus School Children

PubMed Central

Xu, Liang; Wang, Ya Xing; Bi, Hong Sheng; Wu, Jian Feng; Jiang, Wen Jun; Nangia, Vinay; Sinha, Ajit; Zhu, Dan; Tao, Yong; Guo, Yin; You, Qi Sheng; Wu, Li Juan; Tao, Li Xin; Guo, Xiu Hua; Ohno-Matsui, Kyoko; Panda-Jonas, Songhomitra

2016-01-01

Purpose Since high myopia in the younger generation may differ etiologically from high myopia in older generations, we examined whether education-related parameters differ between high myopia in today´s school children and high pathological myopia in today´s elderly generation. Methods The investigation included the adult populations of the population-based Beijing Eye Study (BES) (3468 adults;mean age:64.6±9.8years;range:50–93years) and Central India Eye and Medical Study (CIEMS) (4711 adults;age:49.±13.2years;range:30–100years), and the children and teenager populations of the Shandong Children Eye Study (SCES) (6026 children;age:9.7±3.3years;range:4–18years;cycloplegic refractometry), Gobi Desert Children Eye Study (1565;age:11.9±3.5years;range:6–21 years;cycloplegic refractometry), Beijing Pediatric Eye Study (681 children;age:7.7±1.6years;range:5–13 years;non-cycloplegic refractometry,calculation of axial length to corneal curvature radius ratio), Beijing Children Eye Study (15066 children;age:13.2±3.4years;range:7–18years;non-cycloplegic refractometry), Beijing High School Teenager Eye Study (4677 children;age:16.9±0.7years;range:16–18years;non-cycloplegic refractometry). Results In the BES and CIEMS, educational level did not differ significantly between, or was significantly lower in the highly myopic group (myopic refractive error ≥6 diopters) than in the non-highly myopic group. In all non-adult study populations, higher prevalence of high myopia was significantly associated with higher degree of education related parameters such as attendance of high-level schools, and more time spent for indoors near work versus time spent outdoors. Conclusions Comparing associations of old or genetic high myopia in adults with new or acquired high myopia in school children revealed that education-related parameters did not show a clear association with old or genetic high myopia, while in contrast, new high myopia showed strong associations

The use of GIS tools for road infrastructure safety management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budzyński, Marcin; Kustra, Wojciech; Okraszewska, Romanika; Jamroz, Kazimierz; Pyrchla, Jerzy

2018-01-01

There are many factors that influence accidents and their severity. They can be grouped within the system of man, vehicle and environment. The article focuses on how GIS tools can be used to manage road infrastructure safety. To ensure a better understanding and identification of road factors, GIS tools help with the acquisition of road parameter data. Their other role is helping with a clear and effective presentation of risk ranking. GIS is key to identifying high-risk sections and supports the effective communication of safety levels. This makes it a vital element of safety management. The article describes the use of GIS for the collection and visualisation of road parameter data which are not available in any of the existing databases, i.e. horizontal curve parameters. As we know from research and statistics, they are important factors that determine the safety of road infrastructure. Finally, new research is proposed as well as the possibilities for applying GIS tools for the purposes of road safety inspection.

Ward round template: enhancing patient safety on ward rounds.

PubMed

Gilliland, Niall; Catherwood, Natalie; Chen, Shaouyn; Browne, Peter; Wilson, Jacob; Burden, Helena

2018-01-01

Concerns had been raised at clinical governance regarding the safety of our inpatient ward rounds with particular reference to: documentation of clinical observations and National Early Warning Score (NEWS), compliance with Trust guidance for venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment, antibiotic stewardship, palliative care and treatment escalation plans (TEP). This quality improvement project was conceived to ensure these parameters were considered and documented during the ward round, thereby improving patient care and safety. These parameters were based on Trust patient safety guidance and CQUIN targets. The quality improvement technique of plan-do-study-act (PDSA) was used in this project. We retrospectively reviewed ward round entries to record baseline measurements, based on the above described parameters, prior to making any changes. Following this, the change applied was the introduction of a ward round template to include the highlighted important baseline parameters. Monthly PDSA cycles are performed, and baseline measurements are re-examined, then relevant changes were made to the ward round template. Documentation of baseline measurements was poor prior to introduction of the ward round template; this improved significantly following introduction of a standardised ward round template. Following three cycles, documentation of VTE risk assessments increased from 14% to 92%. Antibiotic stewardship documentation went from 0% to 100%. Use of the TEP form went from 29% to 78%. Following introduction of the ward round template, compliance improved significantly in all safety parameters. Important safety measures being discussed on ward rounds will lead to enhanced patient safety and will improve compliance to Trust guidance and comissioning for quality and innovation (CQUIN) targets. Ongoing change implementation will focus on improving compliance with usage of the template on all urology ward rounds.

Relation between climatic factors, diet and reproductive parameters of Little Terns over a decade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos, Jaime A.; Pedro, Patrícia; Matos, Antonio; Paiva, Vitor H.

2013-11-01

We used 10 years of data on clutch size, egg size and diet, and 8 years of data on timing of laying on Little Terns (Sternula albifrons) breeding in Ria Formosa lagoon system, Algarve, Portugal to assess whether diet acts as an important intermediary between climatic conditions and breeding parameters. We used Generalized Linear Models to relate (1) the relative occurrence and size of the main prey species, sand smelts (Atherina spp.), with environmental variables, a large-scale climate variable, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, and a local scale variable, the sea-surface temperature (SST), and (2) the respective effects of sand smelts relative occurrence, NAO index and SST on Little Tern breeding parameters. The diet of Little Terns was dominated by sand smelts, with a frequency occurrence of over 60% in all years. The winter SST (February) was negatively associated with the relative occurrence of sand smelts in the diet of Little Terns during the breeding season which, in turn, was positively associated with Little Tern clutch size. Our results suggest that negative NAO conditions in the Atlantic Ocean, often associated with rougher sea conditions (greater vertical mixing, stronger winds and lower SST) were related with earlier breeding, and lower SST in the surroundings of the colony during winter-spring favour the abundance of prey fish for Little Terns as well as their reproductive parameters. Climate patterns at both large and local scales are likely to change in the future, which may have important implications for estuarine seabirds in Southern Europe.

Mechanical Ventilation-Related Safety Incidents in General Care Wards and ICU Settings.

PubMed

Kamio, Tadashi; Masamune, Ken

2018-05-29

Although the ICU is the most appropriate place to care for mechanically ventilated patients, a considerable number are ventilated in general medical care wards all over the world. However, adverse events focusing on mechanically ventilated patients in general care have not been explored. Data from the Japan Council for Quality Health Care database were analyzed. Patient safety incidents from January 2010 to November 2017 regarding mechanical ventilation were collected, and comparisons of patient safety incidents between ICUs/high care units (HCUs) and general care wards were made. We identified 261 adverse events (with at least 20 adverse events resulting in death) and 702 near-miss events related to mechanical ventilation in Japan between 2010 and 2017. Furthermore, among all adverse events, 19% (49 of 261 events) caused serious harm (residual disability or death). Human-factor issues were most frequent in both ICU/HCU and general care settings (55% and 53%, respectively), while knowledge-based errors were higher in the general care setting. Human-factor issues were the most frequent reasons in both settings, while knowledge-based error rates were higher in general care. Our results suggest that proper education and training is needed to minimize patient safety incidents in facilities without respiratory therapists. Copyright © 2018 by Daedalus Enterprises.

Mineralogic parameters related to amosite asbestos-induced fibrosis in humans

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Churg, A.; Wright, J.; Wiggs, B.

1990-12-01

We have previously shown that in the lungs of a group of chrysotile miners and millers, grade of interstitial fibrosis (asbestosis) is directly proportional to tremolite fiber or chrysotile fiber concentration but is inversely proportional to mean fiber length and length-related parameters. To compare the effects of the commercial amphibole asbestos amosite on parenchymal fibrosis, we histologically graded fibrosis in four different sites in the lungs of 20 shipyard and insulation workers with heavy amosite exposure and measured by analytic electron microscopy fiber concentration and size in corresponding portions of lung tissue. Fibrosis grade was found to be strongly positivelymore » correlated with amosite concentration and negatively correlated with mean fiber size parameters, including fiber length, width, surface area, and mass. A comparison of our present results with our data on the chrysotile miners and millers showed that the regression lines of fibrosis grade versus concentration for amosite, chrysotile, and tremolite were statistically different. These findings indicate that amosite concentration, like chrysotile and tremolite concentration, is closely and directly related to fibrosis at the local lung level. Furthermore, these observations again raise the possibility that short fibers may be more important than is commonly believed in the genesis of fibrosis in man. Last, the concentration comparison data indicate that, fiber for fiber, amosite is more fibrogenic than is chrysotile or tremolite, and indirectly suggest that tremolite is more fibrogenic than is chrysotile.« less

Safety. Unit 8: A Core Curriculum of Related Instruction for Apprentices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Bureau of Occupational and Career Curriculum Development.

The safety education unit is presented to assist apprentices to acquire a general knowledge of procedures for insuring safety on the job. The unit consists of 10 modules: (1) the Occupational Safety and Health Act: safety and health bill of rights for workers; (2) accident prevention; (3) first aid; (4) accident reports; importance, use, and how…

Applicability and feasibility of systematic review for performing evidence-based risk assessment in food and feed safety.

PubMed

Aiassa, E; Higgins, J P T; Frampton, G K; Greiner, M; Afonso, A; Amzal, B; Deeks, J; Dorne, J-L; Glanville, J; Lövei, G L; Nienstedt, K; O'connor, A M; Pullin, A S; Rajić, A; Verloo, D

2015-01-01

Food and feed safety risk assessment uses multi-parameter models to evaluate the likelihood of adverse events associated with exposure to hazards in human health, plant health, animal health, animal welfare, and the environment. Systematic review and meta-analysis are established methods for answering questions in health care, and can be implemented to minimize biases in food and feed safety risk assessment. However, no methodological frameworks exist for refining risk assessment multi-parameter models into questions suitable for systematic review, and use of meta-analysis to estimate all parameters required by a risk model may not be always feasible. This paper describes novel approaches for determining question suitability and for prioritizing questions for systematic review in this area. Risk assessment questions that aim to estimate a parameter are likely to be suitable for systematic review. Such questions can be structured by their "key elements" [e.g., for intervention questions, the population(s), intervention(s), comparator(s), and outcome(s)]. Prioritization of questions to be addressed by systematic review relies on the likely impact and related uncertainty of individual parameters in the risk model. This approach to planning and prioritizing systematic review seems to have useful implications for producing evidence-based food and feed safety risk assessment.

Food safety/food security aspects related to the environmental release of pharmaceuticals.

PubMed

Brambilla, Gianfranco; Testa, Cecilia

2014-11-01

The environmental presence of pharmaceuticals in top soil and in water where extensive animal farming occurs may represent an involuntary source of residues in food that might affect both food safety and food security. We modelled the presence of residues in animal matrices from the inventoried environmental concentration of selected drugs in surface waters (range: 0.1-10μgL(-1)) and agriculture soils (range: 1-100μgkg(-1) dry weight), accounting for animal production parameters (i.e., forages, water intake and milk and egg production) and drug pharmacokinetics. The results indicate that the contamination of tetracyclines in top soil may represent a major issue both for the compliance with maximum residue levels in food (100-300ngg(-1)) and for the claim of organic products. via surface water, animals may be vulnerable to the intake of anabolics and growth-promoting agents, such as 17-beta estradiol and clenbuterol, only under a worst-case scenario. Their identification, which is currently achievable at a pgg(-1) level in animal specimens, is considered proof of illegal treatment and can lead to the prosecution of farmers. The Environmental Quality Standards that have been proposed for priority substances in surface waters may also be considered protective in terms of food security/food safety; however, a broad-spectrum characterisation of drugs within the agriculture context could be envisaged to refine the uncertainties in the risk assessment and for combined intakes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parameter Design in Fusion Welding of AA 6061 Aluminium Alloy using Desirability Grey Relational Analysis (DGRA) Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adalarasan, R.; Santhanakumar, M.

2015-01-01

In the present work, yield strength, ultimate strength and micro-hardness of the lap joints formed with Al 6061 alloy sheets by using the processes of Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding and Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding were studied for various combinations of the welding parameters. The parameters taken for study include welding current, voltage, welding speed and inert gas flow rate. Taguchi's L9 orthogonal array was used to conduct the experiments and an integrated technique of desirability grey relational analysis was disclosed for optimizing the welding parameters. The ignored robustness in desirability approach is compensated by the grey relational approach to predict the optimal setting of input parameters for the TIG and MIG welding processes which were validated through the confirmation experiments.

Staying silent about safety issues: Conceptualizing and measuring safety silence motives.

PubMed

Manapragada, Archana; Bruk-Lee, Valentina

2016-06-01

Communication between employees and supervisors about safety-related issues is an important component of a safe workplace. When supervisors receive information from employees about safety issues, they may gain otherwise-missed opportunities to correct these issues and/or prevent negative safety outcomes. A series of three studies were conducted to identify various safety silence motives, which describe the reasons that employees do not speak up to supervisors about safety-related issues witnessed in the workplace, and to develop a tool to assess these motives. Results suggest that employees stay silent about safety issues based on perceptions of altering relationships with others (relationship-based), perceptions of the organizational climate (climate-based), the assessment of the safety issue (issue-based), or characteristics of the job (job-based). We developed a 17-item measure to assess these four motives, and initial evidence was found for the construct and incremental validity of the safety silence motives measure in a sample of nurses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measuring and improving patient safety through health information technology: The Health IT Safety Framework

PubMed Central

Singh, Hardeep

2016-01-01

Health information technology (health IT) has potential to improve patient safety but its implementation and use has led to unintended consequences and new safety concerns. A key challenge to improving safety in health IT-enabled healthcare systems is to develop valid, feasible strategies to measure safety concerns at the intersection of health IT and patient safety. In response to the fundamental conceptual and methodological gaps related to both defining and measuring health IT-related patient safety, we propose a new framework, the Health IT Safety (HITS) measurement framework, to provide a conceptual foundation for health IT-related patient safety measurement, monitoring, and improvement. The HITS framework follows both Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and sociotechnical approaches and calls for new measures and measurement activities to address safety concerns in three related domains: 1) concerns that are unique and specific to technology (e.g., to address unsafe health IT related to unavailable or malfunctioning hardware or software); 2) concerns created by the failure to use health IT appropriately or by misuse of health IT (e.g. to reduce nuisance alerts in the electronic health record (EHR)), and 3) the use of health IT to monitor risks, health care processes and outcomes and identify potential safety concerns before they can harm patients (e.g. use EHR-based algorithms to identify patients at risk for medication errors or care delays). The framework proposes to integrate both retrospective and prospective measurement of HIT safety with an organization's existing clinical risk management and safety programs. It aims to facilitate organizational learning, comprehensive 360 degree assessment of HIT safety that includes vendor involvement, refinement of measurement tools and strategies, and shared responsibility to identify problems and implement solutions. A long term framework goal is to enable rigorous measurement that helps achieve the safety

Labor unions and safety climate: perceived union safety values and retail employee safety outcomes.

PubMed

Sinclair, Robert R; Martin, James E; Sears, Lindsay E

2010-09-01

Although trade unions have long been recognized as a critical advocate for employee safety and health, safety climate research has not paid much attention to the role unions play in workplace safety. We proposed a multiple constituency model of workplace safety which focused on three central safety stakeholders: top management, ones' immediate supervisor, and the labor union. Safety climate research focuses on management and supervisors as key stakeholders, but has not considered whether employee perceptions about the priority their union places on safety contributes contribute to safety outcomes. We addressed this gap in the literature by investigating unionized retail employee (N=535) perceptions about the extent to which their top management, immediate supervisors, and union valued safety. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that perceived union safety values could be distinguished from measures of safety training, workplace hazards, top management safety values, and supervisor values. Structural equation analyses indicated that union safety values influenced safety outcomes through its association with higher safety motivation, showing a similar effect as that of supervisor safety values. These findings highlight the need for further attention to union-focused measures related to workplace safety as well as further study of retail employees in general. We discuss the practical implications of our findings and identify several directions for future safety research. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving safety culture through the health and safety organization: a case study.

PubMed

Nielsen, Kent J

2014-02-01

International research indicates that internal health and safety organizations (HSO) and health and safety committees (HSC) do not have the intended impact on companies' safety performance. The aim of this case study at an industrial plant was to test whether the HSO can improve company safety culture by creating more and better safety-related interactions both within the HSO and between HSO members and the shop-floor. A quasi-experimental single case study design based on action research with both quantitative and qualitative measures was used. Based on baseline mapping of safety culture and the efficiency of the HSO three developmental processes were started aimed at the HSC, the whole HSO, and the safety representatives, respectively. Results at follow-up indicated a marked improvement in HSO performance, interaction patterns concerning safety, safety culture indicators, and a changed trend in injury rates. These improvements are interpreted as cultural change because an organizational double-loop learning process leading to modification of the basic assumptions could be identified. The study provides evidence that the HSO can improve company safety culture by focusing on safety-related interactions. © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council.

Lattice quantum gravity and asymptotic safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laiho, J.; Bassler, S.; Coumbe, D.; Du, D.; Neelakanta, J. T.

2017-09-01

We study the nonperturbative formulation of quantum gravity defined via Euclidean dynamical triangulations (EDT) in an attempt to make contact with Weinberg's asymptotic safety scenario. We find that a fine-tuning is necessary in order to recover semiclassical behavior. Such a fine-tuning is generally associated with the breaking of a target symmetry by the lattice regulator; in this case we argue that the target symmetry is the general coordinate invariance of the theory. After introducing and fine-tuning a nontrivial local measure term, we find no barrier to taking a continuum limit, and we find evidence that four-dimensional, semiclassical geometries are recovered at long distance scales in the continuum limit. We also find that the spectral dimension at short distance scales is consistent with 3 /2 , a value that could resolve the tension between asymptotic safety and the holographic entropy scaling of black holes. We argue that the number of relevant couplings in the continuum theory is one, once symmetry breaking by the lattice regulator is accounted for. Such a theory is maximally predictive, with no adjustable parameters. The cosmological constant in Planck units is the only relevant parameter, which serves to set the lattice scale. The cosmological constant in Planck units is of order 1 in the ultraviolet and undergoes renormalization group running to small values in the infrared. If these findings hold up under further scrutiny, the lattice may provide a nonperturbative definition of a renormalizable quantum field theory of general relativity with no adjustable parameters and a cosmological constant that is naturally small in the infrared.

Phase difference statistics related to sensor and forest parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lopes, A.; Mougin, E.; Beaudoin, A.; Goze, S.; Nezry, E.; Touzi, R.; Karam, M. A.; Fung, A. K.

1992-01-01

The information content of ordinary synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data is principally contained in the radiometric polarization channels, i.e., the four Ihh, Ivv, Ihv and Ivh backscattered intensities. In the case of clutter, polarimetric information is given by the four complex degrees of coherence, from which the mean polarization phase differences (PPD), correlation coefficients or degrees of polarization can be deduced. For radiometric features, the polarimetric parameters are corrupted by multiplicative speckle noise and by some sensor effects. The PPD distribution is related to the sensor, speckle and terrain properties. Experimental results are given for the variation of the terrain hh/vv mean phase difference and magnitude of the degree of coherence observed on bare soil and on different pine forest stands.

Validation of Essential Acoustic Parameters for Highly Urgent In-Vehicle Collision Warnings.

PubMed

Lewis, Bridget A; Eisert, Jesse L; Baldwin, Carryl L

2018-03-01

Objective The aim of this study was to validate the importance of key acoustic criteria for use as in-vehicle forward collision warning (FCW) systems. Background Despite recent advances in vehicle safety, automobile crashes remain one of the leading causes of death. As automation allows for more control of noncritical functions by the vehicle, the potential for disengagement and distraction from the driving task also increases. It is, therefore, as important as ever that in-vehicle safety-critical interfaces are intuitive and unambiguous, promoting effective collision avoidance responses upon first exposure even under divided-attention conditions. Method The current study used a driving simulator to assess the effectiveness of two warnings, one that met all essential acoustic parameters, one that met only some essential parameters, and a no-warning control in the context of a lead vehicle-following task in conjunction with a cognitive distractor task and collision event. Results Participants receiving an FCW comprising five essential acoustic components had improved collision avoidance responses relative to a no-warning condition and an FCW missing essential elements on their first exposure. Responses to a consistently good warning (GMU Prime) improved with subsequent exposures, whereas continued exposure to the less optimal FCW (GMU Sub-Prime) resulted in poorer performance even relative to receiving no warning at all. Conclusions This study provides support for previous warning design studies and for the validity of five key acoustic parameters essential for the design of effective in-vehicle FCWs. Application Results from this study have implications for the design of auditory FCWs and in-vehicle display design.

Anxiety patients show reduced working memory related dlPFC activation during safety and threat

PubMed Central

Balderston, Nicholas L.; Vytal, Katherine E.; O’Connell, Katherine; Torrisi, Salvatore; Letkiewicz, Allison; Ernst, Monique; Grillon, Christian

2016-01-01

Background Anxiety patients exhibit deficits in cognitive tasks that require prefrontal control of attention, including those that tap working memory (WM). However, it is unclear whether these deficits reflect threat-related processes or symptoms of the disorder. Here we distinguish between these hypotheses by determining the effect of shock threat vs. safety on the neural substrates of WM performance in anxiety patients and healthy controls. Methods Patients, diagnosed with generalized and/or social anxiety disorder, and controls performed blocks of an N-back WM task during periods of safety and threat of shock. We recorded BOLD activity during the task, and investigated the effect of clinical anxiety (patients vs. controls) and threat on WM load-related BOLD activation. Results Behaviorally, patients showed an overall impairment in both accuracy and reaction time compared to controls, independent of threat. At the neural level, patients showed less WM load-related activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region critical for cognitive control. In addition, patients showed less WM load-related deactivation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex, which are regions of the default mode network. Most importantly, these effects were not modulated by threat. Conclusions This work suggests that the cognitive deficits seen in anxiety patients may represent a key component of clinical anxiety, rather than a consequence of threat. PMID:27110997

Railing for safety: job demands, job control, and safety citizenship role definition.

PubMed

Turner, Nick; Chmiel, Nik; Walls, Melanie

2005-10-01

This study investigated job demands and job control as predictors of safety citizenship role definition, that is, employees' role orientation toward improving workplace safety. Data from a survey of 334 trackside workers were framed in the context of R. A. Karasek's (1979) job demands-control model. High job demands were negatively related to safety citizenship role definition, whereas high job control was positively related to this construct. Safety citizenship role definition of employees with high job control was buffered from the influence of high job demands, unlike that of employees with low job control, for whom high job demands were related to lower levels of the construct. Employees facing both high job demands and low job control were less likely than other employees to view improving safety as part of their role orientation. Copyright (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved.

Measuring and improving patient safety through health information technology: The Health IT Safety Framework.

PubMed

Singh, Hardeep; Sittig, Dean F

2016-04-01

Health information technology (health IT) has potential to improve patient safety but its implementation and use has led to unintended consequences and new safety concerns. A key challenge to improving safety in health IT-enabled healthcare systems is to develop valid, feasible strategies to measure safety concerns at the intersection of health IT and patient safety. In response to the fundamental conceptual and methodological gaps related to both defining and measuring health IT-related patient safety, we propose a new framework, the Health IT Safety (HITS) measurement framework, to provide a conceptual foundation for health IT-related patient safety measurement, monitoring, and improvement. The HITS framework follows both Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and sociotechnical approaches and calls for new measures and measurement activities to address safety concerns in three related domains: 1) concerns that are unique and specific to technology (e.g., to address unsafe health IT related to unavailable or malfunctioning hardware or software); 2) concerns created by the failure to use health IT appropriately or by misuse of health IT (e.g. to reduce nuisance alerts in the electronic health record (EHR)), and 3) the use of health IT to monitor risks, health care processes and outcomes and identify potential safety concerns before they can harm patients (e.g. use EHR-based algorithms to identify patients at risk for medication errors or care delays). The framework proposes to integrate both retrospective and prospective measurement of HIT safety with an organization's existing clinical risk management and safety programs. It aims to facilitate organizational learning, comprehensive 360 degree assessment of HIT safety that includes vendor involvement, refinement of measurement tools and strategies, and shared responsibility to identify problems and implement solutions. A long term framework goal is to enable rigorous measurement that helps achieve the safety

Positive affect protects against deficient safety learning during extinction of fear of movement-related pain in healthy individuals scoring relatively high on trait anxiety.

PubMed

Meulders, Ann; Meulders, Michel; Vlaeyen, Johan W S

2014-06-01

From a treatment perspective, it is highly relevant to pinpoint individual vulnerability factors for resistance to exposure treatment in highly fearful chronic pain patients. Previous fear conditioning research showed that healthy individuals scoring relatively high on trait anxiety display sustained fear to safety cues during extinction. In the context of fear of movement-related pain, this intriguing question has been largely neglected so far. Even more importantly, positive psychological traits such as trait positive affect may function as protective factors against the spreading of fear to safe movements and improve exposure treatment outcomes. In this study, healthy participants completed a trait anxiety and trait positive affect questionnaire and underwent acquisition and extinction of fear of movement-related pain using an experimental voluntary movement paradigm. During acquisition, one movement (CS+) was paired with a painful stimulus and another movement was not (CS-). During extinction, the CS+ was no longer reinforced. Results show failure of fear inhibition to the CS- during extinction in healthy individuals scoring relatively high on trait anxiety or relatively low on positive affect. These findings seem to suggest that safety learning is more vulnerable in healthy people with a high anxious disposition and/or relatively lower levels of positive affect. In addition, this is the first study to show that the negative impact of high trait anxiety on fear inhibition to safety cues during extinction can be countered by high levels of positive affect. These findings may have important clinical implications. Both low positive affect and high trait anxiety are associated with impaired fear inhibition to nonpainful movements during fear extinction. Interestingly, high levels of positive affect buffer against the negative impact of trait anxiety. Increasing positive affect during exposure may counter the effects of trait vulnerabilities and improve treatment

Impact of Safety-Related Regulations on Codeine Use in Children: A Quasi-Experimental Study Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database.

PubMed

Lin, Chih-Wan; Wang, Ching-Huan; Huang, Wei-I; Ke, Wei-Ming; Chao, Pi-Hui; Chen, Wen-Wen; Hsiao, Fei-Yuan

2017-07-01

Safety concerns regarding potential life-threatening adverse events associated with codeine have resulted in policy decisions to restrict its use in pediatrics. However, whether these drug safety communications have had an immediate and strong impact on codeine use remains in question. We aimed to investigate the impact of the two implemented safety-related regulations (label changes and reimbursement regulations) on the use of codeine for upper respiratory infection (URI) or cough. A quasi-experimental study was performed using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Quarterly data of codeine prescription rates for URI/cough visits were reported, and an interrupted time series design was used to assess the impact of the safety regulations on the uses of codeine among children with URI/cough visits. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to explore patient and provider characteristics associated with the use of codeine. The safety-related regulations were associated with a significant reduction in codeine prescription rates of -4.24% (95% confidence interval [CI] -4.78 to -3.70), and the relative reduction compared with predicted rates based on preregulation projections was 60.4, 56.6, and 53.2% in the first, second, and third year after the regulations began, respectively. In the postregulation period, physicians specializing in otolaryngology (odds ratio [OR] 1.47, 95% CI 1.45-1.49), practicing in district hospitals (OR 6.84, 95% CI 5.82-8.04) or clinics (OR 6.50, 95% CI 5.54-7.62), and practicing in the least urbanized areas (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.55-1.64) were more likely to prescribe codeine to children than their counterparts. Our study provides a successful example of how to effectively reduce the codeine prescriptions in children in the 'real-world' settings, and highlights areas where future effort could be made to improve the safety use of codeine. Future research is warranted to explore whether there was a simultaneous decrease in

Perceived organizational support for safety and employee safety voice: the mediating role of coworker support for safety.

PubMed

Tucker, Sean; Chmiel, Nik; Turner, Nick; Hershcovis, M Sandy; Stride, Chris B

2008-10-01

In the present study, we modeled 2 sources of safety support (perceived organizational support for safety and perceived coworker support for safety) as predictors of employee safety voice, that is, speaking out in an attempt to change unsafe working conditions. Drawing on social exchange and social impact theories, we hypothesized and tested a mediated model predicting employee safety voice using a cross-sectional survey of urban bus drivers (n = 213) in the United Kingdom. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that perceived coworker support for safety fully mediated the relationship between perceived organizational support for safety and employee safety voice. This study adds to the employee voice literature by evaluating the important role that coworkers can play in encouraging others to speak out about safety issues. Implications for research and practice related to change-oriented safety communication are discussed.

Clinical Relation Extraction Toward Drug Safety Surveillance Using Electronic Health Record Narratives: Classical Learning Versus Deep Learning

PubMed Central

Munkhdalai, Tsendsuren; Liu, Feifan

2018-01-01

Background Medication and adverse drug event (ADE) information extracted from electronic health record (EHR) notes can be a rich resource for drug safety surveillance. Existing observational studies have mainly relied on structured EHR data to obtain ADE information; however, ADEs are often buried in the EHR narratives and not recorded in structured data. Objective To unlock ADE-related information from EHR narratives, there is a need to extract relevant entities and identify relations among them. In this study, we focus on relation identification. This study aimed to evaluate natural language processing and machine learning approaches using the expert-annotated medical entities and relations in the context of drug safety surveillance, and investigate how different learning approaches perform under different configurations. Methods We have manually annotated 791 EHR notes with 9 named entities (eg, medication, indication, severity, and ADEs) and 7 different types of relations (eg, medication-dosage, medication-ADE, and severity-ADE). Then, we explored 3 supervised machine learning systems for relation identification: (1) a support vector machines (SVM) system, (2) an end-to-end deep neural network system, and (3) a supervised descriptive rule induction baseline system. For the neural network system, we exploited the state-of-the-art recurrent neural network (RNN) and attention models. We report the performance by macro-averaged precision, recall, and F1-score across the relation types. Results Our results show that the SVM model achieved the best average F1-score of 89.1% on test data, outperforming the long short-term memory (LSTM) model with attention (F1-score of 65.72%) as well as the rule induction baseline system (F1-score of 7.47%) by a large margin. The bidirectional LSTM model with attention achieved the best performance among different RNN models. With the inclusion of additional features in the LSTM model, its performance can be boosted to an average F1

[Intensified rehabilitation aftercare (IRENA): utilization alongside work and changes in work-related parameters].

PubMed

Lamprecht, J; Behrens, J; Mau, W; Schubert, M

2011-06-01

An aftercare programme following medical rehabilitation may be beneficial in order to reinforce and stabilize the positive effects of rehabilitation and to encourage individual health-related modifications of behaviour and lifestyle. Medical rehabilitation and the aftercare programme of the German Pension Insurance Fund primarily are intended to sustain earning capacity. As part of an evaluation of the Intensified Rehabilitation Aftercare Programme (IRENA) established by the German Pension Insurance Fund, work-related aspects in orthopaedic patients were analyzed based on various data sources. Firstly, the significance of institutional and individual conditions for utilization of IRENA alongside work was of interest. Secondly, the IRENA participants' judgements of the changes of work-related parameters due to the programme were examined, differentiating specifically by extent of earning capacity impairments as well as by particular work problems. The data set used for the analysis is composed of person-related routine data of the German Pension Insurance Fund relative to IRENA records of the year 2007 (n=30 663), interview data from orthopaedic rehabilitation centres providing IRENA (n=225), and questionnaires of IRENA participants (n=750) that were either collected during a broad evaluation of the IRENA programme or provided by the German Pension Insurance Fund. The results show that the compatibility of IRENA and work is facilitated by the institutional conditions. However, differences between inpatient and outpatient settings have to be recognized. The possibilities to participate in IRENA throughout the day frequently are more diverse in an outpatient setting. In contrast to inpatient centres, outpatient rehabilitation centres see clearly better chances for patients to return to work and to participate in IRENA alongside. With respect to the work-related parameters (work ability, periods of sick leave), clear improvements were reported by participants from

Manned space flight nuclear system safety. Volume 5: Nuclear System safety guidelines. Part 1: Space base nuclear safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The design and operations guidelines and requirements developed in the study of space base nuclear system safety are presented. Guidelines and requirements are presented for the space base subsystems, nuclear hardware (reactor, isotope sources, dynamic generator equipment), experiments, interfacing vehicles, ground support systems, range safety and facilities. Cross indices and references are provided which relate guidelines to each other, and to substantiating data in other volumes. The guidelines are intended for the implementation of nuclear safety related design and operational considerations in future space programs.

