The development of future thinking: young children's ability to construct event sequences to achieve future goals.

PubMed

Prabhakar, Janani; Hudson, Judith A

2014-11-01

Previous studies suggest that the ability to think about and act on the future emerges between 3 and 5 years of age. However, it is unclear what underlying processes change during the development of early future-oriented behavior. We report three experiments that tested the emergence of future thinking ability through children's ability to explicitly maintain future goals and construct future scenarios. Our main objectives were to examine the effects of goal structure and the effects of working memory demands on children's ability to construct future scenarios and make choices to satisfy future goals. The results indicate that 4-year-olds were able to successfully accomplish two temporally ordered goals even with high working memory demands and a complex goal structure, whereas 3-year-olds were able to accomplish two goals only when the working memory demands were low and the goal structure did not involve additional demands from inferential reasoning and contingencies between the temporally ordered goals. Results are discussed in terms of the development of future thinking in conjunction with working memory, inferential reasoning ability, and goal maintenance abilities. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

18 CFR 12.35 - Specific inspection requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... from monitoring instruments; and (vi) The quality and adequacy of maintenance, surveillance, and... life or cause significant property damage, the independent consultant must evaluate the ability of... endanger the project works. (2) If structural failure would not present a hazard to human life of cause...

18 CFR 12.35 - Specific inspection requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... from monitoring instruments; and (vi) The quality and adequacy of maintenance, surveillance, and... life or cause significant property damage, the independent consultant must evaluate the ability of... endanger the project works. (2) If structural failure would not present a hazard to human life of cause...

Retrospective attention enhances visual working memory in the young but not the old: an ERP study

PubMed Central

Duarte, Audrey; Hearons, Patricia; Jiang, Yashu; Delvin, Mary Courtney; Newsome, Rachel N.; Verhaeghen, Paul

2013-01-01

Behavioral evidence from the young suggests spatial cues that orient attention toward task relevant items in visual working memory (VWM) enhance memory capacity. Whether older adults can also use retrospective cues (“retro-cues”) to enhance VWM capacity is unknown. In the current event-related potential (ERP) study, young and old adults performed a VWM task in which spatially informative retro-cues were presented during maintenance. Young but not older adults’ VWM capacity benefitted from retro-cueing. The contralateral delay activity (CDA) ERP index of VWM maintenance was attenuated after the retro-cue, which effectively reduced the impact of memory load. CDA amplitudes were reduced prior to retro-cue onset in the old only. Despite a preserved ability to delete items from VWM, older adults may be less able to use retrospective attention to enhance memory capacity when expectancy of impending spatial cues disrupts effective VWM maintenance. PMID:23445536

Hospital Social Workers and Indirect Trauma Exposure: An Exploratory Study of Contributing Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badger, Karen; Royse, David; Craig, Carlton

2008-01-01

This article explores the predictive ability of empathy (measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index), emotional separation (measured by the Maintenance of Emotional Separation Scale), occupational stress (measured by the Work-Related Strain Inventory), and social support (measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) on…

Multi-Voxel Decoding and the Topography of Maintained Information During Visual Working Memory

PubMed Central

Lee, Sue-Hyun; Baker, Chris I.

2016-01-01

The ability to maintain representations in the absence of external sensory stimulation, such as in working memory, is critical for guiding human behavior. Human functional brain imaging studies suggest that visual working memory can recruit a network of brain regions from visual to parietal to prefrontal cortex. In this review, we focus on the maintenance of representations during visual working memory and discuss factors determining the topography of those representations. In particular, we review recent studies employing multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) that demonstrate decoding of the maintained content in visual cortex, providing support for a “sensory recruitment” model of visual working memory. However, there is some evidence that maintained content can also be decoded in areas outside of visual cortex, including parietal and frontal cortex. We suggest that the ability to maintain representations during working memory is a general property of cortex, not restricted to specific areas, and argue that it is important to consider the nature of the information that must be maintained. Such information-content is critically determined by the task and the recruitment of specific regions during visual working memory will be both task- and stimulus-dependent. Thus, the common finding of maintained information in visual, but not parietal or prefrontal, cortex may be more of a reflection of the need to maintain specific types of visual information and not of a privileged role of visual cortex in maintenance. PMID:26912997

[The formation of the self-maintenance skills in the pre-school children presenting with locomotor and coordination disorders].

PubMed

Poletaeva-Dubrovina, N A; Burkova, A M

2016-01-01

The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation acknowledges the sharp rise in the prevalence of congenital malformation in this country during the past 30 years. In 2010-2011, this pathology was estimated to occur in 3% of the children. It includes a variety of locomotor and coordination disorders of which the most widespread are infantile cerebral paralysis, ataxia, consequences of perinatal lesions of the central nervous system, etc. This article contains a detailed description of these locomotor and coordination disorders. The objective of the present work was to elaborate and evaluate the program for the formation of the self-maintenance skills in the pre-school children presenting with locomotor and coordination disorders under conditions of family guidance and education. The study was carried out from September 2013 till May 2014 based at MUP DOD "Semeiny klub Nadezhda" ("The Hope Family Club", Municipal unitary facility for children's additional education) and supported by B.N. El'tsin Ural Federal University. It included 10 children suffering from locomotor and coordination disorders of different severity and members of their families. The following methods were used: the self-service skills scorecard , monitoring formation of the motor skills, and Wilcoxon's T-test. The use of the program based on the cooperation with the children's families allowed to achieve positive dynamics in the patients' conditions. Moreover, 30% of them acquired the full scope of the self-maintenance skills. The most pronounced changes in the motor abilities were apparent in the movements of the upper and lower extremitis, walking, and motion in space. The proposed program for the formation of the self-maintenance skills in the pre-school children presenting with locomotor and coordination disorders proved to be highly efficacious. The study has demonstrated the importance of the parents' involvement in the process of formation of the self-maintenance skills and motor abilities. It is concluded that the formation of the self-maintenance skills and locomotor abilities are two interdependent processes.

Effective visual working memory capacity: an emergent effect from the neural dynamics in an attractor network.

PubMed

Dempere-Marco, Laura; Melcher, David P; Deco, Gustavo

2012-01-01

The study of working memory capacity is of outmost importance in cognitive psychology as working memory is at the basis of general cognitive function. Although the working memory capacity limit has been thoroughly studied, its origin still remains a matter of strong debate. Only recently has the role of visual saliency in modulating working memory storage capacity been assessed experimentally and proved to provide valuable insights into working memory function. In the computational arena, attractor networks have successfully accounted for psychophysical and neurophysiological data in numerous working memory tasks given their ability to produce a sustained elevated firing rate during a delay period. Here we investigate the mechanisms underlying working memory capacity by means of a biophysically-realistic attractor network with spiking neurons while accounting for two recent experimental observations: 1) the presence of a visually salient item reduces the number of items that can be held in working memory, and 2) visually salient items are commonly kept in memory at the cost of not keeping as many non-salient items. Our model suggests that working memory capacity is determined by two fundamental processes: encoding of visual items into working memory and maintenance of the encoded items upon their removal from the visual display. While maintenance critically depends on the constraints that lateral inhibition imposes to the mnemonic activity, encoding is limited by the ability of the stimulated neural assemblies to reach a sufficiently high level of excitation, a process governed by the dynamics of competition and cooperation among neuronal pools. Encoding is therefore contingent upon the visual working memory task and has led us to introduce the concept of effective working memory capacity (eWMC) in contrast to the maximal upper capacity limit only reached under ideal conditions.

Effective Visual Working Memory Capacity: An Emergent Effect from the Neural Dynamics in an Attractor Network

PubMed Central

Dempere-Marco, Laura; Melcher, David P.; Deco, Gustavo

2012-01-01

The study of working memory capacity is of outmost importance in cognitive psychology as working memory is at the basis of general cognitive function. Although the working memory capacity limit has been thoroughly studied, its origin still remains a matter of strong debate. Only recently has the role of visual saliency in modulating working memory storage capacity been assessed experimentally and proved to provide valuable insights into working memory function. In the computational arena, attractor networks have successfully accounted for psychophysical and neurophysiological data in numerous working memory tasks given their ability to produce a sustained elevated firing rate during a delay period. Here we investigate the mechanisms underlying working memory capacity by means of a biophysically-realistic attractor network with spiking neurons while accounting for two recent experimental observations: 1) the presence of a visually salient item reduces the number of items that can be held in working memory, and 2) visually salient items are commonly kept in memory at the cost of not keeping as many non-salient items. Our model suggests that working memory capacity is determined by two fundamental processes: encoding of visual items into working memory and maintenance of the encoded items upon their removal from the visual display. While maintenance critically depends on the constraints that lateral inhibition imposes to the mnemonic activity, encoding is limited by the ability of the stimulated neural assemblies to reach a sufficiently high level of excitation, a process governed by the dynamics of competition and cooperation among neuronal pools. Encoding is therefore contingent upon the visual working memory task and has led us to introduce the concept of effective working memory capacity (eWMC) in contrast to the maximal upper capacity limit only reached under ideal conditions. PMID:22952608

Work ability of aging teachers in Bulgaria.

PubMed

Vangelova, Katya; Dimitrova, Irina; Tzenova, Bistra

2018-06-08

The work ability of aging teachers is of special interest because of high risk of stress. The aim of the study was to follow the work ability of aging teachers and compare it with that of aging non-teacher professionals. The study included 424 teachers of age ≤ 44 years old (N = 140) and ≥ 45 years old (N = 284), with about 10% male teachers in both age groups, matched by sex and age with non-teacher professionals. Work ability was assessed by means of the Work Ability Index (WAI). Chi2 tests and regression analyses were used for studying WAI scales ratings, diagnosed by physician diseases and WAI ratings. Our data shows comparatively high work ability for both age groups of teachers but WAI of aging teachers was significantly lower in comparison to their younger colleagues as well as aging non-teacher professionals. About 80% of aging groups reported diseases diagnosed by physicians. Cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and respiratory diseases were the most frequently reported by aging teachers, while teachers ≤ 44 years old reported respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and sensory diseases. With aging significantly higher rates of arterial hypertension, diabetes, injury to hearing and mental disorders were reported by teachers as compared to aging non-teacher professionals. The rates of reported repeated infections of respiratory tracts were high in both age groups of teachers, especially in the group of aging teachers. The estimated work ability impairment due to the disease showed the significant effect of aging for teachers as well as the significant difference when comparing aging teachers and non-teacher professionals. Our data shows high work ability for both age groups of teachers but significantly lower for aging teachers accompanied with higher rates of psychosomatic diseases, including hearing impairment and respiratory diseases. Preservation of teacher health could contribute to maintenance of their work ability and retention in the labor market. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Age Differences and Educational Attainment across the Life Span on Three Generations of Wechsler Adult Scales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaufman, A. S.; Salthouse, T. A.; Scheiber, C.; Chen, H.

2016-01-01

Patterns of maintenance of ability across the life span have been documented on tests of knowledge ("Gc"), as have patterns of steady decline on measures of reasoning ("Gf/Gv"), working memory ("Gsm"), and speed ("Gs"). Whether these patterns occur at the same rate for adults from different educational…

Defence Capability Plan 2009 (Australian Department of Defence). Public Version

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-24

workings or Intellectual Property . > Armoured vehicles. This capability relates to the repair, maintenance and some upgrades of specialist military...cryptographic equipment. > Composite and exotic materials. This is the ability to repair specialist alloys and composite materials, to develop new...manufacture of some high usage munitions, ammunition components, propellants and explosives. > Signature management. Includes the capabilities and coatings

Effects of vocationally oriented medical rehabilitation for aircraft maintenance personnel--a preliminary study of long-term effects with 5-year follow-up.

PubMed

Holopainen, Kaj; Nevala, Nina; Kuronen, Pentti; Arokoski, Jari P A

2004-12-01

Changes in the physical capacity, musculoskeletal symptoms, and perceived work ability of Finnish Air Force maintenance personnel were studied after vocationally oriented medical rehabilitation (VOMR). Twenty persons with chronic musculoskeletal symptoms in their back or neck took part in VOMR courses. The measurements were carried out at the beginning of the rehabilitation course and after two follow-up periods (0.5 and 5 years). The subjects worked most of the time in a bent position and often with their backs twisted and their arms above their shoulders. The severity of low-back pain and the number of days of sick leave decreased significantly (p < 0.05-0.01) during the 5-years follow-up. Also the exercise breaks at work increased (p < 0.01). After half a year of medical rehabilitation the measured range of the cervical spine and the dynamic and endurance strength of the upper and lower extremities was greater (p < 0.05-0.001) than at the beginning of the rehabilitation. There were no statistically significant differences in the use of physical therapy, experienced work strain, physical exercise or maximal oxygen consumption during the follow-up. This is a preliminary follow-up study lasting 5 years showed some significant changes in physical capacity, musculoskeletal symptoms and work ability. However, controlled studies are needed to evaluate these preliminary findings of this kind of rehabilitation model.

Preservation of human performance capacity under prolonged space flight conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeremin, A. V.; Bogdashevskiy, R. M.; Baburin, Y. F.

1975-01-01

Prophylactic measures directed toward preservation of health and maintenance of the performance ability of a man during prolonged space flight stress center on the selection of optimum work and rest cycles, physical exercises, the use of pharmacological agents, conditioning of the cardiovascular apparatus, etc. A specially selected set of hormone and pharmacological preparations is recommended to stimulate hemopoiesis.

[Program of sanitary education for people with autistic spectrum disorder].

PubMed

Nieto Vizcaíno, C; Ventoso Roncero, R; Covaleda Rodrigo, A; Andériz Cebrián, D; de Oro Villora, E

2008-02-01

Autism is a developmental disorder that it is characterized by a qualitative alteration of social interaction, communication and repetitive and stereotyped behaviours, interests and activities. Recent studies about health are showing that people with autism have lower hope of life. Among other causes, difficulty to identify and to communicate uneasiness and resistance to allow medical explorations are important factors to consider. To design and to implant a specific program for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with the objective of habituating them to the medical explorations so that they admit it and collaborate, facilitating the sanitary personnel's work. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and the maintenance of the potentials improvements. Our sample was formed by twenty-two children with ASD (mean chronological age, 9;10 years). A quasi-experimental design of interrupted temporary series was carried out. two grouping variables (clinical characteristics of the groups about QI and about linguistic abilities) as dependent variable a measure of percentage of success has been used through an observation protocol designed for this program. Improvements in all the groups. Results are not conditioned neither for the level of intellectual abilities (IQ) neither for the existence or not of linguistic abilities. Likewise, it is found that carrying out maintenance sessions in period of seven weeks allows to maintain long term achievements reached by the program. However, we found that those children which were severely impaired could obtain more benefit from more frequent maintenance sessions.

Economic evaluations of fluticasone-propionate/salmeterol combination therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a review of published studies.

PubMed

Roberts, M H; Borrego, M E; Kharat, A A; Marshik, P L; Mapel, D W

2016-01-01

This review identifies and evaluates the comprehensive reporting of peer-reviewed economic evaluations of the effectiveness of fluticasone-propionate/salmeterol combination (FSC) therapy for maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Economic evaluations were included if published in English since 2003. Evaluation categories included in the review were cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and cost-consequence analyses. FSC is cost-effective in comparison to short-acting bronchodilators (SABDs). Cost and outcome differences between FSC and other long-acting therapies were modest. Studies exhibited large variations in populations, designs and environment, limiting the ability to draw conclusions. Many new maintenance treatments for COPD have been approved since 2010. Most have yet to be compared to older treatments like FSC. Evaluations are needed that consider costs and outcomes from a societal perspective (e.g., patients' ability to keep working) and evaluations that include subgroup analyses to investigate differential impacts according to clusters of patient characteristics.

Variation in working memory capacity and cognitive control: goal maintenance and microadjustments of control.

PubMed

Unsworth, Nash; Redick, Thomas S; Spillers, Gregory J; Brewer, Gene A

2012-01-01

Variation in working memory capacity (WMC) and cognitive control was examined in four experiments. In the experiments high- and low-WMC individuals performed a choice reaction time task (Experiment 1), a version of the antisaccade task (Experiment 2), a version of the Stroop task (Experiment 3), and an arrow version of the flanker task (Experiment 4). An examination of response time distributions suggested that high- and low-WMC individuals primarily differed in the slowest responses in each experiment, consistent with the notion that WMC is related to active maintenance abilities. Examination of two indicators of microadjustments of control (posterror slowing and conflict adaptation effects) suggested no differences between high- and low-WMC individuals. Collectively these results suggest that variation in WMC is related to some, but not all, cognitive control operations. The results are interpreted within the executive attention theory of WMC.

Evaluating the effect of aging on interference resolution with time-varying complex networks analysis

PubMed Central

Ariza, Pedro; Solesio-Jofre, Elena; Martínez, Johann H.; Pineda-Pardo, José A.; Niso, Guiomar; Maestú, Fernando; Buldú, Javier M.

2015-01-01

In this study we used graph theory analysis to investigate age-related reorganization of functional networks during the active maintenance of information that is interrupted by external interference. Additionally, we sought to investigate network differences before and after averaging network parameters between both maintenance and interference windows. We compared young and older adults by measuring their magnetoencephalographic recordings during an interference-based working memory task restricted to successful recognitions. Data analysis focused on the topology/temporal evolution of functional networks during both the maintenance and interference windows. We observed that: (a) Older adults require higher synchronization between cortical brain sites in order to achieve a successful recognition, (b) The main differences between age groups arise during the interference window, (c) Older adults show reduced ability to reorganize network topology when interference is introduced, and (d) Averaging network parameters leads to a loss of sensitivity to detect age differences. PMID:26029079

Phonological Working Memory for Words and Nonwords in Cerebral Cortex.