Dietary sodium propionate affects mucosal immune parameters, growth and appetite related genes expression: Insights from zebrafish model.

PubMed

Hoseinifar, Seyed Hossein; Safari, Roghieh; Dadar, Maryam

2017-03-01

Propionate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) that improves physiological and pathophysiological properties. However, there is limited information available about the effects of SCFAs on mucosal immune parameters as well as growth and appetite related genes expression. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of sodium propionate (SP) intake on the mucosal immune parameters, growth and appetite related genes expression using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as model organism. Zebrafish fed control or diet supplemented with different levels (0.5, 1 and 2%) of SP for 8weeks. At the end of feeding trial, the expression of the key genes related to growth and appetite (GH, IGF1, MYSTN and Ghrl) was evaluated. Also, mucosal immune parameters (Total Ig, lysozyme and protease activity) were studied in skin mucus of zebrafish. The results showed that dietary administration of SP significantly (P<0.05) up-regulated the expression of GH, IGF1 and down-regulated MYSTN gene. Also, feeding zebrafish with SP supplemented diet significantly increased appetite related gene expression (P<0.05) with a more pronounced effect in higher inclusion levels. Compared with control group, the expression of appetite related gene (Ghrl) was remarkably (P<0.05) higher in SP fed zebrafish. Also, elevated mucosal immune parameters was observed in zebrafish fed SP supplemented diet. The present results revealed beneficial effects of dietary SP on mucosal immune response and growth and appetite related genes expression. These results also highlighted the potential use of SP as additive in human diets. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aviation safety data accessibility study index: a report on the issues related to public interest in aviation safety data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-20

This paper reviews aviation safety data and measurement issues relevant to the determination of the best means of providing safety information to the public while ensuring the integrity of the aviation safety system. In addition , the paper examines ...

Vomiting and migraine-related clinical parameters in pediatric migraine.

PubMed

Eidlitz-Markus, Tal; Haimi-Cohen, Yishai; Zeharia, Avraham

2017-06-01

To investigate the characteristics of vomiting in pediatric migraineurs and the relationship of vomiting with other migraine-related parameters. The cohort included children and adolescents with migraine attending a headache clinic of a tertiary pediatric medical center from 2010 to 2016. Patients were identified by a retrospective database search. Data were collected from medical files. The presence of vomiting was associated with background and headache-related parameters. The study group included 453 patients, 210 boys (46.4%) and 243 girls (53.6%), of mean age 11.3 ± 3.7 years. Vomiting was reported by 161 patients (35.5%). On comparison of patients with and without vomiting, vomiting was found to be significantly associated with male gender (54% vs 42.1%, P < .018), younger age at migraine onset (8.0 ± 3. years vs 9.6 ± 3.7 years, P < .001), younger age at clinic admission (10.5 ± 3. years vs 11.6 ± 3.6 years, P = .002), higher rate of awakening headache (64.1% vs 38.7%, P < .001), lower headache frequency (10.5 ± 10.3 headaches/month vs 15.0 ± 11.7 headaches/month, P < .001), higher rate of episodic vs chronic migraine (67% vs 58.7%, P < .001), and higher rates of paternal migraine (24.1% vs 10.1%, P < .001), migraine in both parents (9.3% vs 3.1%, P = .007), and migraine in either parent (57.5% vs 45.5%, P = .02). The higher rate of vomiting in the younger patients and the patients with awakening pain may be explained by a common underlying pathogenetic mechanism of vomiting and migraine involving autonomic nerve dysfunction/immaturity. The association of vomiting with parental migraine points to a genetic component of vomiting and migraine. It should be noted that some of the findings may simply reflect referral patterns in the tertiary clinic. © 2017 American Headache Society.

On the relation between correlation dimension, approximate entropy and sample entropy parameters, and a fast algorithm for their calculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zurek, Sebastian; Guzik, Przemyslaw; Pawlak, Sebastian; Kosmider, Marcin; Piskorski, Jaroslaw

2012-12-01

We explore the relation between correlation dimension, approximate entropy and sample entropy parameters, which are commonly used in nonlinear systems analysis. Using theoretical considerations we identify the points which are shared by all these complexity algorithms and show explicitly that the above parameters are intimately connected and mutually interdependent. A new geometrical interpretation of sample entropy and correlation dimension is provided and the consequences for the interpretation of sample entropy, its relative consistency and some of the algorithms for parameter selection for this quantity are discussed. To get an exact algorithmic relation between the three parameters we construct a very fast algorithm for simultaneous calculations of the above, which uses the full time series as the source of templates, rather than the usual 10%. This algorithm can be used in medical applications of complexity theory, as it can calculate all three parameters for a realistic recording of 104 points within minutes with the use of an average notebook computer.

Spatiotemporal and Kinematic Parameters Relating to Oriented Gait and Turn Performance in Patients with Chronic Stroke

PubMed Central

Bonnyaud, Céline; Pradon, Didier; Vuillerme, Nicolas; Bensmail, Djamel; Roche, Nicolas

2015-01-01

Background The timed up and go test (TUG) is a functional test which is increasingly used to evaluate patients with stroke. The outcome measured is usually global TUG performance-time. Assessment of spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters during the Oriented gait and Turn sub-tasks of the TUG would provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying patients’ performance and therefore may help to guide rehabilitation. The aim of this study was thus to determine the spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters which were most related to the walking and turning sub-tasks of TUG performance in stroke patients. Methods 29 stroke patients carried out the TUG test which was recorded using an optoelectronic system in two conditions: spontaneous and standardized condition (standardized foot position and instructed to turn towards the paretic side). They also underwent a clinical assessment. Stepwise regression was used to determine the parameters most related to Oriented gait and Turn sub-tasks. Relationships between explanatory parameters of Oriented gait and Turn performance and clinical scales were evaluated using Spearman correlations. Results Step length and cadence explained 82% to 95% of the variance for the walking sub-tasks in both conditions. Percentage single support phase and contralateral swing phase (depending on the condition) respectively explained 27% and 56% of the variance during the turning sub-task in the spontaneous and standardized conditions. Discussion and Conclusion Step length, cadence, percentage of paretic single support phase and non-paretic swing phase, as well as dynamic stability were the main parameters related to TUG performance and they should be targeted in rehabilitation. PMID:26091555

Safety sign designs for children by considering effect of the colors preferences: A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iftadi, Irwan; Nugraha, Dian Cahya; Jauhari, Wakhid Ahmad

2018-02-01

Color has become a major consideration in ergonomics. Color conveys a message and it is an important element in safety signs. The importance of colors usage in safety sign designs makes the colors research into one of the things that must be done before designing them. So far, research in the related field only focused on the adult's perspective without involving children's perspective in designing the safety signs. This paper aims to find out how children's perception towards colors affects the safety sign designs. This study consist of eight sections which are literature study, direct observation, determining referents and other parameters, determining research respondents, making the booklet, assessing the colors preferences, determining the design's parameter value and creating the safety sign designs. Limitation of the research are the objects are the students with the age of 10 - 11 years old in Grade IV and then the research is conducted in the school day and hours that apply to the school. Chi square test and odds ratio are employed to assess the colors preferences. Twelve safety sign designs are proposed by considering the children's colors perception. The designs are grouped into three types of sign which are Mandatory Action Sign, Warning Sign and Prohibition Sign. Six colors are used to draw the safety signs i.e. red, orange, yellow, green, blue and black. On the basis of the study, it is concluded that the colors that often appears in safety signs is green with the percentage of 75% and that rarely appears is red with the percentage of 8.33%.

Serial assessment of biochemical parameters of red cell preparations to evaluate safety for neonatal transfusions

PubMed Central

Mukherjee, Somnath; Marwaha, Neelam; Prasad, Rajendra; Sharma, Ratti Ram; Thakral, Beenu

2010-01-01

Background & Objectives: Neonatologists often prefer fresh blood (<7 days) for neonatal transfusions. The main concerns for stored RBCs are ex vivo storage lesions that undermine red cell functions and may affect metabolic status of neonatal recipients. This study was designed to evaluate serial in vitro changes of biochemical parameters in different RBC preparations during storage to consider for neonatal transfusions even after storage beyond one week. Methods: Twenty five units each of whole blood (CPDA-1 RBC, SAGM RBC) were selected for serial biochemical parameter assessment after each fulfilled the quality criteria (volume and haematocrit). These units were tested serially for supernatant potassium, pH, lactate, haemoglobin, glucose and red cell 2,3 diphosphoglycerate (2,3 DPG) up to 21 days of storage. Results: Within each group of RBC, rise in mean concentration of potassium, lactate and plasma haemoglobin from day 1 to 21 of storage was significant in CPDA-1 RBC having the highest levels at day 21. From day 3 to 21, SAGM RBC had higher mean pH value than CPDA-1 RBC though this difference was not statistically significant. SAGM RBC had highest mean glucose concentration during storage than other two types of red cell preparations (P<0.005). Within each group, fall in mean 2,3 DPG concentration from day 1 to 7 was significant (P<0.05). A positive correlation existed between mean plasma potassium and haemoglobin in all three types of red cells (r=0.726, 0.419, 0.605 for CPDA-1 RBC, SAGM RBC and whole blood respectively, P<0.005). Interpretation & Conclusions: All the three red cell preparations tested revealed biochemical changes within acceptable limits of safety till 21 days of storage. CPDA-1 RBCs had the highest degree of these changes. PMID:21245620

Serial assessment of biochemical parameters of red cell preparations to evaluate safety for neonatal transfusions.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Somnath; Marwaha, Neelam; Prasad, Rajendra; Sharma, Ratti Ram; Thakral, Beenu

2010-12-01

Neonatologists often prefer fresh blood (<7 days) for neonatal transfusions. The main concerns for stored RBCs are ex vivo storage lesions that undermine red cell functions and may affect metabolic status of neonatal recipients. This study was designed to evaluate serial in vitro changes of biochemical parameters in different RBC preparations during storage to consider for neonatal transfusions even after storage beyond one week. Twenty five units each of whole blood (CPDA-1 RBC, SAGM RBC) were selected for serial biochemical parameter assessment after each fulfilled the quality criteria (volume and haematocrit). These units were tested serially for supernatant potassium, pH, lactate, haemoglobin, glucose and red cell 2,3 diphosphoglycerate (2,3 DPG) up to 21 days of storage. Within each group of RBC, rise in mean concentration of potassium, lactate and plasma haemoglobin from day 1 to 21 of storage was significant in CPDA-1 RBC having the highest levels at day 21. From day 3 to 21, SAGM RBC had higher mean pH value than CPDA-1 RBC though this difference was not statistically significant. SAGM RBC had highest mean glucose concentration during storage than other two types of red cell preparations (P<0.005). Within each group, fall in mean 2,3 DPG concentration from day 1 to 7 was significant (P<0.05). A positive correlation existed between mean plasma potassium and haemoglobin in all three types of red cells (r=0.726, 0.419, 0.605 for CPDA-1 RBC, SAGM RBC and whole blood respectively, P<0.005). All the three red cell preparations tested revealed biochemical changes within acceptable limits of safety till 21 days of storage. CPDA-1 RBCs had the highest degree of these changes.

Measurements of Physical Parameters of White Dwarfs: A Test of the Mass–Radius Relation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bédard, A.; Bergeron, P.; Fontaine, G., E-mail: bedard@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: bergeron@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: fontaine@astro.umontreal.ca

We present a detailed spectroscopic and photometric analysis of 219 DA and DB white dwarfs for which trigonometric parallax measurements are available. Our aim is to compare the physical parameters derived from the spectroscopic and photometric techniques, and then to test the theoretical mass–radius relation for white dwarfs using these results. The agreement between spectroscopic and photometric parameters is found to be excellent, especially for effective temperatures, showing that our model atmospheres and fitting procedures provide an accurate, internally consistent analysis. The values of surface gravity and solid angle obtained, respectively, from spectroscopy and photometry, are combined with parallax measurementsmore » in various ways to study the validity of the mass–radius relation from an empirical point of view. After a thorough examination of our results, we find that 73% and 92% of the white dwarfs are consistent within 1 σ and 2 σ confidence levels, respectively, with the predictions of the mass–radius relation, thus providing strong support to the theory of stellar degeneracy. Our analysis also allows us to identify 15 stars that are better interpreted in terms of unresolved double degenerate binaries. Atmospheric parameters for both components in these binary systems are obtained using a novel approach. We further identify a few white dwarfs that are possibly composed of an iron core rather than a carbon/oxygen core, since they are consistent with Fe-core evolutionary models.« less

Priming patient safety: A middle-range theory of safety goal priming via safety culture communication.

PubMed

Groves, Patricia S; Bunch, Jacinda L

2018-05-18

The aim of this paper is discussion of a new middle-range theory of patient safety goal priming via safety culture communication. Bedside nurses are key to safe care, but there is little theory about how organizations can influence nursing behavior through safety culture to improve patient safety outcomes. We theorize patient safety goal priming via safety culture communication may support organizations in this endeavor. According to this theory, hospital safety culture communication activates a previously held patient safety goal and increases the perceived value of actions nurses can take to achieve that goal. Nurses subsequently prioritize and are motivated to perform tasks and risk assessment related to achieving patient safety. These efforts continue until nurses mitigate or ameliorate identified risks and hazards during the patient care encounter. Critically, this process requires nurses to have a previously held safety goal associated with a repertoire of appropriate actions. This theory suggests undergraduate educators should foster an outcomes focus emphasizing the connections between nursing interventions and safety outcomes, hospitals should strategically structure patient safety primes into communicative activities, and organizations should support professional development including new skills and the latest evidence supporting nursing practice for patient safety. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

HSE's safety assessment principles for criticality safety.

PubMed

Simister, D N; Finnerty, M D; Warburton, S J; Thomas, E A; Macphail, M R

2008-06-01

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published its revised Safety Assessment Principles for Nuclear Facilities (SAPs) in December 2006. The SAPs are primarily intended for use by HSE's inspectors when judging the adequacy of safety cases for nuclear facilities. The revised SAPs relate to all aspects of safety in nuclear facilities including the technical discipline of criticality safety. The purpose of this paper is to set out for the benefit of a wider audience some of the thinking behind the final published words and to provide an insight into the development of UK regulatory guidance. The paper notes that it is HSE's intention that the Safety Assessment Principles should be viewed as a reflection of good practice in the context of interpreting primary legislation such as the requirements under site licence conditions for arrangements for producing an adequate safety case and for producing a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 (SI1999/3232 www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1999/uksi_19993232_en.pdf).

Stability of neutrino parameters and self-complementarity relation with varying SUSY breaking scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, K. Sashikanta; Roy, Subhankar; Singh, N. Nimai

2018-03-01

The scale at which supersymmetry (SUSY) breaks (ms) is still unknown. The present article, following a top-down approach, endeavors to study the effect of varying ms on the radiative stability of the observational parameters associated with the neutrino mixing. These parameters get additional contributions in the minimal supersymmetric model (MSSM). A variation in ms will influence the bounds for which the Standard Model (SM) and MSSM work and hence, will account for the different radiative contributions received from both sectors, respectively, while running the renormalization group equations (RGE). The present work establishes the invariance of the self complementarity relation among the three mixing angles, θ13+θ12≈θ23 against the radiative evolution. A similar result concerning the mass ratio, m2:m1 is also found to be valid. In addition to varying ms, the work incorporates a range of different seesaw (SS) scales and tries to see how the latter affects the parameters.

[Oral vitamin B12: Efficacy and safety data in 31 patients with pernicious anemia and food-cobalamin malabsorption].

PubMed

Troilo, Arianna; Mecili, Mustapha; Ciobanu, Ecaterina; Boddi, Vieri; D'Elios, Mario M; Andrès, Emmanuel

2010-12-01

The aim of this study is to validate the efficacy and safety of oral cobalamin therapy in the treatment of cobalamin deficiency related to various causes. It's a retrospective study, including 31 patients with documented cobalamin deficiency related to food-cobalamin malabsorption (n=20) and pernicious anemia (n=11). These patients were treated at least for 3 months with oral cyanocobalamin, between 125 to 1000microg per day. Serum cobalamin levels and hematological parameters were compared before and after the therapy and in relation with the nature of cobalamin deficiency. Safety data were also recorded. After 3 months of therapy, the serum cobalamin levels have significantly increased in all the patients, with a mean of +161.6±79.3pg/mL in the food-cobalamin malabsorption group (P<0,00005) and +136.7±67.4pg/mL in the pernicious anemia group (P<0,0001). Hematological parameters have been normalized in 90 % of the patients, independently of the cause of the cobalamin deficiency. Only 1 patient presented an urticarial reaction. This study confirms the efficacy and safety of oral cobalamin therapy in food-cobalamin malabsorption and also in case of pernicious anemia. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Safety climate and safety behaviors in the construction industry: The importance of co-workers commitment to safety.

PubMed

Schwatka, Natalie V; Rosecrance, John C

2016-06-16

There is growing empirical evidence that as safety climate improves work site safety practice improve. Safety climate is often measured by asking workers about their perceptions of management commitment to safety. However, it is less common to include perceptions of their co-workers commitment to safety. While the involvement of management in safety is essential, working with co-workers who value and prioritize safety may be just as important. To evaluate a concept of safety climate that focuses on top management, supervisors and co-workers commitment to safety, which is relatively new and untested in the United States construction industry. Survey data was collected from a cohort of 300 unionized construction workers in the United States. The significance of direct and indirect (mediation) effects among safety climate and safety behavior factors were evaluated via structural equation modeling. Results indicated that safety climate was associated with safety behaviors on the job. More specifically, perceptions of co-workers commitment to safety was a mediator between both management commitment to safety climate factors and safety behaviors. These results support workplace health and safety interventions that build and sustain safety climate and a commitment to safety amongst work teams.

Annual Report To Congress. Department of Energy Activities Relating to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Calendar Year 2003

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

2004-02-28

The Department of Energy (Department) submits an Annual Report to Congress each year detailing the Department’s activities relating to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board), which provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) regarding public health and safety issues at the Department’s defense nuclear facilities. In 2003, the Department continued ongoing activities to resolve issues identified by the Board in formal recommendations and correspondence, staff issue reports pertaining to Department facilities, and public meetings and briefings. Additionally, the Department is implementing several key safety initiatives to address and prevent safety issues: safety culture and review ofmore » the Columbia accident investigation; risk reduction through stabilization of excess nuclear materials; the Facility Representative Program; independent oversight and performance assurance; the Federal Technical Capability Program (FTCP); executive safety initiatives; and quality assurance activities. The following summarizes the key activities addressed in this Annual Report.« less

Constraints on a new post-general relativity cosmological parameter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caldwell, Robert; Cooray, Asantha; Melchiorri, Alessandro

2007-07-01

A new cosmological variable is introduced to characterize the degree of departure from Einstein’s general relativity with a cosmological constant. The new parameter, ϖ, is the cosmological analog of γ, the parametrized post-Newtonian variable which measures the amount of spacetime curvature per unit mass. In the cosmological context, ϖ measures the difference between the Newtonian and longitudinal potentials in response to the same matter sources, as occurs in certain scalar-tensor theories of gravity. Equivalently, ϖ measures the scalar shear fluctuation in a dark-energy component. In the context of a vanilla, cosmological constant-dominated universe, a nonzero ϖ signals a departure from general relativity or a fluctuating cosmological constant. Using a phenomenological model for the time evolution ϖ=ϖ0ρDE/ρM which depends on the ratio of energy density in the cosmological constant to the matter density at each epoch, it is shown that the observed cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropies limit the overall normalization constant to be -0.4<ϖ0<0.1 at the 95% confidence level. Existing measurements of the cross-correlations of the cosmic microwave background with large-scale structure further limit ϖ0>-0.2 at the 95% CL. In the future, integrated Sachs-Wolfe and weak lensing measurements can more tightly constrain ϖ0, providing a valuable clue to the nature of dark energy and the validity of general relativity.

Better Science Through Safety.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerlovich, Jack A.; Downs, Gary E.

Following a brief description of the major components found effective in school safety programs (safety management, education, and services) and data on school accidents in Iowa, this book addresses various aspects of safety related to science instruction, emphasizing that responsibility for safety must be shared by both teacher and students.…

Status of Occupational Health and Safety and Related Challenges in Expanding Economy of Tanzania.

PubMed

Mrema, Ezra J; Ngowi, Aiwerasia V; Mamuya, Simon H D

2015-01-01

Occupational health and safety is related with economic activities undertaken in the country. As the economic activities grow and expand, occupational injuries and diseases are more likely to increase among workers in different sectors of economy such as agriculture, mining, transport, and manufacture. This may result in high occupational health and safety services demand, which might be difficult to meet by developing countries that are prioritizing economic expansion without regard to their impact on occupational health and safety. To describe the status of occupational health and safety in Tanzania and outline the challenges in provision of occupational health services under the state of an expanding economy. Tanzania's economy is growing steadily, with growth being driven by communications, transport, financial intermediation, construction, mining, agriculture, and manufacturing. Along with this growth, hazards emanating from work in all sectors of the economy have increased and varied. The workers exposed to these hazards suffer from illness and injuries and yet they are not provided with adequate occupational health services. Services are scanty and limited to a few enterprises that can afford it. Existing laws and regulations are not comprehensive enough to cover the entire population. Implementation of legislation is weak and does not protect the workers. Most Tanzanians are not covered by the occupational health and safety law and do not access occupational health services. Thus an occupational health and safety services strategy, backed by legislations and provided with the necessary resources (competent experts, financial and technological resources), is a necessity in Tanzania. The existing legal provisions require major modifications to meet international requirements and standards. OHS regulations and legislations need refocusing, revision, and strengthening to cover all working population. Capacities should be improved through training and research

Does Employee Safety Matter for Patients Too? Employee Safety Climate and Patient Safety Culture in Health Care.

PubMed

Mohr, David C; Eaton, Jennifer Lipkowitz; McPhaul, Kathleen M; Hodgson, Michael J

2015-04-22

We examined relationships between employee safety climate and patient safety culture. Because employee safety may be a precondition for the development of patient safety, we hypothesized that employee safety culture would be strongly and positively related to patient safety culture. An employee safety climate survey was administered in 2010 and assessed employees' views and experiences of safety for employees. The patient safety survey administered in 2011 assessed the safety culture for patients. We performed Pearson correlations and multiple regression analysis to examine the relationships between a composite measure of employee safety with subdimensions of patient safety culture. The regression models controlled for size, geographic characteristics, and teaching affiliation. Analyses were conducted at the group level using data from 132 medical centers. Higher employee safety climate composite scores were positively associated with all 9 patient safety culture measures examined. Standardized multivariate regression coefficients ranged from 0.44 to 0.64. Medical facilities where staff have more positive perceptions of health care workplace safety climate tended to have more positive assessments of patient safety culture. This suggests that patient safety culture and employee safety climate could be mutually reinforcing, such that investments and improvements in one domain positively impacts the other. Further research is needed to better understand the nexus between health care employee and patient safety to generalize and act upon findings.

77 FR 24538 - Fukushima-Related Orders Modifying Licenses; Establishment of Atomic Safety and Licensing Board

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-24

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket Nos. EA-12-050, EA-12-051; ASLBP No. 12-918-01-EA-BD01] Fukushima-Related Orders Modifying Licenses; Establishment of Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Pursuant to delegation by the Commission dated December 29, 1972, published in the Federal Register, 37 FR 28,710 (1972...

Time-related degradation, a key issue in nuclear plant safety evaluations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bonzon, L.L.; Bustard, L.D.; Clough, R.L.

1982-01-01

Sandia National Laboratories is conducting a number of programs under NRC sponsorship which deal with safety-related equipment qualification issues, including the important aspect of aging. Among these is the Qualification Testing Evaluation (QTE) program which was probably the first to devote significant effort towards aging research and was one of the primary motivators leading to the Workshop. The thrust of the QTE aging efforts has been on elastomeric materials, typically used in electrical cables, seals, gaskets, and the like; currently, efforts are being pursued on plant ambient environments measurements, aging of electronics, and aging of motors. A brief status reportmore » is presented in this paper.« less

Optimization of process parameters in drilling of fibre hybrid composite using Taguchi and grey relational analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vijaya Ramnath, B.; Sharavanan, S.; Jeykrishnan, J.

2017-03-01

Nowadays quality plays a vital role in all the products. Hence, the development in manufacturing process focuses on the fabrication of composite with high dimensional accuracy and also incurring low manufacturing cost. In this work, an investigation on machining parameters has been performed on jute-flax hybrid composite. Here, the two important responses characteristics like surface roughness and material removal rate are optimized by employing 3 machining input parameters. The input variables considered are drill bit diameter, spindle speed and feed rate. Machining is done on CNC vertical drilling machine at different levels of drilling parameters. Taguchi’s L16 orthogonal array is used for optimizing individual tool parameters. Analysis Of Variance is used to find the significance of individual parameters. The simultaneous optimization of the process parameters is done by grey relational analysis. The results of this investigation shows that, spindle speed and drill bit diameter have most effect on material removal rate and surface roughness followed by feed rate.

Undersafe: Monitoring safety parameters in touristic mines and caves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parcerisa, David; Sanmiquel, Lluís; Alfonso, Pura; Oliva, Josep

2014-05-01

Tourism is a key sector of the European economy, generating more than 5% of the EU GPD (Gross Domestic Product). Usually, underground touristic sites receive non-expert visitors; nevertheless these activities are poorly regulated or completely deregulated. Nowadays, safety is provided by underground expert professionals whom proceed to regular inspections and by basic safety infrastructures. Even with these measures, some potential personal and environmental dangers are always present and cannot be totally avoided. Therefore, there is a clear need of a new technological product for safety and environmental continuous monitoring of tourist underground attractions. So, the aim of the Undersafe project is to provide underground attractions with a novel and specifically tailored monitoring system, easy to use and maintain. One of the goals of the Undersafe project is to develop a rock falling detection based on a set of cost limited vibration sensors. Based on the technical needs, but with cost constraints, different types of potential sensors are considered: Underground microphone: It is placed in the surface or in the underground. It is based on the consideration that the impact of the stone generates a ground impact vibration which can be understood as a "noise" that is received by a microphone capsule. Airborne sound sensing microphone: It similarly applies to underground use of the microphones, but now the microphone is tested as for its traditional use (I.e. air sound detection). In such case, the microphone detects the environmental noise produced by the impact of the stone falling onto the ground, which will include the impact sound of the stone. Geophone: It is the de facto standard for ground vibrations. Although this technology was initially discarded due to its high cost, recently, low cost geophones have appeared in the market that allows its use inside the underground attractions. Accelerometers: These, can have enough sensibility to act as vibration

Clinical Relation Extraction Toward Drug Safety Surveillance Using Electronic Health Record Narratives: Classical Learning Versus Deep Learning.

PubMed

Munkhdalai, Tsendsuren; Liu, Feifan; Yu, Hong

2018-04-25

Medication and adverse drug event (ADE) information extracted from electronic health record (EHR) notes can be a rich resource for drug safety surveillance. Existing observational studies have mainly relied on structured EHR data to obtain ADE information; however, ADEs are often buried in the EHR narratives and not recorded in structured data. To unlock ADE-related information from EHR narratives, there is a need to extract relevant entities and identify relations among them. In this study, we focus on relation identification. This study aimed to evaluate natural language processing and machine learning approaches using the expert-annotated medical entities and relations in the context of drug safety surveillance, and investigate how different learning approaches perform under different configurations. We have manually annotated 791 EHR notes with 9 named entities (eg, medication, indication, severity, and ADEs) and 7 different types of relations (eg, medication-dosage, medication-ADE, and severity-ADE). Then, we explored 3 supervised machine learning systems for relation identification: (1) a support vector machines (SVM) system, (2) an end-to-end deep neural network system, and (3) a supervised descriptive rule induction baseline system. For the neural network system, we exploited the state-of-the-art recurrent neural network (RNN) and attention models. We report the performance by macro-averaged precision, recall, and F1-score across the relation types. Our results show that the SVM model achieved the best average F1-score of 89.1% on test data, outperforming the long short-term memory (LSTM) model with attention (F1-score of 65.72%) as well as the rule induction baseline system (F1-score of 7.47%) by a large margin. The bidirectional LSTM model with attention achieved the best performance among different RNN models. With the inclusion of additional features in the LSTM model, its performance can be boosted to an average F1-score of 77.35%. It shows that

Analysis of contributing factors associated to related patients safety incidents in Intensive Care Medicine.

PubMed

Martín Delgado, M C; Merino de Cos, P; Sirgo Rodríguez, G; Álvarez Rodríguez, J; Gutiérrez Cía, I; Obón Azuara, B; Alonso Ovies, Á

2015-01-01

To explore contributing factors (CF) associated to related critical patients safety incidents. SYREC study pos hoc analysis. A total of 79 Intensive Care Departments were involved. The study sample consisted of 1.017 patients; 591 were affected by one or more incidents. The CF were categorized according to a proposed model by the National Patient Safety Agency from United Kingdom that was modified. Type, class and severity of the incidents was analyzed. A total 2,965 CF were reported (1,729 were associated to near miss and 1,236 to adverse events). The CF group more frequently reported were related patients factors. Individual factors were reported more frequently in near miss and task related CF in adverse events. CF were reported in all classes of incidents. The majority of CF were reported in the incidents classified such as less serious, even thought CF patients factors were associated to serious incidents. Individual factors were considered like avoidable and patients factors as unavoidable. The CF group more frequently reported were patient factors and was associated to more severe and unavoidable incidents. By contrast, individual factors were associated to less severe and avoidable incidents. In general, CF most frequently reported were associated to near miss. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Leadership, safety climate, and continuous quality improvement: impact on process quality and patient safety.

PubMed

McFadden, Kathleen L; Stock, Gregory N; Gowen, Charles R

2014-10-01

Successful amelioration of medical errors represents a significant problem in the health care industry. There is a need for greater understanding of the factors that lead to improved process quality and patient safety outcomes in hospitals. We present a research model that shows how transformational leadership, safety climate, and continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiatives are related to objective quality and patient safety outcome measures. The proposed framework is tested using structural equation modeling, based on data collected for 204 hospitals, and supplemented with objective outcome data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The results provide empirical evidence that a safety climate, which is connected to the chief executive officer's transformational leadership style, is related to CQI initiatives, which are linked to improved process quality. A unique finding of this study is that, although CQI initiatives are positively associated with improved process quality, they are also associated with higher hospital-acquired condition rates, a measure of patient safety. Likewise, safety climate is directly related to improved patient safety outcomes. The notion that patient safety climate and CQI initiatives are not interchangeable or universally beneficial is an important contribution to the literature. The results confirm the importance of using CQI to effectively enhance process quality in hospitals, and patient safety climate to improve patient safety outcomes. The overall pattern of findings suggests that simultaneous implementation of CQI initiatives and patient safety climate produces greater combined benefits.

Leadership, safety climate, and continuous quality improvement: impact on process quality and patient safety.

PubMed

McFadden, Kathleen L; Stock, Gregory N; Gowen, Charles R

2015-01-01

Successful amelioration of medical errors represents a significant problem in the health care industry. There is a need for greater understanding of the factors that lead to improved process quality and patient safety outcomes in hospitals. We present a research model that shows how transformational leadership, safety climate, and continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiatives are related to objective quality and patient safety outcome measures. The proposed framework is tested using structural equation modeling, based on data collected for 204 hospitals, and supplemented with objective outcome data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The results provide empirical evidence that a safety climate, which is connected to the chief executive officer's transformational leadership style, is related to CQI initiatives, which are linked to improved process quality. A unique finding of this study is that, although CQI initiatives are positively associated with improved process quality, they are also associated with higher hospital-acquired condition rates, a measure of patient safety. Likewise, safety climate is directly related to improved patient safety outcomes. The notion that patient safety climate and CQI initiatives are not interchangeable or universally beneficial is an important contribution to the literature. The results confirm the importance of using CQI to effectively enhance process quality in hospitals, and patient safety climate to improve patient safety outcomes. The overall pattern of findings suggests that simultaneous implementation of CQI initiatives and patient safety climate produces greater combined benefits.

Multi-parameter geometrical scaledown study for energy optimization of MTJ and related spintronics nanodevices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farhat, I. A. H.; Alpha, C.; Gale, E.; Atia, D. Y.; Stein, A.; Isakovic, A. F.

The scaledown of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) and related nanoscale spintronics devices poses unique challenges for energy optimization of their performance. We demonstrate the dependence of the switching current on the scaledown variable, while considering the influence of geometric parameters of MTJ, such as the free layer thickness, tfree, lateral size of the MTJ, w, and the anisotropy parameter of the MTJ. At the same time, we point out which values of the saturation magnetization, Ms, and anisotropy field, Hk, can lead to lowering the switching current and overall decrease of the energy needed to operate an MTJ. It is demonstrated that scaledown via decreasing the lateral size of the MTJ, while allowing some other parameters to be unconstrained, can improve energy performance by a measurable factor, shown to be the function of both geometric and physical parameters above. Given the complex interdependencies among both families of parameters, we developed a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm that can simultaneously lower energy of operation and the switching current density. Results we obtained in scaledown study and via PSO optimization are compared to experimental results. Support by Mubadala-SRC 2012-VJ-2335 is acknowledged, as are staff at Cornell-CNF and BNL-CFN.

Social media for arthritis-related comparative effectiveness and safety research and the impact of direct-to-consumer advertising.

PubMed

Curtis, Jeffrey R; Chen, Lang; Higginbotham, Phillip; Nowell, W Benjamin; Gal-Levy, Ronit; Willig, James; Safford, Monika; Coe, Joseph; O'Hara, Kaitlin; Sa'adon, Roee

2017-03-07

Social media may complement traditional data sources to answer comparative effectiveness/safety questions after medication licensure. The Treato platform was used to analyze all publicly available social media data including Facebook, blogs, and discussion boards for posts mentioning inflammatory arthritis (e.g. rheumatoid, psoriatic). Safety events were self-reported by patients and mapped to medical ontologies, resolving synonyms. Disease and symptom-related treatment indications were manually redacted. The units of analysis were unique terms in posts. Pre-specified conditions (e.g. herpes zoster (HZ)) were selected based upon safety signals from clinical trials and reported as pairwise odds ratios (ORs); drugs were compared with Fisher's exact test. Empirically identified events were analyzed using disproportionality analysis and reported as relative reporting ratios (RRRs). The accuracy of a natural language processing (NLP) classifier to identify cases of shingles associated with arthritis medications was assessed. As of October 2015, there were 785,656 arthritis-related posts. Posts were predominantly US posts (75%) from patient authors (87%) under 40 years of age (61%). For HZ posts (n = 1815), ORs were significantly increased with tofacitinib versus other rheumatoid arthritis therapies. ORs for mentions of perforated bowel (n = 13) were higher with tocilizumab versus other therapies. RRRs associated with tofacitinib were highest in conditions related to baldness and hair regrowth, infections and cancer. The NLP classifier had a positive predictive value of 91% to identify HZ. There was a threefold increase in posts following television direct-to-consumer advertisement (p = 0.04); posts expressing medication safety concerns were significantly more frequent than favorable posts. Social media is a challenging yet promising data source that may complement traditional approaches for comparative effectiveness research for new medications.

Hydrogen Safety Issues Compared to Safety Issues with Methane and Propane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, M. A.

2006-04-01

The hydrogen economy is not possible if the safety standards currently applied to liquid hydrogen and hydrogen gas by many laboratories are applied to devices that use either liquid or gaseous hydrogen. Methane and propane are commonly used by ordinary people without the special training. This report asks, "How is hydrogen different from flammable gasses that are commonly being used all over the world?" This report compares the properties of hydrogen, methane and propane and how these properties may relate to safety when they are used in both the liquid and gaseous state. Through such an analysis, sensible safety standards for the large-scale (or even small-scale) use of liquid and gaseous hydrogen systems can be developed. This paper is meant to promote discussion of issues related to hydrogen safety so that engineers designing equipment can factor sensible safety standards into their designs.

Hydrogen Safety Issues Compared to Safety Issues with Methane andPropane

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Green, Michael A.

The hydrogen economy is not possible if the safety standards currently applied to liquid hydrogen and hydrogen gas by many laboratories are applied to devices that use either liquid or gaseous hydrogen. Methane and propane are commonly used by ordinary people without the special training. This report asks, 'How is hydrogen different from flammable gasses that are commonly being used all over the world?' This report compares the properties of hydrogen, methane and propane and how these properties may relate to safety when they are used in both the liquid and gaseous state. Through such an analysis, sensible safety standardsmore » for the large-scale (or even small-scale) use of liquid and gaseous hydrogen systems can be developed. This paper is meant to promote discussion of issues related to hydrogen safety so that engineers designing equipment can factor sensible safety standards into their designs.« less

Relational Safety and Liberating Training Spaces: An Application with a Focus on Sexual Orientation Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernandez, Pilar; Rankin, Pressley, IV

2008-01-01

This article describes and discusses a teaching case of a clinical training situation involving a gay marriage and family therapy student working with a same-sex affectional couple. The conceptual pillars of this teaching case, relational safety and liberating spaces, are advanced as illustrations of how the student developed his voice in the…

OPERATING PARAMETERS TO MINIMIZE EMISSIONS DURING ROTARY KILN EMERGENCY SAFETY VENT OPENINGS

EPA Science Inventory

Certain designs of hazardous waste incinerator systems include emergency safety vents (ESVs). ESVs (also called dump stacks, vent stacks, emergency by-pass stacks, thermal relief valves, and pressure relief valves) are regarded as true emergency devices. Their purpose is to vent ...

Safety-related requirements for photovoltaic modules and arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levins, A.; Smoot, A.; Wagner, R.

1984-01-01

Safety requirements for photovoltaic module and panel designs and configurations for residential, intermediate, and large scale applications are investigated. Concepts for safety systems, where each system is a collection of subsystems which together address the total anticipated hazard situation, are described. Descriptions of hardware, and system usefulness and viability are included. A comparison of these systems, as against the provisions of the 1984 National Electrical Code covering photovoltaic systems is made. A discussion of the Underwriters Laboratory UL investigation of the photovoltaic module evaluated to the provisions of the proposed UL standard for plat plate photovoltaic modules and panels is included. Grounding systems, their basis and nature, and the advantages and disadvantages of each are described. The meaning of frame grounding, circuit groundings, and the type of circuit ground are covered.

Safety self-efficacy and safety performance: potential antecedents and the moderation effect of standardization.

PubMed

Katz-Navon, Tal; Naveh, Eitan; Stern, Zvi

2007-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a new safety self-efficacy construct and to explore its antecedents and interaction with standardization to influence in-patient safety. The paper used a survey of 161 nurses using a self-administered questionnaire over a 14-day period in two large Israeli general hospitals. Nurses answered questions relating to four safety self-efficacy antecedents: enactive mastery experiences; managers as safety role models; verbal persuasion; and safety priority, that relate to the perceived level of standardization and safety self-efficacy. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the scale's construct validity. Regression models were used to test hypotheses regarding the antecedents and influence of safety self-efficacy. Results indicate that: managers as safety role models; distributing safety information; and priority given to safety, contributed to safety self-efficacy. Additionally, standardization moderated the effects of safety self-efficacy and patient safety such that safety self-efficacy was positively associated with patient safety when standardization was low rather than high. Hospital managers should be aware of individual motivations as safety self-efficacy when evaluating the potential influence of standardization on patient safety. Theoretically, the study introduces a new safety self-efficacy concept, and captures its antecedents and influence on safety performance. Also, the study suggests safety self-efficacy as a boundary condition for the influence of standardization on safety performance. Implementing standardization in healthcare is problematic because not all processes can be standardized. In this case, self-efficacy plays an important role in securing patient safety. Hence, safety self-efficacy may serve as a "substitute-for-standardization," by promoting staff behaviors that affect patient safety.

Relative sensitivity of developmental and immune parameters in juvenile versus adult male rats after exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tonk, Elisa C.M., E-mail: ilse.tonk@rivm.nl; Laboratory for Health Protection Research, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment; Verhoef, Aart

The developing immune system displays a relatively high sensitivity as compared to both general toxicity parameters and to the adult immune system. In this study we have performed such comparisons using di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) as a model compound. DEHP is the most abundant phthalate in the environment and perinatal exposure to DEHP has been shown to disrupt male sexual differentiation. In addition, phthalate exposure has been associated with immune dysfunction as evidenced by effects on the expression of allergy. Male wistar rats were dosed with corn oil or DEHP by gavage from postnatal day (PND) 10–50 or PND 50–90 atmore » doses between 1 and 1000 mg/kg/day. Androgen-dependent organ weights showed effects at lower dose levels in juvenile versus adult animals. Immune parameters affected included TDAR parameters in both age groups, NK activity in juvenile animals and TNF-α production by adherent splenocytes in adult animals. Immune parameters were affected at lower dose levels compared to developmental parameters. Overall, more immune parameters were affected in juvenile animals compared to adult animals and effects were observed at lower dose levels. The results of this study show a relatively higher sensitivity of juvenile versus adult rats. Furthermore, they illustrate the relative sensitivity of the developing immune system in juvenile animals as compared to general toxicity and developmental parameters. This study therefore provides further argumentation for performing dedicated developmental immune toxicity testing as a default in regulatory toxicology. -- Highlights: ► In this study we evaluate the relative sensitivities for DEHP induced effects. ► Results of this study demonstrate the age-dependency of DEHP toxicity. ► Functional immune parameters were more sensitive than structural immune parameters. ► Immune parameters were affected at lower dose levels than developmental parameters. ► Findings demonstrate the susceptibility of

Diagnostic accuracy of electrocardiographic P wave related parameters in the assessment of left atrial size in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease.

PubMed

Soto-Bustos, Ángel; Caro-Vadillo, Alicia; Martínez-DE-Merlo, Elena; Alonso-Alegre, Elisa González

2017-10-07

The purpose of this research was to compare the accuracy of newly described P wave-related parameters (P wave area, Macruz index and mean electrical axis) with classical P wave-related parameters (voltage and duration of P wave) for the assessment of left atrial (LA) size in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease. One hundred forty-six dogs (37 healthy control dogs and 109 dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease) were prospectively studied. Two-dimensional echocardiography examinations and a 6-lead ECG were performed prospectively in all dogs. Echocardiography parameters, including determination of the ratios LA diameter/aortic root diameter and LA area/aortic root area, were compared to P wave-related parameters: P wave area, Macruz index, mean electrical axis voltage and duration of P wave. The results showed that P wave-related parameters (classical and newly described) had low sensitivity (range=52.3 to 77%; median=60%) and low to moderate specificity (range=47.2 to 82.5%; median 56.3%) for the prediction of left atrial enlargement. The areas under the curve of P wave-related parameters were moderate to low due to poor sensitivity. In conclusion, newly P wave-related parameters do not increase the diagnostic capacity of ECG as a predictor of left atrial enlargement in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease.

Diagnostic accuracy of electrocardiographic P wave related parameters in the assessment of left atrial size in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease

PubMed Central

SOTO-BUSTOS, Ángel; CARO-VADILLO, Alicia; MARTÍNEZ-DE-MERLO, Elena; ALONSO-ALEGRE, Elisa González

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research was to compare the accuracy of newly described P wave-related parameters (P wave area, Macruz index and mean electrical axis) with classical P wave-related parameters (voltage and duration of P wave) for the assessment of left atrial (LA) size in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease. One hundred forty-six dogs (37 healthy control dogs and 109 dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease) were prospectively studied. Two-dimensional echocardiography examinations and a 6-lead ECG were performed prospectively in all dogs. Echocardiography parameters, including determination of the ratios LA diameter/aortic root diameter and LA area/aortic root area, were compared to P wave-related parameters: P wave area, Macruz index, mean electrical axis voltage and duration of P wave. The results showed that P wave-related parameters (classical and newly described) had low sensitivity (range=52.3 to 77%; median=60%) and low to moderate specificity (range=47.2 to 82.5%; median 56.3%) for the prediction of left atrial enlargement. The areas under the curve of P wave-related parameters were moderate to low due to poor sensitivity. In conclusion, newly P wave-related parameters do not increase the diagnostic capacity of ECG as a predictor of left atrial enlargement in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease. PMID:28845021

Whole-Lesion Apparent Diffusion Coefficient-Based Entropy-Related Parameters for Characterizing Cervical Cancers: Initial Findings.

PubMed

Guan, Yue; Li, Weifeng; Jiang, Zhuoran; Chen, Ying; Liu, Song; He, Jian; Zhou, Zhengyang; Ge, Yun

2016-12-01

This study aimed to develop whole-lesion apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)-based entropy-related parameters of cervical cancer to preliminarily assess intratumoral heterogeneity of this lesion in comparison to adjacent normal cervical tissues. A total of 51 women (mean age, 49 years) with cervical cancers confirmed by biopsy underwent 3-T pelvic diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with b values of 0 and 800 s/mm 2 prospectively. ADC-based entropy-related parameters including first-order entropy and second-order entropies were derived from the whole tumor volume as well as adjacent normal cervical tissues. Intraclass correlation coefficient, Wilcoxon test with Bonferroni correction, Kruskal-Wallis test, and receiver operating characteristic curve were used for statistical analysis. All the parameters showed excellent interobserver agreement (all intraclass correlation coefficients  > 0.900). Entropy, entropy(H) 0 , entropy(H) 45 , entropy(H) 90 , entropy(H) 135 , and entropy(H) mean were significantly higher, whereas entropy(H) range and entropy(H) std were significantly lower in cervical cancers compared to adjacent normal cervical tissues (all P <.0001). Kruskal-Wallis test showed that there were no significant differences among the values of various second-order entropies including entropy(H) 0, entropy(H) 45 , entropy(H) 90 , entropy(H) 135 , and entropy(H) mean. All second-order entropies had larger area under the receiver operating characteristic curve than first-order entropy in differentiating cervical cancers from adjacent normal cervical tissues. Further, entropy(H) 45 , entropy(H) 90 , entropy(H) 135 , and entropy(H) mean had the same largest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.867. Whole-lesion ADC-based entropy-related parameters of cervical cancers were developed successfully, which showed initial potential in characterizing intratumoral heterogeneity in comparison to adjacent normal cervical tissues

NASA System Safety Handbook. Volume 1; System Safety Framework and Concepts for Implementation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dezfuli, Homayoon; Benjamin, Allan; Everett, Christopher; Smith, Curtis; Stamatelatos, Michael; Youngblood, Robert

2011-01-01

basis but to consider measures of aggregate safety risk and to ensure wherever possible that there be quantitative measures for evaluating how effective the controls are in reducing these aggregate risks. The term aggregate risk, when used in this handbook, refers to the accumulation of risks from individual scenarios that lead to a shortfall in safety performance at a high level: e.g., an excessively high probability of loss of crew, loss of mission, planetary contamination, etc. Without aggregated quantitative measures such as these, it is not reasonable to expect that safety has been optimized with respect to other technical and programmatic objectives. At the same time, it is fully recognized that not all sources of risk are amenable to precise quantitative analysis and that the use of qualitative approaches and bounding estimates may be appropriate for those risk sources. Second, the handbook stresses the necessity of developing confidence that the controls derived for the purpose of achieving system safety not only handle risks that have been identified and properly characterized but also provide a general, more holistic means for protecting against unidentified or uncharacterized risks. For example, while it is not possible to be assured that all credible causes of risk have been identified, there are defenses that can provide protection against broad categories of risks and thereby increase the chances that individual causes are contained. Third, the handbook strives at all times to treat uncertainties as an integral aspect of risk and as a part of making decisions. The term "uncertainty" here does not refer to an actuarial type of data analysis, but rather to a characterization of our state of knowledge regarding results from logical and physical models that approximate reality. Uncertainty analysis finds how the output parameters of the models are related to plausible variations in the input parameters and in the modeling assumptions. The evaluation of

Safety Behaviors among Parents of Preschoolers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glik, Deborah; And Others

1993-01-01

Telephone survey examined relationships between safety behaviors to reduce the risk of childhood injury and parents' socioeconomic, psychosocial, and situational characteristics. Results indicated socioeconomic status and maternal stress negatively related to safety behaviors, and risk perceptions positively related to safety behaviors, suggesting…

Management commitment to safety as organizational support: relationships with non-safety outcomes in wood manufacturing employees

Treesearch

Judd H. Michael; Demetrice D. Evans; Karen J. Jansen; Joel M. Haight

2005-01-01

Employee perceptions of management commitment to safety are known to influence important safety-related outcomes. However, little work has been conducted to explore nonsafety-related outcomes resulting from a commitment to safety. Method: Employee-level outcomes critical to the effective functioning of an organization, including attitudes such as job...

[Safety threshold of fluorine in endemic fluorosis regions in China].

PubMed

Li, Yonghua; Wang, Wuyi; Hou, Shaofan

2002-07-01

Four endemic fluorosis regions in China and their environmental epidemiological characteristics were summarized in this paper. It shows that the epidemiology of endemic fluorosis is closely related to geochemical parameters of local environment. The food-web and dose-effect relationship of fluoride from environment to human body in different types of endemic fluorosis regions were studied. And the safety threshold of fluoride in different regions was determined. The results have provided a scientific basis for environmental risk assessment of fluoride in China.

Safety Action; Traffic and Pedestrian Safety. A Guide for Teachers in the Elementary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Transportation, Washington, DC.

GRADES OR AGES: Elementary, grades 1-6. SUBJECT MATTER: Safety action, traffic and pedestrian safety. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: After introductory material explaining the philosophy of the guide, the elementary school child, characteristics of children as related to safety, and the responsibility of the safety team, the guide has…

Spacecraft Fire Safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Margle, Janice M. (Editor)

1987-01-01

Fire detection, fire standards and testing, fire extinguishment, inerting and atmospheres, fire-related medical science, aircraft fire safety, Space Station safety concerns, microgravity combustion, spacecraft material flammability testing, and metal combustion are among the topics considered.

Associations between safety climate and safety management practices in the construction industry.

PubMed

Marín, Luz S; Lipscomb, Hester; Cifuentes, Manuel; Punnett, Laura

2017-06-01

Safety climate, a group-level measure of workers' perceptions regarding management's safety priorities, has been suggested as a key predictor of safety outcomes. However, its relationship with actual injury rates is inconsistent. We posit that safety climate may instead be a parallel outcome of workplace safety practices, rather than a determinant of workers' safety behaviors or outcomes. Using a sample of 25 commercial construction companies in Colombia, selected by injury rate stratum (high, medium, low), we examined the relationship between workers' safety climate perceptions and safety management practices (SMPs) reported by safety officers. Workers' perceptions of safety climate were independent of their own company's implementation of SMPs, as measured here, and its injury rates. However, injury rates were negatively related to the implementation of SMPs. Safety management practices may be more important than workers' perceptions of safety climate as direct predictors of injury rates. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

RELATING ACCUMULATOR MODEL PARAMETERS AND NEURAL DYNAMICS

PubMed Central

Purcell, Braden A.; Palmeri, Thomas J.

2016-01-01

Accumulator models explain decision-making as an accumulation of evidence to a response threshold. Specific model parameters are associated with specific model mechanisms, such as the time when accumulation begins, the average rate of evidence accumulation, and the threshold. These mechanisms determine both the within-trial dynamics of evidence accumulation and the predicted behavior. Cognitive modelers usually infer what mechanisms vary during decision-making by seeing what parameters vary when a model is fitted to observed behavior. The recent identification of neural activity with evidence accumulation suggests that it may be possible to directly infer what mechanisms vary from an analysis of how neural dynamics vary. However, evidence accumulation is often noisy, and noise complicates the relationship between accumulator dynamics and the underlying mechanisms leading to those dynamics. To understand what kinds of inferences can be made about decision-making mechanisms based on measures of neural dynamics, we measured simulated accumulator model dynamics while systematically varying model parameters. In some cases, decision- making mechanisms can be directly inferred from dynamics, allowing us to distinguish between models that make identical behavioral predictions. In other cases, however, different parameterized mechanisms produce surprisingly similar dynamics, limiting the inferences that can be made based on measuring dynamics alone. Analyzing neural dynamics can provide a powerful tool to resolve model mimicry at the behavioral level, but we caution against drawing inferences based solely on neural analyses. Instead, simultaneous modeling of behavior and neural dynamics provides the most powerful approach to understand decision-making and likely other aspects of cognition and perception. PMID:28392584

EFFECT OF THERAPEUTIC TOUCH ON PAIN RELATED PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL.

PubMed

Tabatabaee, Amir; Tafreshi, Mansoureh Zagheri; Rassouli, Maryam; Aledavood, Seyed Amir; AlaviMajd, Hamid; Farahmand, Seyed Kazem

2016-06-01

In patients with cancer, pain may influence their life style, and feeling of satisfaction and comfort, leading to fatigue, and cause impairment of their quality of life, personal relationships, sleep and daily activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of therapeutic touch (TT) on pain related parameters of in patients with cancer. In a randomized clinical trial a total of 90 male patients referring to Specialized Oncology Hospital in Mashhad, were conveniently selected and randomly divided into three intervention, placebo, and control groups. The intervention consisted of TT in 7 sessions for a 4-week period. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire along with the Brief Pain Inventory, which were then analyzed and compared using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. By comparing scores parameters of pain scales (general activity, mood, walking ability, relations with other people and sleep) in the three groups, there was no significant difference at the beginning of the first session. However, a significant difference was observed at the end of TT sessions between the three groups (p= 0.001). Furthermore, the groups were compared two-by-two by using Mann-Whitney test and Bonferroni correction, and the result indicated significant differences between the two intervention and placebo groups as well as between the two intervention and control groups. The results of the study showed that TT had a positive impact on the positive management of pain related parameters in cancer patients. Therefore, TT is suggested to be used by healthcare providers as a complementary method for managing pain and its parameters.

Speaking up about traditional and professionalism-related patient safety threats: a national survey of interns and residents.

PubMed

Martinez, William; Lehmann, Lisa Soleymani; Thomas, Eric J; Etchegaray, Jason M; Shelburne, Julia T; Hickson, Gerald B; Brady, Donald W; Schleyer, Anneliese M; Best, Jennifer A; May, Natalie B; Bell, Sigall K

2017-11-01

Open communication between healthcare professionals about care concerns, also known as 'speaking up', is essential to patient safety. Compare interns' and residents' experiences, attitudes and factors associated with speaking up about traditional versus professionalism-related safety threats. Anonymous, cross-sectional survey. Six US academic medical centres, 2013-2014. 1800 medical and surgical interns and residents (47% responded). Attitudes about, barriers and facilitators for, and self-reported experience with speaking up. Likelihood of speaking up and the potential for patient harm in two vignettes. Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) teamwork and safety scales; and Speaking Up Climate for Patient Safety (SUC-Safe) and Speaking Up Climate for Professionalism (SUC-Prof) scales. Respondents more commonly observed unprofessional behaviour (75%, 628/837) than traditional safety threats (49%, 410/837); p<0.001, but reported speaking up about unprofessional behaviour less commonly (46%, 287/628 vs 71%, 291/410; p<0.001). Respondents more commonly reported fear of conflict as a barrier to speaking up about unprofessional behaviour compared with traditional safety threats (58%, 482/837 vs 42%, 348/837; p<0.001). Respondents were also less likely to speak up to an attending physician in the professionalism vignette than the traditional safety vignette, even when they perceived high potential patient harm (20%, 49/251 vs 71%, 179/251; p<0.001). Positive perceptions of SAQ teamwork climate and SUC-Safe were independently associated with speaking up in the traditional safety vignette (OR 1.90, 99% CI 1.36 to 2.66 and 1.46, 1.02 to 2.09, respectively), while only a positive perception of SUC-Prof was associated with speaking up in the professionalism vignette (1.76, 1.23 to 2.50). Interns and residents commonly observed unprofessional behaviour yet were less likely to speak up about it compared with traditional safety threats even when they perceived high potential patient

Method for selection of optimal road safety composite index with examples from DEA and TOPSIS method.

PubMed

Rosić, Miroslav; Pešić, Dalibor; Kukić, Dragoslav; Antić, Boris; Božović, Milan

2017-01-01

Concept of composite road safety index is a popular and relatively new concept among road safety experts around the world. As there is a constant need for comparison among different units (countries, municipalities, roads, etc.) there is need to choose an adequate method which will make comparison fair to all compared units. Usually comparisons using one specific indicator (parameter which describes safety or unsafety) can end up with totally different ranking of compared units which is quite complicated for decision maker to determine "real best performers". Need for composite road safety index is becoming dominant since road safety presents a complex system where more and more indicators are constantly being developed to describe it. Among wide variety of models and developed composite indexes, a decision maker can come to even bigger dilemma than choosing one adequate risk measure. As DEA and TOPSIS are well-known mathematical models and have recently been increasingly used for risk evaluation in road safety, we used efficiencies (composite indexes) obtained by different models, based on DEA and TOPSIS, to present PROMETHEE-RS model for selection of optimal method for composite index. Method for selection of optimal composite index is based on three parameters (average correlation, average rank variation and average cluster variation) inserted into a PROMETHEE MCDM method in order to choose the optimal one. The model is tested by comparing 27 police departments in Serbia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of organizational safety on employees' proactivity safety behaviors and occupational health and safety management systems in Chinese high-risk small-scale enterprises.

PubMed

Mei, Qiang; Wang, Qiwei; Liu, Suxia; Zhou, Qiaomei; Zhang, Jingjing

2018-06-07

Based on the characteristics of small-scale enterprises, the improvement of occupational health and safety management systems (OHS MS) needs an effective intervention. This study proposed a structural equation model and examined the relationships of perceived organization support for safety (POSS), person-organization safety fit (POSF) and proactivity safety behaviors with safety management, safety procedures and safety hazards identification. Data were collected from 503 employees of 105 Chinese high-risk small-scale enterprises over 6 months. The results showed that both POSS and POSF were positively related to improvement in safety management, safety procedures and safety hazards identification through proactivity safety behaviors. Our findings provide a new perspective on organizational safety for improving OHS MS for small-scale enterprises and extend the application of proactivity safety behaviors.

Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to examine health professional students' behavioural intentions in relation to medication safety and collaborative practice.

PubMed

Lapkin, Samuel; Levett-Jones, Tracy; Gilligan, Conor

2015-08-01

Safe medication practices depend upon, not only on individual responsibilities, but also effective communication and collaboration between members of the medication team. However, measurement of these skills is fraught with conceptual and practical difficulties. The aims of this study were to explore the utility of a Theory of Planned Behaviour-based questionnaire to predict health professional students' behavioural intentions in relation to medication safety and collaborative practice; and to determine the contribution of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control to behavioural intentions. A descriptive cross-sectional survey based upon the Theory of Planned Behaviour was designed and tested. A convenience sample of 65 undergraduate pharmacy, nursing and medicine students from one semi-metropolitan Australian university were recruited for the study. Participants' behavioural intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control to behavioural intentions in relation to medication safety were measured using an online version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour Medication Safety Questionnaire. The Questionnaire had good internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.844. The three predictor variables of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control accounted for between 30 and 46% of the variance in behavioural intention; this is a strong prediction in comparison to previous studies using the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Data analysis also indicated that attitude was the most significant predictor of participants' intention to collaborate with other team members to improve medication safety. The results from this study provide preliminary support for the Theory of Planned Behaviour-Medication Safety Questionnaire as a valid instrument for examining health professional students' behavioural intentions in relation to medication safety and collaborative practice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alcohol abuse and traffic safety : a study of fatalities, DWI offenders, alcoholics, and court-related treatment approaches

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1970-06-26

Author's abstract: Methodology and conclusions on the role of the abusive use of alcohol in traffic safety were developed through three related projects. Project I is a case-history investigation of 616 traffic fatalities from metropolitan Wayne Coun...

Occupational Safety and Related Impacts on Health and the Environment

PubMed Central

Watterson, Andrew

2016-01-01

The inter-relationship between safety, health and the ‘environment’ is a complex and at times a relatively neglected topic. In this issue, ‘safety’ is often viewed by contributors as ‘health and safety’ and includes occupationally-related ill health as well as injury or harm to employees and the wider public. ‘Environment’ is also interpreted in the widest sense covering both physical and work environments with upstream work hazards presenting risks to downstream communities. The focus is very much on exploring and where possible addressing the challenges, some old and some facing workers in a range of public and private settings and also at times their nearby communities. The 19 papers in the issue cover public and private sectors, global and very local populations, macro-theoretical perspectives, large epidemiological and some single factory or hospital site small case studies. A number of the papers are just beginning to explore and draw out for the first time the risks from hazards in their part of the world. The methodologies adopted also range from lab-based studies through ergonomic assessments and interventions to therapeutic approaches. PMID:27782047

Developing a driving Safety Index using a Delphi stated preference experiment.

PubMed

Jamson, Samantha; Wardman, Mark; Batley, Richard; Carsten, Oliver

2008-03-01

Whilst empirical evidence is available concerning the effect of some aspects of driving behaviour on safety (e.g. speed choice), there is scant knowledge about safety thresholds, i.e. the point at which behaviour can be considered unsafe. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to ascertain the interaction between various aspects of driving behaviour. For example, how might drivers' lateral control of a vehicle be mediated by their speed choice-are the effects additive or do they cancel each other out. Complex experimental or observational studies would need to be undertaken to establish the nature of such effects. As an alternative, a Delphi study was undertaken to use expert judgement as a way of deriving a first approximation of these threshold and combinatory effects. Using a stated preference technique, road safety professionals make judgements about drivers' safe or unsafe behaviour. The aim was to understand the relative weightings that are assigned to a number of driver behaviours and thereby to construct a Safety Index. As expected, experts were able to establish thresholds, above (or below) which changes to the behavioural parameters had minimal impact on safety. This provided us with a Safety Index, based on a model that had face validity and a convincing range of values. However, the experts found the task of combining these driver behaviours more difficult, reflecting the elusive nature of safety estimates. Suggestions for future validation of our Safety Index are provided.

Analyzing crash frequency in freeway tunnels: A correlated random parameters approach.

PubMed

Hou, Qinzhong; Tarko, Andrew P; Meng, Xianghai

2018-02-01

The majority of past road safety studies focused on open road segments while only a few focused on tunnels. Moreover, the past tunnel studies produced some inconsistent results about the safety effects of the traffic patterns, the tunnel design, and the pavement conditions. The effects of these conditions therefore remain unknown, especially for freeway tunnels in China. The study presented in this paper investigated the safety effects of these various factors utilizing a four-year period (2009-2012) of data as well as three models: 1) a random effects negative binomial model (RENB), 2) an uncorrelated random parameters negative binomial model (URPNB), and 3) a correlated random parameters negative binomial model (CRPNB). Of these three, the results showed that the CRPNB model provided better goodness-of-fit and offered more insights into the factors that contribute to tunnel safety. The CRPNB was not only able to allocate the part of the otherwise unobserved heterogeneity to the individual model parameters but also was able to estimate the cross-correlations between these parameters. Furthermore, the study results showed that traffic volume, tunnel length, proportion of heavy trucks, curvature, and pavement rutting were associated with higher frequencies of traffic crashes, while the distance to the tunnel wall, distance to the adjacent tunnel, distress ratio, International Roughness Index (IRI), and friction coefficient were associated with lower crash frequencies. In addition, the effects of the heterogeneity of the proportion of heavy trucks, the curvature, the rutting depth, and the friction coefficient were identified and their inter-correlations were analyzed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hierarchical Safety Cases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Denney, Ewen W.; Whiteside, Iain J.