PubMed

Perrachione, Tyler K; Ghosh, Satrajit S; Ostrovskaya, Irina; Gabrieli, John D E; Kovelman, Ioulia

2017-07-12

The primary purpose of this study was to identify the brain bases of phonological working memory (the short-term maintenance of speech sounds) using behavioral tasks analogous to clinically sensitive assessments of nonword repetition. The secondary purpose of the study was to identify how individual differences in brain activation were related to participants' nonword repetition abilities. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure neurophysiological response during a nonword discrimination task derived from standard clinical assessments of phonological working memory. Healthy adult control participants (N = 16) discriminated pairs of real words or nonwords under varying phonological working memory load, which we manipulated by parametrically varying the number of syllables in target (non)words. Participants' cognitive and phonological abilities were also measured using standardized assessments. Neurophysiological responses in bilateral superior temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and supplementary motor area increased with greater phonological working memory load. Activation in left superior temporal gyrus during nonword discrimination correlated with participants' performance on standard clinical nonword repetition tests. These results suggest that phonological working memory is related to the function of cortical structures that canonically underlie speech perception and production.

Working memory load and distraction: dissociable effects of visual maintenance and cognitive control.

PubMed

Konstantinou, Nikos; Beal, Eleanor; King, Jean-Remi; Lavie, Nilli

2014-10-01

We establish a new dissociation between the roles of working memory (WM) cognitive control and visual maintenance in selective attention as measured by the efficiency of distractor rejection. The extent to which focused selective attention can prevent distraction has been shown to critically depend on the level and type of load involved in the task. High perceptual load that consumes perceptual capacity leads to reduced distractor processing, whereas high WM load that reduces WM ability to exert priority-based executive cognitive control over the task results in increased distractor processing (e.g., Lavie, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9(2), 75-82, 2005). WM also serves to maintain task-relevant visual representations, and such visual maintenance is known to recruit the same sensory cortices as those involved in perception (e.g., Pasternak & Greenlee, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 6(2), 97-107, 2005). These findings led us to hypothesize that loading WM with visual maintenance would reduce visual capacity involved in perception, thus resulting in reduced distractor processing-similar to perceptual load and opposite to WM cognitive control load. Distractor processing was assessed in a response competition task, presented during the memory interval (or during encoding; Experiment 1a) of a WM task. Loading visual maintenance or encoding by increased set size for a memory sample of shapes, colors, and locations led to reduced distractor response competition effects. In contrast, loading WM cognitive control with verbal rehearsal of a random letter set led to increased distractor effects. These findings confirm load theory predictions and provide a novel functional distinction between the roles of WM maintenance and cognitive control in selective attention.

Effects of work-related stress on work ability index among refinery workers

PubMed Central

Habibi, Ehsanollah; Dehghan, Habibollah; Safari, Shahram; Mahaki, Behzad; Hassanzadeh, Akbar

2014-01-01

Introduction: Work-related stress is one of the basic problems in industrial also top 10 work-related health problems and it is increasingly implicated in the development a number of problems such as cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal diseases, early retirement to employees. On the other hand, early retirement to employees from the workplace has increased on the problems of today's industries. Hereof, improving work ability is one of the most effective ways to enhance the ability and preventing disability and early retirement. The aim of This study is determine the relationship between job stress score and work ability index (WAI) at the refinery workers. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 171 workers from a refinery in isfahan in 2012 who were working in different occupational groups participated. Based on appropriate assignment sampling, 33 office workers, 69 operational workers, and 69 maintenance workers, respectively, were invited to participate in this study. Two questionnaires including work related-stress and WAI were filled in. Finally, the information was analyzed using the SPSS-20 and statistic tests namely, analysis of covariance Kruskal-Wallis test. Pearson correlation coefficient, ANOVA and t-test. Results: Data analysis revealed that 86% and 14% of participants had moderate and severe stress respectively. Average score of stress and standard deviation was 158.7 ± 17.3 that was in extreme stress range. Average score and standard deviation of WAI questionnaire were 37.18 and 3.86 respectively. That placed in a good range. Pearson correlation coefficient showed that WAI score had significant reversed relationship with a score of stress. Conclusion: According to the results, mean stress score among refinery worker was high and one fator that affect work abiity was high stress, hence training on communication skills and safe working environment in order to decreses stress, enhance the work ability of workers. PMID:24741658

Effects of work-related stress on work ability index among refinery workers.

PubMed

Habibi, Ehsanollah; Dehghan, Habibollah; Safari, Shahram; Mahaki, Behzad; Hassanzadeh, Akbar

2014-01-01

Work-related stress is one of the basic problems in industrial also top 10 work-related health problems and it is increasingly implicated in the development a number of problems such as cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal diseases, early retirement to employees. On the other hand, early retirement to employees from the workplace has increased on the problems of today's industries. Hereof, improving work ability is one of the most effective ways to enhance the ability and preventing disability and early retirement. The aim of This study is determine the relationship between job stress score and work ability index (WAI) at the refinery workers. This is a cross-sectional study in which 171 workers from a refinery in isfahan in 2012 who were working in different occupational groups participated. Based on appropriate assignment sampling, 33 office workers, 69 operational workers, and 69 maintenance workers, respectively, were invited to participate in this study. Two questionnaires including work related-stress and WAI were filled in. Finally, the information was analyzed using the SPSS-20 and statistic tests namely, analysis of covariance Kruskal-Wallis test. Pearson correlation coefficient, ANOVA and t-test. Data analysis revealed that 86% and 14% of participants had moderate and severe stress respectively. Average score of stress and standard deviation was 158.7 ± 17.3 that was in extreme stress range. Average score and standard deviation of WAI questionnaire were 37.18 and 3.86 respectively. That placed in a good range. Pearson correlation coefficient showed that WAI score had significant reversed relationship with a score of stress. According to the results, mean stress score among refinery worker was high and one fator that affect work abiity was high stress, hence training on communication skills and safe working environment in order to decreses stress, enhance the work ability of workers.

Railroad decision support tools for track maintenance.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-01-01

North American railroads spend billions of dollars each year on track maintenance. With : expenditures of this level, incremental improvements in planning or execution of maintenance projects can result in either substantial savings or the ability to...

No age deficits in the ability to use attention to improve visual working memory.

PubMed

Souza, Alessandra S

2016-08-01

Maintenance of information in mind to the moment-to-moment cognition is accomplished by working memory (WM). WM capacity is reduced in old age, but the nature of this decline is yet not clear. The current study examined the hypothesis that the decline in visual WM performance with age is related to a reduced ability to use attention to control the contents of WM. Young (M = 26 years) and old (M = 71 years) adults performed a color reproduction task in which the precise color of a set of dots had to be maintained in mind over a brief interval and later reproduced using a continuous color wheel. Attention was manipulated by presenting a spatial cue before the onset of the memory array (a precue) or during the maintenance phase (retro-cue). The cue indicated with 100% certainty the item to be tested at the end of the trial. A precue allows the selective encoding of only the relevant item to WM, whereas a retro-cue allows WM contents to be updated by refreshing the relevant (cued) item and removing nonrelevant (noncued) items. Aging was associated with a lower capacity in the baseline (no-cue) condition. Precues and (to a smaller extent) retro-cues improved WM performance (in terms of probability of recall and memory precision). Critically, the benefits of cueing were of similar magnitude in young and older adults showing that the ability to use attention to selectively encode and update the contents of WM is preserved with aging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Development of a Prototype H-46 Helicopter Diagnostic Expert System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-09-01

SQUADRON MAINTEN\\NCE: CURRENT PROCESS AND CA D S INTEG R ,ATIO N ........................................ 14 A. MAINTENANCE DATA SYSTEM...increasce the effectiveness of the maintenance process should enhance the ability of achieving :hee objectives. Artificial intelligence techniques offer a...completeiy validated. G. ORGANIZATION OF STUDY Chapter II contains a description of the Naval Aviation Maintenance Program’s Maintenance Data System (MDS

Ability to join the workforce and work productivity among drug users under methadone maintenance treatment in a mountainous area of Northern Vietnam: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Nong, Vuong Minh; Boggiano, Victoria L; Nguyen, Lan Huong Thi; Nguyen, Cuong Tat; Nguyen, Long Hoang; Xuan Bach, Tran; Nguyen, Hung Van; Hoang, Canh Dinh; Latkin, Carl A; Vu, Minh Thuc Thi

2017-01-01

Objectives A major measure of treatment success for drug users undergoing rehabilitation is the ability to enter the workforce and generate income. This study examines the absenteeism and productivity among people who inject drugs (PWID) enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in Northern Vietnam. Setting We conducted a cross-sectional study in two clinics in Tuyen Quang province. Participants A total of 241 patients enrolled in MMT. Primary and secondary outcome measures Patients’ work productivity was measured using the WPAI-GH instrument (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: General Health V2.0). We also collected additional characteristics about participants’ employment history, such as proficient jobs, whether they actively found a new job and be accepted by employers. Results Most of the participants (>90%) were employed at the time of the study. Rates of absenteeism (missed work), presenteeism (impairment while working) and overall loss of productivity were 15.8%, 5.6% and 11.2%, respectively, as measured by the WPAI-GH questionnaire. The most proficient job was ‘freelancer’ (17.5%), followed by ‘blue-collar worker’ (10.6%) and ‘farmer’ (10.2%). Only 26.8% of patients reported that they actively sought jobs in the past. About half of them had been refused by employers because of their drug use history and/or HIV status. We found no statistically significant difference between patients enrolled in MMT for <1 year and those who had been enrolled >1 year. Factors associated with higher work productivity included not endorsing problems in mobility, self-care or pain; being HIV-negative and having greater MMT treatment adherence. Conclusion Our study highlights the high employment rate and work productivity among PWID in MMT programmes in remote areas of Northern Vietnam. The results can help to improve the quality and structure of MMT programmes across Vietnam and in other countries. PMID:28751487

Phonological Working Memory for Words and Nonwords in Cerebral Cortex

PubMed Central

Ghosh, Satrajit S.; Ostrovskaya, Irina; Gabrieli, John D. E.; Kovelman, Ioulia

2017-01-01

Purpose The primary purpose of this study was to identify the brain bases of phonological working memory (the short-term maintenance of speech sounds) using behavioral tasks analogous to clinically sensitive assessments of nonword repetition. The secondary purpose of the study was to identify how individual differences in brain activation were related to participants' nonword repetition abilities. Method We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure neurophysiological response during a nonword discrimination task derived from standard clinical assessments of phonological working memory. Healthy adult control participants (N = 16) discriminated pairs of real words or nonwords under varying phonological working memory load, which we manipulated by parametrically varying the number of syllables in target (non)words. Participants' cognitive and phonological abilities were also measured using standardized assessments. Results Neurophysiological responses in bilateral superior temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and supplementary motor area increased with greater phonological working memory load. Activation in left superior temporal gyrus during nonword discrimination correlated with participants' performance on standard clinical nonword repetition tests. Conclusion These results suggest that phonological working memory is related to the function of cortical structures that canonically underlie speech perception and production. PMID:28631005

Variability in visual working memory ability limits the efficiency of perceptual decision making.

PubMed

Ester, Edward F; Ho, Tiffany C; Brown, Scott D; Serences, John T

2014-04-02

The ability to make rapid and accurate decisions based on limited sensory information is a critical component of visual cognition. Available evidence suggests that simple perceptual discriminations are based on the accumulation and integration of sensory evidence over time. However, the memory system(s) mediating this accumulation are unclear. One candidate system is working memory (WM), which enables the temporary maintenance of information in a readily accessible state. Here, we show that individual variability in WM capacity is strongly correlated with the speed of evidence accumulation in speeded two-alternative forced choice tasks. This relationship generalized across different decision-making tasks, and could not be easily explained by variability in general arousal or vigilance. Moreover, we show that performing a difficult discrimination task while maintaining a concurrent memory load has a deleterious effect on the latter, suggesting that WM storage and decision making are directly linked.

[The journal "Broteria," Jesuit botanists and Gonçalo Sampaio. Exchange of plants and ideas, and the development of botany in Portugal].

PubMed

Cabral, João Paulo

2010-01-01

The journal Broteria has covered a long path, since its foundation in 1902 until the mid 20's, when it stands as one of the best journals of natural history and a voice of the renewal of the natural sciences in Portugal. Broteria's success was due, mainly, to the remarkable qualities of its founders and main editors: their working capacity, intellectual standards and perseverance as well as the ability to establish a network of naturalists who sent them biological collections from remote regions and the ability to adapt to exile, while continuing to work and focusing their studies on the natural history of the exile country. The maintenance, in regular functioning, of their schools, and the opening to the collaboration of non Jesuit naturalists, such as the botanists from Oporto, also contributed to the success of Broteria.

Mechanisms of Age-Related Decline in Memory Search Across the Adult Life Span

PubMed Central

Hills, Thomas T.; Mata, Rui; Wilke, Andreas; Samanez-Larkin, Gregory R.

2013-01-01

Three alternative mechanisms for age-related decline in memory search have been proposed, which result from either reduced processing speed (global slowing hypothesis), overpersistence on categories (cluster-switching hypothesis), or the inability to maintain focus on local cues related to a decline in working memory (cue-maintenance hypothesis). We investigated these 3 hypotheses by formally modeling the semantic recall patterns of 185 adults between 27 to 99 years of age in the animal fluency task (Thurstone, 1938). The results indicate that people switch between global frequency-based retrieval cues and local item-based retrieval cues to navigate their semantic memory. Contrary to the global slowing hypothesis that predicts no qualitative differences in dynamic search processes and the cluster-switching hypothesis that predicts reduced switching between retrieval cues, the results indicate that as people age, they tend to switch more often between local and global cues per item recalled, supporting the cue-maintenance hypothesis. Additional support for the cue-maintenance hypothesis is provided by a negative correlation between switching and digit span scores and between switching and total items recalled, which suggests that cognitive control may be involved in cue maintenance and the effective search of memory. Overall, the results are consistent with age-related decline in memory search being a consequence of reduced cognitive control, consistent with models suggesting that working memory is related to goal perseveration and the ability to inhibit distracting information. PMID:23586941

Probabilistic modeling of condition-based maintenance strategies and quantification of its benefits for airliners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pattabhiraman, Sriram

Airplane fuselage structures are designed with the concept of damage tolerance, wherein small damage are allowed to remain on the airplane, and damage that otherwise affect the safety of the structure are repaired. The damage critical to the safety of the fuselage are repaired by scheduling maintenance at pre-determined intervals. Scheduling maintenance is an interesting trade-off between damage tolerance and cost. Tolerance of larger damage would require less frequent maintenance and hence, a lower cost, to maintain a certain level of reliability. Alternatively, condition-based maintenance techniques have been developed using on-board sensors, which track damage continuously and request maintenance only when the damage size crosses a particular threshold. This effects a tolerance of larger damage than scheduled maintenance, leading to savings in cost. This work quantifies the savings of condition-based maintenance over scheduled maintenance. The work also quantifies converting the cost savings into weight savings. Structural health monitoring will need time to be able to establish itself as a stand-alone system for maintenance, due to concerns on its diagnosis accuracy and reliability. This work also investigates the effect of synchronizing structural health monitoring system with scheduled maintenance. This work uses on-board SHM equipment skip structural airframe maintenance (a subsect of scheduled maintenance), whenever deemed unnecessary while maintain a desired level of safety of structure. The work will also predict the necessary maintenance for a fleet of airplanes, based on the current damage status of the airplanes. The work also analyses the possibility of false alarm, wherein maintenance is being requested with no critical damage on the airplane. The work use SHM as a tool to identify lemons in a fleet of airplanes. Lemons are those airplanes that would warrant more maintenance trips than the average behavior of the fleet.

How Visuo-Spatial Mental Imagery Develops: Image Generation and Maintenance

PubMed Central

Wimmer, Marina C.; Maras, Katie L.; Robinson, Elizabeth J; Doherty, Martin J; Pugeault, Nicolas

2015-01-01

Two experiments examined the nature of visuo-spatial mental imagery generation and maintenance in 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-year old children and adults (N = 211). The key questions were how image generation and maintenance develop (Experiment 1) and how accurately children and adults coordinate mental and visually perceived images (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 indicated that basic image generation and maintenance abilities are present at 4 years of age but the precision with which images are generated and maintained improves particularly between 4 and 8 years. In addition to increased precision, Experiment 2 demonstrated that generated and maintained mental images become increasingly similar to visually perceived objects. Altogether, findings suggest that for simple tasks demanding image generation and maintenance, children attain adult-like precision younger than previously reported. This research also sheds new light on the ability to coordinate mental images with visual images in children and adults. PMID:26562296

Maintenance of a physically active lifestyle after pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with COPD: a qualitative study toward motivational factors.

PubMed

Stewart, Kelly F J; Meis, Jessie J M; van de Bool, Coby; Janssen, Daisy J A; Kremers, Stef P J; Schols, Annemie M W J

2014-09-01

To explore determinants of behavior change maintenance of a physically active lifestyle in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 8-11 months after completion of a 4-month outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program. A qualitative descriptive study of semistructured interviews. Pulmonary rehabilitation assessment center. Patients with COPD. Semistructured interviews until data saturation, coded by 2 independent researchers. Patients were classified as responder (maintenance or improvement) or nonresponder (relapse or decrease), based on 3 quantitative variables reflecting exercise capacity (Constant Work Rate Test), health-related quality of life (Short-Form health survey [SF-36]), and self-management abilities (Self-Management Ability Scale [SMAS-30/Version 2]). Mean (SD) forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) among interviewees was 52.5% (14.4%) predicted and the mean age was 63.5 years (range: 45-78). The group consisted of 15 responders and 7 nonresponders. Physical limitations reduced competence to engage in an active lifestyle and responders appeared to experience higher levels of perceived competence. Social support was found important and the experienced understanding from fellow patients made exercising together enjoyable. Particularly, responders expressed autonomous motivation and said they exercised because of the benefits they gain from it. Unexpectedly, only responders also experienced controlled motivation. Perceived competence and autonomous motivation are important determinants for maintenance of an active lifestyle in patients with COPD. In contrast to common theoretical assumptions, a certain threshold level of controlled motivation may remain important in maintaining a physically active lifestyle after a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Copyright © 2014 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perception of Indian parents on health-related quality of life of children during maintenance therapy of acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a comparison with siblings and healthy children.