2012-01-01

We introduce hierarchical safety cases (or hicases) as a technique to overcome some of the difficulties that arise creating and maintaining industrial-size safety cases. Our approach extends the existing Goal Structuring Notation with abstraction structures, which allow the safety case to be viewed at different levels of detail. We motivate hicases and give a mathematical account of them as well as an intuition, relating them to other related concepts. We give a second definition which corresponds closely to our implementation of hicases in the AdvoCATE Assurance Case Editor and prove the correspondence between the two. Finally, we suggest areas of future enhancement, both theoretically and practically.

ASSOCIATION OF DRUSEN VOLUME WITH CHOROIDAL PARAMETERS IN NONNEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

PubMed

Balasubramanian, Siva; Lei, Jianqin; Nittala, Muneeswar G; Velaga, Swetha B; Haines, Jonathan; Pericak-Vance, Margaret A; Stambolian, Dwight; Sadda, SriniVas R

2017-10-01

The choroid is thought to be relevant to the pathogenesis of nonneovascular age-related macular degeneration, but its role has not yet been fully defined. In this study, we evaluate the relationship between the extent of macular drusen and specific choroidal parameters, including thickness and intensity. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography images were collected from two distinct, independent cohorts with nonneovascular age-related macular degeneration: Amish (53 eyes of 34 subjects) and non-Amish (40 eyes from 26 subjects). All spectral domain optical coherence tomography scans were obtained using the Cirrus HD-OCT with a 512 × 128 macular cube (6 × 6 mm) protocol. The Cirrus advanced retinal pigment epithelium analysis tool was used to automatically compute drusen volume within 3 mm (DV3) and 5 mm (DV5) circles centered on the fovea. The inner and outer borders of the choroid were manually segmented, and the mean choroidal thickness and choroidal intensity (i.e., brightness) were calculated. The choroidal intensity was normalized against the vitreous and nerve fiber layer reflectivity. The correlation between DV and these choroidal parameters was assessed using Pearson and linear regression analysis. A significant positive correlation was observed between normalized choroidal intensity and DV5 in the Amish (r = 0.42, P = 0.002) and non-Amish (r = 0.33, P = 0.03) cohorts. Also, DV3 showed a significant positive correlation with normalized choroidal intensity in both the groups (Amish: r = 0.30, P = 0.02; non-Amish: r = 0.32, P = 0.04). Choroidal thickness was negatively correlated with normalized choroidal intensity in both Amish (r = -0.71, P = 0.001) and non-Amish (r = -0.43, P = 0.01) groups. Normalized choroidal intensity was the most significant constant predictor of DV in both the Amish and non-Amish groups. Choroidal intensity, but not choroidal thickness, seems to be associated with drusen volume in Amish and non-Amish populations. These

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2017. Final rule.

PubMed

2016-03-08

This final rule sets forth payment parameters and provisions related to the risk adjustment, reinsurance, and risk corridors programs; cost-sharing parameters and cost-sharing reductions; and user fees for Federally-facilitated Exchanges. It also provides additional amendments regarding the annual open enrollment period for the individual market for the 2017 and 2018 benefit years; essential health benefits; cost sharing; qualified health plans; Exchange consumer assistance programs; network adequacy; patient safety; the Small Business Health Options Program; stand-alone dental plans; third-party payments to qualified health plans; the definitions of large employer and small employer; fair health insurance premiums; student health insurance coverage; the rate review program; the medical loss ratio program; eligibility and enrollment; exemptions and appeals; and other related topics.

School bus and children's traffic safety.

PubMed

Pan, Shu-ming; Hargarten, Stephen; Zhu, Shan-kuan

2007-08-01

There is no safer way to transport a child than a school bus. Fatal crashes involving occupants are extremely rare events in the US. In recent years, school bus transportation began to develop in China. We want to bring advanced experience on school bus safety in Western countries such as the US to developing countries. We searched the papers related to school bus safety from Medline, Chinese Scientific Journals Database and the Web of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There were only 9 papers related to school bus safety, which showed that higher levels of safety standards on school buses, school bus-related transportation and environmental laws and injury prevention were the primary reasons for the desired outcome. Few school bus is related to deaths and injuries in the developed countries. The developing countries should make strict environmental laws and standards on school bus safety to prevent children's injury and death.

Improving diabetic foot care in a nurse-managed safety-net clinic.

PubMed

Peterson, Joann M; Virden, Mary D

2013-05-01

This article is a description of the development and implementation of a Comprehensive Diabetic Foot Care Program and assessment tool in an academically affiliated nurse-managed, multidisciplinary, safety-net clinic. The assessment tool parallels parameters identified in the Task Force Foot Care Interest Group of the American Diabetes Association's report published in 2008, "Comprehensive Foot Examination and Risk Assessment." Review of literature, Silver City Health Center's (SCHC) 2009 Annual Report, retrospective chart review. Since the full implementation of SCHC's Comprehensive Diabetic Foot Care Program, there have been no hospitalizations of clinic patients for foot-related complications. The development of the Comprehensive Diabetic Foot Assessment tool and the implementation of the Comprehensive Diabetic Foot Care Program have resulted in positive outcomes for the patients in a nurse-managed safety-net clinic. This article demonstrates that quality healthcare services can successfully be developed and implemented in a safety-net clinic setting. ©2012 The Author(s) Journal compilation ©2012 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

The Effectiveness of a Bicycle Safety Program for Improving Safety-Related Knowledge and Behavior in Young Elementary Students

PubMed Central

Glang, Ann

2010-01-01

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the “Bike Smart” program, an eHealth software program that teaches bicycle safety behaviors to young children. Methods Participants were 206 elementary students in grades kindergarten to 3. A random control design was employed to evaluate the program, with students assigned to either the treatment condition (Bike Smart) or the control condition (a video on childhood safety). Outcome measures included computer-based knowledge items (safety rules, helmet placement, hazard discrimination) and a behavioral measure of helmet placement. Results Results demonstrated that regardless of gender, cohort, and grade the participants in the treatment group showed greater gains than control participants in both the computer-presented knowledge items (p > .01) and the observational helmet measure (p > .05). Conclusions Findings suggest that the Bike Smart program can be a low cost, effective component of safety training packages that include both skills-based and experiential training. PMID:19755497

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS notice of benefit and payment parameters for 2015. Final rule.

PubMed

2014-03-11

This final rule sets forth payment parameters and oversight provisions related to the risk adjustment, reinsurance, and risk corridors programs; cost sharing parameters and cost-sharing reductions; and user fees for Federally-facilitated Exchanges. It also provides additional standards with respect to composite premiums, privacy and security of personally identifiable information, the annual open enrollment period for 2015, the actuarial value calculator, the annual limitation in cost sharing for stand-alone dental plans, the meaningful difference standard for qualified health plans offered through a Federally-facilitated Exchange, patient safety standards for issuers of qualified health plans, and the Small Business Health Options Program.

An impact analysis of forecasting methods and forecasting parameters on bullwhip effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silitonga, R. Y. H.; Jelly, N.

2018-04-01

Bullwhip effect is an increase of variance of demand fluctuation from downstream to upstream of supply chain. Forecasting methods and forecasting parameters were recognized as some factors that affect bullwhip phenomena. To study these factors, we can develop simulations. There are several ways to simulate bullwhip effect in previous studies, such as mathematical equation modelling, information control modelling, computer program, and many more. In this study a spreadsheet program named Bullwhip Explorer was used to simulate bullwhip effect. Several scenarios were developed to show the change in bullwhip effect ratio because of the difference in forecasting methods and forecasting parameters. Forecasting methods used were mean demand, moving average, exponential smoothing, demand signalling, and minimum expected mean squared error. Forecasting parameters were moving average period, smoothing parameter, signalling factor, and safety stock factor. It showed that decreasing moving average period, increasing smoothing parameter, increasing signalling factor can create bigger bullwhip effect ratio. Meanwhile, safety stock factor had no impact to bullwhip effect.

Effect of Occupational Health and Safety Management System on Work-Related Accident Rate and Differences of Occupational Health and Safety Management System Awareness between Managers in South Korea's Construction Industry

PubMed Central

Yoon, Seok J.; Lin, Hsing K.; Chen, Gang; Yi, Shinjea; Choi, Jeawook; Rui, Zhenhua

2013-01-01

Background The study was conducted to investigate the current status of the occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) in the construction industry and the effect of OHSMS on accident rates. Differences of awareness levels on safety issues among site general managers and occupational health and safety (OHS) managers are identified through surveys. Methods The accident rates for the OHSMS-certified construction companies from 2006 to 2011, when the construction OHSMS became widely available, were analyzed to understand the effect of OHSMS on the work-related injury rates in the construction industry. The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency 18001 is the certification to these companies performing OHSMS in South Korea. The questionnaire was created to analyze the differences of OHSMS awareness between site general managers and OHS managers of construction companies. Results The implementation of OHSMS among the top 100 construction companies in South Korea shows that the accident rate decreased by 67% and the fatal accident rate decreased by 10.3% during the period from 2006 to 2011. The survey in this study shows different OHSMS awareness levels between site general managers and OHS managers. The differences were motivation for developing OHSMS, external support needed for implementing OHSMS, problems and effectiveness of implementing OHSMS. Conclusion Both work-related accident and fatal accident rates were found to be significantly reduced by implementing OHSMS in this study. The differences of OHSMS awareness between site general managers and OHS managers were identified through a survey. The effect of these differences on safety and other benefits warrants further research with proper data collection. PMID:24422176

Effect of Occupational Health and Safety Management System on Work-Related Accident Rate and Differences of Occupational Health and Safety Management System Awareness between Managers in South Korea's Construction Industry.

PubMed

Yoon, Seok J; Lin, Hsing K; Chen, Gang; Yi, Shinjea; Choi, Jeawook; Rui, Zhenhua

2013-12-01

The study was conducted to investigate the current status of the occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) in the construction industry and the effect of OHSMS on accident rates. Differences of awareness levels on safety issues among site general managers and occupational health and safety (OHS) managers are identified through surveys. The accident rates for the OHSMS-certified construction companies from 2006 to 2011, when the construction OHSMS became widely available, were analyzed to understand the effect of OHSMS on the work-related injury rates in the construction industry. The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency 18001 is the certification to these companies performing OHSMS in South Korea. The questionnaire was created to analyze the differences of OHSMS awareness between site general managers and OHS managers of construction companies. The implementation of OHSMS among the top 100 construction companies in South Korea shows that the accident rate decreased by 67% and the fatal accident rate decreased by 10.3% during the period from 2006 to 2011. The survey in this study shows different OHSMS awareness levels between site general managers and OHS managers. The differences were motivation for developing OHSMS, external support needed for implementing OHSMS, problems and effectiveness of implementing OHSMS. Both work-related accident and fatal accident rates were found to be significantly reduced by implementing OHSMS in this study. The differences of OHSMS awareness between site general managers and OHS managers were identified through a survey. The effect of these differences on safety and other benefits warrants further research with proper data collection.

An Interoperability Consideration in Selecting Domain Parameters for Elliptic Curve Cryptography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivancic, Will (Technical Monitor); Eddy, Wesley M.

2005-01-01

Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) will be an important technology for electronic privacy and authentication in the near future. There are many published specifications for elliptic curve cryptosystems, most of which contain detailed descriptions of the process for the selection of domain parameters. Selecting strong domain parameters ensures that the cryptosystem is robust to attacks. Due to a limitation in several published algorithms for doubling points on elliptic curves, some ECC implementations may produce incorrect, inconsistent, and incompatible results if domain parameters are not carefully chosen under a criterion that we describe. Few documents specify the addition or doubling of points in such a manner as to avoid this problematic situation. The safety criterion we present is not listed in any ECC specification we are aware of, although several other guidelines for domain selection are discussed in the literature. We provide a simple example of how a set of domain parameters not meeting this criterion can produce catastrophic results, and outline a simple means of testing curve parameters for interoperable safety over doubling.

Electronic eye for the prediction of parameters related to grape ripening.

PubMed

Orlandi, G; Calvini, R; Pigani, L; Foca, G; Vasile Simone, G; Antonelli, A; Ulrici, A

2018-08-15

An electronic eye (EE) for fast and easy evaluation of grape phenolic ripening has been developed. For this purpose, berries of different grape varieties were collected at different harvest times from veraison to maturity, then an amount of the derived must was deposited on a white sheet of absorbent paper to obtain a sort of paper chromatography. Thus, RGB images of the must spots were collected using a flatbed scanner and converted into one-dimensional signals, named colourgrams, which codify the colour properties of the images. The dataset of colourgrams was used to build calibration models to relate the colour of the images with the phenolic composition of the samples - determined by reference analytical methods - and therefore to follow the ripening trend. Satisfactory calibration models were obtained for the prediction of the most important parameters related to phenolic ripening of grapes, such as colour index, tonality, total anthocyanins content, malvidin-3-O-glucoside and petunidin-3-O-glucoside. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fundamental approaches for analysis thermal hydraulic parameter for Puspati Research Reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashim, Zaredah; Lanyau, Tonny Anak; Farid, Mohamad Fairus Abdul; Kassim, Mohammad Suhaimi; Azhar, Noraishah Syahirah

2016-01-01

The 1-MW PUSPATI Research Reactor (RTP) is the one and only nuclear pool type research reactor developed by General Atomic (GA) in Malaysia. It was installed at Malaysian Nuclear Agency and has reached the first criticality on 8 June 1982. Based on the initial core which comprised of 80 standard TRIGA fuel elements, the very fundamental thermal hydraulic model was investigated during steady state operation using the PARET-code. The main objective of this paper is to determine the variation of temperature profiles and Departure of Nucleate Boiling Ratio (DNBR) of RTP at full power operation. The second objective is to confirm that the values obtained from PARET-code are in agreement with Safety Analysis Report (SAR) for RTP. The code was employed for the hot and average channels in the core in order to calculate of fuel's center and surface, cladding, coolant temperatures as well as DNBR's values. In this study, it was found that the results obtained from the PARET-code showed that the thermal hydraulic parameters related to safety for initial core which was cooled by natural convection was in agreement with the designed values and safety limit in SAR.

Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Determination of the Effect of Experimental Parameters on Vehicle Agent Speed Relative to Vehicle Intruder.

PubMed

Shamshirband, Shahaboddin; Banjanovic-Mehmedovic, Lejla; Bosankic, Ivan; Kasapovic, Suad; Abdul Wahab, Ainuddin Wahid Bin

2016-01-01

Intelligent Transportation Systems rely on understanding, predicting and affecting the interactions between vehicles. The goal of this paper is to choose a small subset from the larger set so that the resulting regression model is simple, yet have good predictive ability for Vehicle agent speed relative to Vehicle intruder. The method of ANFIS (adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system) was applied to the data resulting from these measurements. The ANFIS process for variable selection was implemented in order to detect the predominant variables affecting the prediction of agent speed relative to intruder. This process includes several ways to discover a subset of the total set of recorded parameters, showing good predictive capability. The ANFIS network was used to perform a variable search. Then, it was used to determine how 9 parameters (Intruder Front sensors active (boolean), Intruder Rear sensors active (boolean), Agent Front sensors active (boolean), Agent Rear sensors active (boolean), RSSI signal intensity/strength (integer), Elapsed time (in seconds), Distance between Agent and Intruder (m), Angle of Agent relative to Intruder (angle between vehicles °), Altitude difference between Agent and Intruder (m)) influence prediction of agent speed relative to intruder. The results indicated that distance between Vehicle agent and Vehicle intruder (m) and angle of Vehicle agent relative to Vehicle Intruder (angle between vehicles °) is the most influential parameters to Vehicle agent speed relative to Vehicle intruder.

EFFECT OF THERAPEUTIC TOUCH ON PAIN RELATED PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL

PubMed Central

Tabatabaee, Amir; Tafreshi, Mansoureh Zagheri; Rassouli, Maryam; Aledavood, Seyed Amir; AlaviMajd, Hamid; Farahmand, Seyed Kazem

2016-01-01

Introduction: In patients with cancer, pain may influence their life style, and feeling of satisfaction and comfort, leading to fatigue, and cause impairment of their quality of life, personal relationships, sleep and daily activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of therapeutic touch (TT) on pain related parameters of in patients with cancer. Methods: In a randomized clinical trial a total of 90 male patients referring to Specialized Oncology Hospital in Mashhad, were conveniently selected and randomly divided into three intervention, placebo, and control groups. The intervention consisted of TT in 7 sessions for a 4-week period. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire along with the Brief Pain Inventory, which were then analyzed and compared using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: By comparing scores parameters of pain scales (general activity, mood, walking ability, relations with other people and sleep) in the three groups, there was no significant difference at the beginning of the first session. However, a significant difference was observed at the end of TT sessions between the three groups (p= 0.001). Furthermore, the groups were compared two-by-two by using Mann-Whitney test and Bonferroni correction, and the result indicated significant differences between the two intervention and placebo groups as well as between the two intervention and control groups. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that TT had a positive impact on the positive management of pain related parameters in cancer patients. Therefore, TT is suggested to be used by healthcare providers as a complementary method for managing pain and its parameters. PMID:27482166

75 FR 45697 - Safety Advisory Notice: Personal Electronic Device Related Distractions

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-03

... the Federal safety authority for the transportation of hazardous materials by air, rail, highway, and... transportation of hazardous materials. In light of PHMSA's vital safety mission, we issue this advisory bulletin... hazardous materials transportation. Issued in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2010. Magdy El-Sibaie, Associate...

Safety assessment of Hibiscus sabdariffa after maternal exposure on male reproductive parameters in rats.

PubMed

de Arruda, Aline; Cardoso, Claudia Andrea L; Vieira, Maria do Carmo; Arena, Arielle Cristina

2016-01-01

Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Malvaceae) is a species widely used in folk medicine for the treatment of some disorders. This study evaluated the effects of H. sabdariffa (HS) on the development of the male reproductive tract in rats following in utero exposure. Pregnant rats received 250 or 500 mg/kg of HS extract or vehicle from gestational day 12 until day 21 of lactation. Both doses of HS increased the body weight of male offspring at weaning, without compromising the puberty onset parameters. At puberty, there was a significant increase in the vas deferens absolute weight and a significant reduction in the relative weight of kidney at higher dose. These animals also presented a significant reduction in the sperm number in the caput/corpus of epididymis after exposure to both doses and a reduction in the sperm number in the cauda epididymis for the lower dose. At adulthood, the highest dose significantly reduced the sperm production in relation to controls and both doses provoked a reduction in the relative sperm number in the epididymis without affecting the sperm morphology. These findings demonstrated that maternal exposure to H. sabdariffa can adversely influence the male reproductive system in rats.

Obtaining Valid Safety Data for Software Safety Measurement and Process Improvement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basili, Victor r.; Zelkowitz, Marvin V.; Layman, Lucas; Dangle, Kathleen; Diep, Madeline

2010-01-01

We report on a preliminary case study to examine software safety risk in the early design phase of the NASA Constellation spaceflight program. Our goal is to provide NASA quality assurance managers with information regarding the ongoing state of software safety across the program. We examined 154 hazard reports created during the preliminary design phase of three major flight hardware systems within the Constellation program. Our purpose was two-fold: 1) to quantify the relative importance of software with respect to system safety; and 2) to identify potential risks due to incorrect application of the safety process, deficiencies in the safety process, or the lack of a defined process. One early outcome of this work was to show that there are structural deficiencies in collecting valid safety data that make software safety different from hardware safety. In our conclusions we present some of these deficiencies.

Safety Evaluation of Crocin (a constituent of saffron) Tablets in Healthy Volunteers

PubMed Central

Mohamadpour, Amir Houshang; Ayati, Zahara; Parizadeh, Mohammad–Reza; Rajbai, Omid; Hosseinzadeh, Hossein

2013-01-01

Objective(s): Crocin is the chemical ingredient primarily responsible for the color of saffron. It has different pharmacological effects such as antioxidant, anticancer and memory improving activities. Crocin tablets were evaluated for short-term safety and tolerability in healthy adult volunteers. Materials and Methods: The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design consisting of one month treatment of crocin tablets. Volunteers who fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomized into 2 groups of 22 each (males and females) and received 20 mg crocin tablets or placebo. General measures of health were recorded during the study such as hematological, biochemical, hormonal and urinary parameters in pre and post-treatment periods. Results: No major adverse events were reported during the trial. Crocin tablets did not change the above parameters except that it decreased amylase, mixed white blood cells and PTT in healthy volunteers after one month. Conclusion: This clinical safety evaluation showed a relatively safe and normal profile for crocin in healthy volunteers at the given doses within the trial period. PMID:23638291

Optical phonon modes and polaron related parameters in GaxIn1-xP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouarissa, N.; Algarni, H.; Al-Hagan, O. A.; Khan, M. A.; Alhuwaymel, T. F.

2018-02-01

Based on a pseudopotential approach under the virtual crystal approximation that includes the effect of compositional disorder, the optical lattice vibration frequencies and polaron related parameters in zinc-blende GaxIn1-xP have been studied. Our findings showed generally reasonably good accord with data in the literature. Other case, our results are predictions. The composition dependence of longitudinal optical (LO) and transverse optical (TO) phonon modes, LO-TO splittings, Frӧhlich coupling parameter, Debye temperature of LO phonon frequency, and polaron effective mass has been analyzed and discussed. While a non-monotonic behavior has been noticed for the LO and TO phonon frequencies versus Ga concentration x, a monotonic behavior has been observed for the rest of the features of interest. The information derived from this investigation may be useful for optoelectronic technological applications.

The effect of challenge and hindrance stressors on safety behavior and safety outcomes: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Clarke, Sharon

2012-10-01

The significance of occupational stressors as a risk factor in accidents has long been recognized; however, the behavioral mechanisms underlying this relationship are currently not well-understood. Meta-analysis was utilized to test the relationships between occupational stressors (challenge and hindrance), safety behaviors (compliance and participation), and safety outcomes (occupational injuries and near-misses). It was hypothesized that hindrance stressors would have negative effects on both safety compliance and safety participation, and subsequently, safety outcomes, whereas challenge stressors would have positive effects. The hypotheses relating to hindrance stressors were supported, suggesting that hindrance stressors lead to a significant reduction in both compliance with safety rules and participation in safety-related activities. Hindrance stressors were also associated with higher levels of occupational injuries and near-misses. The relationship between hindrance stressors and occupational injuries was fully mediated by safety behaviors. However, the hypotheses related to challenge stressors were not supported. Challenge stressors had a nonsignificant, near-zero association with compliance and occupational injuries, a small negative association with participation, and a small positive association with near-misses. The theoretical and practical implications of the meta-analytic findings are discussed, as well as avenues for further research.

[Use of complementary tests in emergencies and their relation with patient safety incidents].

PubMed

Alcaraz-Martínez, J; Aranaz-Andrés, J M; Cantero-Sandoval, A; Piñera-Salmerón, P; Mas-Luzón, J; Serrano-Martínez, J A; González Garro, E

To analyse the use of complementary tests and their relationship with safety incidents in hospital emergency departments. An analysis was performed on 935 patients seen in the 9 hospital emergency departments. The source of data used for the detection of incidents were: emergency department clinical record and reports, together with face-to-face observation in the department, plus a telephone survey of the patient or family member at one week after the care. Statistical tests used: The Student t test for quantitative variables, Chi squared test for qualitative variables, and the ANOVA test. A peripheral venous catheter was used in 397 patients (42.4% (95% CI; 39.3-45.5%)), with a variability with significant differences between hospitals (P<.01), with a range of use from 37% to 81.8%. It was also observed that in 23.4% (95% CI; 19.2-27.6%) of the cases, the catheter was not used after the first blood draw. Radiological tests were requested for 351 patients, 37.7% (95% CI; 34.6-40.8%), also with significant differences between hospitals (P<.01), ranging from 24.6 to 65, 1%. Incidents were detected in 95 (10.2%) patients (95% CI; 8.3-12.1%) in the all the study centres. A higher proportion of safety incidents have been observed in patients where peripheral venous catheter has been used (12.8%) than in those in whom they had not been used (8.5%) (P=.03), as well as in patients on whom an x-ray was requested (12.8%) compared to those who did not (8.64%) (P=.04). A longer stay was also observed in cases with an incident (mean 248.9minutes) than in those where there were none (mean 164.1minutes) (P<.001). No statistically significant differences were found in the other parameters studied. A relationship was observed between the use of a peripheral venous catheter (many of them without use) and radiological tests and the occurrence of safety incidents in the Emergency Departments. Copyright © 2018 SECA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Time Safety Margin: Theory and Practice

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

Basic Dive Recovery Terminology The Simplest Definition of TSM: Time Safety Margin is the time to directly travel from the worst-case vector to an...Safety Margin (TSM). TSM is defined as the time in seconds to directly travel from the worst case vector (i.e. worst case combination of parameters...invoked by this AFI, base recovery planning and risk management upon the calculated TSM. TSM is the time in seconds to di- rectly travel from the worst case

Annotated Bibliography of Rail Transit Safety, 1975-1980, with Emphasis on Safety Research and Development.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-09-01

The bibliography provides a comprehensive review of published literature concerning rail transit safety and includes 186 annotated entries. The report covers domestic and foreign material on rail transit safety and related safety research and develop...

On Interpreting the Model Parameters for the Three Parameter Logistic Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maris, Gunter; Bechger, Timo

2009-01-01

This paper addresses two problems relating to the interpretability of the model parameters in the three parameter logistic model. First, it is shown that if the values of the discrimination parameters are all the same, the remaining parameters are nonidentifiable in a nontrivial way that involves not only ability and item difficulty, but also the…

Assessment of the safety of injection practices and injection-related procedures in family health units and centers in Alexandria.

PubMed

Elhoseeny, Taghareed A; Mourad, Juidan K

2014-08-01

The Safe Injection Global Network (SIGN) developed an intervention strategy for reducing overuse of injections and promoting the administration of safe injections. Tool C--Revised is designed to assess the safety of the most common procedures that puncture the skin within health services. The aim of the study was to assess injection safety within the primary healthcare facilities in Alexandria using Tool C--Revised. A total of 45 family health units and centers in Alexandria were selected by proportional allocation from the eight regions of Alexandria. The Tool C--Revised of the WHO was used for observation of the entire facility, injection practices and injection-related procedures, and sterilization practices. Interview of different health providers and immediate supervisor of injections was carried out. Indicators that reflect risk included: deficiency of alcohol-based hand rub for cleansing hands (13.3%), compliance with hand wash before preparing a procedure (56.9% before injection practices, 61.3% before phlebotomy, and 67.6% before lancet puncture), and wearing a new pair of gloves before new procedures (48.6% before injection practices, 9.7% for phlebotomy, 11.8% for lancet puncture, and 80% for both intravenous injections and infusions). Enough disposable equipment in all facilities for at least 2 weeks dependent on the statement of the average numbers of procedures per week was shown. Only 38% of the providers had received training regarding injection safety in the last 2 years and 62.5% had completed their three doses of hepatitis B vaccine. Only 42.2% of staffs who handled healthcare waste had access to heavy gloves. Indicators related to injection and injection-related practices that reflect risk to patients include deficiency of alcohol-based hand rub tools, nonadherence to hand hygiene before preparing an injection, and inadequate adherence to using a clean barrier when opening a glass ampule and use of gloves. Indicators that may reflect risk to

Verifying Safety Messages Using Relative-Time and Zone Priority in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks.

PubMed

Banani, Sam; Gordon, Steven; Thiemjarus, Surapa; Kittipiyakul, Somsak

2018-04-13

In high-density road networks, with each vehicle broadcasting multiple messages per second, the arrival rate of safety messages can easily exceed the rate at which digital signatures can be verified. Since not all messages can be verified, algorithms for selecting which messages to verify are required to ensure that each vehicle receives appropriate awareness about neighbouring vehicles. This paper presents a novel scheme to select important safety messages for verification in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). The proposed scheme uses location and direction of the sender, as well as proximity and relative-time between vehicles, to reduce the number of irrelevant messages verified (i.e., messages from vehicles that are unlikely to cause an accident). Compared with other existing schemes, the analysis results show that the proposed scheme can verify messages from nearby vehicles with lower inter-message delay and reduced packet loss and thus provides high level of awareness of the nearby vehicles.

Verifying Safety Messages Using Relative-Time and Zone Priority in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

PubMed Central

Banani, Sam; Thiemjarus, Surapa; Kittipiyakul, Somsak

2018-01-01

In high-density road networks, with each vehicle broadcasting multiple messages per second, the arrival rate of safety messages can easily exceed the rate at which digital signatures can be verified. Since not all messages can be verified, algorithms for selecting which messages to verify are required to ensure that each vehicle receives appropriate awareness about neighbouring vehicles. This paper presents a novel scheme to select important safety messages for verification in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). The proposed scheme uses location and direction of the sender, as well as proximity and relative-time between vehicles, to reduce the number of irrelevant messages verified (i.e., messages from vehicles that are unlikely to cause an accident). Compared with other existing schemes, the analysis results show that the proposed scheme can verify messages from nearby vehicles with lower inter-message delay and reduced packet loss and thus provides high level of awareness of the nearby vehicles. PMID:29652840

Total safety management: An approach to improving safety culture

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blush, S.M.

A little over 4 yr ago, Admiral James D. Watkins became Secretary of Energy. President Bush, who had appointed him, informed Watkins that his principal task would be to clean up the nuclear weapons complex and put the US Department of Energy (DOE) back in the business of producing tritium for the nation's nuclear deterrent. Watkins recognized that in order to achieve these objectives, he would have to substantially improve the DOE's safety culture. Safety culture is a relatively new term. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) used it in a 1986 report on the root causes of the Chernobylmore » nuclear accident. In 1990, the IAEA's International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group issued a document focusing directly on safety culture. It provides guidelines to the international nuclear community for measuring the effectiveness of safety culture in nuclear organizations. Safety culture has two principal aspects: an organizational framework conducive to safety and the necessary organizational and individual attitudes that promote safety. These obviously go hand in hand. An organization must create the right framework to foster the right attitudes, but individuals must have the right attitudes to create the organizational framework that will support a good safety culture. The difficulty in developing such a synergistic relationship suggests that achieving and sustaining a strong safety culture is not easy, particularly in an organization whose safety culture is in serious disrepair.« less

[Lift-trucks technological development related to driver's safety and health].

PubMed

Tartara, G

2012-01-01

The counterbalanced lift truck is a machinery characterized by an unusual behaviour. Like a lever, indeed, it is deeply affected by the change of the load condition: sometime, when a small variation of the load takes place, the position of the original load centre of gravity may change a lot. For this reason, an ordinary lapse or a small mistake when driving may lead to a dangerous situation in a so speedy way that the most skilled lift-truck operator too might be surprised. Only the technological development, often incited by binding provisions, can help him. This paper shortly shows the lift-truck evolution related to the driver's safety and health. In spite of our expectations, however, market does not seem to be interested in this development: either because its mind has been took away by other kind of problems, or because a suitable sensitization campaign did not take place.

Occupational Safety and Related Impacts on Health  and the Environment.

PubMed

Watterson, Andrew

2016-10-05

The inter-relationship between safety, health and the 'environment' is a complex and at times a relatively neglected topic. In this issue, 'safety' is often viewed by contributors as 'health and safety' and includes occupationally-related ill health as well as injury or harm to employees and the wider public. 'Environment' is also interpreted in the widest sense covering both physical and work environments with upstream work hazards presenting risks to downstream communities. The focus is very much on exploring and where possible addressing the challenges, some old and some facing workers in a range of public and private settings and also at times their nearby communities. The 19 papers in the issue cover public and private sectors, global and very local populations, macro-theoretical perspectives, large epidemiological and some single factory or hospital site small case studies. A number of the papers are just beginning to explore and draw out for the first time the risks from hazards in their part of the world. The methodologies adopted also range from lab-based studies through ergonomic assessments and interventions to therapeutic approaches.

Relations among soil radon, environmental parameters, volcanic and seismic events at Mt. Etna (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giammanco, S.; Ferrera, E.; Cannata, A.; Montalto, P.; Neri, M.