PubMed

Bansal, Minakshi; Sharma, Kamlesh K; Bakhshi, Sameer; Vatsa, Manju

2014-01-01

Advancements in treatment have improved the prognosis of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Therefore, there is a need to explore health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in depth, specifically in maintenance therapy, where the available data are minimal. This study was conducted to assess the varied items listed in the domains of HRQOL of Children with ALL during maintenance therapy from a parent's perspective. Forty children on the maintenance therapy of ALL, 40 siblings, and 40 healthy children were enrolled, and the HRQOL was assessed by parent proxy reports and child self-reports using PedsQL generic core 4.0 in local language. Parents significantly overrated the HRQOL of ALL patients, their siblings, and healthy children in comparison with child self-report in all domains of health. The HRQOL of children with ALL on maintenance therapy was significantly poorer than siblings and healthy children, but their ability to self-care, household work, attentiveness, and ability to do homework were not affected as per parents' reports. Parents reported that absenteeism because of sickness and hospital visits was more among children with ALL than siblings and healthy children. Children with ALL had emotional problems such as fear, anger, sleeping problems, and worries. In a social health domain, parents reported difficulty in competing among children with ALL. The HRQOL of siblings was as good as healthy children in physical, social, and school health domains as per parents' reports. In our cohort, parents overrated HRQOL in all groups of children. The study identified the various items in each domain of HRQOL that were affected in children with ALL from parents' perspective; this would guide health care professionals to focus on these specific items so as to improve the overall HRQOL of children with ALL.

Attentional control activation relates to working memory in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Burgess, Gregory C; Depue, Brendan E; Ruzic, Luka; Willcutt, Erik G; Du, Yiping P; Banich, Marie T

2010-04-01

Attentional control difficulties in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might reflect poor working memory (WM) ability, especially because WM ability and attentional control rely on similar brain regions. The current study examined whether WM ability might explain group differences in brain activation between adults with ADHD and normal control subjects during attentional demand. Participants were 20 adults with ADHD combined subtype with no comorbid psychiatric or learning disorders and 23 control subjects similar in age, IQ, and gender. The WM measures were obtained from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III and Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised. Brain activation was assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a Color-Word Stroop task. Group differences in WM ability explained a portion of the activation in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which has been related to the creation and maintenance of an attentional set for task-relevant information. In addition, greater WM ability predicted increased activation of brain regions related to stimulus-driven attention and response selection processes in the ADHD group but not in the control group. The inability to maintain an appropriate task set in young adults with combined type ADHD, associated with decreased activity in left DLPFC, might in part be due to poor WM ability. Furthermore, in individuals with ADHD, higher WM ability might relate to increased recruitment of stimulus-driven attention and response selection processes, perhaps as a compensatory strategy. Copyright 2010 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Managing Highway Maintenance: Maintenance Activities, Work Units, and Classifying Work, Unit 6, Level 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Highway Administration (DOT), Washington, DC. Offices of Research and Development.

Part of the series "Managing Highway Maintenance," the unit explains how maintenance work should be described, measured, and classified. It is designed for supervisors who need to know the mechanics of describing work. The format is a programed, self-instruction approach in which information is presented in progressive segments or…

An empowerment model of workplace support following disclosure, for people with MS.

PubMed

Kirk-Brown, A K; Van Dijk, P A

2014-10-01

Vocational interventions aimed at increasing job retention for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are reliant upon a partnership with a supportive work environment. A better understanding of the types of psychosocial support that are most conducive to retaining employees' sense of work-efficacy will enhance the success of interventions aimed at reducing workplace barriers to job maintenance. The objective of this study is to identify the types of psychosocial support that people with MS require post-disclosure, in order to maintain their employment status. In particular, we examined the roles of psychological safety and work-efficacy. We interviewed 40 employees with MS either individually (n = 25) or within three focus groups (n = 15). These interviews were audio-taped and the content analysed, using an inductive thematic approach. Themes to emerge in organisational responses to disclosure were: a focus on ability (leading to enhanced perceptions of psychological safety and higher work-efficacy) and on disability (leading to diminished psychological safety and reduced perceptions of work-efficacy). Organisational responses to disclosure demonstrating trust and inclusive decision making, and focussing on employee abilities, enhance perceptions of psychological safety at work. This increases the likelihood that employees with MS will retain their sense of work-efficacy and reduce their intentions to leave. © The Author(s) 2014.

Directed Forgetting and Directed Remembering in Visual Working Memory

PubMed Central

Williams, Melonie; Woodman, Geoffrey F.

2013-01-01

A defining characteristic of visual working memory is its limited capacity. This means that it is crucial to maintain only the most relevant information in visual working memory. However, empirical research is mixed as to whether it is possible to selectively maintain a subset of the information previously encoded into visual working memory. Here we examined the ability of subjects to use cues to either forget or remember a subset of the information already stored in visual working memory. In Experiment 1, participants were cued to either forget or remember one of two groups of colored squares during a change-detection task. We found that both types of cues aided performance in the visual working memory task, but that observers benefited more from a cue to remember than a cue to forget a subset of the objects. In Experiment 2, we show that the previous findings, which indicated that directed-forgetting cues are ineffective, were likely due to the presence of invalid cues that appear to cause observers to disregard such cues as unreliable. In Experiment 3, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) and show that an electrophysiological index of focused maintenance is elicited by cues that indicate which subset of information in visual working memory needs to be remembered, ruling out alternative explanations of the behavioral effects of retention-interval cues. The present findings demonstrate that observers can focus maintenance mechanisms on specific objects in visual working memory based on cues indicating future task relevance. PMID:22409182

Characteristic of Adaptability - one of basic categories of the social aspect of sustainable housing construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orłowski, Z.; Radziejowska, A.; Orłowski, M.

2017-10-01

In the article the authors consider one of the basic aspects of sustainable construction regarding the social utility of a building. According to standard PN-EN 16309+A1:2014-12 during evaluating the social aspect should be assessed six categories: accessibility, adaptability, comfort and health, neighborhood, maintenance, safety and security. The authors present the evaluation criteria witch should be taken into account in the assessment of the second of them. Adaptability has been divided into three categories: The buidling’s ability to accomodate the change of user requirements, The buidling’s ability to accomodate technical changes, The buidling’s ability to accomodate the change of use. Each subcategory has been further elaborated by the criteria for which authors present proposal for the scale of assessments. The authors present a part of a work to construct a method for assessing the social characteristics of the residential buildings.

Dog Breed Differences in Visual Communication with Humans.

PubMed

Konno, Akitsugu; Romero, Teresa; Inoue-Murayama, Miho; Saito, Atsuko; Hasegawa, Toshikazu

2016-01-01

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) have developed a close relationship with humans through the process of domestication. In human-dog interactions, eye contact is a key element of relationship initiation and maintenance. Previous studies have suggested that canine ability to produce human-directed communicative signals is influenced by domestication history, from wolves to dogs, as well as by recent breed selection for particular working purposes. To test the genetic basis for such abilities in purebred dogs, we examined gazing behavior towards humans using two types of behavioral experiments: the 'visual contact task' and the 'unsolvable task'. A total of 125 dogs participated in the study. Based on the genetic relatedness among breeds subjects were classified into five breed groups: Ancient, Herding, Hunting, Retriever-Mastiff and Working). We found that it took longer time for Ancient breeds to make an eye-contact with humans, and that they gazed at humans for shorter periods of time than any other breed group in the unsolvable situation. Our findings suggest that spontaneous gaze behavior towards humans is associated with genetic similarity to wolves rather than with recent selective pressure to create particular working breeds.

Much ado about aha!: Insight problem solving is strongly related to working memory capacity and reasoning ability.

PubMed

Chuderski, Adam; Jastrzębski, Jan

2018-02-01

A battery comprising 4 fluid reasoning tests as well as 13 working memory (WM) tasks that involved storage, recall, updating, binding, and executive control, was applied to 318 adults in order to evaluate the true relationship of reasoning ability and WM capacity (WMC) to insight problem solving, measured using 40 verbal, spatial, math, matchstick, and remote associates problems (insight problems). WMC predicted 51.8% of variance in insight problem solving and virtually explained its almost isomorphic link to reasoning ability (84.6% of shared variance). The strong link between WMC and insight pertained generally to most WM tasks and insight problems, was identical for problems solved with and without reported insight, was linear throughout the ability levels, and was not mediated by age, motivation, anxiety, psychoticism, and openness to experience. In contrast to popular views on the sudden and holistic nature of insight, the solving of insight problems results primarily from typical operations carried out by the basic WM mechanisms that are responsible for the maintenance, retrieval, transformation, and control of information in the broad range of intellectual tasks (including fluid reasoning). Little above and beyond WM is unique about insight. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

A common neural substrate for language production and verbal working memory.

PubMed

Acheson, Daniel J; Hamidi, Massihullah; Binder, Jeffrey R; Postle, Bradley R

2011-06-01

Verbal working memory (VWM), the ability to maintain and manipulate representations of speech sounds over short periods, is held by some influential models to be independent from the systems responsible for language production and comprehension [e.g., Baddeley, A. D. Working memory, thought, and action. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007]. We explore the alternative hypothesis that maintenance in VWM is subserved by temporary activation of the language production system [Acheson, D. J., & MacDonald, M. C. Verbal working memory and language production: Common approaches to the serial ordering of verbal information. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 50-68, 2009b]. Specifically, we hypothesized that for stimuli lacking a semantic representation (e.g., nonwords such as mun), maintenance in VWM can be achieved by cycling information back and forth between the stages of phonological encoding and articulatory planning. First, fMRI was used to identify regions associated with two different stages of language production planning: the posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) for phonological encoding (critical for VWM of nonwords) and the middle temporal gyrus (MTG) for lexical-semantic retrieval (not critical for VWM of nonwords). Next, in the same subjects, these regions were targeted with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) during language production and VWM task performance. Results showed that rTMS to the pSTG, but not the MTG, increased error rates on paced reading (a language production task) and on delayed serial recall of nonwords (a test of VWM). Performance on a lexical-semantic retrieval task (picture naming), in contrast, was significantly sensitive to rTMS of the MTG. Because rTMS was guided by language production-related activity, these results provide the first causal evidence that maintenance in VWM directly depends on the long-term representations and processes used in speech production.

Crew Health Care System (CHeCS) Design Research, Documentations, and Evaluations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

CLement, Bethany M.

2011-01-01

The Crew Health Care System (CHeCS) is a group within the Space Life Science Directorate (SLSD) that focuses on the overall health of astronauts by reinforcing the three divisions - the Environmental Maintenance System (EMS), the Countermeasures System (CMS), and the Health Maintenance System (HMS). This internship provided opportunity to gain knowledge, experience, and skills in CHeCS engineering and operations tasks. Various and differing tasks allowed for occasions to work independently, network to get things done, and show leadership abilities. Specific exercises included reviewing hardware certification, operations, and documentation within the ongoing Med Kit Redesign (MKR) project, and learning, writing, and working various common pieces of paperwork used in the engineering and design process. Another project focused on the distribution of various pieces of hardware to off-site research facilities with an interest in space flight health care. The main focus of this internship, though, was on a broad and encompassing understanding of the engineering process as time was spent looking at each individual step in a variety of settings and tasks.

Learning to Control Actions: Transfer Effects following a Procedural Cognitive Control Computerized Training

PubMed Central

Shahar, Nitzan; Meiran, Nachshon

2015-01-01

Few studies have addressed action control training. In the current study, participants were trained over 19 days in an adaptive training task that demanded constant switching, maintenance and updating of novel action rules. Participants completed an executive functions battery before and after training that estimated processing speed, working memory updating, set-shifting, response inhibition and fluid intelligence. Participants in the training group showed greater improvement than a no-contact control group in processing speed, indicated by reduced reaction times in speeded classification tasks. No other systematic group differences were found across the different pre-post measurements. Ex-Gaussian fitting of the reaction-time distribution revealed that the reaction time reduction observed among trained participants was restricted to the right tail of the distribution, previously shown to be related to working memory. Furthermore, training effects were only found in classification tasks that required participants to maintain novel stimulus-response rules in mind, supporting the notion that the training improved working memory abilities. Training benefits were maintained in a 10-month follow-up, indicating relatively long-lasting effects. The authors conclude that training improved action-related working memory abilities. PMID:25799443

78 FR 49595 - Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee-New Task

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-14

... the new ARAC activity and solicits membership for the Maintenance Reliability Program Working Group... establish the Maintenance Reliability Program Working Group. The working group will serve as staff to ARAC... programs. The Maintenance Reliability Program Working Group will provide advice and recommendations on the...

Key metabolic pathways associated with differences in weight maintenance and gain in mature cow skeletal and adipose tissue

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

During the production year of a cow, the majority of nutrients are used to support maintenance. Differences in feedstuff utilization and metabolism can impact the ability of the cow to meet maintenance requirements. Tissue specific metabolism is critical to energy homeostasis in the animal, and thus...

Potential metabolic pathways associated with differences in weight maintenance and gain in mature cow skeletal and adipose tissue

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Feed costs are the greatest expenditure for beef cow operations. During the production year of a cow, the majority of nutrients are used to support maintenance. Differences in feedstuff utilization and metabolism can impact the ability of the cow to meet maintenance requirements. The objective of th...

Ability to join the workforce and work productivity among drug users under methadone maintenance treatment in a mountainous area of Northern Vietnam: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Nong, Vuong Minh; Boggiano, Victoria L; Nguyen, Lan Huong Thi; Nguyen, Cuong Tat; Nguyen, Long Hoang; Xuan Bach, Tran; Nguyen, Hung Van; Hoang, Canh Dinh; Latkin, Carl A; Vu, Minh Thuc Thi

2017-07-26

A major measure of treatment success for drug users undergoing rehabilitation is the ability to enter the workforce and generate income. This study examines the absenteeism and productivity among people who inject drugs (PWID) enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in Northern Vietnam. We conducted a cross-sectional study in two clinics in Tuyen Quang province. A total of 241 patients enrolled in MMT. Patients' work productivity was measured using the WPAI-GH instrument (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: General Health V2.0). We also collected additional characteristics about participants' employment history, such as proficient jobs, whether they actively found a new job and be accepted by employers. Most of the participants (>90%) were employed at the time of the study. Rates of absenteeism (missed work), presenteeism (impairment while working) and overall loss of productivity were 15.8%, 5.6% and 11.2%, respectively, as measured by the WPAI-GH questionnaire. The most proficient job was 'freelancer' (17.5%), followed by 'blue-collar worker' (10.6%) and 'farmer' (10.2%). Only 26.8% of patients reported that they actively sought jobs in the past. About half of them had been refused by employers because of their drug use history and/or HIV status. We found no statistically significant difference between patients enrolled in MMT for <1 year and those who had been enrolled >1 year. Factors associated with higher work productivity included not endorsing problems in mobility, self-care or pain; being HIV-negative and having greater MMT treatment adherence. Our study highlights the high employment rate and work productivity among PWID in MMT programmes in remote areas of Northern Vietnam. The results can help to improve the quality and structure of MMT programmes across Vietnam and in other countries. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

The Relationships of Working Memory, Secondary Memory, and General Fluid Intelligence: Working Memory is Special

PubMed Central

Shelton, Jill Talley; Elliott, Emily M.; Matthews, Russell A.; Hill, B. D.; Gouvier, Wm. Drew

2010-01-01

Recent efforts have been made to elucidate the commonly observed link between working memory and reasoning ability. The results have been inconsistent, with some work suggesting the emphasis placed on retrieval from secondary memory by working memory tests is the driving force behind this association (Mogle, Lovett, Stawski, & Sliwinski, 2008), while other research suggests retrieval from secondary memory is only partly responsible for the observed link between working memory and reasoning (Unsworth & Engle, 2006, 2007b). The present study investigates the relationship between processing speed, working memory, secondary memory, primary memory, and fluid intelligence. Although our findings show all constructs are significantly correlated with fluid intelligence, working memory, but not secondary memory, accounts for significant unique variance in fluid intelligence. Our data support predictions made by Unsworth and Engle, and suggest that the combined need for maintenance and retrieval processes present in working memory tests makes them “special” in their prediction of higher-order cognition. PMID:20438278

Managing Highway Maintenance: Instructor's Manual for Management by Objectives Review, Unit 11, All Levels.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Highway Administration (DOT), Washington, DC. Offices of Research and Development.

Part of the series "Managing Highway Maintenance," the unit is designed for the training group leader and contains selected highlights and suggested discussion questions from six units of training: maintenance activities, work units, and classifying work; maintenance feature inventories; how to conduct a maintenance feature inventory;…

On supertaskers and the neural basis of efficient multitasking.

PubMed

Medeiros-Ward, Nathan; Watson, Jason M; Strayer, David L

2015-06-01

The present study used brain imaging to determine the neural basis of individual differences in multitasking, the ability to successfully perform at least two attention-demanding tasks at once. Multitasking is mentally taxing and, therefore, should recruit the prefrontal cortex to maintain task goals when coordinating attentional control and managing the cognitive load. To investigate this possibility, we used functional neuroimaging to assess neural activity in both extraordinary multitaskers (Supertaskers) and control subjects who were matched on working memory capacity. Participants performed a challenging dual N-back task in which auditory and visual stimuli were presented simultaneously, requiring independent and continuous maintenance, updating, and verification of the contents of verbal and spatial working memory. With the task requirements and considerable cognitive load that accompanied increasing N-back, relative to the controls, the multitasking of Supertaskers was characterized by more efficient recruitment of anterior cingulate and posterior frontopolar prefrontal cortices. Results are interpreted using neuropsychological and evolutionary perspectives on individual differences in multitasking ability and the neural correlates of attentional control.

Spatial Working Memory Ability in Individuals at Ultra High Risk for Psychosis

PubMed Central

Goghari, Vina M.; Brett, Caroline; Tabraham, Paul; Johns, Louise; Valmaggia, Lucia; Broome, Matthew; Woolley, James; Bramon, Elvira; Howes, Oliver

2014-01-01

The goal of this investigation was to clarify the nature of spatial working memory difficulties in individuals at ultra high risk (UHR) for psychosis. We evaluated spatial working memory and intelligence in 96 individuals at UHR for psychosis, 28 patients with first episode psychosis (FEP), and 23 healthy controls. Fourteen UHR individuals developed a psychotic disorder during follow-up. Compared to controls, the UHR group was impaired in both the short-term maintenance of material and in the effective use of strategy, but not more immediate memory. These impairments were not as severe as those in the FEP group, as the UHR group performed better than the FEP group. A similar pattern of results was found for the intelligence measures. Discriminant function analyses demonstrated short-term maintenance of material significantly differentiated the UHR and healthy control groups even when accounting for full scale intelligence quotient (IQ); whereas full scale IQ significantly differentiated the UHR and FEP groups and FEP and control groups. Notably, within the UHR group, impaired spatial working memory performance was associated with lower global functioning, but not full scale IQ. The subgroup of UHR individuals who later developed psychosis was not significantly more impaired on any aspect of working memory performance than the group of UHR individuals who did not develop psychosis. Given, the relationship between spatial working memory deficits and functional outcome, these results indicate that cognitive remediation could be useful in individuals at UHR for psychosis to potentially improve functioning. PMID:24398256

29 CFR 1918.96 - Maintenance and repair work in the vicinity of longshoring operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... General Working Conditions. § 1918.96 Maintenance and repair work in the vicinity of longshoring... 29 Labor 7 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Maintenance and repair work in the vicinity of longshoring... operations shall not be carried on in the hold or on deck beneath work being conducted overhead whenever such...

Top-down modulation: Bridging selective attention and working memory

PubMed Central

Gazzaley, Adam; Nobre, Anna C.

2012-01-01

Selective attention, the ability to focus our cognitive resources on information relevant to our goals, influences working memory (WM) performance. Indeed, attention and working memory are increasingly viewed as overlapping constructs. Here, we review recent evidence from human neurophysiological studies demonstrating that top-down modulation serves as a common neural mechanism underlying these two cognitive operations. The core features include activity modulation in stimulus-selective sensory cortices with concurrent engagement of prefrontal and parietal control regions that function as sources of top-down signals. Notably, top-down modulation is engaged during both stimulus-present and stimulus-absent stages of WM tasks, i.e., expectation of an ensuing stimulus to be remembered, selection and encoding of stimuli, maintenance of relevant information in mind and memory retrieval. PMID:22209601

The different oscillation patterns of alpha band in the early and later stages of working memory maintenance.

PubMed

Xie, Yuanjun; Feng, Zhengquan; Xu, Yuanyuan; Bian, Chen; Li, Min

2016-10-28

A putative functional role for alpha oscillations in working memory remains controversial. However, recent evidence suggests that such oscillation may reflect distinct phases of working memory processing. The present study investigated alpha band (8-13Hz) activity during the maintenance stage of working memory using a modified Sternberg working memory task. Our results reveal that alpha power was concentrated primarily in the occipital cortex and was decreased during the early stage of maintenance (0-600ms), and subsequently increased during the later stage of maintenance (1000-1600ms). We suggest that reduced alpha power may be involved in focused attention during the working memory maintenance, whereas increased alpha power may reflect suppression of visual stimuli to facilitate internal processing related to the task. This interpretation is generally consistent with recent reports suggesting that variations in alpha power are associated with the representation and processing of information in the discrete time intervals during the working memory maintenance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emotional working memory in patients with major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Li, Mi; Feng, Lei; Liu, Xingwang; Zhang, Ming; Fu, Bingbing; Wang, Gang; Lu, Shengfu; Zhong, Ning; Hu, Bin

2018-05-01

Objective This study was performed to examine the working memory (WM) encoding and retrieval abilities in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and determine whether a mood-congruent memory effect is present. Methods The modified Sternberg WM paradigm with positive, negative, and neutral emotional pictures was used to investigate the WM abilities of 26 patients with MDD and 26 healthy controls (HCs). Results No significant difference in picture WM was found between the MDD and HC groups; however, the accuracy of picture position WM was significantly lower and the response time was significantly longer in the MDD than HC group, regardless of the picture or position WM. Additionally, in the MDD group, the accuracy of negative picture/position WM was significantly higher than that of positive picture/position WM. Conclusions These results suggest that in patients with MDD, spatial WM impairment was more severe than object WM. In addition, these patients' WM retrieval was impaired, resulting in a decrease in WM retrieval ability, which may be an important cause of the slow thought in patients with MDD. Moreover, patients with depression have a mood-congruent memory effect, which may be an important factor in the occurrence and maintenance of depression.

Advanced decision support for winter road maintenance

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-01-01

This document provides an overview of the Federal Highway Administration's winter Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS). The MDSS is a decision support tool that has the ability to provide weather predictions focused toward the road surface. The...

Refining the maintenance techniques for Interlocking Concrete Paver GIs

EPA Science Inventory

Surface clogging adversely affects the performance of Interlocking Concrete Pavements (ICP) by reducing their ability to infiltrate stormwater runoff. The clogging rate is a function of pavement type, traffic loading, surrounding physical environment and maintenance treatments. ...

Save a Penny, Lose a School: The Real Cost of Deferred Maintenance. Policy Brief Series on Rural Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Barbara Kent

Deferring maintenance in small rural schools creates poor conditions that can affect the health and safety of everyone who uses the facility, damage the morale of students and teachers, impair their ability to teach and learn, and threaten the facility itself. Numerous recommendations for policy changes that affect maintenance are presented. A…

Refining the maintenance techniques for Interlocking Concrete Paver GIs - abstract

EPA Science Inventory

Surface clogging adversely affects the performance of Interlocking Concrete Pavements (ICP) by reducing their ability to infiltrate stormwater runoff. Determining the correct methods for remedial maintenances is crucial to recovering and maintaining efficient ICP performance. T...

Review and study of physics driven pitting corrosion modeling in 2024-T3 aluminum alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Lingyu; Jata, Kumar V.

2015-04-01

Material degradation due to corrosion and corrosion fatigue has been recognized to significantly affect the airworthiness of civilian and military aircraft, especially for the current fleet of airplanes that have served beyond their initial design life. The ability to predict the corrosion damage development in aircraft components and structures, therefore, is of great importance in managing timely maintenance for the aging aircraft vehicles and in assisting the design of new ones. The assessment of aircraft corrosion and its influence on fatigue life relies on appropriate quantitative models that can evaluate the initiation of the corrosion as well as the accumulation during the period of operation. Beyond the aircraft regime, corrosion has also affected the maintenance, safety and reliability of other systems such as nuclear power systems, steam and gas turbines, marine structures and so on. In the work presented in this paper, we reviewed and studied several physics based pitting corrosion models that have been reported in the literature. The classic work of particle induced pitting corrosion by Wei and Harlow is reviewed in detail. Two types of modeling, a power law based simplified model and a microstructure based model, are compared for 2024-T3 alloy. Data from literatures are used as model inputs. The paper ends with conclusions and recommendations for future work.

Cross-Modal Decoding of Neural Patterns Associated with Working Memory: Evidence for Attention-Based Accounts of Working Memory

PubMed Central

Majerus, Steve; Cowan, Nelson; Péters, Frédéric; Van Calster, Laurens; Phillips, Christophe; Schrouff, Jessica

2016-01-01

Recent studies suggest common neural substrates involved in verbal and visual working memory (WM), interpreted as reflecting shared attention-based, short-term retention mechanisms. We used a machine-learning approach to determine more directly the extent to which common neural patterns characterize retention in verbal WM and visual WM. Verbal WM was assessed via a standard delayed probe recognition task for letter sequences of variable length. Visual WM was assessed via a visual array WM task involving the maintenance of variable amounts of visual information in the focus of attention. We trained a classifier to distinguish neural activation patterns associated with high- and low-visual WM load and tested the ability of this classifier to predict verbal WM load (high–low) from their associated neural activation patterns, and vice versa. We observed significant between-task prediction of load effects during WM maintenance, in posterior parietal and superior frontal regions of the dorsal attention network; in contrast, between-task prediction in sensory processing cortices was restricted to the encoding stage. Furthermore, between-task prediction of load effects was strongest in those participants presenting the highest capacity for the visual WM task. This study provides novel evidence for common, attention-based neural patterns supporting verbal and visual WM. PMID:25146374

Management Tools for Bus Maintenance: Current Practices and New Methods. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foerster, James; And Others

Management of bus fleet maintenance requires systematic recordkeeping, management reporting, and work scheduling procedures. Tools for controlling and monitoring routine maintenance activities are in common use. These include defect and fluid consumption reports, work order systems, historical maintenance records, and performance and cost…

Evaluation of the implementation of a whole-workplace walking programme using the RE-AIM framework.

PubMed

Adams, Emma J; Chalkley, Anna E; Esliger, Dale W; Sherar, Lauren B

2017-05-18

Promoting walking for the journey to/from work and during the working day is one potential approach to increase physical activity in adults. Walking Works was a practice-led, whole-workplace walking programme delivered by employees (walking champions). This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of Walking Works using the RE-AIM framework and provide recommendations for future delivery of whole-workplace walking programmes. Two cross sectional surveys were conducted; 1544 (28%) employees completed the baseline survey and 918 employees (21%) completed the follow-up survey. Effectiveness was assessed using baseline and follow-up data; reach, implementation and maintenance were assessed using follow-up data only. For categorical data, Chi square tests were conducted to assess differences between surveys or groups. Continuous data were analysed to test for significant differences using a Mann-Whitney U test. Telephone interviews were conducted with the lead organisation co-ordinator, eight walking champions and three business representatives at follow-up. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed to identify key themes related to adoption, implementation and maintenance. Adoption: Five workplaces participated in Walking Works. Reach: 480 (52.3%) employees were aware of activities and 221 (24.1%) participated. A variety of walking activities were delivered. Some programme components were not delivered as planned which was partly due to barriers in using walking champions to deliver activities. These included the walking champions' capacity, skills, support needs, ability to engage senior management, and the number and type of activities they could deliver. Other barriers included lack of management support, difficulties communicating information about activities and challenges embedding the programme into normal business activities. Effectiveness: No significant changes in walking to/from work or walking during the working day were observed. Maintenance: Plans to continue activities were mainly dependent on identifying continued funding. RE-AIM provided a useful framework for evaluating Walking Works. No changes in walking behaviour were observed. This may have been due to barriers in using walking champions to deliver activities, programme components not being delivered as intended, the types of activities delivered, or lack of awareness and participation by employees. Recommendations are provided for researchers and practitioners implementing future whole-workplace walking programmes.

Evaluating Maintenance Performance: The Development of Graphic Symbolic Substitutes for Criterion Referenced Job Task Performance Tests for Electronic Maintenance. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shriver, Edgar L.; Foley, John P., Jr.

A battery of criterion referenced Job Task Performance Tests (JTPT) was developed because paper and pencil tests of job knowledge and electronic theory had very poor criterion-related or empirical validity with respect to the ability of electronic maintenance men to perform their job. Although the original JTPT required the use of actual…

18 CFR 368.3 - Schedule of records and periods of retention.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... companies. (c) Paid checks and receipts for payments of specific vouchers 5 years. (d) Authorization for the... and reports of condition of property Destroy when superseded. Maintenance 13. Maintenance project and work orders: (a) Authorizations for expenditures for maintenance work to be covered by project or work...

18 CFR 368.3 - Schedule of records and periods of retention.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... companies. (c) Paid checks and receipts for payments of specific vouchers 5 years. (d) Authorization for the... and reports of condition of property Destroy when superseded. Maintenance 13. Maintenance project and work orders: (a) Authorizations for expenditures for maintenance work to be covered by project or work...

18 CFR 368.3 - Schedule of records and periods of retention.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... companies. (c) Paid checks and receipts for payments of specific vouchers 5 years. (d) Authorization for the... and reports of condition of property Destroy when superseded. Maintenance 13. Maintenance project and work orders: (a) Authorizations for expenditures for maintenance work to be covered by project or work...

Droplet Microarray Based on Patterned Superhydrophobic Surfaces Prevents Stem Cell Differentiation and Enables High-Throughput Stem Cell Screening.

PubMed

Tronser, Tina; Popova, Anna A; Jaggy, Mona; Bastmeyer, Martin; Levkin, Pavel A

2017-12-01

Over the past decades, stem cells have attracted growing interest in fundamental biological and biomedical research as well as in regenerative medicine, due to their unique ability to self-renew and differentiate into various cell types. Long-term maintenance of the self-renewal ability and inhibition of spontaneous differentiation, however, still remain challenging and are not fully understood. Uncontrolled spontaneous differentiation of stem cells makes high-throughput screening of stem cells also difficult. This further hinders investigation of the underlying mechanisms of stem cell differentiation and the factors that might affect it. In this work, a dual functionality of nanoporous superhydrophobic-hydrophilic micropatterns is demonstrated in their ability to inhibit differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and at the same time enable formation of arrays of microdroplets (droplet microarray) via the effect of discontinuous dewetting. Such combination makes high-throughput screening of undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem cells possible. The droplet microarray is used to investigate the development, differentiation, and maintenance of stemness of mESC, revealing the dependence of stem cell behavior on droplet volume in nano- and microliter scale. The inhibition of spontaneous differentiation of mESCs cultured on the droplet microarray for up to 72 h is observed. In addition, up to fourfold increased cell growth rate of mESCs cultured on our platform has been observed. The difference in the behavior of mESCs is attributed to the porosity and roughness of the polymer surface. This work demonstrates that the droplet microarray possesses the potential for the screening of mESCs under conditions of prolonged inhibition of stem cells' spontaneous differentiation. Such a platform can be useful for applications in the field of stem cell research, pharmacological testing of drug efficacy and toxicity, biomedical research as well as in the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The development of non-spatial working memory capacity during childhood and adolescence and the role of interference control: an N-Back task study.

PubMed

Schleepen, Tamara M J; Jonkman, Lisa M

2010-01-01

To investigate the role of interference control on the development of working memory (WM) capacity, 6-12-year-old children and adults performed an N-Back task with differing WM-load and interference control demands. Correlation analyses between flanker interference scores and WM-load levels showed that interference control was only required in the 2-back condition. While WM maintenance (1-back task) reached adult accuracy levels at age 10-12, the ability to maintain information in WM during distraction (2-back-task) displayed protracted maturation into adolescence. This is suggested to reflect yet immature connections between prefrontal and posterior association areas, respectively involved in interference control and WM storage.

Working memory for visual features and conjunctions in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Gold, James M; Wilk, Christopher M; McMahon, Robert P; Buchanan, Robert W; Luck, Steven J

2003-02-01

The visual working memory (WM) storage capacity of patients with schizophrenia was investigated using a change detection paradigm. Participants were presented with 2, 3, 4, or 6 colored bars with testing of both single feature (color, orientation) and feature conjunction conditions. Patients performed significantly worse than controls at all set sizes but demonstrated normal feature binding. Unlike controls, patient WM capacity declined at set size 6 relative to set size 4. Impairments with subcapacity arrays suggest a deficit in task set maintenance: Greater impairment for supercapacity set sizes suggests a deficit in the ability to selectively encode information for WM storage. Thus, the WM impairment in schizophrenia appears to be a consequence of attentional deficits rather than a reduction in storage capacity.

Dog Breed Differences in Visual Communication with Humans

PubMed Central

Konno, Akitsugu; Romero, Teresa; Inoue-Murayama, Miho; Saito, Atsuko; Hasegawa, Toshikazu

2016-01-01

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) have developed a close relationship with humans through the process of domestication. In human-dog interactions, eye contact is a key element of relationship initiation and maintenance. Previous studies have suggested that canine ability to produce human-directed communicative signals is influenced by domestication history, from wolves to dogs, as well as by recent breed selection for particular working purposes. To test the genetic basis for such abilities in purebred dogs, we examined gazing behavior towards humans using two types of behavioral experiments: the ‘visual contact task’ and the ‘unsolvable task’. A total of 125 dogs participated in the study. Based on the genetic relatedness among breeds subjects were classified into five breed groups: Ancient, Herding, Hunting, Retriever-Mastiff and Working). We found that it took longer time for Ancient breeds to make an eye-contact with humans, and that they gazed at humans for shorter periods of time than any other breed group in the unsolvable situation. Our findings suggest that spontaneous gaze behavior towards humans is associated with genetic similarity to wolves rather than with recent selective pressure to create particular working breeds. PMID:27736990

Inactivation of p53 Rescues the Maintenance of High Risk HPV DNA Genomes Deficient in Expression of E6

PubMed Central

Lorenz, Laurel D.; Rivera Cardona, Jessenia; Lambert, Paul F.