2013-12-01

From November 2009 to April 2011 soil radon activity was continuously monitored using a Barasol probe located on the upper NE flank of Mt. Etna volcano (Italy), close both to the Piano Provenzana fault and to the NE-Rift. Seismic, volcanological and radon data were analysed together with data on environmental parameters, such as air and soil temperature, barometric pressure, snow and rain fall. In order to find possible correlations among the above parameters, and hence to reveal possible anomalous trends in the radon time-series, we used different statistical methods: i) multivariate linear regression; ii) cross-correlation; iii) coherence analysis through wavelet transform. Multivariate regression indicated a modest influence on soil radon from environmental parameters (R2 = 0.31). When using 100-day time windows, the R2 values showed wide variations in time, reaching their maxima (~0.63-0.66) during summer. Cross-correlation analysis over 100-day moving averages showed that, similar to multivariate linear regression analysis, the summer period was characterised by the best correlation between radon data and environmental parameters. Lastly, the wavelet coherence analysis allowed a multi-resolution coherence analysis of the time series acquired. This approach allowed to study the relations among different signals either in the time or in the frequency domain. It confirmed the results of the previous methods, but also allowed to recognize correlations between radon and environmental parameters at different observation scales (e.g., radon activity changed during strong precipitations, but also during anomalous variations of soil temperature uncorrelated with seasonal fluctuations). Using the above analysis, two periods were recognized when radon variations were significantly correlated with marked soil temperature changes and also with local seismic or volcanic activity. This allowed to produce two different physical models of soil gas transport that explain the

Inroads into Equestrian Safety: Rider-Reported Factors Contributing to Horse-Related Accidents and Near Misses on Australian Roads

PubMed Central

Thompson, Kirrilly; Matthews, Chelsea

2015-01-01

Simple Summary Riding horses on roads can be dangerous, but little is known about accidents and near misses. To explore road safety issues amongst Australian equestrians, we conducted an online survey. More than half of all riders (52%) reported having experienced at least one accident or near miss in the 12 months prior to the survey, mostly attributed to speed. Whilst our findings confirmed factors identified overseas, we also identified issues around road rules, hand signals and road rage. This paper suggests strategies for improving the safety of horses, riders and other road users. Abstract Horse riding and horse-related interactions are inherently dangerous. When they occur on public roads, the risk profile of equestrian activities is complicated by interactions with other road users. Research has identified speed, proximity, visibility, conspicuity and mutual misunderstanding as factors contributing to accidents and near misses. However, little is known about their significance or incidence in Australia. To explore road safety issues amongst Australian equestrians, we conducted an online survey. More than half of all riders (52%) reported having experienced at least one accident or near miss in the 12 months prior to the survey. Whilst our findings confirm the factors identified overseas, we also identified issues around rider misunderstanding of road rules and driver misunderstanding of rider hand signals. Of particular concern, we also found reports of potentially dangerous rider-directed road rage. We identify several areas for potential safety intervention including (1) identifying equestrians as vulnerable road users and horses as sentient decision-making vehicles; (2) harmonising laws regarding passing horses; (3) mandating personal protective equipment; (4) improving road signage; (5) comprehensive data collection; (6) developing mutual understanding amongst road-users; (7) safer road design and alternative riding spaces; and (8) increasing investment

Classifying health information technology patient safety related incidents - an approach used in Wales.

PubMed

Warm, D; Edwards, P

2012-01-01

Interest in the field of patient safety incident reporting and analysis with respect to Health Information Technology (HIT) has been growing over recent years as the development, implementation and reliance on HIT systems becomes ever more prevalent. One of the rationales for capturing patient safety incidents is to learn from failures in the delivery of care and must form part of a feedback loop which also includes analysis; investigation and monitoring. With the advent of new technologies and organizational programs of delivery the emphasis is increasingly upon analyzing HIT incidents. This thematic review had two objectives, to test the applicability of a framework specifically designed to categorize HIT incidents and to review the Welsh incidents as communicated via the national incident reporting system in order to understand their implications for healthcare. The incidents were those reported as IT/ telecommunications failure/ overload. Incidents were searched for within a national reporting system using a standardized search strategy for incidents occurring between 1(st) January 2009 and 31(st) May 2011. 149 incident reports were identified and classified. The majority (77%) of which were machine related (technical problems) such as access problems; computer system down/too slow; display issues; and software malfunctions. A further 10% (n = 15) of incidents were down to human-computer interaction issues and 13% (n = 19) incidents, mainly telephone related, could not be classified using the framework being tested. On the basis of this review of incidents, it is recommended that the framework be expanded to include hardware malfunctions and the wrong record retrieved/missing data associated with a machine output error (as opposed to human error). In terms of the implications for clinical practice, the incidents reviewed highlighted critical issues including the access problems particularly relating to the use of mobile technologies.

Resolving the ambiguity in the relation between Stokes shift and Huang-Rhys parameter.

PubMed

de Jong, Mathijs; Seijo, Luis; Meijerink, Andries; Rabouw, Freddy T

2015-07-14

Electronic transitions in luminescent molecules or centers in crystals couple to vibrations. This results in broadening of absorption and emission bands, as well as in the occurence of a Stokes shift EStokes. In principle, one can derive from EStokes the Huang-Rhys parameter S, which describes the microscopic details of the vibrational coupling and can be related to the equilibrium position offset ΔQe between the ground state and excited state. The commonly used textbook relations EStokes = (2S - 1)ℏω and EStokes = 2Sℏω are only approximately valid. In this paper we investigate how EStokes is related to S, taking into account the effects of a finite temperature. We show that in different ranges of temperature, different approximate relations between EStokes and S are appropriate. Moreover, we demonstrate that the difference between the barycenters of absorption and emission bands can be used to determine S in an unambiguous way. The position of the barycenter is, contrary to the Stokes shift, unaffected by temperature.

Social but safe? Quality and safety of diabetes-related online social networks.

PubMed

Weitzman, Elissa R; Cole, Emily; Kaci, Liljana; Mandl, Kenneth D

2011-05-01

To foster informed decision-making about health social networking (SN) by patients and clinicians, the authors evaluated the quality/safety of SN sites' policies and practices. Multisite structured observation of diabetes-focused SN sites. Measurements 28 indicators of quality and safety covering: (1) alignment of content with diabetes science and clinical practice recommendations; (2) safety practices for auditing content, supporting transparency and moderation; (3) accessibility of privacy policies and the communication and control of privacy risks; and (4) centralized sharing of member data and member control over sharing. Quality was variable across n=10 sites: 50% were aligned with diabetes science/clinical practice recommendations with gaps in medical disclaimer use (30% have) and specification of relevant glycosylated hemoglobin levels (0% have). Safety was mixed with gaps in external review approaches (20% used audits and association links) and internal review approaches (70% use moderation). Internal safety review offers limited protection: misinformation about a diabetes 'cure' was found on four moderated sites. Of nine sites with advertising, transparency was missing on five; ads for unfounded 'cures' were present on three. Technological safety was poor with almost no use of procedures for secure data storage and transmission; only three sites support member controls over personal information. Privacy policies' poor readability impedes risk communication. Only three sites (30%) demonstrated better practice. Limitations English-language diabetes sites only. The quality/safety of diabetes SN is variable. Observed better practice suggests improvement is feasible. Mechanisms for improvement are recommended that engage key stakeholders to balance autonomy, community ownership, conditions for innovation, and consumer protection.

Anomalous solute transport in saturated porous media: Relating transport model parameters to electrical and nuclear magnetic resonance properties

USGS Publications Warehouse

Swanson, Ryan D; Binley, Andrew; Keating, Kristina; France, Samantha; Osterman, Gordon; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Singha, Kamini

2015-01-01

The advection-dispersion equation (ADE) fails to describe commonly observed non-Fickian solute transport in saturated porous media, necessitating the use of other models such as the dual-domain mass-transfer (DDMT) model. DDMT model parameters are commonly calibrated via curve fitting, providing little insight into the relation between effective parameters and physical properties of the medium. There is a clear need for material characterization techniques that can provide insight into the geometry and connectedness of pore spaces related to transport model parameters. Here, we consider proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), direct-current (DC) resistivity, and complex conductivity (CC) measurements for this purpose, and assess these methods using glass beads as a control and two different samples of the zeolite clinoptilolite, a material that demonstrates non-Fickian transport due to intragranular porosity. We estimate DDMT parameters via calibration of a transport model to column-scale solute tracer tests, and compare NMR, DC resistivity, CC results, which reveal that grain size alone does not control transport properties and measured geophysical parameters; rather, volume and arrangement of the pore space play important roles. NMR cannot provide estimates of more-mobile and less-mobile pore volumes in the absence of tracer tests because these estimates depend critically on the selection of a material-dependent and flow-dependent cutoff time. Increased electrical connectedness from DC resistivity measurements are associated with greater mobile pore space determined from transport model calibration. CC was hypothesized to be related to length scales of mass transfer, but the CC response is unrelated to DDMT.

Ecological Issues Related to Children's Health and Safety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aldridge, Jerry; Kohler, Maxie

2009-01-01

Issues concerning the health and safety of children and youth occur at multiple levels. Bronfenbrenner (1995) proposed an ecological systems approach in which multiple systems interact to enhance or diminish children's development. The same systems are at work in health promotion. The authors present and review articles that reflect the multiple…

Informative graphing of continuous safety variables relative to normal reference limits.

PubMed

Breder, Christopher D

2018-05-16

Interpreting graphs of continuous safety variables can be complicated because differences in age, gender, and testing site methodologies data may give rise to multiple reference limits. Furthermore, data below the lower limit of normal are compressed relative to those points above the upper limit of normal. The objective of this study is to develop a graphing technique that addresses these issues and is visually intuitive. A mock dataset with multiple reference ranges is initially used to develop the graphing technique. Formulas are developed for conditions where data are above the upper limit of normal, normal, below the lower limit of normal, and below the lower limit of normal when the data value equals zero. After the formulae are developed, an anonymized dataset from an actual set of trials for an approved drug is evaluated comparing the technique developed in this study to standard graphical methods. Formulas are derived for the novel graphing method based on multiples of the normal limits. The formula for values scaled between the upper and lower limits of normal is a novel application of a readily available scaling formula. The formula for the lower limit of normal is novel and addresses the issue of this value potentially being indeterminate when the result to be scaled as a multiple is zero. The formulae and graphing method described in this study provides a visually intuitive method to graph continuous safety data including laboratory values, vital sign data.

Substance use and social, health and safety-related factors among fatally injured drivers.

PubMed

Karjalainen, Karoliina; Blencowe, Tom; Lillsunde, Pirjo

2012-03-01

The aim of this study was to examine different socio-demographic, health and safety-related factors, and psychoactive substance use among fatally injured drivers in road traffic accidents in Finland during 2006-2008. An accident information register maintained by the Traffic Safety Committee of Insurance Companies (VALT) of the Finnish Motor Insurers' Centre was used as basic data, and the basic data were complemented with further toxicological analytical information retrieved from autopsy reports from the Department of Forensic Medicine, Helsinki University. The data included all the drivers (n=556) who were driving a motor vehicle and who died in a road traffic accident in Finland during 2006-2008. Of all the 556 fatally injured drivers 43% (n=238) had psychoactive substance findings. 51% (n=121) of substance positive drivers had a finding for alcohol only, the rest had a finding for one or more illicit/medicinal drugs impairing driving ability, and possibly also alcohol. Fatally injured drivers with alcohol findings were significantly younger (mean age 34 years) than sober drivers (mean age 44 years) or drivers with findings for drugs (mean age 45 years). Socio-demographic background did not differ substantially among drunken/drugged and sober drivers, although drivers with alcohol findings had a slightly lower education and socioeconomic position. Previous substance abuse problems were highly prevalent among drivers with substance findings and mental or both mental and physical health problems were more common among drivers with drug findings. The non-use of safety equipment and driving at a high speed were more common among fatally injured drivers with substance findings. Substance abuse and mental health problems, as well as reckless driving behavior were more pronounced among fatally injured drivers with substance findings when compared to sober drivers. Thus, prevention and early intervention concerning substance abuse, mental health problems and DUI are

49 CFR 190.239 - Safety orders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Safety orders. 190.239 Section 190.239 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) PIPELINE SAFETY PIPELINE SAFETY PROGRAMS AND RULEMAKING...

Validating a driving simulator using surrogate safety measures.

PubMed

Yan, Xuedong; Abdel-Aty, Mohamed; Radwan, Essam; Wang, Xuesong; Chilakapati, Praveen

2008-01-01

Traffic crash statistics and previous research have shown an increased risk of traffic crashes at signalized intersections. How to diagnose safety problems and develop effective countermeasures to reduce crash rate at intersections is a key task for traffic engineers and researchers. This study aims at investigating whether the driving simulator can be used as a valid tool to assess traffic safety at signalized intersections. In support of the research objective, this simulator validity study was conducted from two perspectives, a traffic parameter (speed) and a safety parameter (crash history). A signalized intersection with as many important features (including roadway geometries, traffic control devices, intersection surroundings, and buildings) was replicated into a high-fidelity driving simulator. A driving simulator experiment with eight scenarios at the intersection were conducted to determine if the subjects' speed behavior and traffic risk patterns in the driving simulator were similar to what were found at the real intersection. The experiment results showed that speed data observed from the field and in the simulator experiment both follow normal distributions and have equal means for each intersection approach, which validated the driving simulator in absolute terms. Furthermore, this study used an innovative approach of using surrogate safety measures from the simulator to contrast with the crash analysis for the field data. The simulator experiment results indicated that compared to the right-turn lane with the low rear-end crash history record (2 crashes), subjects showed a series of more risky behaviors at the right-turn lane with the high rear-end crash history record (16 crashes), including higher deceleration rate (1.80+/-1.20 m/s(2) versus 0.80+/-0.65 m/s(2)), higher non-stop right-turn rate on red (81.67% versus 57.63%), higher right-turn speed as stop line (18.38+/-8.90 km/h versus 14.68+/-6.04 km/h), shorter following distance (30

Interacting Effects Induced by Two Neighboring Pits Considering Relative Position Parameters and Pit Depth

PubMed Central

Huang, Yongfang; Gang, Tieqiang; Chen, Lijie

2017-01-01

For pre-corroded aluminum alloy 7075-T6, the interacting effects of two neighboring pits on the stress concentration are comprehensively analyzed by considering various relative position parameters (inclination angle θ and dimensionless spacing parameter λ) and pit depth (d) with the finite element method. According to the severity of the stress concentration, the critical corrosion regions, bearing high susceptibility to fatigue damage, are determined for intersecting and adjacent pits, respectively. A straightforward approach is accordingly proposed to conservatively estimate the combined stress concentration factor induced by two neighboring pits, and a concrete application example is presented. It is found that for intersecting pits, the normalized stress concentration factor Ktnor increases with the increase of θ and λ and always reaches its maximum at θ = 90°, yet for adjacent pits, Ktnor decreases with the increase of λ and the maximum value appears at a slight asymmetric location. The simulations reveal that Ktnor follows a linear and an exponential relationship with the dimensionless depth parameter Rd for intersecting and adjacent cases, respectively. PMID:28772758

Control centers design for ergonomics and safety.

PubMed

Quintana, Leonardo; Lizarazo, Cesar; Bernal, Oscar; Cordoba, Jorge; Arias, Claudia; Monroy, Magda; Cotrino, Carlos; Montoya, Olga

2012-01-01

This paper shows the general design conditions about ergonomics and safety for control centers in the petrochemical process industry. Some of the topics include guidelines for the optimized workstation design, control room layout, building layout, and lighting, acoustical and environmental design. Also takes into account the safety parameters in the control rooms and centers design. The conditions and parameters shown in this paper come from the standards and global advances on this topic on the most recent publications. And also the work was supplemented by field visits of our team to the control center operations in a petrochemical company, and technical literature search efforts. This guideline will be useful to increase the productivity and improve the working conditions at the control rooms.

Maintaining ocular safety with light exposure, focusing on devices for optogenetic stimulation

PubMed Central

Yan, Boyuan; Vakulenko, Maksim; Min, Seok-Hong; Hauswirth, William W.; Nirenberg, Sheila

2016-01-01

Optogenetics methods are rapidly being developed as therapeutic tools for treating neurological diseases, in particular, retinal degenerative diseases. A critical component of the development is testing the safety of the light stimulation used to activate the optogenetic proteins. While the stimulation needs to be sufficient to produce neural responses in the targeted retinal cell class, it also needs to be below photochemical and photothermal limits known to cause ocular damage. The maximal permissible exposure is determined by a variety of factors, including wavelength, exposure duration, visual angle, pupil size, pulse width, pulse pattern, and repetition frequency. In this paper, we develop utilities to systematically and efficiently assess the contributions of these parameters in relation to the limits, following directly from the 2014 American National Standards Institute (ANSI). We also provide an array of stimulus protocols that fall within the bounds of both safety and effectiveness. Additional verification of safety is provided with a case study in rats using one of these protocols. PMID:26882975

Does responsibility affect the public's valuation of health care interventions? A relative valuation approach to health care safety.

PubMed

Singh, Jeshika; Lord, Joanne; Longworth, Louise; Orr, Shepley; McGarry, Teresa; Sheldon, Rob; Buxton, Martin

2012-01-01

Health services often spend more on safety interventions than seems cost-effective. This study investigates whether the public value safety-related health care improvements more highly than the same improvements in contexts where the health care system is not responsible. An online survey was conducted to elicit the relative importance placed on preventing harms caused by 1) health care (hospital-acquired infections, drug administration errors, injuries to health care staff), 2) individuals (personal lifestyle choices, sports-related injuries), and 3) nature (genetic disorders). Direct valuations were obtained from members of the public by using a person trade-off or "matching" method. Participants were asked to choose between two preventative interventions of equal cost and equal health benefit per person for the same number of people, but differing in causation. If participants indicated a preference, their strength of preference was measured by using person trade-off. Responses were obtained from 1030 people, reflecting the sociodemographic mix of the UK population. Participants valued interventions preventing hospital-acquired infections (1.31) more highly than genetic disorders (1.0), although drug errors were valued similarly to genetic disorders (1.07), and interventions to prevent injury to health care staff were given less weight than genetic disorders (0.71). Less weight was also given to interventions related to lifestyle (0.65) and sports injuries (0.41). Our results suggest that people do not attach a simple fixed premium to "safety-related" interventions but that preferences depend more subtly on context. The use of the results of such public preference surveys to directly inform policy would therefore be premature. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relationship between patient safety climate and occupational safety climate in healthcare - A multi-level investigation.

PubMed

Pousette, Anders; Larsman, Pernilla; Eklöf, Mats; Törner, Marianne

2017-06-01

Patient safety climate/culture is attracting increasing research interest, but there is little research on its relation with organizational climates regarding other target domains. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between patient safety climate and occupational safety climate in healthcare. The climates were assessed using two questionnaires: Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and Nordic Occupational Safety Climate Questionnaire. The final sample consisted of 1154 nurses, 886 assistant nurses, and 324 physicians, organized in 150 work units, within hospitals (117units), primary healthcare (5units) and elderly care (28units) in western Sweden, which represented 56% of the original sample contacted. Within each type of safety climate, two global dimensions were confirmed in a higher order factor analysis; one with an external focus relative the own unit, and one with an internal focus. Two methods were used to estimate the covariation between the global climate dimensions, in order to minimize the influence of bias from common method variance. First multilevel analysis was used for partitioning variances and covariances in a within unit part (individual level) and a between unit part (unit level). Second, a split sample technique was used to calculate unit level correlations based on aggregated observations from different respondents. Both methods showed associations similar in strength between the patient safety climate and the occupational safety climate domains. The results indicated that patient safety climate and occupational safety climate are strongly positively related at the unit level, and that the same organizational processes may be important for the development of both types of organizational climate. Safety improvement interventions should not be separated in different organizational processes, but be planned so that both patient safety and staff safety are considered concomitantly. Copyright © 2017 National Safety

Safety perception referents of permanent and temporary employees: safety climate boundaries in the industrial workplace.

PubMed

Luria, Gil; Yagil, Dana

2010-09-01

To explore the significant referents of safety perceptions among permanent and temporary employees in order to identify the boundaries of safety climate in a heterogeneous workforce. Collection of data from semi-structured interviews with employees in manufacturing organizations, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to identify basic safety perceptions. Independent raters used content analysis to examine the data. Analysis of the data revealed differences between safety themes at organization, group and individual levels. Themes relating to the individual were more prevalent among temporary employees, while those relating to the group and the organization prevailed among permanent employees. Permanent employees view organizational and group levels as significant referents of safety perceptions, while temporary employees focus on the individual level. The results challenge the current view of safety climate as a uniform concept for all employees and prescribe boundary conditions for safety climate. It is suggested that organizations should implement "tailor-made" safety-climate practices according to the referents of employee sub-groups. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing the relative importance of parameter and forcing uncertainty and their interactions in conceptual hydrological model simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mockler, E. M.; Chun, K. P.; Sapriza-Azuri, G.; Bruen, M.; Wheater, H. S.

2016-11-01

Predictions of river flow dynamics provide vital information for many aspects of water management including water resource planning, climate adaptation, and flood and drought assessments. Many of the subjective choices that modellers make including model and criteria selection can have a significant impact on the magnitude and distribution of the output uncertainty. Hydrological modellers are tasked with understanding and minimising the uncertainty surrounding streamflow predictions before communicating the overall uncertainty to decision makers. Parameter uncertainty in conceptual rainfall-runoff models has been widely investigated, and model structural uncertainty and forcing data have been receiving increasing attention. This study aimed to assess uncertainties in streamflow predictions due to forcing data and the identification of behavioural parameter sets in 31 Irish catchments. By combining stochastic rainfall ensembles and multiple parameter sets for three conceptual rainfall-runoff models, an analysis of variance model was used to decompose the total uncertainty in streamflow simulations into contributions from (i) forcing data, (ii) identification of model parameters and (iii) interactions between the two. The analysis illustrates that, for our subjective choices, hydrological model selection had a greater contribution to overall uncertainty, while performance criteria selection influenced the relative intra-annual uncertainties in streamflow predictions. Uncertainties in streamflow predictions due to the method of determining parameters were relatively lower for wetter catchments, and more evenly distributed throughout the year when the Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency of logarithmic values of flow (lnNSE) was the evaluation criterion.

Workplace bullying in risk and safety professionals.

PubMed

Brewer, Gayle; Holt, Barry; Malik, Shahzeb

2018-02-01

Previous research demonstrates that workplace bullying impacts the welfare of victimized employees, with further consequences for the organization and profession. There is, however, a paucity of information relating to the bullying directed at risk and safety professionals. The present study was conducted to address this issue. Risk and safety professionals (N=420) completed the Negative Acts Questionnaire - Revised and Brief Cope, and reported the extent to which they had been pressured to make or amend a risk or safety based decision. Those experiencing workplace bullying were more likely to engage in a range of coping behaviors, with exposure to work-related and personal bullying particularly influential. Workplace bullying also predicted pressure to make or change a risk or safety based decision. Work related and physically intimidating bullying were particularly important for this aspect of professional practice. Findings are discussed with regard to current practice and the support available to risk and safety professionals. Risk and safety professionals require additional support in relation to workplace bullying and specifically guidance to resist pressure to make or change a risk or safety based decision. Copyright © 2017 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Final report on the safety assessment of Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil and related ingredients.

PubMed

Burnett, Christina L; Bergfeld, Wilma F; Belsito, Donald V; Klaassen, Curtis D; Marks, James G; Shank, Ronald C; Slaga, Thomas J; Snyder, Paul W; Andersen, F Alan

2011-05-01

Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, oil from the dried coconut fruit, is composed of 90% saturated triglycerides. It may function as a fragrance ingredient, hair conditioning agent, or skin-conditioning agent and is reported in 626 cosmetics at concentrations from 0.0001% to 70%. The related ingredients covered in this assessment are fatty acids, and their hydrogenated forms, corresponding fatty alcohols, simple esters, and inorganic and sulfated salts of coconut oil. The salts and esters are expected to have similar toxicological profiles as the oil, its hydrogenated forms, and its constituent fatty acids. Coconut oil and related ingredients are safe as cosmetic ingredients in the practices of use and concentration described in this safety assessment.

Roads to Safety.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hauer, Ezra

1991-01-01

Contends that the level of safety built into roads is largely unpremeditated and that roads and highways are not as safe as they might be. Discusses practices, standards, and deficiencies in highway and traffic safety related to geometric design and traffic engineering. Recommends increased transportation engineering professionalism and public…

Safety in Aquaculture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durborow, Robert M.; Myers, Melvin L.

2016-01-01

In this article, occupational safety interventions for agriculture-related jobs, specifically in aquaculture, are reviewed. Maintaining quality of life and avoiding economic loss are two areas in which aquaculturists can benefit by incorporating safety protocols and interventions on their farms. The information in this article is based on farm…

Materials research for aircraft fire safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kourtides, D. A.; Parker, J. A.; Bricker, R. W.

1976-01-01

The thermochemical and flammability characteristics of two polymeric composites currently in use and seven others being considered for use as aircraft interior panels are described. The properties studied included: (1) limiting oxygen index of the composite constituents; (2) fire containment capability of the composite; (3) smoke evolution from the composite; (4) thermogravimetric analysis; (5) composition of the volatile products of thermal degradation; and (6) relative toxicity of the volatile products of pyrolysis. The performance of high-temperature laminating resins such as bismaleimides is compared with the performance of phenolics and epoxies. The relationship of increased fire safety with the use of polymers with high anaerobic char yield is shown. Processing parameters of the state-of-the-art and the advanced bismaleimide composites are detailed.

Test-Retest Intervisit Variability of Functional and Structural Parameters in X-Linked Retinoschisis.

PubMed

Jeffrey, Brett G; Cukras, Catherine A; Vitale, Susan; Turriff, Amy; Bowles, Kristin; Sieving, Paul A

2014-09-01

To examine the variability of four outcome measures that could be used to address safety and efficacy in therapeutic trials with X-linked juvenile retinoschisis. Seven men with confirmed mutations in the RS1 gene were evaluated over four visits spanning 6 months. Assessments included visual acuity, full-field electroretinograms (ERG), microperimetric macular sensitivity, and retinal thickness measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Eyes were separated into Better or Worse Eye groups based on acuity at baseline. Repeatability coefficients were calculated for each parameter and jackknife resampling used to derive 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The threshold for statistically significant change in visual acuity ranged from three to eight letters. For ERG a-wave, an amplitude reduction greater than 56% would be considered significant. For other parameters, variabilities were lower in the Worse Eye group, likely a result of floor effects due to collapse of the schisis pockets and/or retinal atrophy. The criteria for significant change (Better/Worse Eye) for three important parameters were: ERG b/a-wave ratio (0.44/0.23), point wise sensitivity (10.4/7.0 dB), and central retinal thickness (31%/18%). The 95% CI range for visual acuity, ERG, retinal sensitivity, and central retinal thickness relative to baseline are described for this cohort of participants with X-linked juvenile retinoschisis (XLRS). A quantitative understanding of the variability of outcome measures is vital to establishing the safety and efficacy limits for therapeutic trials of XLRS patients.

Evaluation of safety climate and employee injury rates in healthcare.

PubMed

Cook, Jacqueline M; Slade, Martin D; Cantley, Linda F; Sakr, Carine J

2016-09-01

Safety climates that support safety-related behaviour are associated with fewer work-related injuries, and prior research in industry suggests that safety knowledge and motivation are strongly related to safety performance behaviours; this relationship is not well studied in healthcare settings. We performed analyses of survey results from a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Safety Barometer employee perception survey, conducted among VHA employees in 2012. The employee perception survey assessed 6 safety programme categories, including management participation, supervisor participation, employee participation, safety support activities, safety support climate and organisational climate. We examined the relationship between safety climate from the survey results on VHA employee injury and illness rates. Among VHA facilities in the VA New England Healthcare System, work-related injury rate was significantly and inversely related to overall employee perception of safety climate, and all 6 safety programme categories, including employee perception of employee participation, management participation, organisational climate, supervisor participation, safety support activities and safety support climate. Positive employee perceptions of safety climate in VHA facilities are associated with lower work-related injury and illness rates. Employee perception of employee participation, management participation, organisational climate, supervisor participation, safety support activities and safety support climate were all associated with lower work-related injury rates. Future implications include fostering a robust safety climate for patients and healthcare workers to reduce healthcare worker injuries. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Optimal Parameters for Intervertebral Disk Resection Using Aqua-Plasma Beams.

PubMed

Yoon, Sung-Young; Kim, Gon-Ho; Kim, Yushin; Kim, Nack Hwan; Lee, Sangheon; Kawai, Christina; Hong, Youngki

2018-06-14

 A minimally invasive procedure for intervertebral disk resection using plasma beams has been developed. Conventional parameters for the plasma procedure such as voltage and tip speed mainly rely on the surgeon's personal experience, without adequate evidence from experiments. Our objective was to determine the optimal parameters for plasma disk resection.  Rate of ablation was measured at different procedural tip speeds and voltages using porcine nucleus pulposi. The amount of heat formation during experimental conditions was also measured to evaluate the thermal safety of the plasma procedure.  The ablation rate increased at slower procedural speeds and higher voltages. However, for thermal safety, the optimal parameters for plasma procedures with minimal tissue damage were an electrical output of 280 volts root-mean-square (V rms ) and a procedural tip speed of 2.5 mm/s.  Our findings provide useful information for an effective and safe plasma procedure for disk resection in a clinical setting. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

A Bayesian ridge regression analysis of congestion's impact on urban expressway safety.

PubMed

Shi, Qi; Abdel-Aty, Mohamed; Lee, Jaeyoung

2016-03-01

With the rapid growth of traffic in urban areas, concerns about congestion and traffic safety have been heightened. This study leveraged both Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) system and Microwave Vehicle Detection System (MVDS) installed on an expressway in Central Florida to explore how congestion impacts the crash occurrence in urban areas. Multiple congestion measures from the two systems were developed. To ensure more precise estimates of the congestion's effects, the traffic data were aggregated into peak and non-peak hours. Multicollinearity among traffic parameters was examined. The results showed the presence of multicollinearity especially during peak hours. As a response, ridge regression was introduced to cope with this issue. Poisson models with uncorrelated random effects, correlated random effects, and both correlated random effects and random parameters were constructed within the Bayesian framework. It was proven that correlated random effects could significantly enhance model performance. The random parameters model has similar goodness-of-fit compared with the model with only correlated random effects. However, by accounting for the unobserved heterogeneity, more variables were found to be significantly related to crash frequency. The models indicated that congestion increased crash frequency during peak hours while during non-peak hours it was not a major crash contributing factor. Using the random parameter model, the three congestion measures were compared. It was found that all congestion indicators had similar effects while Congestion Index (CI) derived from MVDS data was a better congestion indicator for safety analysis. Also, analyses showed that the segments with higher congestion intensity could not only increase property damage only (PDO) crashes, but also more severe crashes. In addition, the issues regarding the necessity to incorporate specific congestion indicator for congestion's effects on safety and to take care of the

75 FR 76692 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Small Business Impacts of Motor Vehicle Safety

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-09

..., 510, 511, 512, 520, 523, 525, 526, and 571 [Docket No. NHTSA-2010-0159] Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Small Business Impacts of Motor Vehicle Safety AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety... that specifically relate to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers...

An update on the safety of nutraceuticals and effects on lipid parameters.

PubMed

Cicero, Arrigo F G; Colletti, Alessandro

2018-03-01

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality and disability in developed countries, whereas a large portion of patients in primary prevention have uncontrolled level of CVD risk factors. Dietary supplementation with bioactive natural compounds with demonstrated lipid-lowering effects is currently supported by the international guidelines for CVD prevention and some international expert panels. Areas covered: This review provides insights on issues concerning the tolerability and safety of the most commonly used nutraceuticals with demonstrated lipid-lowering effect in humans. They will be then divided into three main categories according to their mechanism of action (cholesterol synthesis inhibitors, intestinal cholesterol absorption inhibitors, and LDL-C excretion stimulants) and their pharmacological profile will be discussed. Expert opinion: A growing body of preclinical, epidemiological and clinical evidence has defined the tolerability and safety profile of the most commonly used lipid-lowering nutraceuticals. In the most part of cases, the side effects are mild and reversible. However, detailed knowledge of specific health risks and pharmacological interactions for each individual compound is needed for the management of frail patients, such as children, elderly, patients with liver or renal failure, and patients consuming numerous drugs.

Machine-related injuries in the US mining industry and priorities for safety research.

PubMed

Ruff, Todd; Coleman, Patrick; Martini, Laura

2011-03-01

Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health studied mining accidents that involved a worker entangled in, struck by, or in contact with machinery or equipment in motion. The motivation for this study came from the large number of severe accidents, i.e. accidents resulting in a fatality or permanent disability, that are occurring despite available interventions. Accident descriptions were taken from an accident database maintained by the United States Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration, and 562 accidents that occurred during 2000-2007 fit the search criteria. Machine-related accidents accounted for 41% of all severe accidents in the mining industry during this period. Machinery most often involved in these accidents included conveyors, rock bolting machines, milling machines and haulage equipment such as trucks and loaders. The most common activities associated with these accidents were operation of the machine and maintenance and repair. The current methods to safeguard workers near machinery include mechanical guarding around moving components, lockout/tagout of machine power during maintenance and backup alarms for mobile equipment. To decrease accidents further, researchers recommend additional efforts in the development of new control technologies, training materials and dissemination of information on best practices.

Scan tour of safety-related intelligent transportation systems across the United States.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-09-01

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has long been on the forefront of nationwide efforts to improve : roadway safety. Their safety focus encompasses infrastructure improvements as well as non-infrastructure elements : such as education and e...

Inroads into Equestrian Safety: Rider-Reported Factors Contributing to Horse-Related Accidents and Near Misses on Australian Roads.

PubMed

Thompson, Kirrilly; Matthews, Chelsea

2015-07-22

Horse riding and horse-related interactions are inherently dangerous. When they occur on public roads, the risk profile of equestrian activities is complicated by interactions with other road users. Research has identified speed, proximity, visibility, conspicuity and mutual misunderstanding as factors contributing to accidents and near misses. However, little is known about their significance or incidence in Australia. To explore road safety issues amongst Australian equestrians, we conducted an online survey. More than half of all riders (52%) reported having experienced at least one accident or near miss in the 12 months prior to the survey. Whilst our findings confirm the factors identified overseas, we also identified issues around rider misunderstanding of road rules and driver misunderstanding of rider hand signals. Of particular concern, we also found reports of potentially dangerous rider-directed road rage. We identify several areas for potential safety intervention including (1) identifying equestrians as vulnerable road users and horses as sentient decision-making vehicles (2) harmonising laws regarding passing horses, (3) mandating personal protective equipment, (4) improving road signage, (5) comprehensive data collection, (6) developing mutual understanding amongst road-users, (7) safer road design and alternative riding spaces; and (8) increasing investment in horse-related safety initiatives.

Safety and patient outcomes with lubiprostone for up to 52 weeks in patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation.

PubMed

Chey, W D; Drossman, D A; Johanson, J F; Scott, C; Panas, R M; Ueno, R

2012-03-01

Irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) significantly decreases quality of life and the ability to perform daily living activities. To demonstrate the long-term safety, tolerability and patient outcomes of lubiprostone in patients with IBS-C. This extension study enrolled 522 IBS-C patients who had completed one of two randomised phase 3 studies. All enrolled patients received open-label lubiprostone orally for 36-weeks (8 mcg, twice daily). The primary objective was the assessment of long-term safety and tolerability, monitored via adverse events (AEs), laboratory parameters and vital signs. Additional outcome endpoints included monthly responder rates and patient evaluations of IBS-C symptom severity and impact on quality of life. The evaluable safety population comprised of 520 patients; 476 of which had patient reported outcome data available. The overall safety profile of lubiprostone during this study was similar to that observed in the preceding phase 3 studies. The most common AEs were diarrhoea (11.0%), nausea (11.0%), urinary tract infection (9.0%), sinusitis (9.0%) and abdominal distention (5.8%). Diarrhoea and nausea were the most common treatment-related AEs. No serious AEs were considered treatment-related. Seventeen patients discontinued due to a treatment-related AE, of which diarrhoea and nausea accounted for six (1.2%) and three (0.6%) respectively. For responder rates and patient-evaluated parameters (n = 476), all groups experienced significant improvements from baseline, with initial improvements maintained throughout the study. In patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, lubiprostone 8 mcg twice daily was found to be safe and well tolerated over 9-13 months of treatment. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Patient safety culture among nurses.

PubMed

Ammouri, A A; Tailakh, A K; Muliira, J K; Geethakrishnan, R; Al Kindi, S N

2015-03-01

Patient safety is considered to be crucial to healthcare quality and is one of the major parameters monitored by all healthcare organizations around the world. Nurses play a vital role in maintaining and promoting patient safety due to the nature of their work. The purpose of this study was to investigate nurses' perceptions about patient safety culture and to identify the factors that need to be emphasized in order to develop and maintain the culture of safety among nurses in Oman. A descriptive and cross-sectional design was used. Patient safety culture was assessed by using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture among 414 registered nurses working in four major governmental hospitals in Oman. Descriptive statistics and general linear regression were employed to assess the association between patient safety culture and demographic variables. Nurses who perceived more supervisor or manager expectations, feedback and communications about errors, teamwork across hospital units, and hospital handoffs and transitions had more overall perception of patient safety. Nurses who perceived more teamwork within units and more feedback and communications about errors had more frequency of events reported. Furthermore, nurses who had more years of experience and were working in teaching hospitals had more perception of patient safety culture. Learning and continuous improvement, hospital management support, supervisor/manager expectations, feedback and communications about error, teamwork, hospital handoffs and transitions were found to be major patient safety culture predictors. Investing in practices and systems that focus on improving these aspects is likely to enhance the culture of patient safety in Omani hospitals and others like them. Strategies to nurture patient safety culture in Omani hospitals should focus upon building leadership capacity that support open communication, blame free, team work and continuous organizational learning. © 2014 International

School Chemistry Laboratory Safety Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brundage, Patricia; Palassis, John

2006-01-01

The guide presents information about ordering, using, storing, and maintaining chemicals in the high school laboratory. The guide also provides information about chemical waste, safety and emergency equipment, assessing chemical hazards, common safety symbols and signs, and fundamental resources relating to chemical safety, such as Material…

Safety in laboratories: Indian scenario.

PubMed

Mustafa, Ajaz; Farooq, A Jan; Qadri, Gj; S A, Tabish

2008-07-01

Health and safety in clinical laboratories is becoming an increasingly important subject as a result of emergence of highly infectious diseases such as Hepatitis and HIV. A cross sectional study was carried out to study the safety measures being adopted in clinical laboratories of India. Heads of laboratories of teaching hospitals of India were subjected to a standardized, pretested questionnaire. Response rate was 44.8%. only 60% of laboratories had person in-charge of safety in laboratory. Seventy three percent of laboratories had safety education program regarding hazards. In 91% of laboratories staff is using protective clothing while working in laboratories. Hazardous material regulations are followed in 78% of laboratories. Regular health check ups are carried among laboratory staff in 43.4% of laboratories.Safety manual is available in 56.5% of laboratories. 73.9% of laboratories are equipped with fire extinguishers. Fume cupboards are provided in 34.7% of laboratories and they are regularly checked in 87.5% of these laboratories. In 78.26% of laboratories suitable measures are taken to minimize formation of aerosols.In 95.6% of laboratories waste is disposed off as per bio-medical waste management handling rules. Laboratory of one private medical college was accredited with NABL and safety parameters were better in that laboratory. Installing safety engineered devices apparently contributes to significant decrease in injuries in laboratories; laboratory safety has to be a part of overall quality assurance programme in hospitals. Accreditation has to be made necessary for all laboratories.

Reconstructing gravitational wave source parameters via direct comparisons to numerical relativity II: Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Shaughnessy, Richard; Lange, Jacob; Healy, James; Carlos, Lousto; Shoemaker, Deirdre; Lovelace, Geoffrey; Scheel, Mark

2016-03-01

In this talk, we apply a procedure to reconstruct the parameters of sufficiently massive coalescing compact binaries via direct comparison with numerical relativity simulations. We illustrate how to use only comparisons between synthetic data and these simulations to reconstruct properties of a synthetic candidate source. We demonstrate using selected examples that we can reconstruct posterior distributions obtained by other Bayesian methods with our sparse grid. We describe how followup simulations can corroborate and improve our understanding of a candidate signal.

The collection of national trend data on alcohol related crashes for comparison with alcohol safety action projects results. Volume 2, ASAP control site data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-07-01

As a result of evaluations of the Alcohol Safety Action Projects (ASAP), a requirement was generated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for the development of a data base of alcohol-related accidents in communities with no ...

Safety behavior: Job demands, job resources, and perceived management commitment to safety.

PubMed

Hansez, Isabelle; Chmiel, Nik

2010-07-01

The job demands-resources model posits that job demands and resources influence outcomes through job strain and work engagement processes. We test whether the model can be extended to effort-related "routine" safety violations and "situational" safety violations provoked by the organization. In addition we test more directly the involvement of job strain than previous studies which have used burnout measures. Structural equation modeling provided, for the first time, evidence of predicted relationships between job strain and "routine" violations and work engagement with "routine" and "situational" violations, thereby supporting the extension of the job demands-resources model to safety behaviors. In addition our results showed that a key safety-specific construct 'perceived management commitment to safety' added to the explanatory power of the job demands-resources model. A predicted path from job resources to perceived management commitment to safety was highly significant, supporting the view that job resources can influence safety behavior through both general motivational involvement in work (work engagement) and through safety-specific processes.

Methods for estimating dispersal probabilities and related parameters using marked animals

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bennetts, R.E.; Nichols, J.D.; Pradel, R.; Lebreton, J.D.; Kitchens, W.M.; Clobert, Jean; Danchin, Etienne; Dhondt, Andre A.; Nichols, James D.

2001-01-01

Deriving valid inferences about the causes and consequences of dispersal from empirical studies depends largely on our ability reliably to estimate parameters associated with dispersal. Here, we present a review of the methods available for estimating dispersal and related parameters using marked individuals. We emphasize methods that place dispersal in a probabilistic framework. In this context, we define a dispersal event as a movement of a specified distance or from one predefined patch to another, the magnitude of the distance or the definition of a `patch? depending on the ecological or evolutionary question(s) being addressed. We have organized the chapter based on four general classes of data for animals that are captured, marked, and released alive: (1) recovery data, in which animals are recovered dead at a subsequent time, (2) recapture/resighting data, in which animals are either recaptured or resighted alive on subsequent sampling occasions, (3) known-status data, in which marked animals are reobserved alive or dead at specified times with probability 1.0, and (4) combined data, in which data are of more than one type (e.g., live recapture and ring recovery). For each data type, we discuss the data required, the estimation techniques, and the types of questions that might be addressed from studies conducted at single and multiple sites.

Parameter estimation of qubit states with unknown phase parameter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Jun

2015-02-01

We discuss a problem of parameter estimation for quantum two-level system, qubit system, in presence of unknown phase parameter. We analyze trade-off relations for mean square errors (MSEs) when estimating relevant parameters with separable measurements based on known precision bounds; the symmetric logarithmic derivative (SLD) Cramér-Rao (CR) bound and Hayashi-Gill-Massar (HGM) bound. We investigate the optimal measurement which attains the HGM bound and discuss its properties. We show that the HGM bound for relevant parameters can be attained asymptotically by using some fraction of given n quantum states to estimate the phase parameter. We also discuss the Holevo bound which can be attained asymptotically by a collective measurement.

School Safety Study: Phase I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arora, Alka

This report summarizes findings from a study concerned with Arizona school safety. The survey component highlights safety-related policy information across 300 schools; the interview component highlights school-safety perceptions of 64 staff across 16 schools. Various policies and programs that respond to internal and external threats to school…

The Safety of Acupuncture in Patients with Cancer Therapy–Related Thrombocytopenia

PubMed Central

Cybularz, Paul A.; Brothers, Karen; Singh, Gurneet M.; Feingold, Jennifer L.; Niesley, Michelle L.

2015-01-01

Abstract Background: Acceptance of acupuncture as an efficacious integrative modality for oncology-related side-effect management is rapidly expanding. It is imperative that guidelines regarding safe treatment supported by clinical experience are established. Oncology patients frequently experience thrombocytopenia as a side-effect of chemotherapy or radiation. However, safety data for acupuncture in adult patients with cancer who are thrombocytopenic is lacking. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 684 patients who received acupuncture treatments in an established acupuncture program at a private cancer treatment hospital were reviewed for adverse events occurring within the context of thrombocytopenia. Results: Of 2135 visits eligible for evaluation, 98 individual acupuncture visits occurred in patients with platelet counts <100,000/μL, including nine visits in which platelet counts were <50,000/μL. No adverse events of increased bruising or bleeding were noted. Medications and nutritional supplements or botanicals that may influence coagulation were also tabulated, with no apparent adverse events in this patient population. Conclusions: Discrepancies in the literature highlight the need to create cohesive safety guidelines backed by clinical research, specifically for groups at higher risk for adverse events. The preliminary evidence put forth in this study lays the foundation that supports the notion that acupuncture can be used safely with a high-need oncology population within an integrated model of care. In this descriptive retrospective case series of adult oncology patients with thrombocytopenia, no adverse events of increased bruising or bleeding were documented. Prospective trials are needed to confirm these initial observations. PMID:26401193

The growing use of herbal medicines: issues relating to adverse reactions and challenges in monitoring safety

PubMed Central

Ekor, Martins

2014-01-01

The use of herbal medicinal products and supplements has increased tremendously over the past three decades with not less than 80% of people worldwide relying on them for some part of primary healthcare. Although therapies involving these agents have shown promising potential with the efficacy of a good number of herbal products clearly established, many of them remain untested and their use are either poorly monitored or not even monitored at all. The consequence of this is an inadequate knowledge of their mode of action, potential adverse reactions, contraindications, and interactions with existing orthodox pharmaceuticals and functional foods to promote both safe and rational use of these agents. Since safety continues to be a major issue with the use of herbal remedies, it becomes imperative, therefore, that relevant regulatory authorities put in place appropriate measures to protect public health by ensuring that all herbal medicines are safe and of suitable quality. This review discusses toxicity-related issues and major safety concerns arising from the use of herbal medicinal products and also highlights some important challenges associated with effective monitoring of their safety. PMID:24454289

Relational safety and liberating training spaces: an application with a focus on sexual orientation issues.

PubMed

Hernández, Pilar; Rankin, Pressley

2008-04-01

This article describes and discusses a teaching case of a clinical training situation involving a gay marriage and family therapy student working with a same-sex affectional couple. The conceptual pillars of this teaching case, relational safety and liberating spaces, are advanced as illustrations of how the student developed his voice in the training process. Pivotal moments in this process are discussed, as are implications for training and personal and professional growth.

Development of a methodology for assessing the safety of embedded software systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrett, C. J.; Guarro, S. B.; Apostolakis, G. E.

1993-01-01

A Dynamic Flowgraph Methodology (DFM) based on an integrated approach to modeling and analyzing the behavior of software-driven embedded systems for assessing and verifying reliability and safety is discussed. DFM is based on an extension of the Logic Flowgraph Methodology to incorporate state transition models. System models which express the logic of the system in terms of causal relationships between physical variables and temporal characteristics of software modules are analyzed to determine how a certain state can be reached. This is done by developing timed fault trees which take the form of logical combinations of static trees relating the system parameters at different point in time. The resulting information concerning the hardware and software states can be used to eliminate unsafe execution paths and identify testing criteria for safety critical software functions.

Influence of amplitude-related perfusion parameters in the parotid glands by non-fat-saturated dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Chiu, Su-Chin; Cheng, Cheng-Chieh; Chang, Hing-Chiu; Chung, Hsiao-Wen; Chiu, Hui-Chu; Liu, Yi-Jui; Hsu, Hsian-He; Juan, Chun-Jung

2016-04-01

To verify whether quantification of parotid perfusion is affected by fat signals on non-fat-saturated (NFS) dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and whether the influence of fat is reduced with fat saturation (FS). This study consisted of three parts. First, a retrospective study analyzed DCE-MRI data previously acquired on different patients using NFS (n = 18) or FS (n = 18) scans. Second, a phantom study simulated the signal enhancements in the presence of gadolinium contrast agent at six concentrations and three fat contents. Finally, a prospective study recruited nine healthy volunteers to investigate the influence of fat suppression on perfusion quantification on the same subjects. Parotid perfusion parameters were derived from NFS and FS DCE-MRI data using both pharmacokinetic model analysis and semiquantitative parametric analysis. T tests and linear regression analysis were used for statistical analysis with correction for multiple comparisons. NFS scans showed lower amplitude-related parameters, including parameter A, peak enhancement (PE), and slope than FS scans in the patients (all with P < 0.0167). The relative signal enhancement in the phantoms was proportional to the dose of contrast agent and was lower in NFS scans than in FS scans. The volunteer study showed lower parameter A (6.75 ± 2.38 a.u.), PE (42.12% ± 14.87%), and slope (1.43% ± 0.54% s(-1)) in NFS scans as compared to 17.63 ± 8.56 a.u., 104.22% ± 25.15%, and 9.68% ± 1.67% s(-1), respectively, in FS scans (all with P < 0.005). These amplitude-related parameters were negatively associated with the fat content in NFS scans only (all with P < 0.05). On NFS DCE-MRI, quantification of parotid perfusion is adversely affected by the presence of fat signals for all amplitude-related parameters. The influence could be reduced on FS scans.

Two-lane rural highways safety performance functions.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-05-01

This report documents findings from a comprehensive set of safety performance functions developed for the entire : state two-lane rural highway system in Washington. The findings indicate that random parameter models and : heterogeneous negative bino...

Processing and filtrating of driver fatigue characteristic parameters based on rough set

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Wenwu; Zhao, Xuyang

2018-05-01

With the rapid development of economy, people become increasingly rich, and cars have become a common means of transportation in daily life. However, the problem of traffic safety is becoming more and more serious. And fatigue driving is one of the main causes of traffic accidents. Therefore, it is of great importance for us to study the detection of fatigue driving to improve traffic safety. In the cause of determining whether the driver is tired, the characteristic quantity related to the steering angle of the steering wheel and the characteristic quantity of the driver's pulse are all important indicators. The fuzzy c-means clustering is used to discretize the above indexes. Because the characteristic parameters are too miscellaneous, rough set is used to filtrate these characteristics. Finally, this paper finds out the highest correlation with fatigue driving. It is proved that these selected characteristics are of great significance to the evaluation of fatigue driving.

Liver-related safety assessment of green tea extracts in humans: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

PubMed Central

Isomura, T; Suzuki, S; Origasa, H; Hosono, A; Suzuki, M; Sawada, T; Terao, S; Muto, Y; Koga, T

2016-01-01

There remain liver-related safety concerns, regarding potential hepatotoxicity in humans, induced by green tea intake, despite being supposedly beneficial. Although many randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of green tea extracts have been reported in the literature, the systematic reviews published to date were only based on subjective assessment of case reports. To more objectively examine the liver-related safety of green tea intake, we conducted a systematic review of published RCTs. A systematic literature search was conducted using three databases (PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) in December 2013 to identify RCTs of green tea extracts. Data on liver-related adverse events, including laboratory test abnormalities, were abstracted from the identified articles. Methodological quality of RCTs was assessed. After excluding duplicates, 561 titles and abstracts and 119 full-text articles were screened, and finally 34 trials were identified. Of these, liver-related adverse events were reported in four trials; these adverse events involved seven subjects (eight events) in the green tea intervention group and one subject (one event) in the control group. The summary odds ratio, estimated using a meta-analysis method for sparse event data, for intervention compared with placebo was 2.1 (95% confidence interval: 0.5–9.8). The few events reported in both groups were elevations of liver enzymes. Most were mild, and no serious liver-related adverse events were reported. Results of this review, although not conclusive, suggest that liver-related adverse events after intake of green tea extracts are expected to be rare. PMID:27188915

Analyzing Software Requirements Errors in Safety-Critical, Embedded Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lutz, Robyn R.

1993-01-01

This paper analyzes the root causes of safety-related software errors in safety-critical, embedded systems. The results show that software errors identified as potentially hazardous to the system tend to be produced by different error mechanisms than non- safety-related software errors. Safety-related software errors are shown to arise most commonly from (1) discrepancies between the documented requirements specifications and the requirements needed for correct functioning of the system and (2) misunderstandings of the software's interface with the rest of the system. The paper uses these results to identify methods by which requirements errors can be prevented. The goal is to reduce safety-related software errors and to enhance the safety of complex, embedded systems.

49 CFR 385.107 - The safety audit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false The safety audit. 385.107 Section 385.107 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY REGULATIONS SAFETY FITNESS PROCEDURES Safety Monitoring System for Mexico-Domicile...

Multi Response Optimization of Process Parameters Using Grey Relational Analysis for Turning of Al-6061

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deepak, Doreswamy; Beedu, Rajendra

2017-08-01

Al-6061 is one among the most useful material used in manufacturing of products. The major qualities of Aluminium are reasonably good strength, corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity. These qualities have made it a suitable material for various applications. While manufacturing these products, companies strive for reducing the production cost by increasing Material Removal Rate (MRR). Meanwhile, the quality of surface need to be ensured at an acceptable value. This paper aims at bringing a compromise between high MRR and low surface roughness requirement by applying Grey Relational Analysis (GRA). This article presents the selection of controllable parameters like longitudinal feed, cutting speed and depth of cut to arrive at optimum values of MRR and surface roughness (Ra). The process parameters for experiments were selected based on Taguchi’s L9 array with two replications. Grey relation analysis being most suited method for multi response optimization, the same is adopted for the optimization. The result shows that feed rate is the most significant factor that influences MRR and Surface finish.

78 FR 56235 - Safety and Occupational Health Study Section (SOHSS), National Institute for Occupational Safety...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-12

... delivery of occupational safety and health services, and the prevention of work-related injury and illness... Occupational Health Study Section (SOHSS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH or... occupational safety and health, and allied areas. It is the intent of NIOSH to support broad-based research...

78 FR 24751 - Safety and Occupational Health Study Section (SOHSS), National Institute for Occupational Safety...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-26

... improvements in the delivery of occupational safety and health services, and the prevention of work-related... Occupational Health Study Section (SOHSS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH or... issues in occupational safety and health, and allied areas. It is the intent of NIOSH to support broad...

Analysis of pharmaceutical safety-related regulatory actions in Japan: do tradeoffs exist between safer drugs and launch delay?

PubMed

Yamada, Toru; Kusama, Makiko; Hirai, Yuka; Arnold, Frank; Sugiyama, Yuichi; Ono, Shunsuke

2010-12-01

Prediction and management of drug safety is a global regulatory issue. Safety-related regulatory actions (SRRAs) are taken mostly when unexpected adverse drug reactions occur. Currently, Japan is reconciled to delayed access to new drugs (ie, launch delay compared to Western countries), but may have been benefiting by free-riding on safety data accumulated in other countries prior to Japanese launch. To identify factors that are significantly associated with SRRAs, and to discuss the challenges that Japan might have to face with increasing access to new drugs. The SRRAs of 135 new drugs approved from January 2000 to December 2005 were analyzed to investigate association with launch lag, company and drug characteristics, market size, submission data, and regulatory status. SRRAs were measured in terms of the number of emergency safety information notifications and official safety instructions issued by the Japanese regulatory agency within 3 years after approval. A negative binomial distribution model was used for regression analysis. Longer launch lags and presence of drugs with similar modes of action were associated with fewer SRRAs. Bridging strategy showed increased SRRAs. No significant association was observed between SRRAs and the subject number in clinical data packages. Occurrence of SRRAs was varied among development strategy, preceding products, and regional regulations. The occurrence of SRRAs was associated with the accumulation of both foreign and domestic postmarketing evidence rather than with clinical trial data upon launch. Considering the paradigm shift to simultaneous global drug development and filing for regulatory approval, this study indicates the importance of intensive data collection in the early postmarketing phase and use of safety information in early markets. However, even if we would be sufficiently cautious about safety risks of new drugs, a population that enjoys first-in-class drugs probably has to bear the risks.

Vocal parameters and voice-related quality of life in adult women with and without ovarian function.

PubMed

Ferraz, Pablo Rodrigo Rocha; Bertoldo, Simão Veras; Costa, Luanne Gabrielle Morais; Serra, Emmeliny Cristini Nogueira; Silva, Eduardo Magalhães; Brito, Luciane Maria Oliveira; Chein, Maria Bethânia da Costa

2013-05-01

To identify the perceptual and acoustic parameters of voice in adult women with and without ovarian function and its impact on quality of life related to voice. Cross-sectional and analytical study with 106 women divided into, two groups: G1, with ovarian function (n=43) and G2, without physiological ovarian function (n=63). The women were instructed to sustain the vowel "a" and the sounds of /s/ and /z/ in habitual pitch and loudness. They were also asked to classify their voices and answer the voice-related quality of life (V-RQOL) questionnaire. The perceptual analysis of the vocal samples was performed by three speech-language pathologists using the GRBASI (G: grade; R: roughness; B: breathness; A: asthenia; S: strain; I: instability) scale. The acoustic analysis was carried out with the software VoxMetria 2.7h (CTS Informatica). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. In the perceptual analysis, both groups showed a mild deviation for the parameters roughness, strain, and instability, but only G2 showed a mild impact for the overall degree of dysphonia. The mean of fundamental frequency was significantly lower for the G2, with a difference of 17.41Hz between the two groups. There was no impact on V-RQOL in any of the V-RQOL domains for this group. With the menopause, there is a change in women's voices, impacting on some voice parameters. However, there is no direct impact on their quality of life related to voice. Copyright © 2013 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Burnout in the NICU setting and its relation to safety culture

PubMed Central

Profit, Jochen; Sharek, Paul J; Amspoker, Amber B; Kowalkowski, Mark A; Nisbet, Courtney C; Thomas, Eric J; Chadwick, Whitney A; Sexton, J Bryan

2014-01-01

Background Burnout is widespread among healthcare providers and is associated with adverse safety behaviours, operational and clinical outcomes. Little is known with regard to the explanatory links between burnout and these adverse outcomes. Objectives (1) Test the psychometric properties of a brief four-item burnout scale, (2) Provide neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) burnout and resilience benchmarking data across different units and caregiver types, (3) Examine the relationships between caregiver burnout and patient safety culture. Research design Cross-sectional survey study. Subjects Nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory care providers and physicians in 44 NICUs. Measures Caregiver assessments of burnout and safety culture. Results Of 3294 administered surveys, 2073 were returned for an overall response rate of 62.9%. The percentage of respondents in each NICU reporting burnout ranged from 7.5% to 54.4% (mean=25.9%, SD=10.8). The four-item burnout scale was reliable (α=0.85) and appropriate for aggregation (intra-class correlation coefficient−2=0.95). Burnout varied significantly between NICUs, p<0.0001, but was less prevalent in physicians (mean=15.1%, SD=19.6) compared with non-physicians (mean=26.9%, SD=11.4, p=0.0004). NICUs with more burnout had lower teamwork climate (r=−0.48, p=0.001), safety climate (r=−0.40, p=0.01), job satisfaction (r=−0.64, p<0.0001), perceptions of management (r=−0.50, p=0.0006) and working conditions (r=−0.45, p=0.002). Conclusions NICU caregiver burnout appears to have ‘climate-like’ features, is prevalent, and associated with lower perceptions of patient safety culture. PMID:24742780

Definition and means of maintaining the criticality detectors and alarms portion of the PFP safety envelope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

White, W.F.

The purpose of this document is to provide the definition and means of maintaining the Safety Envelope (SE) related to the Criticality Alarm System (CAS). This document provides amplification of the Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) described in the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Operational Safety Requirements (OSR), WHC-SD-CP-OSR-010, Rev. 0, 1994, Section 3.1.2, Criticality Detectors and Alarms. This document, with its appendices, provides the following: (1) System functional requirements for determining system operability (Section 3); (2) A list of annotated system block diagrams which indicate the safety envelope boundaries (Appendix C); (3) A list of the Safety Class 1 andmore » 2 Safety Envelope (SC-1/2 SE) equipment for input into the Master Component Index (Appendix B); (4) Functional requirements for individual SC-1/2 SE components, including appropriate setpoints and process parameters (Section 6 and Appendix A); (5) A list of the operational, maintenance and surveillance procedures necessary to operate and maintain the SC-1/2 SE components as required by the LCO (Section 6 and Appendix A).« less

A consideration of lithium cell safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobishima, Shin-ichi; Yamaki, Jun-ichi

The safety characteristics of commercial lithium ion cells are examined in relation to their use as batteries for cellular phones. This report describes a theoretical approach to an understanding of cell safety, example results of safety tests that we performed on lithium ion cells, and also presents our views regarding cell safety.

Remote sensing of wetland parameters related to carbon cycling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartlett, David S.; Johnson, Robert W.

1985-01-01

Measurement of the rates of important biogeochemical fluxes on regional or global scales is vital to understanding the geochemical and climatic consequences of natural biospheric processes and of human intervention in those processes. Remote data gathering and interpretation techniques were used to examine important cycling processes taking place in wetlands over large geographic expanses. Large area estimation of vegetative biomass and productivity depends upon accurate, consistent measurements of canopy spectral reflectance and upon wide applicability of algorithms relating reflectance to biometric parameters. Results of the use of airborne multispectral scanner data to map above-ground biomass in a Delaware salt marsh are shown. The mapping uses an effective algorithm linking biomass to measured spectral reflectance and a means to correct the scanner data for large variations in the angle of observation of the canopy. The consistency of radiometric biomass algorithms for marsh grass when they are applied over large latitudinal and tidal range gradients were also examined. Results of a 1 year study of methane emissions from tidal wetlands along a salinity gradient show marked effects of temperature, season, and pore-water chemistry in mediating flux to the atmosphere.

Exploring safety systems for dispensing in community pharmacies: focusing on how staff relate to organizational components.

PubMed

Harvey, Jasmine; Avery, Anthony J; Ashcroft, Darren; Boyd, Matthew; Phipps, Denham L; Barber, Nicholas

2015-01-01

Identifying risk is an important facet of a safety practice in an organization. To identify risk, all components within a system of operation should be considered. In clinical safety practice, a team of people, technologies, procedures and protocols, management structure and environment have been identified as key components in a system of operation. To explore risks in relation to prescription dispensing in community pharmacies by taking into account relationships between key components that relate to the dispensing process. Fifteen community pharmacies in England with varied characteristics were identified, and data were collected using non-participant observations, shadowing and interviews. Approximately 360 hours of observations and 38 interviews were conducted by the team. Observation field notes from each pharmacy were written into case studies. Overall, 52,500 words from 15 case studies and interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic and line-by-line analyses. Validation techniques included multiple data collectors co-authoring each case study for consensus, review of case studies by members of the wider team including academic and practicing community pharmacists, and patient safety experts and two presentations (internally and externally) to review and discuss findings. Risks identified were related to relationships between people and other key components in dispensing. This included how different levels of staff communicated internally and externally, followed procedures, interacted with technical systems, worked with management, and engaged with the environment. In a dispensing journey, the following categories were identified which show how risks are inextricably linked through relationships between human components and other key components: 1) dispensing with divided attention; 2) dispensing under pressure; 3) dispensing in a restricted space or environment; and, 4) managing external influences. To identify and evaluate risks effectively, an

Identifying organizational cultures that promote patient safety.

PubMed

Singer, Sara J; Falwell, Alyson; Gaba, David M; Meterko, Mark; Rosen, Amy; Hartmann, Christine W; Baker, Laurence

2009-01-01

Safety climate refers to shared perceptions of what an organization is like with regard to safety, whereas safety culture refers to employees' fundamental ideology and orientation and explains why safety is pursued in the manner exhibited within a particular organization. Although research has sought to identify opportunities for improving safety outcomes by studying patterns of variation in safety climate, few empirical studies have examined the impact of organizational characteristics such as culture on hospital safety climate. This study explored how aspects of general organizational culture relate to hospital patient safety climate. In a stratified sample of 92 U.S. hospitals, we sampled 100% of senior managers and physicians and 10% of other hospital workers. The Patient Safety Climate in Healthcare Organizations and the Zammuto and Krakower organizational culture surveys measured safety climate and group, entrepreneurial, hierarchical, and production orientation of hospitals' culture, respectively. We administered safety climate surveys to 18,361 personnel and organizational culture surveys to a 5,894 random subsample between March 2004 and May 2005. Secondary data came from the 2004 American Hospital Association Annual Hospital Survey and Dun & Bradstreet. Hierarchical linear regressions assessed relationships between organizational culture and safety climate measures. Aspects of general organizational culture were strongly related to safety climate. A higher level of group culture correlated with a higher level of safety climate, but more hierarchical culture was associated with lower safety climate. Aspects of organizational culture accounted for more than threefold improvement in measures of model fit compared with models with controls alone. A mix of culture types, emphasizing group culture, seemed optimal for safety climate. Safety climate and organizational culture are positively related. Results support strategies that promote group orientation and

Bibliography for aircraft parameter estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iliff, Kenneth W.; Maine, Richard E.