2013-01-01

The human papillomavirus DNA genome undergoes three distinct stages of replication: establishment, maintenance and amplification. We show that the HPV16 E6 protein is required for the maintenance of the HPV16 DNA genome as an extrachromosomal, nuclear plasmid in its natural host cell, the human keratinocyte. Based upon mutational analyses, inactivation of p53 by E6, but not necessarily E6-mediated degradation of p53, was found to correlate with the ability of E6 to support maintenance of the HPV16 genome as a nuclear plasmid. Inactivation of p53 with dominant negative p53 rescued the ability of HPV16 E6STOP and E6SAT mutant genomes to replicate as extrachromosomal genomes, though not to the same degree as observed for the HPV16 E6 wild-type (WT) genome. Inactivation of p53 also rescued the ability of HPV18 and HPV31 E6-deficient genomes to be maintained at copy numbers comparable to that of HPV18 and HPV31 E6WT genomes at early passages, though upon further passaging copy numbers for the HPV18 and 31 E6-deficient genomes lessened compared to that of the WT genomes. We conclude that inactivation of p53 is necessary for maintenance of HPV16 and for HPV18 and 31 to replicate at WT copy number, but that additional functions of E6 independent of inactivating p53 must also contribute to the maintenance of these genomes. Together these results suggest that re-activation of p53 may be a possible means for eradicating extrachromosomal HPV16, 18 or 31 genomes in the context of persistent infections. PMID:24204267

Emotion and working memory: evidence for domain-specific processes for affective maintenance.

PubMed

Mikels, Joseph A; Reuter-Lorenz, Patricia A; Beyer, Jonathan A; Fredrickson, Barbara L

2008-04-01

Working memory is comprised of separable subsystems for visual and verbal information, but what if the information is affective? Does the maintenance of affective information rely on the same processes that maintain nonaffective information? The authors address this question using a novel delayed-response task developed to investigate the short-term maintenance of affective memoranda. Using selective interference methods the authors find that a secondary emotion-regulation task impaired affect intensity maintenance, whereas secondary cognitive tasks disrupted brightness intensity maintenance, but facilitated affect maintenance. Additionally, performance on the affect maintenance task depends on the valence of the maintained feeling, further supporting the domain-specific nature of the task. The importance of affect maintenance per se is further supported by demonstrating that the observed valence effects depend on a memory delay and are not evident with simultaneous presentation of stimuli. These findings suggest that the working memory system may include domain-specific components that are specialized for the maintenance of affective memoranda. (Copyright) 2008 APA.

Applied Operations Research: Augmented Reality in an Industrial Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cole, Stuart K.

2015-01-01

Augmented reality is the application of computer generated data or graphics onto a real world view. Its use provides the operator additional information or a heightened situational awareness. While advancements have been made in automation and diagnostics of high value critical equipment to improve readiness, reliability and maintenance, the need for assisting and support to Operations and Maintenance staff persists. AR can improve the human machine interface where computer capabilities maximize the human experience and analysis capabilities. NASA operates multiple facilities with complex ground based HVCE in support of national aerodynamics and space exploration, and the need exists to improve operational support and close a gap related to capability sustainment where key and experienced staff consistently rotate work assignments and reach their expiration of term of service. The initiation of an AR capability to augment and improve human abilities and training experience in the industrial environment requires planning and establishment of a goal and objectives for the systems and specific applications. This paper explored use of AR in support of Operation staff in real time operation of HVCE and its maintenance. The results identified include identification of specific goal and objectives, challenges related to availability and computer system infrastructure.

Training spatial-simultaneous working memory in individuals with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Lanfranchi, Silvia; Pulina, Francesca; Carretti, Barbara; Mammarella, Irene C

2017-05-01

Recent studies have suggested that the spatial-simultaneous component of working memory (WM), which is involved when stimuli are presented simultaneously, is selectively impaired in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). The main objective of the present study was to examine whether WM performance can be enhanced in individuals with DS by analyzing the immediate and maintenance effects of a training program. For this purpose, 61 individuals with DS were randomly assigned to three groups: one trained on simultaneous components of visuospatial WM; one serving as an active control group, that completed activities on vocabulary; and one serving as a passive control group, that only attended the pre- and post-test and follow-up assessments. The efficacy of the training was analyzed in terms of specific (spatial-simultaneous WM tasks), near transfer (spatial-sequential and verbal WM tasks), far transfer (spatial abilities, everyday competences), and maintenance effects (with a follow-up at 1 month). The results showed an overall significant effect on the WM on the group receiving the training. The benefit was generally specific, however, with some transfer to other WM tasks, but only in the immediate (post-test) assessment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Providing Self-Healing Ability for Wireless Sensor Node by Using Reconfigurable Hardware

PubMed Central

Yuan, Shenfang; Qiu, Lei; Gao, Shang; Tong, Yao; Yang, Weiwei

2012-01-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have received tremendous attention over the past ten years. In engineering applications of WSNs, a number of sensor nodes are usually spread across some specific geographical area. Some of these nodes have to work in harsh environments. Dependability of the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is very important for its successful applications in the engineering area. In ordinary research, when a node has a failure, it is usually discarded and the network is reorganized to ensure the normal operation of the WSN. Using appropriate WSN re-organization methods, though the sensor networks can be reorganized, this causes additional maintenance costs and sometimes still decreases the function of the networks. In those situations where the sensor networks cannot be reorganized, the performance of the whole WSN will surely be degraded. In order to ensure the reliable and low cost operation of WSNs, a method to develop a wireless sensor node with self-healing ability based on reconfigurable hardware is proposed in this paper. Two self-healing WSN node realization paradigms based on reconfigurable hardware are presented, including a redundancy-based self-healing paradigm and a whole FPAA/FPGA based self-healing paradigm. The nodes designed with the self-healing ability can dynamically change their node configurations to repair the nodes' hardware failures. To demonstrate these two paradigms, a strain sensor node is adopted as an illustration to show the concepts. Two strain WSN sensor nodes with self-healing ability are developed respectively according to the proposed self-healing paradigms. Evaluation experiments on self-healing ability and power consumption are performed. Experimental results show that the developed nodes can self-diagnose the failures and recover to a normal state automatically. The research presented can improve the robustness of WSNs and reduce the maintenance cost of WSNs in engineering applications. PMID:23202176

Managing Highway Maintenance: Standards for Maintenance Work, Part 3, Unit 8, Level 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Highway Administration (DOT), Washington, DC. Offices of Research and Development.

Part of the series "Managing Highway Maintenance," the unit explains various uses of maintenance standards and how standards should be interpreted and communicated to formen and crew leaders. Several examples are given of the decisions made when applying the standards to routine work. The preceding units on standards (parts 1 and 2)…

Self-Schemas, Possible Selves, and Competent Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cross, Susan E.; Markus, Hazel Rose

1994-01-01

College students were classified as schematic (belief in being a good problem solver and importance of this ability to self-esteem) or aschematic (belief in moderate ability and low or moderate importance of ability). Results with 196 students indicate the importance of self-concept in development and maintenance of competence. (SLD)

Cyclical processes in personality and psychopathology.

PubMed

Wachtel, P L

1994-02-01

Both the understanding of psychopathology and the ability to intervene therapeutically are enhanced by an appreciation of the central role of vicious circles in the development and maintenance of psychological disorder. It is usually possible to discern a structure to people's difficulties in which internal states and external events continually re-create the conditions for the re-occurrence of each other in all too real psychological version of the mythical perpetual motion machine. The present article illustrates how such circular processes work in a number of representative types of psychological difficulty and discusses the implications of this conception for understanding psychopathology and for therapeutic intervention.

Cognitive control components and speech symptoms in people with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Becker, Theresa M; Cicero, David C; Cowan, Nelson; Kerns, John G

2012-03-30

Previous schizophrenia research suggests poor cognitive control is associated with schizophrenia speech symptoms. However, cognitive control is a broad construct. Two important cognitive control components are poor goal maintenance and poor verbal working memory storage. In the current research, people with schizophrenia (n=45) performed three cognitive tasks that varied in their goal maintenance and verbal working memory storage demands. Speech symptoms were assessed using clinical rating scales, ratings of disorganized speech from typed transcripts, and self-reported disorganization. Overall, alogia was associated with both goal maintenance and verbal working memory tasks. Objectively rated disorganized speech was associated with poor goal maintenance and with a task that included both goal maintenance and verbal working memory storage demands. In contrast, self-reported disorganization was unrelated to either amount of objectively rated disorganized speech or to cognitive control task performance, instead being associated with negative mood symptoms. Overall, our results suggest that alogia is associated with both poor goal maintenance and poor verbal working memory storage and that disorganized speech is associated with poor goal maintenance. In addition, patients' own assessment of their disorganization is related to negative mood, but perhaps not to objective disorganized speech or to cognitive control task performance. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Knowledge management: An abstraction of knowledge base and database management systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riedesel, Joel D.

1990-01-01

Artificial intelligence application requirements demand powerful representation capabilities as well as efficiency for real-time domains. Many tools exist, the most prevalent being expert systems tools such as ART, KEE, OPS5, and CLIPS. Other tools just emerging from the research environment are truth maintenance systems for representing non-monotonic knowledge, constraint systems, object oriented programming, and qualitative reasoning. Unfortunately, as many knowledge engineers have experienced, simply applying a tool to an application requires a large amount of effort to bend the application to fit. Much work goes into supporting work to make the tool integrate effectively. A Knowledge Management Design System (KNOMAD), is described which is a collection of tools built in layers. The layered architecture provides two major benefits; the ability to flexibly apply only those tools that are necessary for an application, and the ability to keep overhead, and thus inefficiency, to a minimum. KNOMAD is designed to manage many knowledge bases in a distributed environment providing maximum flexibility and expressivity to the knowledge engineer while also providing support for efficiency.

Work Flow Analysis Report Consisting of Work Management - Preventive Maintenance - Materials and Equipment

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

JENNINGS, T.L.

The Work Flow analysis Report will be used to facilitate the requirements for implementing the Work Control module of Passport. The report consists of workflow integration processes for Work Management, Preventative Maintenance, Materials and Equipment

An intelligent healthcare management system: a new approach in work-order prioritization for medical equipment maintenance requests.

PubMed

Hamdi, Naser; Oweis, Rami; Abu Zraiq, Hamzeh; Abu Sammour, Denis

2012-04-01

The effective maintenance management of medical technology influences the quality of care delivered and the profitability of healthcare facilities. Medical equipment maintenance in Jordan lacks an objective prioritization system; consequently, the system is not sensitive to the impact of equipment downtime on patient morbidity and mortality. The current work presents a novel software system (EQUIMEDCOMP) that is designed to achieve valuable improvements in the maintenance management of medical technology. This work-order prioritization model sorts medical maintenance requests by calculating a priority index for each request. Model performance was assessed by utilizing maintenance requests from several Jordanian hospitals. The system proved highly efficient in minimizing equipment downtime based on healthcare delivery capacity, and, consequently, patient outcome. Additionally, a preventive maintenance optimization module and an equipment quality control system are incorporated. The system is, therefore, expected to improve the reliability of medical equipment and significantly improve safety and cost-efficiency.

Role of Pterocarpus santalinus against mitochondrial dysfunction and membrane lipid changes induced by ulcerogens in rat gastric mucosa.

PubMed

Narayan, Shoba; Devi, R S; Devi, C S Shyamala

2007-11-20

Free radicals produced by ulcerogenic agents affect the TCA cycle enzymes located in the outer membrane of the mitochondria. Upon induction with ulcerogens, peroxidation of membrane lipids bring about alterations in the mitochondrial enzyme activity. This indicates an increase in the permeability levels of the mitochondrial membrane. The ability of PSE to scavenge the reactive oxygen species results in restoration of activities of TCA cycle enzymes. NSAIDs interfere with the mitochondrial beta-oxidation of fatty acids in vitro and in vivo, resulting in uncoupling of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation process. This usually results in diminished cellular ATP production. The recovery of gastric mucosal barrier function through maintenance of energy metabolism results in maintenance of ATP levels, as observed in this study upon treatment with PSE. Membrane integrity altered by peroxidation is known to have a modified fatty acid composition, a disruption of permeability, a decrease in electrical resistance, and increase in flip-flopping between monolayers and inactivated cross-linked proteins. The severe depletion of arachidonic acid in ulcer induced groups was prevented upon treatment with PSE. The acid inhibitory property of the herbal extract enables the maintenance of GL activity upon treatment with PSE. The ability to prevent membrane peroxidation has been traced to the presence of active constituents in the PSE. In essence, PSE has been found to prevent mitochondrial dysfunction, provide mitochondrial cell integrity, through the maintenance of lipid bilayer by its ability to provide a hydrophobic character to the gastric mucosa, further indicating its ability to reverse the action of NSAIDs and mast cell degranulators in gastric mucosa.

Self-reported craft expertise predicts maintenance of spatial ability in old age.

PubMed

Bailey, Shannon K T; Sims, Valerie K

2014-05-01

Three hundred and three female participants between the ages of 18 and 77 reported their experience in crafting (sewing, knitting, and crocheting) and completed a measure of spatial ability: The Paper Folding Test. To investigate the connection between spatial ability performance, age, and craft expertise, an ANOVA was conducted for the Paper Folding Test using two levels of crafting expertise (High and Low) and three age categories (younger adults: 18-39, middle-aged adults: 40-59, and older adults: 60-77). Performance on the spatial ability test declined with age as predicted from previous literature. However, there was a significant Age by Expertise interaction. No difference was found between High and Low craft expertise groups in younger adults (18-39), but there was a growing difference between expertise groups in middle-aged adults (40-59) and older adults (60-77). The results suggest that continued hands-on experience in spatial domains is a predictor of maintenance of spatial ability across the life span.

When is working memory important for arithmetic? The impact of strategy and age.

PubMed

Cragg, Lucy; Richardson, Sophie; Hubber, Paula J; Keeble, Sarah; Gilmore, Camilla

2017-01-01

Our ability to perform arithmetic relies heavily on working memory, the manipulation and maintenance of information in mind. Previous research has found that in adults, procedural strategies, particularly counting, rely on working memory to a greater extent than retrieval strategies. During childhood there are changes in the types of strategies employed, as well as an increase in the accuracy and efficiency of strategy execution. As such it seems likely that the role of working memory in arithmetic may also change, however children and adults have never been directly compared. This study used traditional dual-task methodology, with the addition of a control load condition, to investigate the extent to which working memory requirements for different arithmetic strategies change with age between 9-11 years, 12-14 years and young adulthood. We showed that both children and adults employ working memory when solving arithmetic problems, no matter what strategy they choose. This study highlights the importance of considering working memory in understanding the difficulties that some children and adults have with mathematics, as well as the need to include working memory in theoretical models of mathematical cognition.

Neonatal Perirhinal Lesions in Rhesus Macaques Alter Performance on Working Memory Tasks with High Proactive Interference.

PubMed

Weiss, Alison R; Nadji, Ryhan; Bachevalier, Jocelyne

2015-01-01

The lateral prefrontal cortex is known for its contribution to working memory (WM) processes in both humans and animals. Yet, recent studies indicate that the prefrontal cortex is part of a broader network of interconnected brain areas involved in WM. Within the medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures, the perirhinal cortex, which has extensive direct interactions with the lateral and orbital prefrontal cortex, is required to form active/flexible representations of familiar objects. However, its participation in WM processes has not be fully explored. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of neonatal perirhinal lesions on maintenance and monitoring WM processes. As adults, animals with neonatal perirhinal lesions and their matched controls were tested in three object-based (non-spatial) WM tasks that tapped different WM processing domains, e.g., maintenance only (Session-unique Delayed-nonmatching-to Sample, SU-DNMS), and maintenance and monitoring (Object-Self-Order, OBJ-SO; Serial Order Memory Task, SOMT). Neonatal perirhinal lesions transiently impaired the acquisition of SU-DNMS at a short (5 s) delay, but not when re-tested with a longer delay (30 s). The same neonatal lesions severely impacted acquisition of OBJ-SO task, and the impairment was characterized by a sharp increase in perseverative errors. By contrast, neonatal perirhinal lesion spared the ability to monitor the temporal order of items in WM as measured by the SOMT. Contrary to the SU-DNMS and OBJ-SO, which re-use the same stimuli across trials and thus produce proactive interference, the SOMT uses novel objects on each trial and is devoid of interference. Therefore, the impairment of monkeys with neonatal perirhinal lesions on SU-DNMS and OBJ-SO tasks is likely to be caused by an inability to solve working memory tasks with high proactive interference. The sparing of performance on the SOMT demonstrates that neonatal perirhinal lesions do not alter working memory processes per se but rather impact processes modulating impulse control and/or behavioral flexibility.

The most common problem facing by the maintenance department: A case Study between Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norazam Yasin, Mohd; Mohamad Zin, Rosli; Halid Abdullah, Abd; Shafiq Mahmad, Muhammad; Fikri Hasmori, Muhammad

2017-11-01

From time to time, the maintenance works become more challenging due to construction of new building and also aging of the existing buildings. University buildings without any exception require proper maintenance services to support their function requirements and this can be considered as major responsibilities to be fulfilled by the maintenance department in the universities. Maintenance department specifically will face various kinds of problems in their operation works and thus this might influence the maintenance work operations itself. This study purposely to identify the common problem facing by the maintenance department and also to examine the current status of the maintenance department. In addition, this study would also propose any suitable approach that could be implemented to overcome the problem facing by the maintenance department. To achieve the objectives of this study, a combination of deep literature study and carrying out a survey is necessary. Literature study aimed to obtain deeper information about this study, meanwhile a survey aimed at identifying the common problem facing by the maintenance department and also to provide the information of the maintenance department’s organization. Several methods will be used in analyzing the data obtained through the survey, including Microsoft Office Excel and also using mean index formula. This study has identified three categories of problem in the maintenance department, which are management problems, human resource problem, and technical problems. Following the findings, several solutions being proposed which can be implemented as the solution to the problem facing. These suggestions have the potential to improve the maintenance department work efficiency, thus could help to increase the department productivity.

Health And Safety In Maintenance Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ungureanu, Nicolae Stelian; Daraba, Dinu; Moraru, Roland Iosif

2015-07-01

The paper examines some aspects of health and safety at work in maintenance activities. It was analysed the occurrence of accidents, statistically, in maintenance work. There have been identified a number of causes of accidents and there have been proposed some measures to reduce them.