1986-01-01

An extensive bibliography in the field of aircraft parameter estimation has been compiled. This list contains definitive works related to most aircraft parameter estimation approaches. Theoretical studies as well as practical applications are included. Many of these publications are pertinent to subjects peripherally related to parameter estimation, such as aircraft maneuver design or instrumentation considerations.

Sarcopenia-related parameters and incident disability in older persons: results from the "invecchiare in Chianti" study.

PubMed

Cesari, Matteo; Rolland, Yves; Abellan Van Kan, Gabor; Bandinelli, Stefania; Vellas, Bruno; Ferrucci, Luigi

2015-04-01

Current operational definitions of sarcopenia are based on algorithms' simultaneous considering measures of skeletal muscle mass and muscle-specific as well as global function. We hypothesize that quantitative and qualitative sarcopenia-related parameters may not be equally predictive of incident disability, thus presenting different clinical relevance. Data are from 922 elder adults (mean age = 73.9 years) with no activities of daily living (ADL) impairment recruited in the "Invecchiare in Chianti" study. Incident disability in ≥1 ADL defined the outcome of interest. The specific capacities of following sarcopenia-related parameters at predicting incident ADL disability were compared: residuals of skeletal muscle mass, fat-adjusted residuals of skeletal muscle mass, muscle density, ankle extension strength, ratio ankle extension strength/muscle mass, gait speed, and handgrip strength. During the follow-up (median = 9.1 years), 188 (20.4%) incident ADL disability events were reported. Adjusted models showed that only gait speed was significantly associated with the outcome in both men (per standard deviation [SD] = 0.23 m/s increase, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.33-0.63; p < .001) and women (per SD = 0.24 m/s increase, HR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.50-0.82; p < .001). In women, the fat-adjusted lean mass residual (per SD = 4.41 increase, HR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.65-0.96; p = .02) and muscle density (per SD = 3.60 increase, HR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.61-0.93; p = .01) were the only other parameters that predicted disability. In men, several of the tested variables (except muscle mass measures) reported significant results. Gender strongly influences which sarcopenia-related parameters predict disability. Gait speed was a powerful predictor of disability in both men and women, but its nonmuscle-specific nature should impose caution about its inclusion in definitions of sarcopenia. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of

Annual report to Congress: Department of Energy activities relating to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Calendar Year 1999

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2000-02-01

This is the tenth Annual Report to the Congress describing Department of Energy activities in response to formal recommendations and other interactions with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board). The Board, an independent executive-branch agency established in 1988, provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Energy regarding public health and safety issues at the Department's defense nuclear facilities. The Board also reviews and evaluates the content and implementation of health and safety standards, as well as other requirements, relating to the design, construction, operation, and decommissioning of the Department's defense nuclear facilities. During 1999, Departmental activities resulted inmore » the closure of nine Board recommendations. In addition, the Department has completed all implementation plan milestones associated with three Board recommendations. One new Board recommendation was received and accepted by the Department in 1999, and a new implementation plan is being developed to address this recommendation. The Department has also made significant progress with a number of broad-based initiatives to improve safety. These include expanded implementation of integrated safety management at field sites, opening of a repository for long-term storage of transuranic wastes, and continued progress on stabilizing excess nuclear materials to achieve significant risk reduction.« less

Final report on the safety assessment of sodium cetearyl sulfate and related alkyl sulfates as used in cosmetics.

PubMed

Fiume, Monice; Bergfeld, Wilma F; Belsito, Donald V; Klaassen, Curtis D; Marks, James G; Shank, Ronald C; Slaga, Thomas J; Snyder, Paul W; Alan Andersen, F

2010-05-01

Sodium cetearyl sulfate is the sodium salt of a mixture of cetyl and stearyl sulfate. The other ingredients in this safety assessment are also alkyl salts, including ammonium coco-sulfate, ammonium myristyl sulfate, magnesium coco-sulfate, sodium cetyl sulfate, sodium coco/hydrogenated tallow sulfate, sodium coco-sulfate, sodium decyl sulfate, sodium ethylhexyl sulfate, sodium myristyl sulfate, sodium oleyl sulfate, sodium stearyl sulfate, sodium tallow sulfate, sodium tridecyl sulfate, and zinc coco-sulfate. These ingredients are surfactants used at concentrations from 0.1% to 29%, primarily in soaps and shampoos. Many of these ingredients are not in current use. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel previously completed a safety assessment of sodium and ammonium lauryl sulfate. The data available for sodium lauryl sulfate and ammonium lauryl sulfate provide sufficient basis for concluding that sodium cetearyl sulfate and related alkyl sulfates are safe in the practices of use and concentration described in the safety assessment.

Analysis of the hematological and biochemical parameters related to lead intoxication.

PubMed

Yılmaz, Hınç; Keten, Alper; Karacaoğlu, Emre; Tutkun, Engin; Akçan, Ramazan

2012-11-01

In parallel with industrial advancements, number of the occupational diseases secondary to chemical exposure is increasing. The chemical agents in the work places affect various organ and tissue systems, leading to chronic diseases. In this study, the cases diagnosed with occupational disease due to exposure to lead were studied and importance of the environmental forensic sciences on this issue was emphasized. A hundred and ninety patients diagnosed with occupational disease related to lead intoxication in Ankara Occupational Diseases Hospital between 01/01/2009 and 31/12/2009 were included in the study. Twenty cases were used as the controls. Sociodemographic characteristics, serum chemical parameters and hematological parameters of the patients were retrospectively assessed. Mean age of the cases included in the study was 35.3±8.69. Hemoglobin (Hb) (p=0.018) and Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) (p<0.001) values were found significantly lower in the patients with lead exposure than in the controls. Gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) was significantly lower in the patients with lead exposure than in the controls (p=0.002), whereas alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was found higher (p<0.001). In thyroid function test (TFTs) panel, free triiodothyronine (fT3) levels were found significantly higher in the patients with lead exposure than in the control group (p=0.01), while Thyrotrophin-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were lower (p<0.001). No significant difference was found in terms of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) values. In the correlation analysis; serum level of serum lead (Pb) was correlated positively with ALP values and negatively with Hb, MCV and TSH. Considering its effects on the biochemical and hematological parameters, a detailed investigation should be carried out in the cases with lead exposure, which occupies an important place among the occupational diseases. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal

Are H-reflex and M-wave recruitment curve parameters related to aerobic capacity?

PubMed

Piscione, Julien; Grosset, Jean-François; Gamet, Didier; Pérot, Chantal

2012-10-01

Soleus Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex) amplitude is affected by a training period and type and level of training are also well known to modify aerobic capacities. Previously, paired changes in H-reflex and aerobic capacity have been evidenced after endurance training. The aim of this study was to investigate possible links between H- and M-recruitment curve parameters and aerobic capacity collected on a cohort of subjects (56 young men) that were not involved in regular physical training. Maximal H-reflex normalized with respect to maximal M-wave (H(max)/M(max)) was measured as well as other parameters of the H- or M-recruitment curves that provide information about the reflex or direct excitability of the motoneuron pool, such as thresholds of stimulus intensity to obtain H or M response (H(th) and M(th)), the ascending slope of H-reflex, or M-wave recruitment curves (H(slp) and M(slp)) and their ratio (H(slp)/M(slp)). Aerobic capacity, i.e., maximal oxygen consumption and maximal aerobic power (MAP) were, respectively, estimated from a running field test and from an incremental test on a cycle ergometer. Maximal oxygen consumption was only correlated with M(slp), an indicator of muscle fiber heterogeneity (p < 0.05), whereas MAP was not correlated with any of the tested parameters (p > 0.05). Although higher H-reflex are often described for subjects with a high aerobic capacity because of endurance training, at a basic level (i.e., without training period context) no correlation was observed between maximal H-reflex and aerobic capacity. Thus, none of the H-reflex or M-wave recruitment curve parameters, except M(slp), was related to the aerobic capacity of young, untrained male subjects.

The use of diacetyl (2,3-butanedione) and related flavoring substances as flavorings added to foods-Workplace safety issues.

PubMed

Hallagan, John B

2017-08-01

In 2001, staff of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) identified diacetyl (2,3-butanedione) as a "marker" of exposure in a microwave popcorn manufacturing facility in which workers developed severe respiratory illness. Subsequent investigations identified additional workers in food and flavor manufacturing facilities also with severe respiratory illness. The flavor industry, NIOSH, and federal and state regulators conducted significant programs to address workplace safety concerns related to the manufacture of flavors and foods containing added flavors. These programs, initiated in 2001, continue today. Key to the success of these programs is understanding what flavors added to foods are and how they are manufactured, how they are incorporated into foods, the specific characteristics of diacetyl and related flavoring substances, and what actions may be taken to assure the safest workplaces possible. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

49 CFR 229.307 - Safety analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Safety analysis. 229.307 Section 229.307 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD LOCOMOTIVE SAFETY STANDARDS Locomotive Electronics § 229.307 Safety...

49 CFR 229.307 - Safety analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Safety analysis. 229.307 Section 229.307 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD LOCOMOTIVE SAFETY STANDARDS Locomotive Electronics § 229.307 Safety...

49 CFR 229.307 - Safety analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Safety analysis. 229.307 Section 229.307 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD LOCOMOTIVE SAFETY STANDARDS Locomotive Electronics § 229.307 Safety...

The mediating role of integration of safety by activity versus operator between organizational culture and safety climate.

PubMed

Auzoult, Laurent; Gangloff, Bernard

2018-04-20

In this study, we analyse the impact of the organizational culture and introduce a new variable, the integration of safety, which relates to the modalities for the implementation and adoption of safety in the work process, either through the activity or by the operator. One hundred and eighty employees replied to a questionnaire measuring the organizational climate, the safety climate and the integration of safety. We expected that implementation centred on the activity or on the operator would mediate the relationship between the organizational culture and the safety climate. The results support our assumptions. A regression analysis highlights the positive impact on the safety climate of organizational values of the 'rule' and 'support' type, as well as of integration by the operator and activity. Moreover, integration mediates the relation between these variables. The results suggest to take into account organizational culture and to introduce different implementation modalities to improve the safety climate.

Safety aspects of lipidapheresis using DALI and MONET - Multicenter observational study.

PubMed

Kozik-Jaromin, Justyna; Röseler, Eberhard; Heigl, Franz; Spitthöver, Ralf; Ringel, Jens; Schmitz, Gerd; Heinzler, Rainer; Abdul-Rahman, Nadim; Leistikow, Frank; Himmelsbach, Frido; Schettler, Volker; Uhlenbusch-Körwer, Ingrid; Ramlow, Wolfgang

2017-11-01

Lipidapheresis was introduced for intractable hyperlipidemia as a more selective therapy than plasma exchange aiming to enhance efficacy and limit side-effects. Although this therapy is regarded safe, multicenter data from routine application are limited. We investigated direct adsorption of lipoproteins (DALI) and lipofiltration (MONET) regarding the short and the long-term safety aspects. This multicenter observational study prospectively evaluated 2154 DALI and 1297 MONET sessions of 122 patients during a period of 2 years. Safety parameters included clinical side-effects (adverse device effects, ADEs), technical complications, blood pressure and pulse rate. Also routinely performed laboratory parameters were documented. Analysis of laboratory parameters was not corrected for blood dilution. Overall 0.4% DALI and 0.5% MONET treatments were affected by ADE. Technical complications occurred in 2.1% and in 0.8% DALI and MONET sessions, respectively. The most frequent ADE was hypotension, and the majority of technical problems were related to vascular access. Both types of treatments led to a drop of thrombocytes in the range of 7-8%. Hematocrit and erythrocytes decreased only during the DALI treatments by about 6%. Leucocytes decreased during the DALI therapy (∼15%), whereas they increased during the MONET application (∼11%). MONET treatment was associated with a higher reduction of proteins (fibrinogen: 58% vs. 23%, albumin: 12% vs. 7%, CRP: 33% vs. 19% for MONET and DALI, respectively). Apart from severe thrombocytopenia in two DALI patients, changes of other parameters were typically transient. Under routine use the frequency of side-effects was low. Still, monitoring of blood count and proteins in chronic apheresis patients is recommended. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Using the Job Demands-Resources model to investigate risk perception, safety climate and job satisfaction in safety critical organizations.

PubMed

Nielsen, Morten Birkeland; Mearns, Kathryn; Matthiesen, Stig Berge; Eid, Jarle

2011-10-01

Using the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R) as a theoretical framework, this study investigated the relationship between risk perception as a job demand and psychological safety climate as a job resource with regard to job satisfaction in safety critical organizations. In line with the JD-R model, it was hypothesized that high levels of risk perception is related to low job satisfaction and that a positive perception of safety climate is related to high job satisfaction. In addition, it was hypothesized that safety climate moderates the relationship between risk perception and job satisfaction. Using a sample of Norwegian offshore workers (N = 986), all three hypotheses were supported. In summary, workers who perceived high levels of risk reported lower levels of job satisfaction, whereas this effect diminished when workers perceived their safety climate as positive. Follow-up analyses revealed that this interaction was dependent on the type of risks in question. The results of this study supports the JD-R model, and provides further evidence for relationships between safety-related concepts and work-related outcomes indicating that organizations should not only develop and implement sound safety procedures to reduce the effects of risks and hazards on workers, but can also enhance other areas of organizational life through a focus on safety. © 2011 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2011 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Qualitative study to explore stakeholder perceptions related to road safety in Hyderabad, India.

PubMed

Tetali, Shailaja; Lakshmi, J K; Gupta, Shivam; Gururaj, G; Wadhwaniya, Shirin; Hyder, Adnan A

2013-12-01

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Road Safety Programme in India focuses on reduction of drink driving and increase in helmet usage in the city of Hyderabad. During the early stages of implementation, perceptions of stakeholders on road safety were explored as part of the monitoring and evaluation process for a better understanding of areas for improving road safety in Hyderabad. Fifteen in-depth interviews with government officials, subject experts, and road traffic injury victims, and four focus group discussions with trauma surgeons, medical interns, nurses, and taxi drivers were conducted, analysed manually, and presented as themes. Respondents found Hyderabad unsafe for road-users. Factors such as inadequate traffic laws, gaps in enforcement, lack of awareness, lack of political will, poor road engineering, and high-risk road users were identified as threats to road safety. The responsibility for road safety was assigned to both individual road-users and the government, with the former bearing the responsibility for safe traffic behaviour, and the latter for infrastructure provision and enforcement of regulations. The establishment of a lead agency to co-ordinate awareness generation, better road engineering, and stricter enforcement of traffic laws with economic and non-economic penalties for suboptimal traffic behaviour, could facilitate improved road safety in Hyderabad. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Aviation Safety Reporting System Incident Data Associated with the Technical Challenges of the System-Wide Safety and Assurance Technologies Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Withrow, Colleen A.; Reveley, Mary S.

2015-01-01

The Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) System-Wide Safety and Assurance Technologies (SSAT) Project asked the AvSP Systems and Portfolio Analysis Team to identify SSAT-related trends. SSAT had four technical challenges: advance safety assurance to enable deployment of NextGen systems; automated discovery of precursors to aviation safety incidents; increasing safety of human-automation interaction by incorporating human performance, and prognostic algorithm design for safety assurance. This report reviews incident data from the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) for system-component-failure- or-malfunction- (SCFM-) related and human-factor-related incidents for commercial or cargo air carriers (Part 121), commuter airlines (Part 135), and general aviation (Part 91). The data was analyzed by Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) part, phase of flight, SCFM category, human factor category, and a variety of anomalies and results. There were 38 894 SCFM-related incidents and 83 478 human-factorrelated incidents analyzed between January 1993 and April 2011.

Fire safety of wood construction

Treesearch

Robert H. White; Mark A. Dietenberger

2010-01-01

Fire safety is an important concern in all types of construction. The high level of national concern for fire safety is reflected in limitations and design requirements in building codes. These code requirements and related fire performance data are discussed in the context of fire safety design and evaluation in the initial section of this chapter. Because basic data...

Mesospheric turbulence and related parameters over the low latitude region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakravarty, S.; Datta, J.; Kamala, S.; Gupta, S.

Recently a number of studies have been carried out primarily by using ground based radar techniques to understand the phenomena of wave dynamics and turbulence in the mesosphere. While such studies have covered the middle and high latitude region quite well there is a lack of such data for the low latitude region. Extensive studies using MST radar conducted from middle and high latitude stations have resulted in providing a clear picture of the mesospheric dynamics and related structures (? n) responsible for radar backscattered echoes from mesosphere. The experiments have also enabled determination of various turbulence related parameters such as e , , LB, uz etc. A major discovery in this region is the, occurrence of PMSE layers in the mesopause regions which considerably enhances the SNR of radar return power. Only in recent times MST radar systems have been set up over the low latitude region even though the technique itself was first demonstrated at equatorial station Jicamarca using the available incoherent backscatter radar. Using these facilities broad characteristics of the turbulence structures in the mesosphere have been brought out showing similarities and differences of such results when compared with middle and high latitude stations. In all these observations it has not been possible to characterise the mesospheric turbulence with respect to the energy spectrum and its micro structure. Rocket measurements have been carried out to study the ionization parameters such as electron density irregularities in the mesosphere ( Ne) either independently or? simultaneously with MST radar observations wherever possible. Some consistency has been noticed in the occurrence of ? Ne and simultaneous radar return echo power from the height range of these irregularities. The main aim of this paper is to analyse the existing results on mesospheric dynamics and turbulence with the associated modulation in mesospheric ionization from sounding rockets launched from

Bead-bead interaction parameters in dissipative particle dynamics: Relation to bead-size, solubility parameter, and surface tension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maiti, Amitesh; McGrother, Simon

2004-01-01

Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) is a mesoscale modeling method for simulating equilibrium and dynamical properties of polymers in solution. The basic idea has been around for several decades in the form of bead-spring models. A few years ago, Groot and Warren [J. Chem. Phys. 107, 4423 (1997)] established an important link between DPD and the Flory-Huggins χ-parameter theory for polymer solutions. We revisit the Groot-Warren theory and investigate the DPD interaction parameters as a function of bead size. In particular, we show a consistent scheme of computing the interfacial tension in a segregated binary mixture. Results for three systems chosen for illustration are in excellent agreement with experimental results. This opens the door for determining DPD interactions using interfacial tension as a fitting parameter.

Discovery of safety biomarkers for atorvastatin in rat urine using mass spectrometry based metabolomics combined with global and targeted approach.

PubMed

Kumar, Bhowmik Salil; Lee, Young-Joo; Yi, Hong Jae; Chung, Bong Chul; Jung, Byung Hwa

2010-02-19

In order to develop a safety biomarker for atorvastatin, this drug was orally administrated to hyperlipidemic rats, and a metabolomic study was performed. Atorvastatin was given in doses of either 70 mg kg(-1) day(-1) or 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for a period of 7 days (n=4 for each group). To evaluate any abnormal effects of the drug, physiological and plasma biochemical parameters were measured and histopathological tests were carried out. Safety biomarkers were derived by comparing these parameters and using both global and targeted metabolic profiling. Global metabolic profiling was performed using liquid chromatography/time of flight/mass spectrometry (LC/TOF/MS) with multivariate data analysis. Several safety biomarker candidates that included various steroids and amino acids were discovered as a result of global metabolic profiling, and they were also confirmed by targeted metabolic profiling using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and capillary electrophoresis/mass spectrometry (CE/MS). Serum biochemical and histopathological tests were used to detect abnormal drug reactions in the liver after repeating oral administration of atorvastatin. The metabolic differences between control and the drug-treated groups were compared using PLS-DA score plots. These results were compared with the physiological and plasma biochemical parameters and the results of a histopathological test. Estrone, cortisone, proline, cystine, 3-ureidopropionic acid and histidine were proposed as potential safety biomarkers related with the liver toxicity of atorvastatin. These results indicate that the combined application of global and targeted metabolic profiling could be a useful tool for the discovery of drug safety biomarkers. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Safety Ellipse Motion with Coarse Sun Angle Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naasz, Bo

2005-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope Robotic Servicing and De-orbit Mission (HRSDM) was t o be performed by the unmanned Hubble Robotic Vehicle (HRV) consisting of a Deorbit Module (DM), responsible for the ultimate disposal of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) at the end of science operations, and an Ejection Module (EM), responsible for robotically servicing the HST to extend its useful operational lifetime. HRSDM consisted of eight distinct phases, including: launch, pursuit, proximity operations, capture, servicing, EM jettison and disposal, science operations, and deorbit. The scope of this paper is limited to the Proximity Operations phase of HRSDM. It introduces a relative motion strategy useful for Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) or Formation Flying missions where safe circumnavigation trajectories, or close proximity operations (tens or hundreds of meters) are required for extended periods of time. Parameters and algorithms used to model the relative motion of HRV with respect to HST during the Proximity Operations phase of the HRSDM are described. Specifically, the Safety Ellipse (SE) concept, convenient parameters for describing SE motion, and a concept for initializing SE motion around a target vehicle to coarsely optimize sun and relative navigation sensor angles are presented. The effects of solar incidence angle variations on sun angle optimization, and the effects of orbital perturbations and navigation uncertainty on long term SE motion are discussed.

Altered immune parameters correlate with infection-related hospitalizations in children with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Martínez, Elizabeth; Castañeda, Diana; Jaramillo, Sonia; Iregui, Alejandro; Quiñonez, Tatiana; Rodríguez, Jairo A; Herrera, Eddy; Gómez, Ana Milena; Rondón, Martin A; Prieto, Juan Carlos; Angel, Juana; Franco, Manuel A; Mesa, Martha C

2016-07-01

In addition to previously studied immunological variables, the relative expression of IFNGR2, IFNAR1, CD18, and CD275 (all encoded in chromosome 21) on circulating leucocytes and multifunctional T cells (evaluated by an intracellular cytokine/proliferation assay) were compared between children with Down syndrome (DS) and healthy controls (HC). As previously reported, numbers of lymphocytes, CD4(+) T cells, Treg cells, B cells, and levels of serum IgM were decreased, and levels of IgG and IgA were increased in children with DS. Moreover, the relative expression of CD18 on T and B cells (previously and not previously reported, respectively) were elevated in DS children (p⩽0.01). Age and numbers of B and Treg cells moderately correlated with retrospectively identified infection related hospitalizations (rho: 0.300-0.460, p⩽0.003). Age and the numbers of Treg cells also correlated with prospectively identified infection related hospitalizations. Future studies are necessary to clarify the role of these parameters in the immunity of DS patients. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Attitudes towards patient safety culture in a hospital setting and related variables].

PubMed

Mir-Abellán, Ramon; Falcó-Pegueroles, Anna; de la Puente-Martorell, María Luisa

To describe attitudes towards patient safety culture among workers in a hospital setting and determine the influence of socio-demographic and professional variables. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture was distributed among a sample of professionals and nursing assistants. A dimension was considered a strength if positive responses exceeded 75% and an opportunity for improvement if more than 50% of responses were negative. 59% (n=123) of respondents rated safety between 7 and 8. 53% (n=103) stated that they had not used the notification system to report any incidents in the previous twelve months. The strength identified was "teamwork in the unit/service" and the opportunity for improvement was "staffing". A more positive attitude was observed in outpatient services and among nursing professionals and part-time staff. This study has allowed us to determine the rating of the hospital in patient safety culture. This is vital for developing improvement strategies. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

A Novel Series Connected Batteries State of High Voltage Safety Monitor System for Electric Vehicle Application

PubMed Central

Jiaxi, Qiang; Lin, Yang; Jianhui, He; Qisheng, Zhou

2013-01-01

Batteries, as the main or assistant power source of EV (Electric Vehicle), are usually connected in series with high voltage to improve the drivability and energy efficiency. Today, more and more batteries are connected in series with high voltage, if there is any fault in high voltage system (HVS), the consequence is serious and dangerous. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the electric parameters of HVS to ensure the high voltage safety and protect personal safety. In this study, a high voltage safety monitor system is developed to solve this critical issue. Four key electric parameters including precharge, contact resistance, insulation resistance, and remaining capacity are monitored and analyzed based on the equivalent models presented in this study. The high voltage safety controller which integrates the equivalent models and control strategy is developed. By the help of hardware-in-loop system, the equivalent models integrated in the high voltage safety controller are validated, and the online electric parameters monitor strategy is analyzed and discussed. The test results indicate that the high voltage safety monitor system designed in this paper is suitable for EV application. PMID:24194677

A novel series connected batteries state of high voltage safety monitor system for electric vehicle application.

PubMed

Jiaxi, Qiang; Lin, Yang; Jianhui, He; Qisheng, Zhou

2013-01-01

Batteries, as the main or assistant power source of EV (Electric Vehicle), are usually connected in series with high voltage to improve the drivability and energy efficiency. Today, more and more batteries are connected in series with high voltage, if there is any fault in high voltage system (HVS), the consequence is serious and dangerous. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the electric parameters of HVS to ensure the high voltage safety and protect personal safety. In this study, a high voltage safety monitor system is developed to solve this critical issue. Four key electric parameters including precharge, contact resistance, insulation resistance, and remaining capacity are monitored and analyzed based on the equivalent models presented in this study. The high voltage safety controller which integrates the equivalent models and control strategy is developed. By the help of hardware-in-loop system, the equivalent models integrated in the high voltage safety controller are validated, and the online electric parameters monitor strategy is analyzed and discussed. The test results indicate that the high voltage safety monitor system designed in this paper is suitable for EV application.

Genetic parameters between feed-intake-related traits and conformation in 2 separate dairy populations—the Netherlands and United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

To include feed-intake-related traits in the breeding goal, accurate estimates of genetic parameters of feed intake, and its correlations with other related traits (i.e., production, conformation) are required to compare different options. However, the correlations between feed intake and conformati...

Development and application of the Safe Performance Index as a risk-based methodology for identifying major hazard-related safety issues in underground coal mines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinilakodi, Harisha

The underground coal mining industry has been under constant watch due to the high risk involved in its activities, and scrutiny increased because of the disasters that occurred in 2006-07. In the aftermath of the incidents, the U.S. Congress passed the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act), which strengthened the existing regulations and mandated new laws to address the various issues related to a safe working environment in the mines. Risk analysis in any form should be done on a regular basis to tackle the possibility of unwanted major hazard-related events such as explosions, outbursts, airbursts, inundations, spontaneous combustion, and roof fall instabilities. One of the responses by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) in 2007 involved a new pattern of violations (POV) process to target mines with a poor safety performance, specifically to improve their safety. However, the 2010 disaster (worst in 40 years) gave an impression that the collective effort of the industry, federal/state agencies, and researchers to achieve the goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries has gone awry. The Safe Performance Index (SPI) methodology developed in this research is a straight-forward, effective, transparent, and reproducible approach that can help in identifying and addressing some of the existing issues while targeting (poor safety performance) mines which need help. It combines three injury and three citation measures that are scaled to have an equal mean (5.0) in a balanced way with proportionate weighting factors (0.05, 0.15, 0.30) and overall normalizing factor (15) into a mine safety performance evaluation tool. It can be used to assess the relative safety-related risk of mines, including by mine-size category. Using 2008 and 2009 data, comparisons were made of SPI-associated, normalized safety performance measures across mine-size categories, with emphasis on small-mine safety performance as compared to large- and

Living up to safety values in health care: the effect of leader behavioral integrity on occupational safety.

PubMed

Halbesleben, Jonathon R B; Leroy, Hannes; Dierynck, Bart; Simons, Tony; Savage, Grant T; McCaughey, Deirdre; Leon, Matthew R

2013-10-01

While previous research has identified that leaders' safety expectations and safety actions are important in fostering occupational safety, research has yet to demonstrate the importance of leader alignment between safety expectations and actions for improving occupational safety. We build on safety climate literature and theory on behavioral integrity to better understand the relationship between the leader's behavioral integrity regarding safety and work-related injuries. In a time-lagged study of 658 nurses, we find that behavioral integrity for high safety values is positively associated with greater reporting of fewer and less severe occupational injuries. The effects of behavioral integrity regarding safety can be better understood through the mediating mechanisms of safety compliance and psychological safety toward one's supervisor. We discuss the implications of our findings for future research on safety climate.

Analysis of Safety-Related Regulatory Actions for New Drugs in Japan by Nature of Identified Risks.

PubMed

Fujikawa, Makoto; Ono, Shunsuke

2017-01-01

Mechanisms underlying safety events may be heterogeneous and depend on conditions of development and marketing, including the populations studied in clinical trials and the amount of data required for approval, especially under pathways for accelerated access. This study was conducted to investigate possible factors affecting the first post-marketing safety-related regulatory actions (SRRAs) after launch of new drugs in Japan. We studied 338 new molecular entities (NMEs) approved in Japan between 2004 and 2014. We focused on three different types of SRRAs: (1) all-SRRAs (i.e. SRRAs from domestic cases and other countries), (2) domestic-SRRAs (i.e. SRRAs from domestic cases) and (3) domestic unknown-SRRAs (i.e. SRRAs of unknown risks from domestic cases). Occurrences of the three types of SRRAs were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox-regression. SRRAs tended to occur sooner for NMEs launched in recent years versus those launched towards the beginning of the study period. Risk of SRRA was high for antineoplastics. Drugs for cardiovascular diseases, central nervous system, and diabetes had positive associations with all-SRRAs, but the associations were weaker with domestic-SRRAs. Domestic-SRRAs were more likely for drugs with relatively novel modes of action (MOAs). Longer lag to Japanese launch after first global launch significantly lowered SRRA risks. While most of the variables showed similar associations across the three types of SRRAs, adoption of bridging strategies showed higher risks only for domestic-SRRAs, not for all-SRRAs. FDA safety labeling changes and non-orphan priority review drugs presented higher domestic-SRRA risks. The number of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) from spontaneous reports had positive correlations with the three types of SRRAs, whereas the number from company-led surveillance showed no association. Our results indicated that global clinical development pathways and marketing status should be considered more seriously in

Influence of amplitude-related perfusion parameters in the parotid glands by non-fat-saturated dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chiu, Su-Chin; Cheng, Cheng-Chieh; Chang, Hing-Chiu

Purpose: To verify whether quantification of parotid perfusion is affected by fat signals on non-fat-saturated (NFS) dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and whether the influence of fat is reduced with fat saturation (FS). Methods: This study consisted of three parts. First, a retrospective study analyzed DCE-MRI data previously acquired on different patients using NFS (n = 18) or FS (n = 18) scans. Second, a phantom study simulated the signal enhancements in the presence of gadolinium contrast agent at six concentrations and three fat contents. Finally, a prospective study recruited nine healthy volunteers to investigate the influence of fatmore » suppression on perfusion quantification on the same subjects. Parotid perfusion parameters were derived from NFS and FS DCE-MRI data using both pharmacokinetic model analysis and semiquantitative parametric analysis. T tests and linear regression analysis were used for statistical analysis with correction for multiple comparisons. Results: NFS scans showed lower amplitude-related parameters, including parameter A, peak enhancement (PE), and slope than FS scans in the patients (all with P < 0.0167). The relative signal enhancement in the phantoms was proportional to the dose of contrast agent and was lower in NFS scans than in FS scans. The volunteer study showed lower parameter A (6.75 ± 2.38 a.u.), PE (42.12% ± 14.87%), and slope (1.43% ± 0.54% s{sup −1}) in NFS scans as compared to 17.63 ± 8.56 a.u., 104.22% ± 25.15%, and 9.68% ± 1.67% s{sup −1}, respectively, in FS scans (all with P < 0.005). These amplitude-related parameters were negatively associated with the fat content in NFS scans only (all with P < 0.05). Conclusions: On NFS DCE-MRI, quantification of parotid perfusion is adversely affected by the presence of fat signals for all amplitude-related parameters. The influence could be reduced on FS scans.« less

The orthopaedic error index: development and application of a novel national indicator for assessing the relative safety of hospital care using a cross-sectional approach.