Epigenetic Regulation of Memory Formation and Maintenance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zovkic, Iva B.; Guzman-Karlsson, Mikael C.; Sweatt, J. David

2013-01-01

Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the formation and maintenance of memories is a central goal of the neuroscience community. It is well regarded that an organism's ability to lastingly adapt its behavior in response to a transient environmental stimulus relies on the central nervous system's capability for structural…

Cross-Modal Decoding of Neural Patterns Associated with Working Memory: Evidence for Attention-Based Accounts of Working Memory.

PubMed

Majerus, Steve; Cowan, Nelson; Péters, Frédéric; Van Calster, Laurens; Phillips, Christophe; Schrouff, Jessica

2016-01-01

Recent studies suggest common neural substrates involved in verbal and visual working memory (WM), interpreted as reflecting shared attention-based, short-term retention mechanisms. We used a machine-learning approach to determine more directly the extent to which common neural patterns characterize retention in verbal WM and visual WM. Verbal WM was assessed via a standard delayed probe recognition task for letter sequences of variable length. Visual WM was assessed via a visual array WM task involving the maintenance of variable amounts of visual information in the focus of attention. We trained a classifier to distinguish neural activation patterns associated with high- and low-visual WM load and tested the ability of this classifier to predict verbal WM load (high-low) from their associated neural activation patterns, and vice versa. We observed significant between-task prediction of load effects during WM maintenance, in posterior parietal and superior frontal regions of the dorsal attention network; in contrast, between-task prediction in sensory processing cortices was restricted to the encoding stage. Furthermore, between-task prediction of load effects was strongest in those participants presenting the highest capacity for the visual WM task. This study provides novel evidence for common, attention-based neural patterns supporting verbal and visual WM. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

[Effectiveness of physical activity intervention at workplace].

PubMed

Malińska, Marzena

2017-03-24

A physical activity is a key factor contributing to the improvement and maintenance of one's general health. Although this issue is by no means limited to the workplace, it is precisely the work environment that can provide the basis for keeping and reinforcing more health-conscious attitudes and lifestyles, including programs promoting a physical activity. The paper presents an analysis of the literature on the effectiveness of physical activity intervention at the workplace. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the physical activity programs on musculoskeletal disorders, absenteeism, work ability, physical capacity and body weight of the participants. Given a marginal extent of programs of this kind in Poland, the authors' intention was to show the benefits resulting from implementation of and participation in such initiatives. Med Pr 2017;68(2):277-301. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Main medical results of extended flights on space station Mir in 1986-1990

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigoriev, A. I.; Bugrov, S. A.; Bogomolov, V. V.; Egorov, A. D.; Polyakov, V. V.; Tarasov, I. K.; Shulzhenko, E. B.

During 1986-1990 seven prime spacecrews (16 cosmonauts) have flow on-board the Mir orbital complex. The longest space mission duration was 366 days. The principal objectives of the medical tasks were the maintenance of good health and performance of the spacecrews and conducting medical research programs which included study of the cardiovascular, motor, endocrine, blood, immune, and metabolic systems. Results obtained point to the ability of humans to readily adapt to a year-long stay in space and maintain good health and performance. Readaptation had a similar course as after other previous long-term space flights of up to 8 months in duration. Primary body system changes were not qualitatively different from findings after flights aboard the Salyut 6 and 7 space stations. In this case, during and after an 11-12 month flight, body system alterations were even less severe which was a result of adequate countermeasure use, their systematic and creative employment and maintenance of required environments to support life and work in space.

To select the best tool for generating 3D maintenance data and to set the detailed process for obtaining the 3D maintenance data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prashanth, B. N.; Roy, Kingshuk

2017-07-01

Three Dimensional (3D) maintenance data provides a link between design and technical documentation creating interactive 3D graphical training and maintenance material. It becomes difficult for an operator to always go through huge paper manuals or come running to the computer for doing maintenance of a machine which makes the maintenance work fatigue. Above being the case, a 3D animation makes maintenance work very simple since, there is no language barrier. The research deals with the generation of 3D maintenance data of any given machine. The best tool for obtaining the 3D maintenance is selected and the tool is analyzed. Using the same tool, a detailed process for extracting the 3D maintenance data for any machine is set. This project aims at selecting the best tool for obtaining 3D maintenance data and to select the detailed process for obtaining 3D maintenance data. 3D maintenance reduces use of big volumes of manuals which creates human errors and makes the work of an operator fatiguing. Hence 3-D maintenance would help in training and maintenance and would increase productivity. 3Dvia when compared with Cortona 3D and Deep Exploration proves to be better than them. 3Dvia is good in data translation and it has the best renderings compared to the other two 3D maintenance software. 3Dvia is very user friendly and it has various options for creating 3D animations. Its Interactive Electronic Technical Publication (IETP) integration is also better than the other two software. Hence 3Dvia proves to be the best software for obtaining 3D maintenance data of any machine.

The locus of adult intelligence: knowledge, abilities, and nonability traits.

PubMed

Ackerman, P L; Rolfhus, E L

1999-06-01

Some intelligence theorists (e.g., R. B. Cattell, 1943; D. O. Hebb, 1942) have suggested that knowledge is one aspect of human intelligence that is well preserved or increases during adult development. Very little is known about knowledge structures across different domains or about how individual differences in knowledge relate to other traits. Twenty academic and technology-oriented tests were administered to 135 middle-aged adults. In comparison with younger college students, the middle-aged adults knew more about nearly all of the various knowledge domains. Knowledge was partly predicted by general intelligence, by crystallized abilities, and by personality, interest, and self-concept. Implications of this work are discussed in the context of a developmental theory that focuses on the acquisition and maintenance of intelligence-as-knowledge, as well as the role of knowledge for predicting the vocational and avocational task performance of adults.

TRACTOR TUNE-UP AND MAINTENANCE. AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY--SERVICE OCCUPATIONS, MODULE NUMBER 13.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio State Univ., Columbus. Center for Vocational and Technical Education.

ONE OF A SERIES DESIGNED TO HELP TEACHERS PREPARE POSTSECONDARY STUDENTS FOR THE AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY SERVICE OCCUPATIONS AS PARTS MEN, MECHANICS, MECHANIC'S HELPERS, AND SERVICE SUPERVISORS, THIS GUIDE AIMS TO DEVELOP STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF A SYSTEMATIC PROCEDURE AND ABILITY TO PERFORM TUNEUPS AND MAINTENANCE TASKS. IT WAS DEVELOPED BY A…

EFL Learners' Perceived Use of Conversation Maintenance Strategies during Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication with Native English Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ino, Atsushi

2014-01-01

This study investigated the perceived use of conversation maintenance strategies during synchronous computer-mediated communication with native English speakers. I also correlated the relationships of the strategies used with students' speaking ability and comprehensive proficiency level. The research questions were: (1) how were the learners'…

Oculomotor preparation as a rehearsal mechanism in spatial working memory.

PubMed

Pearson, David G; Ball, Keira; Smith, Daniel T

2014-09-01

There is little consensus regarding the specific processes responsible for encoding, maintenance, and retrieval of information in visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM). One influential theory is that VSWM may involve activation of the eye-movement (oculomotor) system. In this study we experimentally prevented healthy participants from planning or executing saccadic eye-movements during the encoding, maintenance, and retrieval stages of visual and spatial working memory tasks. Participants experienced a significant reduction in spatial memory span only when oculomotor preparation was prevented during encoding or maintenance. In contrast there was no reduction when oculomotor preparation was prevented only during retrieval. These results show that (a) involvement of the oculomotor system is necessary for optimal maintenance of directly-indicated locations in spatial working memory and (b) oculomotor preparation is not necessary during retrieval from spatial working memory. We propose that this study is the first to unambiguously demonstrate that the oculomotor system contributes to the maintenance of spatial locations in working memory independently from the involvement of covert attention. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impairment of working memory maintenance and response in schizophrenia: functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence.

PubMed

Driesen, Naomi R; Leung, Hoi-Chung; Calhoun, Vincent D; Constable, R Todd; Gueorguieva, Ralitza; Hoffman, Ralph; Skudlarski, Pawel; Goldman-Rakic, Patricia S; Krystal, John H

2008-12-15

Comparing prefrontal cortical activity during particular phases of working memory in healthy subjects and individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia might help to define the phase-specific deficits in cortical function that contribute to cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia. This study featured a spatial working memory task, similar to that used in nonhuman primates, that was designed to facilitate separating brain activation into encoding, maintenance, and response phases. Fourteen patients with schizophrenia (4 medication-free) and 12 healthy comparison participants completed functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a spatial working memory task with two levels of memory load. Task accuracy was similar in patients and healthy participants. However, patients showed reductions in brain activation during maintenance and response phases but not during the encoding phase. The reduced prefrontal activity during the maintenance phase of working memory was attributed to a greater rate of decay of prefrontal activity over time in patients. Cortical deficits in patients did not appear to be related to antipsychotic treatment. In patients and in healthy subjects, the time-dependent reduction in prefrontal activity during working memory maintenance correlated with poorer performance on the memory task. Overall, these data highlight that basic research insights into the distinct neurobiologies of the maintenance and response phases of working memory are of potential importance for understanding the neurobiology of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and advancing its treatment.

Identifying Potential Weapon Systems That Can Be Divested

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-08

List of Figures Figure 1.1 – TACOM LCMC Sustainment Systems Technical Support (SSTS) Operation Maintenance Army (OMA)……………………………………………………………………….6...LCMC Sustainment Systems Technical Support (SSTS) Operation Maintenance Army (OMA) Requirements Tracking System (TORTS) process used to develop...Force operational concepts (Peltz, 2003). The Army’s ability to keep systems operational from a maintenance standpoint is driven by two factors

Flexibility within working memory and the focus of attention for sequential verbal information does not depend on active maintenance.

PubMed

Sandry, Joshua; Schwark, Jeremy D; MacDonald, Justin

2014-10-01

The focus of attention seems to be a static element within working memory when verbal information is serially presented, unless additional time is available for processing or active maintenance. Experiment 1 manipulated the reward associated with early and medial list positions in a probe recognition paradigm and found evidence that these nonterminal list positions could be retrieved faster and more accurately if participants were appropriately motivated-without additional time for processing or active maintenance. Experiment 2 used articulatory suppression and demonstrated that the underlying maintenance mechanism cannot be attributed to rehearsal, leaving attentional refreshing as the more likely mechanism. These findings suggest that the focus of attention within working memory can flexibly maintain nonterminal early and medial list representations at the expense of other list representations even when there is not additional time for processing or active maintenance. Maintenance seems to be accomplished through an attentional refreshing mechanism.

The Impact Of Occupational Hazards In Workplaces - Maintenance, A Main Target For Ensuring The Safety Of Working Equipment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonov, Anca Elena; Buica, Georgeta; Darabont, Doru Costin; Beiu, Constantin

2015-07-01

For use of work equipment having the economic performance and the highest level of safety, it must be ensured that it complies with the conditions set by the manufacturer in terms of putting into service, use and maintenance operations, ensuring appropriate technical and environmental requirements, including appropriate measures and means of protection. The research aimed to identify and analyze the occupational hazards associated to maintenance operations, in terms of the history of the adjustments, maintenance, cleaning and repair, including the case that occur after the incidents, capital repairs and upgrades. The results of the research consisted in the development of recommendations on the effective management of maintenance activities of work equipment and a software model to enable an efficient management of maintenance, as a tool for occupational hazards in companies - premise for increasing the competitiveness of employers in the market economy.

18 CFR 367.81 - Maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... maintenance work. A list of work operations applicable generally to service company property is included in paragraph (d) of this section. Other work operations applicable to specific classes of property are listed... repairs which have been made. (3) Work performed specifically for the purpose of preventing failure...

Brain activity related to working memory for temporal order and object information.

PubMed

Roberts, Brooke M; Libby, Laura A; Inhoff, Marika C; Ranganath, Charan

2017-06-08

Maintaining items in an appropriate sequence is important for many daily activities; however, remarkably little is known about the neural basis of human temporal working memory. Prior work suggests that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and medial temporal lobe (MTL), including the hippocampus, play a role in representing information about temporal order. The involvement of these areas in successful temporal working memory, however, is less clear. Additionally, it is unknown whether regions in the PFC and MTL support temporal working memory across different timescales, or at coarse or fine levels of temporal detail. To address these questions, participants were scanned while completing 3 working memory task conditions (Group, Position and Item) that were matched in terms of difficulty and the number of items to be actively maintained. Group and Position trials probed temporal working memory processes, requiring the maintenance of hierarchically organized coarse and fine temporal information, respectively. To isolate activation related to temporal working memory, Group and Position trials were contrasted against Item trials, which required detailed working memory maintenance of visual objects. Results revealed that working memory encoding and maintenance of temporal information relative to visual information was associated with increased activation in dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC), and perirhinal cortex (PRC). In contrast, maintenance of visual details relative to temporal information was characterized by greater activation of parahippocampal cortex (PHC), medial and anterior PFC, and retrosplenial cortex. In the hippocampus, a dissociation along the longitudinal axis was observed such that the anterior hippocampus was more active for working memory encoding and maintenance of visual detail information relative to temporal information, whereas the posterior hippocampus displayed the opposite effect. Posterior parietal cortex was the only region to show sensitivity to temporal working memory across timescales, and was particularly involved in the encoding and maintenance of fine temporal information relative to maintenance of temporal information at more coarse timescales. Collectively, these results highlight the involvement of PFC and MTL in temporal working memory processes, and suggest a dissociation in the type of working memory information represented along the longitudinal axis of the hippocampus. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Buying Into Maintenance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

May, Abigail

1998-01-01

Describes how educational institutions are recognizing the short-sightedness of deferred maintenance. Discusses the challenges facing schools as they confront maintenance costs and what they must do to address the problem. Offers advice on proactive stances toward maintenance such as computerized work control processes, maintenance zones, and…

Vibration syndrome in railway track maintenance workers.

PubMed

Virokannas, H; Anttonen, H; Niskanen, J

1995-01-01

An inquiry was sent to all railway maintenance workers in three railway districts in Finland and hand-arm vibration was measured on the handlebars of tools used by maintenance workers. The study group included 252 (82%) subjects, whose mean age was 41 years and who had worked in track maintenance for 14 years (SD 9). In Finland there are over 600 railway maintenance workers who use vibrating tools. The frequency-weighted acceleration of hand-arm vibration was calculated according to the ISO 5349 standard. Hand-held tamping machines had caused most of the vibration exposure, and aw4h was 10.6 m/s2 measured on the handlebar of tamping machine, but many workers also used other vibrating tools. The annual vibration level was 2.5 m/s2 when the use of all vibrating tools and the exposure time was taken into account. In the questionnaire the prevalence of vibration-induced white finger (VWF) was 14% in the entire material, and the prevalence of VWF increased significantly with the total duration of the maintenance work. In addition, 39% of the subjects had suffered numbness of the hands, and the prevalence of hand numbness also increased significantly with the total duration of maintenance work. According to the measurements of vibration and the prevalence of hand symptoms the present investigation indicates vibration syndrome as being related to railway track maintenance work. In the exposure group, where tamping machines mainly were used and exposure to other vibration was small, the prevalence of VWF was also significantly higher, but the prevalence of hand numbness insignificant compared with the control group. In this study vascular and nerve hand symptoms were considered to cause serious trouble in work by 4-11% of the maintenance workers.

Managing Highway Maintenance: Budget Preparation, Unit 9, Level 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Highway Administration (DOT), Washington, DC. Offices of Research and Development.

Part of the series "Managing Highway Maintenance," the unit describes the essential steps in developing a maintenance budget, or performance budget, based on the work to be done. It is designed for field engineers and supervisors who assist department officials in preparing work programs and budgets. The format is a programed,…

Working Memory Integration Processes in Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes.

PubMed

Kárpáti, Judit; Donauer, Nándor; Somogyi, Eszter; Kónya, Anikó

2015-12-01

Benign epilepsy of childhood with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is the most frequent focal epilepsy in children; however, the pattern of affected memory processes remains controversial. Previous studies in BECTS imply deficits in complex working memory tasks, but not in simple modality-specific tasks. We studied working memory processes in children with BECTS by comparing performance in memory binding tasks of different complexities. We compared 17 children with BECTS (aged 6 to 13 years) to 17 healthy children matched for age, sex, and intelligence quotient. We measured spatial and verbal memory components separately and jointly on three single-binding tasks (binding of what and where; what and when; and where and when) and a combined-binding task (integration of what, where, and when). We also evaluated basic visuospatial memory functions with subtests of the Children's Memory Scale, and intellectual abilities with verbal tasks of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition and the Raven Progressive Matrices. We found no difference between the BECTS and control groups in single-binding tasks; however, the children with BECTS performed significantly worse on the combined task, which included integration of spatial, verbal, and temporal information. We found no deficits in their intellectual abilities or basic visuospatial memory functions. Children with BECTS may have intact simple maintenance processes of working memory, but difficulty with high-level functions requiring attentional and executive resources. Our findings imply no specific memory dysfunction in BECTS, but suggest difficulties in integrating information within working memory, and possible frontal lobe disturbances.

Coping with Deferred Maintenance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suber, L. Terry

1982-01-01

The deferred maintenance problem on college and university campuses is addressed. Deferred maintenance refers to larger or more expansive maintenance work that can be delayed and is not performed when needed or reported, usually because its cost is beyond the annual maintenance and operating budget of the physical plant department. Eventually…

Maintenance Manual for the Automated Airdrop Information Retrieval System; Human Factors Database

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-09-01

Sensorimotor Abilities Loss of Cognitive/Perceptual Abilities Treatment drug therapy physical therapy cognitive therapy biofeedback therapy 63 9...Device (AOD) Oxygen System oxygen mask oxygen hose oxygen cylinders on/off valve prebreather Floatation Devices life preserver Scuba Gear Ankle Braces

NASA work unit system file maintenance manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The NASA Work Unit System is a management information system for research tasks (i.e., work units) performed under NASA grants and contracts. It supplies profiles on research efforts and statistics on fund distribution. The file maintenance operator can add, delete and change records at a remote terminal or can submit punched cards to the computer room for batch update. The system is designed for file maintenance by a person with little or no knowledge of data processing techniques.

A Planned Preventive Maintenance Program. A Handbook for Chief Business Officers and Supervisors of Maintenance with Suggestions on Maintenance for Consideration by Presidents of Higher Institutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniel, Clarence H.

This handbook explains planned preventive maintenance program, which is an operational system of maintenance designed to increase the effectiveness of the maintenance staff and the use of maintenance funds through efficient scheduling of inspections and follow-through of work to be performed. Sections are included for the chief administrative…

Examining maintenance responsibilities.

PubMed

Lam, K C

2001-06-01

This paper has examined the important responsibilities of the two organisations involved in the provision of maintenance service for the vital building services in many of our highly serviced buildings. The issues raised could be put to beneficial use in both clients and maintenance providers. All in all, the clients should work closely with their maintenance providers. Engineering services in buildings will not perform satisfactorily and efficiently if both parties do not work together and understand the maintenance tasks based on a business partnering mode. Put forward is the view that the management of the activities involved in the operation and maintenance process is a "shared commitment/involvement" between the client and the maintenance provider. It is obvious that many factors can influence the continued effectiveness of a quality maintenance scheme set up by client and provider. Some of these factors are: Change in key personnel Updates in technology Amendments to engineering practice Implementation of legislative requirements Changes in operation by client or provider Change of use of building Passage of time These factors must be fully reviewed by both parties from time to time, and necessary actions taken. A cooperative team working relationship and improved communication should be fostered by the client and his provider for the best management of services maintenance. This arrangement will contribute to better building services systems with continuous improvement; improved value for clients and higher return for the maintenance provider.

A Brain System for Auditory Working Memory.

PubMed

Kumar, Sukhbinder; Joseph, Sabine; Gander, Phillip E; Barascud, Nicolas; Halpern, Andrea R; Griffiths, Timothy D

2016-04-20

The brain basis for auditory working memory, the process of actively maintaining sounds in memory over short periods of time, is controversial. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging in human participants, we demonstrate that the maintenance of single tones in memory is associated with activation in auditory cortex. In addition, sustained activation was observed in hippocampus and inferior frontal gyrus. Multivoxel pattern analysis showed that patterns of activity in auditory cortex and left inferior frontal gyrus distinguished the tone that was maintained in memory. Functional connectivity during maintenance was demonstrated between auditory cortex and both the hippocampus and inferior frontal cortex. The data support a system for auditory working memory based on the maintenance of sound-specific representations in auditory cortex by projections from higher-order areas, including the hippocampus and frontal cortex. In this work, we demonstrate a system for maintaining sound in working memory based on activity in auditory cortex, hippocampus, and frontal cortex, and functional connectivity among them. Specifically, our work makes three advances from the previous work. First, we robustly demonstrate hippocampal involvement in all phases of auditory working memory (encoding, maintenance, and retrieval): the role of hippocampus in working memory is controversial. Second, using a pattern classification technique, we show that activity in the auditory cortex and inferior frontal gyrus is specific to the maintained tones in working memory. Third, we show long-range connectivity of auditory cortex to hippocampus and frontal cortex, which may be responsible for keeping such representations active during working memory maintenance. Copyright © 2016 Kumar et al.

25 CFR 170.812 - What is emergency maintenance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What is emergency maintenance? 170.812 Section 170.812 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM BIA Road Maintenance § 170.812 What is emergency maintenance? Emergency maintenance is work that...

25 CFR 170.812 - What is emergency maintenance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false What is emergency maintenance? 170.812 Section 170.812 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM BIA Road Maintenance § 170.812 What is emergency maintenance? Emergency maintenance is work that...

Comparison of health-related quality of life of children during maintenance therapy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia versus siblings and healthy children in India.

PubMed

Bansal, Minakshi; Sharma, Kamlesh K; Vatsa, Manju; Bakhshi, Sameer

2013-05-01

Data on quality of life (QOL) specifically in maintenance therapy of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are minimal. This study was done to assess various items listed in domains of QOL (physical, emotional, social and school health domains) of children with ALL during maintenance therapy, and compare the same with those of their siblings and other healthy children. Forty children on maintenance therapy of ALL, 40 siblings and 40 healthy children were assessed for QOL by child self-report using PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core in the local language. Means were computed and compared for each domain with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), wherein higher values reflected better QOL. Overall QOL of children with ALL in maintenance therapy (77.16 ± 10.98) was significantly poorer than that of siblings (93.56 ± 4.41) and healthy children (93.02 ± 3.76) (p < 0.001), but their abilities of self-care, household work, exercise, attentiveness, memory and homework were unaffected. There was significantly higher absenteeism due to sickness and hospital visits, and increased emotional problems (fear, anger, sleeping problems) among children with ALL. In the social health domain, children with ALL reported difficulty in maintaining friendships and competing. QOL of siblings was as good as that of healthy children in physical, social and school health domains, but they had increased emotional problems such as anger and sadness. Healthy children reported significantly higher future worries and bullying than children with ALL and siblings. This study validated that the QOL of children with ALL during maintenance therapy was significantly poorer than that of siblings and healthy children. The study identified various items in each domain of QOL that were affected in these children, and thus would assist in guiding healthcare professionals to focus on these specific items so as to improve their overall QOL.

Assessment of skeletal muscle fatigue of road maintenance workers based on heart rate monitoring and myotonometry

PubMed Central

Roja, Zenija; Kalkis, Valdis; Vain, Arved; Kalkis, Henrijs; Eglite, Maija

2006-01-01

Objective This research work is dedicated to occupational health problems caused by ergonomic risks. The research object was road building industry, where workers have to work very intensively, have long work hours, are working in forced/constrained work postures and overstrain during the work specific parts of their bodies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the work heaviness degree and to estimate the muscle fatigue of workers after one week work cycle. The study group consisted of 10 road construction and maintenance workers and 10 pavers aged between 20 and 60 years. Methods Physical load were analyzed by measuring heart rate (HR), work postures (OWAS) and perceived exertion (RPE). Assessments of the muscles strain and functional state (tone) were carried out using myotonometric (MYO) measurements. The reliability of the statistical processing of heart rate monitoring and myotonometry data was determined using correlating analysis. Results This study showed that that road construction and repairing works should be considered as a hard work according to average metabolic energy consumption 8.1 ± 1.5 kcal/min; paving, in its turn, was a moderately hard work according to 7.2 ± 1.1 kcal/min. Several muscle tone levels were identified allowing subdivision of workers into three conditional categories basing on muscle tone and fatigue: I – absolute muscle relaxation and ability to relax; II – a state of equilibrium, when muscles are able to adapt to the work load and are partly able to relax; and III – muscle fatigue and increased tone. It was also found out that the increase of muscle tone and fatigue mainly depend on workers physical preparedness and length of service, and less – on their age. Conclusion We have concluded that a complex ergonomic analysis consisting of heart rate monitoring, assessment of compulsive working postures and myotonometry is appropriate to assess the work heaviness degree and can provide prognosis of occupational pathology or work-related musculoskeletal disorders for the workers under different workload conditions. These results can also be used when deciding on necessary rest time and its periodicity. PMID:16872518

When is working memory important for arithmetic? The impact of strategy and age

PubMed Central

Richardson, Sophie; Hubber, Paula J.; Keeble, Sarah; Gilmore, Camilla

2017-01-01

Our ability to perform arithmetic relies heavily on working memory, the manipulation and maintenance of information in mind. Previous research has found that in adults, procedural strategies, particularly counting, rely on working memory to a greater extent than retrieval strategies. During childhood there are changes in the types of strategies employed, as well as an increase in the accuracy and efficiency of strategy execution. As such it seems likely that the role of working memory in arithmetic may also change, however children and adults have never been directly compared. This study used traditional dual-task methodology, with the addition of a control load condition, to investigate the extent to which working memory requirements for different arithmetic strategies change with age between 9–11 years, 12–14 years and young adulthood. We showed that both children and adults employ working memory when solving arithmetic problems, no matter what strategy they choose. This study highlights the importance of considering working memory in understanding the difficulties that some children and adults have with mathematics, as well as the need to include working memory in theoretical models of mathematical cognition. PMID:29228008

Human area MT+ shows load-dependent activation during working memory maintenance with continuously morphing stimulation.

PubMed

Galashan, Daniela; Fehr, Thorsten; Kreiter, Andreas K; Herrmann, Manfred

2014-07-11

Initially, human area MT+ was considered a visual area solely processing motion information but further research has shown that it is also involved in various different cognitive operations, such as working memory tasks requiring motion-related information to be maintained or cognitive tasks with implied or expected motion.In the present fMRI study in humans, we focused on MT+ modulation during working memory maintenance using a dynamic shape-tracking working memory task with no motion-related working memory content. Working memory load was systematically varied using complex and simple stimulus material and parametrically increasing retention periods. Activation patterns for the difference between retention of complex and simple memorized stimuli were examined in order to preclude that the reported effects are caused by differences in retrieval. Conjunction analysis over all delay durations for the maintenance of complex versus simple stimuli demonstrated a wide-spread activation pattern. Percent signal change (PSC) in area MT+ revealed a pattern with higher values for the maintenance of complex shapes compared to the retention of a simple circle and with higher values for increasing delay durations. The present data extend previous knowledge by demonstrating that visual area MT+ presents a brain activity pattern usually found in brain regions that are actively involved in working memory maintenance.

On the Existence of Semantic Working Memory: Evidence for Direct Semantic Maintenance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shivde, Geeta; Anderson, Michael C.

2011-01-01

Despite widespread acknowledgment of the importance of online semantic maintenance, there has been astonishingly little work that clearly establishes this construct. We review the extant work relevant to short-term retention of meaning and show that, although consistent with semantic working memory, most data can be accommodated in other ways.…

Cognitive Behavioral Performance of Untreated Depressed Patients with Mild Depressive Symptoms

PubMed Central

Li, Mi; Zhong, Ning; Lu, Shengfu; Wang, Gang; Feng, Lei; Hu, Bin

2016-01-01

This study evaluated the working memory performance of 18 patients experiencing their first onset of mild depression without treatment and 18 healthy matched controls. The results demonstrated that working memory impairment in patients with mild depression occurred when memorizing the position of a picture but not when memorizing the pictures themselves. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the emotional impact on the working memory, indicating that the attenuation of spatial working memory was not affected by negative emotion; however, cognitive control selectively affected spatial working memory. In addition, the accuracy of spatial working memory in the depressed patients was not significantly reduced, but the reaction time was significantly extended compared with the healthy controls. This finding indicated that there was no damage to memory encoding and function maintenance in the patients but rather only impaired memory retrieval, suggesting that the extent of damage to the working memory system and cognitive control abilities was associated with the corresponding depressive symptoms. The development of mild to severe depressive symptoms may be accompanied by spatial working memory damage from the impaired memory retrieval function extending to memory encoding and memory retention impairments. In addition, the impaired cognitive control began with an inadequate capacity to automatically process internal negative emotions and further extended to impairment of the ability to regulate and suppress external emotions. The results of the mood-congruent study showed that the memory of patients with mild symptoms of depression was associated with a mood-congruent memory effect, demonstrating that mood-congruent memory was a typical feature of depression, regardless of the severity of depression. This study provided important information for understanding the development of cognitive dysfunction. PMID:26730597

Cryogenics maintenance strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruzat, Fabiola

2012-09-01

ALMA is an interferometer composed of 66 independent systems, with specific maintenance requirements for each subsystem. To optimize the observation time and reduce downtime maintenance, requirements are very demanding. One subsystem with high maintenance efforts is cryogenics and vacuum. To organize the maintenance, the Cryogenic and Vacuum department is using and implementing different tools. These are monitoring and problem reporting systems and CMMS. This leads to different maintenance approaches: Preventive Maintenance, Corrective Maintenance and Condition Based Maintenance. In order to coordinate activities with other departments the preventive maintenance schedule is kept as flexible as systems allow. To cope with unavoidable failures, the team has to be prepared to work under any condition with the spares on time. Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) will help to manage inventory control for reliable spare part handling, the correct record of work orders and traceability of maintenance activities. For an optimized approach the department is currently evaluating where preventive or condition based maintenance applies to comply with the individual system demand. Considering the change from maintenance contracts to in-house maintenance will help to minimize costs and increase availability of parts. Due to increased number of system and tasks the cryo team needs to grow. Training of all staff members is mandatory, in depth knowledge must be built up by doing complex maintenance activities in the Cryo group, use of advanced computerized metrology systems.

Perioperative and maintenance therapy following first-line therapy as paradigms for drug discovery in urothelial carcinoma

PubMed Central

Hoffman-Censits, Jean; Wong, Yu-Ning

2015-01-01

Perioperative chemotherapy given to increase the chance of cure for localized disease, and maintenance therapy for metastatic disease, represent distinct aspects of the urothelial cancer disease treatment spectrum. The ability to access both pre and post chemotherapy tissue in the neoadjuvant setting provides important opportunities for translational research to test novel therapies and identify predictors of response to therapy. The maintenance setting may be more complex and study design and endpoints need to be determined based on the candidate drugs mechanism of action and toxicity. PMID:25987535

Managing Highway Maintenance: Standards for Maintenance Work, Part 1, Unit 8, Level 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Highway Administration (DOT), Washington, DC. Offices of Research and Development.

Part of the series "Managing Highway Maintenance," the unit is about maintenance standards and is designed for superintendents and senior foremen who are responsible for scheduling and controlling routine maintenance. It describes different kinds of standards, why and how standards are developed, and how standards are to be used and…

Managing Highway Maintenance: Maintenance Management--by Objectives, Unit 10, Level 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Highway Administration (DOT), Washington, DC. Offices of Research and Development.

Part of the series "Managing Highway Maintenance," the unit deals with management by objectives--its definition, how it works, and necessary steps for application. It is designed for maintenance supervisors who are familiar with maintenance management systems. The format is a programed, self-instructional approach in which questions are…

Power plant maintenance scheduling using ant colony optimization: an improved formulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foong, Wai Kuan; Maier, Holger; Simpson, Angus

2008-04-01

It is common practice in the hydropower industry to either shorten the maintenance duration or to postpone maintenance tasks in a hydropower system when there is expected unserved energy based on current water storage levels and forecast storage inflows. It is therefore essential that a maintenance scheduling optimizer can incorporate the options of shortening the maintenance duration and/or deferring maintenance tasks in the search for practical maintenance schedules. In this article, an improved ant colony optimization-power plant maintenance scheduling optimization (ACO-PPMSO) formulation that considers such options in the optimization process is introduced. As a result, both the optimum commencement time and the optimum outage duration are determined for each of the maintenance tasks that need to be scheduled. In addition, a local search strategy is presented in this article to boost the robustness of the algorithm. When tested on a five-station hydropower system problem, the improved formulation is shown to be capable of allowing shortening of maintenance duration in the event of expected demand shortfalls. In addition, the new local search strategy is also shown to have significantly improved the optimization ability of the ACO-PPMSO algorithm.

Optimizing work zones for highway maintenance with floating car data (FCD) : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

One of the main tools that the Department of Transportation (DOT) of each state in the United States should have to : support their work zone activities is a sound model that produces adequate work zone schedules for roadway maintenance : and constru...

Elements of an Asbestos Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Program

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Links to descriptions of Elements of an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Program: Training, Occupant Notification, Monitoring ACM, Job-Site Controls for Work Involving ACM, Safe Work Practices, Recordkeeping, Worker Protection.

36 CFR 212.4 - Construction and maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Construction and maintenance... TRAVEL MANAGEMENT Administration of the Forest Transportation System § 212.4 Construction and maintenance. (a) Construction and maintenance work on forest transportation facilities with appropriated funds...

Computerizing Maintenance Management Improves School Processes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conroy, Pat

2002-01-01

Describes how a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), a centralized maintenance operations database that facilitates work order procedures and staff directives, can help individual school campuses and school districts to manage maintenance. Presents the benefits of CMMS and things to consider in CMMS selection. (EV)

Sleep Spindles and Intellectual Ability: Epiphenomenon or Directly Related?

PubMed

Fang, Zhuo; Sergeeva, Valya; Ray, Laura B; Viczko, Jeremy; Owen, Adrian M; Fogel, Stuart M

2017-01-01

Sleep spindles-short, phasic, oscillatory bursts of activity that characterize non-rapid eye movement sleep-are one of the only electrophysiological oscillations identified as a biological marker of human intelligence (e.g., cognitive abilities commonly assessed using intelligence quotient tests). However, spindles are also important for sleep maintenance and are modulated by circadian factors. Thus, the possibility remains that the relationship between spindles and intelligence quotient may be an epiphenomenon of a putative relationship between good quality sleep and cognitive ability or perhaps modulated by circadian factors such as morningness-eveningness tendencies. We sought to ascertain whether spindles are directly or indirectly related to cognitive abilities using mediation analysis. Here, we show that fast (13.5-16 Hz) parietal but not slow (11-13.5 Hz) frontal spindles in both non-rapid eye movement stage 2 sleep and slow wave sleep are directly related to reasoning abilities (i.e., cognitive abilities that support "fluid intelligence," such as the capacity to identify complex patterns and relationships and the use of logic to solve novel problems) but not verbal abilities (i.e., cognitive abilities that support "crystalized intelligence"; accumulated knowledge and experience) or cognitive abilities that support STM (i.e., the capacity to briefly maintain information in an available state). The relationship between fast spindles and reasoning abilities is independent of the indicators of sleep maintenance and circadian chronotype, thus suggesting that spindles are indeed a biological marker of cognitive abilities and can serve as a window to further explore the physiological and biological substrates that give rise to human intelligence.