PubMed

Panesar, Sukhmeet S; Netuveli, Gopalakrishnan; Carson-Stevens, Andrew; Javad, Sundas; Patel, Bhavesh; Parry, Gareth; Donaldson, Liam J; Sheikh, Aziz

2013-11-21

The Orthopaedic Error Index for hospitals aims to provide the first national assessment of the relative safety of provision of orthopaedic surgery. Cross-sectional study (retrospective analysis of records in a database). The National Reporting and Learning System is the largest national repository of patient-safety incidents in the world with over eight million error reports. It offers a unique opportunity to develop novel approaches to enhancing patient safety, including investigating the relative safety of different healthcare providers and specialties. We extracted all orthopaedic error reports from the system over 1 year (2009-2010). The Orthopaedic Error Index was calculated as a sum of the error propensity and severity. All relevant hospitals offering orthopaedic surgery in England were then ranked by this metric to identify possible outliers that warrant further attention. 155 hospitals reported 48 971 orthopaedic-related patient-safety incidents. The mean Orthopaedic Error Index was 7.09/year (SD 2.72); five hospitals were identified as outliers. Three of these units were specialist tertiary hospitals carrying out complex surgery; the remaining two outlier hospitals had unusually high Orthopaedic Error Indexes: mean 14.46 (SD 0.29) and 15.29 (SD 0.51), respectively. The Orthopaedic Error Index has enabled identification of hospitals that may be putting patients at disproportionate risk of orthopaedic-related iatrogenic harm and which therefore warrant further investigation. It provides the prototype of a summary index of harm to enable surveillance of unsafe care over time across institutions. Further validation and scrutiny of the method will be required to assess its potential to be extended to other hospital specialties in the UK and also internationally to other health systems that have comparable national databases of patient-safety incidents.

Food Safety Programs Based on HACCP Principles in School Nutrition Programs: Implementation Status and Factors Related to Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stinson, Wendy Bounds; Carr, Deborah; Nettles, Mary Frances; Johnson, James T.

2011-01-01

Purpose/Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the extent to which school nutrition (SN) programs have implemented food safety programs based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles, as well as factors, barriers, and practices related to implementation of these programs. Methods: An online survey was…

Economic Issues on Food Safety.

PubMed

Adinolfi, Felice; Di Pasquale, Jorgelina; Capitanio, Fabian

2016-01-18

A globalised food trade, with a huge increase of the exchanged volume, extensive production and complex supply chains are contributing towards an increased number of microbiological food safety outbreaks. All of these factors are putting pressure on the stakeholders, either public or private, in terms of rule and control. In fact, this scenario could force manufacturers to be lenient towards food safety control intentionally, or unintentionally, and result in a major foodborne outbreak that causes health problems and economic loss. As a response to emerging calls for the adoption of a systemic approach to food safety, we try to identify and discuss the several related economics issue in this field. Based on an extensive analysis of academic and policy literatures on the economic effects of global environmental change at different stages of the food system, we highlight the main issues involving economists in the field of food safety. In the first part, we assessed the several approaches and problems related to the evaluation of food safety improvements, followed by an overview of drivers of food safety demand in the second part. The third section is devoted to discussing changes occurred at the institutional level in building and managing food safety policies. The last section summarises the main considerations aroused from the work.

Annual report to Congress: Department of Energy activities relating to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, calendar year 1998

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1999-02-01

This is the ninth Annual Report to the Congress describing Department of Energy (Department) activities in response to formal recommendations and other interactions with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board). The Board, an independent executive-branch agency established in 1988, provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of energy regarding public health and safety issues at the Department`s defense nuclear facilities. The Board also reviews and evaluates the content and implementation of health and safety standards, as well as other requirements, relating to the design, construction, operation, and decommissioning of the Department`s defense nuclear facilities. The locations of the majormore » Department facilities are provided. During 1998, Departmental activities resulted in the proposed closure of one Board recommendation. In addition, the Department has completed all implementation plan milestones associated with four other Board recommendations. Two new Board recommendations were received and accepted by the Department in 1998, and two new implementation plans are being developed to address these recommendations. The Department has also made significant progress with a number of broad-based initiatives to improve safety. These include expanded implementation of integrated safety management at field sites, a renewed effort to increase the technical capabilities of the federal workforce, and a revised plan for stabilizing excess nuclear materials to achieve significant risk reduction.« less

The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Safety Climate and Individual Safety Behavior on Construction Sites.

PubMed

Shen, Yuzhong; Ju, Chuanjing; Koh, Tas Yong; Rowlinson, Steve; Bridge, Adrian J

2017-01-05

Unsafe acts contribute dominantly to construction accidents, and increasing safety behavior is essential to reduce accidents. Previous research conceptualized safety behavior as an interaction between proximal individual differences (safety knowledge and safety motivation) and distal contextual factors (leadership and safety climate). However, relatively little empirical research has examined this conceptualization in the construction sector. Given the cultural background of the sample, this study makes a slight modification to the conceptualization and views transformational leadership as an antecedent of safety climate. Accordingly, this study establishes a multiple mediator model showing the mechanisms through which transformational leadership translates into safety behavior. The multiple mediator model is estimated by the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique, using individual questionnaire responses from a random sample of construction personnel based in Hong Kong. As hypothesized, transformational leadership has a significant impact on safety climate which is mediated by safety-specific leader-member exchange (LMX), and safety climate in turn impacts safety behavior through safety knowledge. The results suggest that future safety climate interventions should be more effective if supervisors exhibit transformational leadership, encourage construction personnel to voice safety concerns without fear of retaliation, and repeatedly remind them about safety on the job.

The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Safety Climate and Individual Safety Behavior on Construction Sites

PubMed Central

Shen, Yuzhong; Ju, Chuanjing; Koh, Tas Yong; Rowlinson, Steve; Bridge, Adrian J.

2017-01-01

Unsafe acts contribute dominantly to construction accidents, and increasing safety behavior is essential to reduce accidents. Previous research conceptualized safety behavior as an interaction between proximal individual differences (safety knowledge and safety motivation) and distal contextual factors (leadership and safety climate). However, relatively little empirical research has examined this conceptualization in the construction sector. Given the cultural background of the sample, this study makes a slight modification to the conceptualization and views transformational leadership as an antecedent of safety climate. Accordingly, this study establishes a multiple mediator model showing the mechanisms through which transformational leadership translates into safety behavior. The multiple mediator model is estimated by the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique, using individual questionnaire responses from a random sample of construction personnel based in Hong Kong. As hypothesized, transformational leadership has a significant impact on safety climate which is mediated by safety-specific leader–member exchange (LMX), and safety climate in turn impacts safety behavior through safety knowledge. The results suggest that future safety climate interventions should be more effective if supervisors exhibit transformational leadership, encourage construction personnel to voice safety concerns without fear of retaliation, and repeatedly remind them about safety on the job. PMID:28067775

29 CFR 1926.105 - Safety nets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 8 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Safety nets. 1926.105 Section 1926.105 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment § 1926.105...

Calculation of Weibull strength parameters, Batdorf flaw density constants and related statistical quantities using PC-CARES

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szatmary, Steven A.; Gyekenyesi, John P.; Nemeth, Noel N.

1990-01-01

This manual describes the operation and theory of the PC-CARES (Personal Computer-Ceramic Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures) computer program for the IBM PC and compatibles running PC-DOS/MS-DOR OR IBM/MS-OS/2 (version 1.1 or higher) operating systems. The primary purpose of this code is to estimate Weibull material strength parameters, the Batdorf crack density coefficient, and other related statistical quantities. Included in the manual is the description of the calculation of shape and scale parameters of the two-parameter Weibull distribution using the least-squares analysis and maximum likelihood methods for volume- and surface-flaw-induced fracture in ceramics with complete and censored samples. The methods for detecting outliers and for calculating the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and the Anderson-Darling goodness-of-fit statistics and 90 percent confidence bands about the Weibull line, as well as the techniques for calculating the Batdorf flaw-density constants are also described.

The predictive validity of safety climate.

PubMed

Johnson, Stephen E

2007-01-01

Safety professionals have increasingly turned their attention to social science for insight into the causation of industrial accidents. One social construct, safety climate, has been examined by several researchers [Cooper, M. D., & Phillips, R. A. (2004). Exploratory analysis of the safety climate and safety behavior relationship. Journal of Safety Research, 35(5), 497-512; Gillen, M., Baltz, D., Gassel, M., Kirsch, L., & Vacarro, D. (2002). Perceived safety climate, job Demands, and coworker support among union and nonunion injured construction workers. Journal of Safety Research, 33(1), 33-51; Neal, A., & Griffin, M. A. (2002). Safety climate and safety behaviour. Australian Journal of Management, 27, 66-76; Zohar, D. (2000). A group-level model of safety climate: Testing the effect of group climate on microaccidents in manufacturing jobs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(4), 587-596; Zohar, D., & Luria, G. (2005). A multilevel model of safety climate: Cross-level relationships between organization and group-level climates. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 616-628] who have documented its importance as a factor explaining the variation of safety-related outcomes (e.g., behavior, accidents). Researchers have developed instruments for measuring safety climate and have established some degree of psychometric reliability and validity. The problem, however, is that predictive validity has not been firmly established, which reduces the credibility of safety climate as a meaningful social construct. The research described in this article addresses this problem and provides additional support for safety climate as a viable construct and as a predictive indicator of safety-related outcomes. This study used 292 employees at three locations of a heavy manufacturing organization to complete the 16 item Zohar Safety Climate Questionnaire (ZSCQ) [Zohar, D., & Luria, G. (2005). A multilevel model of safety climate: Cross-level relationships between organization and group

Development of a safety decision-making scenario to measure worker safety in agriculture.

PubMed

Mosher, G A; Keren, N; Freeman, S A; Hurburgh, C R

2014-04-01

Human factors play an important role in the management of occupational safety, especially in high-hazard workplaces such as commercial grain-handling facilities. Employee decision-making patterns represent an essential component of the safety system within a work environment. This research describes the process used to create a safety decision-making scenario to measure the process that grain-handling employees used to make choices in a safety-related work task. A sample of 160 employees completed safety decision-making simulations based on a hypothetical but realistic scenario in a grain-handling environment. Their choices and the information they used to make their choices were recorded. Although the employees emphasized safety information in their decision-making process, not all of their choices were safe choices. Factors influencing their choices are discussed, and implications for industry, management, and workers are shared.

Refractive Status at Birth: Its Relation to Newborn Physical Parameters at Birth and Gestational Age

PubMed Central

Varghese, Raji Mathew; Sreenivas, Vishnubhatla; Puliyel, Jacob Mammen; Varughese, Sara

2009-01-01

Background Refractive status at birth is related to gestational age. Preterm babies have myopia which decreases as gestational age increases and term babies are known to be hypermetropic. This study looked at the correlation of refractive status with birth weight in term and preterm babies, and with physical indicators of intra-uterine growth such as the head circumference and length of the baby at birth. Methods All babies delivered at St. Stephens Hospital and admitted in the nursery were eligible for the study. Refraction was performed within the first week of life. 0.8% tropicamide with 0.5% phenylephrine was used to achieve cycloplegia and paralysis of accommodation. 599 newborn babies participated in the study. Data pertaining to the right eye is utilized for all the analyses except that for anisometropia where the two eyes were compared. Growth parameters were measured soon after birth. Simple linear regression analysis was performed to see the association of refractive status, (mean spherical equivalent (MSE), astigmatism and anisometropia) with each of the study variables, namely gestation, length, weight and head circumference. Subsequently, multiple linear regression was carried out to identify the independent predictors for each of the outcome parameters. Results Simple linear regression showed a significant relation between all 4 study variables and refractive error but in multiple regression only gestational age and weight were related to refractive error. The partial correlation of weight with MSE adjusted for gestation was 0.28 and that of gestation with MSE adjusted for weight was 0.10. Birth weight had a higher correlation to MSE than gestational age. Conclusion This is the first study to look at refractive error against all these growth parameters, in preterm and term babies at birth. It would appear from this study that birth weight rather than gestation should be used as criteria for screening for refractive error, especially in developing

Estimation and applicability of attenuation characteristics for source parameters and scaling relations in the Garhwal Kumaun Himalaya region, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Rakesh; Paul, Ajay; Kumar, Arjun; Kumar, Parveen; Sundriyal, Y. P.

2018-06-01

Source parameters of the small to moderate earthquakes are significant for understanding the dynamic rupture process, the scaling relations of the earthquakes and for assessment of seismic hazard potential of a region. In this study, the source parameters were determined for 58 small to moderate size earthquakes (3.0 ≤ Mw ≤ 5.0) occurred during 2007-2015 in the Garhwal-Kumaun region. The estimated shear wave quality factor (Qβ(f)) values for each station at different frequencies have been applied to eliminate any bias in the determination of source parameters. The Qβ(f) values have been estimated by using coda wave normalization method in the frequency range 1.5-16 Hz. A frequency-dependent S wave quality factor relation is obtained as Qβ(f) = (152.9 ± 7) f(0.82±0.005) by fitting a power-law frequency dependence model for the estimated values over the whole study region. The spectral (low-frequency spectral level and corner frequency) and source (static stress drop, seismic moment, apparent stress and radiated energy) parameters are obtained assuming ω-2 source model. The displacement spectra are corrected for estimated frequency-dependent attenuation, site effect using spectral decay parameter "Kappa". The frequency resolution limit was resolved by quantifying the bias in corner frequencies, stress drop and radiated energy estimates due to finite-bandwidth effect. The data of the region shows shallow focused earthquakes with low stress drop. The estimation of Zúñiga parameter (ε) suggests the partial stress drop mechanism in the region. The observed low stress drop and apparent stress can be explained by partial stress drop and low effective stress model. Presence of subsurface fluid at seismogenic depth certainly manipulates the dynamics of the region. However, the limited event selection may strongly bias the scaling relation even after taking as much as possible precaution in considering effects of finite bandwidth, attenuation and site corrections

Qualification of safety-related electrical equipment in France. Methods, approach and test facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Raimondo, E.; Capman, J.L.; Herovard, M.

1985-05-01

Requirements for qualification of electrical equipment used in French-built nuclear power plants are stated in a national code, the RCC-E, or Regles de Construction et de Conception des Materiels Electriques. Under the RCC-E, safety related equipment is assigned to one of three different categories, according to location in the plant and anticipated normal, accident and post-accident behavior. Qualification tests differ for each category and procedures range in scope from the standard seismic test to the highly stringent VISA program, which specifies a predetermined sequence of aging, radiation, seismic and simulated accident testing. A network of official French test facilities wasmore » developed specifically to meet RCC-E requirements.« less

Consumer confidence in the safety of food and newspaper coverage of food safety issues: a longitudinal perspective.

PubMed

de Jonge, Janneke; Van Trijp, Hans; Renes, Reint Jan; Frewer, Lynn J

2010-01-01

This study develops a longitudinal perspective on consumer confidence in the safety of food to explore if, how, and why consumer confidence changes over time. In the first study, a theory-based monitoring instrument for consumer confidence in the safety of food was developed and validated. The monitoring instrument assesses consumer confidence together with its determinants. Model and measurement invariance were validated rigorously before developments in consumer confidence in the safety of food and its determinants were investigated over time. The results from the longitudinal analysis show that across four waves of annual data collection (2003-2006), the framework was stable and that the relative importance of the determinants of confidence was, generally, constant over time. Some changes were observed regarding the mean ratings on the latent constructs. The second study explored how newspaper coverage of food safety related issues affects consumer confidence in the safety of food through subjective consumer recall of food safety incidents. The results show that the newspaper coverage on food safety issues is positively associated with consumer recall of food safety incidents, both in terms of intensity and recency of media coverage.

A Taxonomy of Fallacies in System Safety Arguments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenwell, William S.; Knight, John C.; Holloway, C. Michael; Pease, Jacob J.

2006-01-01

Safety cases are gaining acceptance as assurance vehicles for safety-related systems. A safety case documents the evidence and argument that a system is safe to operate; however, logical fallacies in the underlying argument may undermine a system s safety claims. Removing these fallacies is essential to reduce the risk of safety-related system failure. We present a taxonomy of common fallacies in safety arguments that is intended to assist safety professionals in avoiding and detecting fallacious reasoning in the arguments they develop and review. The taxonomy derives from a survey of general argument fallacies and a separate survey of fallacies in real-world safety arguments. Our taxonomy is specific to safety argumentation, and it is targeted at professionals who work with safety arguments but may lack formal training in logic or argumentation. We discuss the rationale for the selection and categorization of fallacies in the taxonomy. In addition to its applications to the development and review of safety cases, our taxonomy could also support the analysis of system failures and promote the development of more robust safety case patterns.

NACA Wartime Safety Poster

NASA Image and Video Library

1945-04-21

One of many safety posters produced by NACA artists during World War II. The Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory established a Safety Office in 1942 to coordinate and oversee safety-related activities. The lab struggled to maintain a full staff during the war when military research projects were at a peak. NACA management mandated six-day work weeks without overtime and the elimination of holidays. As such, workplace injuries were a serious threat to maintaining productivity needed to sustain the military’s aeronautics efforts.

Quantitative relations between interaction parameter, miscibility and function in organic solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Long; Hu, Huawei; Ghasemi, Masoud; Wang, Tonghui; Collins, Brian A.; Kim, Joo-Hyun; Jiang, Kui; Carpenter, Joshua H.; Li, Hong; Li, Zhengke; McAfee, Terry; Zhao, Jingbo; Chen, Xiankai; Lai, Joshua Lin Yuk; Ma, Tingxuan; Bredas, Jean-Luc; Yan, He; Ade, Harald

2018-03-01

Although it is known that molecular interactions govern morphology formation and purity of mixed domains of conjugated polymer donors and small-molecule acceptors, and thus largely control the achievable performance of organic solar cells, quantifying interaction-function relations has remained elusive. Here, we first determine the temperature-dependent effective amorphous-amorphous interaction parameter, χaa(T), by mapping out the phase diagram of a model amorphous polymer:fullerene material system. We then establish a quantitative `constant-kink-saturation' relation between χaa and the fill factor in organic solar cells that is verified in detail in a model system and delineated across numerous high- and low-performing materials systems, including fullerene and non-fullerene acceptors. Our experimental and computational data reveal that a high fill factor is obtained only when χaa is large enough to lead to strong phase separation. Our work outlines a basis for using various miscibility tests and future simulation methods that will significantly reduce or eliminate trial-and-error approaches to material synthesis and device fabrication of functional semiconducting blends and organic blends in general.

The three Rs of fire safety, emergency action, and fire prevention planning: promoting safety at the worksite.

PubMed

Thompson, Marcella R

2003-04-01

Fire safety is of paramount importance for everyone. In many workplaces, the occupational health nurse's scope of practice encompasses safety related activities. Included within this role is the responsibility for fire safety, emergency action, and fire prevention planning. The Three Rs of fire safety, emergency action, and fire prevention plans are rules, responsibilities, and resources. Myriad building and fire safety codes, regulations, and standards exist with which an employer must comply. An employer's responsibility for installing, testing, inspecting, and maintaining fire safety related equipment is extensive. Emergency action and fire prevention planning begins with conducting a detailed physical survey and preparing site maps. It includes making key policy decisions, writing procedures, and training employees in those procedures by practicing and executing site drills. The best resources available for emergency planning are the local fire department and the property insurer. Planning ahead means an efficient emergency response if disaster strikes. It saves lives, limits property damage, and preserves the environment.

Optical assessment of intravascular and intracellular parameters related to tissue viability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayevsky, Avraham; Sherman, Efrat; Cohen-Kashi, Meir; Dekel, Nava; Pewzner, Eliyahu

2007-02-01

Tissue viability represents the balance between O II supply and demand. In our previous paper (Mayevsky et al; Proc.SPIE 6083 : z1-z10, 2006) the HbO II was added to the multiparametric tissue spectroscope (Mayevsky et al J.Biomedical Optics 9:1028-1045,2004). This parameter provides relative values of microcirculatory blood oxygenation (MC-HbO II) evaluated by the 2 wavelength reflectometry principle. The advantage of this approach as compared to pulse oximetry is that the measurement is not dependent of the existence of the pulse of the heart. Also in the MC-HbO II the information is collected from small vessels providing O II to the mitochondria as compared to the pulse oximeter indicating blood oxygenation by the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. In the present study we compared the level of blood oxygenation measured by the pulse oximeter to that measured by the CritiView in the brain exposed to various systemic and localized perturbations of O II supply or demand. We exposed gerbils to anoxia, hypoxia, ischemia and terminal anoxia. In addition we measured mitochondrial NADH (surface fluorometry), tissue reflectance, tissue blood flow (laser Doppler flowmetry) from the same site of MC-HbO II measurement. A clear connection was found between the two blood oxygenation parameters only when systemic perturbations were used (anoxia, hypoxia and terminal anoxia). Under local events (ischemia) the MC-HbO II was responsive while the systemic oxygenation was unchanged. We concluded that MC-HbO II has a significant value in interpretation of tissue energy metabolism under pathophysiological conditions.

Atlas of Relations Between Climatic Parameters and Distributions of Important Trees and Shrubs in North America - Alaska Species and Ecoregions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, Robert S.; Anderson, Katherine H.; Strickland, Laura E.; Shafer, Sarah L.; Pelltier, Richard T.; Bartlein, Patrick J.

2006-01-01

Climate is the primary factor in controlling the continental-scale distribution of plant species, although the relations between climatic parameters and species' ranges is only now beginning to be quantified. Preceding volumes of this atlas explored the continental-scale relations between climatic parameters and the distributions of woody plant species across all of the continent of North America. This volume presents similar information for important woody species, groups of species, and ecoregions in more detail for the State of Alaska. For these analyses, we constructed a 25-kilometer equal-area grid of modern climatic and bioclimatic parameters for North America from instrumental weather records. We obtained a digital representation of the geographic distribution of each species or ecoregion, either from a published source or by digitizing the published distributions ourselves. The presence or absence of each species or ecoregion was then determined for each point on the 25-kilometer grid, thus providing a basis for comparison of the climatic data with the geographic distribution of each species or ecoregion. The relations between climate and these distributions are presented in graphical and tabular form.

Relation of Biochemical Parameters with Flow-mediated Dilatation in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

PubMed Central

Sipahioglu, Nurver Turfaner; Ilerigelen, Barıs; Gungor, Zeynep B.; Ayaz, Gulsel; Ekmekci, Hakan; Gurel, Cigdem Bayram; Can, Gunay; Sonmez, Huseyin; Ulutin, Turgut; Sipahioglu, Fikret

2017-01-01

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is one of the high cardiovascular (CV) situations. Endothelial dysfunction, which is a common finding in patients with MetS, is related with increased CV risk. In patients with MetS, the effect of the major CV risk factors, not included in the MetS definition, on endothelial dysfunction is not well known. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of major CV risk factors such as gender, smoking, family history, and biochemical parameters on endothelial dysfunction in patients with MetS. Methods: The study was performed between December 2010 and August 2014. A total of 55 patients (15 females and 40 males) with MetS and 81 healthy controls (37 females and 44 males) with a body mass index <25 kg/m2 were enrolled in the study. Endothelial dysfunction was measured by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), oxidative stress parameters; high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (e-NOS), nitric oxide, and cell adhesion markers; von Willebrand factor, and e-selectin. Platelet aggregation (endothelial adenosine diphosphate), total platelet count, and mean platelet volume were additionally analyzed and demographic parameters were explored. Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Chi-square test were used to analyze the results. Results: The fasting blood glucose (z = 3.52, P = 0.001), hs-CRP (z = 3.23, P = 0.004), ox-LDL (z = 2.62, P = 0.013), and e-NOS (z = 2.22, P = 0.026) levels and cardiac risk score (z = 5.23, P < 0.001) were significantly higher in patients with MetS compared with the control group. Smoking was correlated with decreased FMD (χ2 = 9.26, P = 0.002) in MetS patients but not in the control group. Conclusions: Increased ox-LDL, hs-CRP, and e-NOS are likely to be a result of oxidative stress, a condition in which an imbalance occurs between the production and inactivation of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species. In addition, in patients

[The level of social support parameters in relation to coping with stress caused by a disease among female patients suffering from depression].

PubMed

Tomczak-Witych, Agnieszka

2006-01-01

Social support issues have their permanent position in the studies of socio-psychological changes influencing people's health. Social support has been treated as one of the factors guarding against disease symptoms occurrence and supporting the stable health state. The purpose the study was to determine how female patients suffering from depression function in society in relation to the social support they receive. 60 female patients with a diagnosed depression and 60 mentally ordered female patients were tested with the use of Uchnast's Sense of Security Questionnaire (KPB). The social support aspects such as the sense of security, sense of closeness, stability and self-confidence were analysed. The participants of the analysis were both women with diagnosed depression and women without any indicators of a depression. The analysis of the result indicated the existence of differences in the intensity of all the social support parameters in both studied groups of women. Women with depression are characterised by a lower sense of closeness, lower stability and lower self-confidence. Among the female patients with depression there is a lower level of the need of safety, and this is the symptom characteristic for the individuals not properly adjusted to social conditions. Lower sense of security staunches and deteriorates the perception of social support, both perceived and expected.

40 CFR 68.48 - Safety information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Safety information. 68.48 Section 68...) CHEMICAL ACCIDENT PREVENTION PROVISIONS Program 2 Prevention Program § 68.48 Safety information. (a) The owner or operator shall compile and maintain the following up-to-date safety information related to the...

Stair Descending Exercise Using a Novel Automatic Escalator: Effects on Muscle Performance and Health-Related Parameters

PubMed Central

Paschalis, Vassilis; Theodorou, Anastasios A.; Panayiotou, George; Kyparos, Antonios; Patikas, Dimitrios; Grivas, Gerasimos V.; Nikolaidis, Michalis G.; Vrabas, Ioannis S.

2013-01-01

A novel automatic escalator was designed, constructed and used in the present investigation. The aim of the present investigation was to compare the effect of two repeated sessions of stair descending versus stair ascending exercise on muscle performance and health-related parameters in young healthy men. Twenty males participated and were randomly divided into two equal-sized groups: a stair descending group (muscle-damaging group) and a stair ascending group (non-muscle-damaging group). Each group performed two sessions of stair descending or stair ascending exercise on the automatic escalator while a three week period was elapsed between the two exercise sessions. Indices of muscle function, insulin sensitivity, blood lipid profile and redox status were assessed before and immediately after, as well as at day 2 and day 4 after both exercise sessions. It was found that the first bout of stair descending exercise caused muscle damage, induced insulin resistance and oxidative stress as well as affected positively blood lipid profile. However, after the second bout of stair descending exercise the alterations in all parameters were diminished or abolished. On the other hand, the stair ascending exercise induced only minor effects on muscle function and health-related parameters after both exercise bouts. The results of the present investigation indicate that stair descending exercise seems to be a promising way of exercise that can provoke positive effects on blood lipid profile and antioxidant status. PMID:23437093

Evolving Models of Rehabilitation-Related Patient Safety and Quality: PIECES.

PubMed

Gans, Bruce M

2018-06-01

A conceptual framework for measuring and reporting safety and quality in medical rehabilitation is described in this special communication. Copyright © 2018 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Thermal overload protection for electric motors on safety-related motor-operated valves: Generic Issue II. E. 6. 1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rothberg, O.

1988-06-01

NRC regulatory positions, as stated in Regulatory Guide 1.106, Revision 1, have been identified by the Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data (AEOD) as potential contributors to valve motor burnout. AEOD is particularly concerned about the allowed policy of bypassing thermal overload devices during normal or accident conditions. Regulatory Guide 1.106 favors compromising the function of thermal overload devices in favor of completing the safety-related action of valves. The purpose of this study was to determine if the guidance contained in Regulatory Guide 1.106 is appropriate and, if not, to recommend the necessary changes. This report describes thermalmore » overload devices commonly used to protect safety-related valve operator motors. The regulatory guidelines stated in Regulatory Guide 1.106 along with the limitations of thermal overload protection are discussed. Supplements and alternatives to thermal overload protection are also described. Findings and conclusions of several AEOD reports are discussed. Information obtained from the standard review plan, standard technical specifications, technical specifications from representative plants, and several papers are cited.« less

Age-related changes in physical examination and gait parameters in normally developing children and adolescents.

PubMed

Lee, Seung Yeol; Lee, Sang Hyeong; Chung, Chin Youb; Park, Moon Seok; Lee, Kyoung Min; Akhmedov, Bekhzad; Choi, In Ho; Cho, Tae-Joon; Yoo, Won Joon; Sung, Ki Hyuk

2013-03-01

This study aimed to examine the correlations between physical examinations and gait kinematics, and age-related changes in 47 normally developing children. Physical examinations were not found to be significantly correlated with kinematics, except for Thomas and Staheli tests. Unilateral and bilateral popliteal angles decreased significantly by 2.2 and 1.6° per annum, and ankle dorsiflexion with knee extension and 90° flexion decreased significantly by 0.7 and 0.8°. Physical examinations and gait parameters might represent different dimensions of gait, and care should be taken when assessing gait problems. Age-related changes should be considered when interpreting physical examination and gait kinematics for surgery.

Job Demands-Control-Support model and employee safety performance.

PubMed

Turner, Nick; Stride, Chris B; Carter, Angela J; McCaughey, Deirdre; Carroll, Anthony E

2012-03-01

The aim of this study was to explore whether work characteristics (job demands, job control, social support) comprising Karasek and Theorell's (1990) Job Demands-Control-Support framework predict employee safety performance (safety compliance and safety participation; Neal and Griffin, 2006). We used cross-sectional data of self-reported work characteristics and employee safety performance from 280 healthcare staff (doctors, nurses, and administrative staff) from Emergency Departments of seven hospitals in the United Kingdom. We analyzed these data using a structural equation model that simultaneously regressed safety compliance and safety participation on the main effects of each of the aforementioned work characteristics, their two-way interactions, and the three-way interaction among them, while controlling for demographic, occupational, and organizational characteristics. Social support was positively related to safety compliance, and both job control and the two-way interaction between job control and social support were positively related to safety participation. How work design is related to employee safety performance remains an important area for research and provides insight into how organizations can improve workplace safety. The current findings emphasize the importance of the co-worker in promoting both safety compliance and safety participation. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Safety of Gadobutrol

PubMed Central

Endrikat, Jan; Vogtlaender, Kai; Dohanish, Susan; Balzer, Thomas; Breuer, Josy

2016-01-01

Objective The aim of this study was to provide a systematic safety analysis of gadobutrol after more than 29 million applications in clinical routine. Materials and Methods Forty-two clinical development phase II to IV studies on gadobutrol or comparator and the postmarketing safety surveillance database for gadobutrol (1998–2015) were analyzed. Adverse events (AEs) and drug-related AEs were evaluated in the clinical development database and spontaneous adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the postmarketing database. Subgroup analyses were run on patients with special medical history and on patients of different age groups. Results In the clinical development studies, 6809 and 2184 patients received gadobutrol or comparators, respectively. The incidence of drug-related AEs was 3.5% for both groups. With the exception of nausea (0.7% related cases in both groups), all other drug-related AEs were 0.3% or less in both groups. Hypersensitivity reactions were sporadic (<0.1%). Patients with history of allergies to contrast agents experienced slightly more drug-related AEs. No differences were seen between age groups. The overall reporting rate of ADRs from postmarketing surveillance was 0.05%. The most frequent ADRs were anaphylactoid/hypersensitivity reactions, nausea, vomiting, and dyspnea. For 3 single-agent reports of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, using a conservative approach, association with gadobutrol could not be excluded. Conclusions Gadobutrol is well tolerated and has a favorable safety profile for patients of all age groups. PMID:26964075

Lithium ion cell safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobishima, Shin-ichi; Takei, Koji; Sakurai, Yoji; Yamaki, Jun-ichi