75 FR 57532 - In the Matter of: Stone & Webster Construction, Inc.; Confirmatory Order (Effective Immediately)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-21

... to working in the nuclear industry for workers coming in without nuclear experience; New Hire... employees in its Nuclear Services (i.e., construction) and Nuclear Maintenance Divisions working at nuclear... (i.e., construction) and Nuclear Maintenance Divisions working at nuclear facilities addressing: (a...

Spectrotemporal dynamics of the EEG during working memory encoding and maintenance predicts individual behavioral capacity.

PubMed

Bashivan, Pouya; Bidelman, Gavin M; Yeasin, Mohammed

2014-12-01

We investigated the effect of memory load on encoding and maintenance of information in working memory. Electroencephalography (EEG) signals were recorded while participants performed a modified Sternberg visual memory task. Independent component analysis (ICA) was used to factorise the EEG signals into distinct temporal activations to perform spectrotemporal analysis and localisation of source activities. We found 'encoding' and 'maintenance' operations were correlated with negative and positive changes in α-band power, respectively. Transient activities were observed during encoding of information in the bilateral cuneus, precuneus, inferior parietal gyrus and fusiform gyrus, and a sustained activity in the inferior frontal gyrus. Strong correlations were also observed between changes in α-power and behavioral performance during both encoding and maintenance. Furthermore, it was also found that individuals with higher working memory capacity experienced stronger neural oscillatory responses during the encoding of visual objects into working memory. Our results suggest an interplay between two distinct neural pathways and different spatiotemporal operations during the encoding and maintenance of information which predict individual differences in working memory capacity observed at the behavioral level. © 2014 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

O/S analysis of conceptual space vehicles. Part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ebeling, Charles E.

1995-01-01

The application of recently developed computer models in determining operational capabilities and support requirements during the conceptual design of proposed space systems is discussed. The models used are the reliability and maintainability (R&M) model, the maintenance simulation model, and the operations and support (O&S) cost model. In the process of applying these models, the R&M and O&S cost models were updated. The more significant enhancements include (1) improved R&M equations for the tank subsystems, (2) the ability to allocate schedule maintenance by subsystem, (3) redefined spares calculations, (4) computing a weighted average of the working days and mission days per month, (5) the use of a position manning factor, and (6) the incorporation into the O&S model of new formulas for computing depot and organizational recurring and nonrecurring training costs and documentation costs, and depot support equipment costs. The case study used is based upon a winged, single-stage, vertical-takeoff vehicle (SSV) designed to deliver to the Space Station Freedom (SSF) a 25,000 lb payload including passengers without a crew.

Support vector machine in machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widodo, Achmad; Yang, Bo-Suk

2007-08-01

Recently, the issue of machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis as a part of maintenance system became global due to the potential advantages to be gained from reduced maintenance costs, improved productivity and increased machine availability. This paper presents a survey of machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis using support vector machine (SVM). It attempts to summarize and review the recent research and developments of SVM in machine condition monitoring and diagnosis. Numerous methods have been developed based on intelligent systems such as artificial neural network, fuzzy expert system, condition-based reasoning, random forest, etc. However, the use of SVM for machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis is still rare. SVM has excellent performance in generalization so it can produce high accuracy in classification for machine condition monitoring and diagnosis. Until 2006, the use of SVM in machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis is tending to develop towards expertise orientation and problem-oriented domain. Finally, the ability to continually change and obtain a novel idea for machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis using SVM will be future works.

Traffic incident management in construction and maintenance work zones.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

In 2004, the Federal Highway Administration published updated rules governing work zone safety and mobility; all highway construction and maintenance projects using federal-aid highway funds are required to develop transportation management plans (TM...

Food safety in a nuclear crisis: The role of the veterinarian.

PubMed

Waltner-Toews, D

1990-05-01

Veterinarians are integrally involved in the maintenance of a safe and sufficient food supply; this involvement may be put to the test when a crisis - particularly a nuclear crisis - occurs. Few people can be said to be experts in how to ensure a safe food supply in a nuclear crisis. However, a working knowledge of radionuclides and how they behave in the food system, and the ability to identify high-risk foods and high-risk consumers in a crisis situation should be a part of the education of all veterinarians. In this paper I review those features of postdisaster radionuclide contamination of the food chain most relevant to veterinary activities in ensuring a safe food supply.

The Skylab program - An overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Disher, J. H.

1975-01-01

A brief survey is made of significant aspects of the Skylab missions, with emphasis on atmospheric control, electrical power, stabilization and attitude control, prevention of instrument contamination, habitability of the spacecraft, in-flight maintenance and repair, and crew training. Skylab, unlike previous manned spacecraft, had a two-gas atmosphere of oxygen and nitrogen. The station's 25-kW capability was the largest electrical system ever flown in space. Skylab was the first flight application of large control-moment gyroscopes for attitude control. The missions provided significant scientific data in the fields of solar physics, biomedicine, earth resources, and materials processing. Particularly important was the finding of no physical limitation to men's ability to work in space for long periods.

Performance analysis of bi-directional broadband passive optical network using erbium-doped fiber amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almalaq, Yasser; Matin, Mohammad A.

2014-09-01

The broadband passive optical network (BPON) has the ability to support high-speed data, voice, and video services to home and small businesses customers. In this work, the performance of bi-directional BPON is analyzed for both down and up streams traffic cases by the help of erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). The importance of BPON is reduced cost. Because PBON uses a splitter the cost of the maintenance between the providers and the customers side is suitable. In the proposed research, BPON has been tested by the use of bit error rate (BER) analyzer. BER analyzer realizes maximum Q factor, minimum bit error rate, and eye height.

Depot Maintenance: Air Force is Assessing Engine Maintenance Options for Work Currently Performed at Kelly Aviation Center

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-11

on TF39 engines, which are typically used for C-5 Galaxy aircraft; T56 engines, which are typically used for C-130 aircraft; and fuel accessories on...conducting separate cost-benefit analyses for the TF39 and T56 engine maintenance work. Under Air Force guidance for depot-level source-of-repair selection...Force has not developed specific risk mitigation plans for the TF39 or T56 engines because it is still assessing how the work will be performed

Roadside maintenance

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

Roadside Maintenance is a unique element within the highway maintenance program because much of the work involves caring for and/or controlling vegetation. Roadside vegetation, if managed properly, can become more naturally self-sustaining over time ...

Visual-Spatial Attention Aids the Maintenance of Object Representations in Visual Working Memory

PubMed Central

Williams, Melonie; Pouget, Pierre; Boucher, Leanne; Woodman, Geoffrey F.

2013-01-01

Theories have proposed that the maintenance of object representations in visual working memory is aided by a spatial rehearsal mechanism. In this study, we used two different approaches to test the hypothesis that overt and covert visual-spatial attention mechanisms contribute to the maintenance of object representations in visual working memory. First, we tracked observers’ eye movements while remembering a variable number of objects during change-detection tasks. We observed that during the blank retention interval, participants spontaneously shifted gaze to the locations that the objects had occupied in the memory array. Next, we hypothesized that if attention mechanisms contribute to the maintenance of object representations, then drawing attention away from the object locations during the retention interval would impair object memory during these change-detection tasks. Supporting this prediction, we found that attending to the fixation point in anticipation of a brief probe stimulus during the retention interval reduced change-detection accuracy even on the trials in which no probe occurred. These findings support models of working memory in which visual-spatial selection mechanisms contribute to the maintenance of object representations. PMID:23371773

49 CFR 214.341 - Roadway maintenance machines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Roadway maintenance machines. 214.341 Section 214... Roadway maintenance machines. (a) Each employer shall include in its on-track safety program specific provisions for the safety of roadway workers who operate or work near roadway maintenance machines. Those...

Crashworthiness testing of a portable maintenance work-zone barrier.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-12-01

Barrier and shadow vehicles generally provide Caltrans maintenance workers protection from errant vehicles entering the work zones, from the upstream direction of traffic flow. This type of protection does not protect workers from vehicles entering t...

Executive working memory load induces inattentional blindness.

PubMed

Fougnie, Daryl; Marois, René

2007-02-01

When attention is engaged in a task, unexpected events in the visual scene may go undetected, a phenomenon known as inattentional blindness (IB). At what stage of information processing must attention be engaged for IB to occur? Although manipulations that tax visuospatial attention can induce IB, the evidence is more equivocal for tasks that engage attention at late, central stages of information processing. Here, we tested whether IB can be specifically induced by central executive processes. An unexpected visual stimulus was presented during the retention interval of a working memory task that involved either simply maintaining verbal material or rearranging the material into alphabetical order. The unexpected stimulus was more likely to be missed during manipulation than during simple maintenance of the verbal information. Thus, the engagement of executive processes impairs the ability to detect unexpected, task-irrelevant stimuli, suggesting that IB can result from central, amodal stages of processing.

Research on large equipment maintenance system in life cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xiaowei; Wang, Hongxia; Liu, Zhenxing; Zhang, Nan

2017-06-01

In order to change the current disadvantages of traditional large equipment maintenance concept, this article plans to apply the technical method of prognostics and health management to optimize equipment maintenance strategy and develop large equipment maintenance system. Combined with the maintenance procedures of various phases in life cycle, it concluded the formulation methods of maintenance program and implement plans of maintenance work. In the meantime, it takes account into the example of the dredger power system of the Waterway Bureau to establish the auxiliary platform of ship maintenance system in life cycle.

Flash memory management system and method utilizing multiple block list windows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chow, James (Inventor); Gender, Thomas K. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

The present invention provides a flash memory management system and method with increased performance. The flash memory management system provides the ability to efficiently manage and allocate flash memory use in a way that improves reliability and longevity, while maintaining good performance levels. The flash memory management system includes a free block mechanism, a disk maintenance mechanism, and a bad block detection mechanism. The free block mechanism provides efficient sorting of free blocks to facilitate selecting low use blocks for writing. The disk maintenance mechanism provides for the ability to efficiently clean flash memory blocks during processor idle times. The bad block detection mechanism provides the ability to better detect when a block of flash memory is likely to go bad. The flash status mechanism stores information in fast access memory that describes the content and status of the data in the flash disk. The new bank detection mechanism provides the ability to automatically detect when new banks of flash memory are added to the system. Together, these mechanisms provide a flash memory management system that can improve the operational efficiency of systems that utilize flash memory.

Medical Writing Competency Model - Section 1: Functions, Tasks, and Activities.

PubMed

Clemow, David B; Wagner, Bertil; Marshallsay, Christopher; Benau, Dan; L'Heureux, Darryl; Brown, David H; Dasgupta, Devjani Ghosh; Girten, Eileen; Hubbard, Frank; Gawrylewski, Helle-Mai; Ebina, Hiroko; Stoltenborg, Janet; York, J P; Green, Kim; Wood, Linda Fossati; Toth, Lisa; Mihm, Michael; Katz, Nancy R; Vasconcelos, Nina-Maria; Sakiyama, Norihisa; Whitsell, Robin; Gopalakrishnan, Shobha; Bairnsfather, Susan; Wanderer, Tatyana; Schindler, Thomas M; Mikyas, Yeshi; Aoyama, Yumiko

2018-01-01

This article provides Section 1 of the 2017 Edition 2 Medical Writing Competency Model that describes the core work functions and associated tasks and activities related to professional medical writing within the life sciences industry. The functions in the Model are scientific communication strategy; document preparation, development, and finalization; document project management; document template, standard, format, and style development and maintenance; outsourcing, alliance partner, and client management; knowledge, skill, ability, and behavior development and sharing; and process improvement. The full Model also includes Section 2, which covers the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors needed for medical writers to be effective in their roles; Section 2 is presented in a companion article. Regulatory, publication, and other scientific writing as well as management of writing activities are covered. The Model was developed to aid medical writers and managers within the life sciences industry regarding medical writing hiring, training, expectation and goal setting, performance evaluation, career development, retention, and role value sharing to cross-functional partners.

A Teamwork-Oriented Air Traffic Control Simulator

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

the software development methodology of this work , this chapter is viewed as the acquisition phase of this model. The end of the ...Maintenance phase Changed Verification Retirement Development Maintenance 37 because the different controllers working in these phases usually...traditional operation such as scaling the airport and personalizing the working environment. 4. Pilot Specification The

Development of performance-based evaluation methods and specifications for roadside maintenance.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

This report documents the work performed during Project 0-6387, Performance Based Roadside : Maintenance Specifications. Quality assurance methods and specifications for roadside performance-based : maintenance contracts (PBMCs) were developed ...

Breaks and maintenance work in the water distribution systems and gastrointestinal illness: a cohort study.

PubMed

Nygård, Karin; Wahl, Erik; Krogh, Truls; Tveit, Odd Atle; Bøhleng, Erik; Tverdal, Aage; Aavitsland, Preben

2007-08-01

During maintenance work or breaks on the water distribution system, water pressure occasionally will be reduced. This may lead to intrusion of polluted water-either at the place of repair or through cracks or leaks elsewhere in the distribution system. The objective of this study was to assess whether breaks or maintenance work in the water distribution system with presumed loss of water pressure was associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal illness among recipients. We conducted a cohort study among recipients of water from seven waterworks in Norway during 2003-04. One week after an episode of mains breaks or maintenance work on the water distribution system, the exposed and unexposed households were interviewed about gastrointestinal illness in the week following the episode. During the 1-week period after the episode, 12.7% of the exposed households reported gastrointestinal illness in the household, compared with 8.0% in the unexposed households [risk ratio (RR) 1.58, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 2.3]. The risk was highest in households with higher average water consumption. The attributable fraction among the exposed households was 37% in the week following exposure. Our results show that breaks and maintenance work in the water distribution systems caused an increased risk of gastrointestinal illness among water recipients. Better data on the occurrence of low-pressure episodes and improved registration of mains breaks and maintenance work on the water distribution network are needed in order to assess the public health burden of contamination of drinking water within the distribution network.

23 CFR 140.918 - Maintenance and extended construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Maintenance and extended construction. 140.918 Section... REIMBURSEMENT Reimbursement for Railroad Work § 140.918 Maintenance and extended construction. The cost of maintenance and extended construction is reimbursable to the extent provided for in 23 CFR 646.216(f)(4), and...

23 CFR 140.918 - Maintenance and extended construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Maintenance and extended construction. 140.918 Section... REIMBURSEMENT Reimbursement for Railroad Work § 140.918 Maintenance and extended construction. The cost of maintenance and extended construction is reimbursable to the extent provided for in 23 CFR 646.216(f)(4), and...

23 CFR 140.918 - Maintenance and extended construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Maintenance and extended construction. 140.918 Section... REIMBURSEMENT Reimbursement for Railroad Work § 140.918 Maintenance and extended construction. The cost of maintenance and extended construction is reimbursable to the extent provided for in 23 CFR 646.216(f)(4), and...

23 CFR 140.918 - Maintenance and extended construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Maintenance and extended construction. 140.918 Section... REIMBURSEMENT Reimbursement for Railroad Work § 140.918 Maintenance and extended construction. The cost of maintenance and extended construction is reimbursable to the extent provided for in 23 CFR 646.216(f)(4), and...

23 CFR 140.918 - Maintenance and extended construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Maintenance and extended construction. 140.918 Section... REIMBURSEMENT Reimbursement for Railroad Work § 140.918 Maintenance and extended construction. The cost of maintenance and extended construction is reimbursable to the extent provided for in 23 CFR 646.216(f)(4), and...

20. SITE BUILDING 002 SCANNER BUILDING IN COMPUTER ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

20. SITE BUILDING 002 - SCANNER BUILDING - IN COMPUTER ROOM LOOKING AT "CONSOLIDATED MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS CENTER" JOB AREA AND OPERATION WORK CENTER. TASKS INCLUDE RADAR MAINTENANCE, COMPUTER MAINTENANCE, CYBER COMPUTER MAINTENANCE AND RELATED ACTIVITIES. - Cape Cod Air Station, Technical Facility-Scanner Building & Power Plant, Massachusetts Military Reservation, Sandwich, Barnstable County, MA

Interference within the focus of attention: working memory tasks reflect more than temporary maintenance.

PubMed

Shipstead, Zach; Engle, Randall W

2013-01-01

One approach to understanding working memory (WM) holds that individual differences in WM capacity arise from the amount of information a person can store in WM over short periods of time. This view is especially prevalent in WM research conducted with the visual arrays task. Within this tradition, many researchers have concluded that the average person can maintain approximately 4 items in WM. The present study challenges this interpretation by demonstrating that performance on the visual arrays task is subject to time-related factors that are associated with retrieval from long-term memory. Experiment 1 demonstrates that memory for an array does not decay as a product of absolute time, which is consistent with both maintenance- and retrieval-based explanations of visual arrays performance. Experiment 2 introduced a manipulation of temporal discriminability by varying the relative spacing of trials in time. We found that memory for a target array was significantly influenced by its temporal compression with, or isolation from, a preceding trial. Subsequent experiments extend these effects to sub-capacity set sizes and demonstrate that changes in the size of k are meaningful to prediction of performance on other measures of WM capacity as well as general fluid intelligence. We conclude that performance on the visual arrays task does not reflect a multi-item storage system but instead measures a person's ability to accurately retrieve information in the face of proactive interference.

Vehicle accidents at maintenance and utility work zones.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine the magnitude and characteristics of safety problems, in terms of reported accidents, that are associated with moving vehicular traffic around and through highway maintenance and utility work zones. This w...

Maintenance: organizational modes, activities and health and safety. Use of a French national survey and in-situ analyses.

PubMed

Grusenmeyer, Corinne

2014-12-01

Maintenance activities are identified as critical both to operator safety and to systems safety and reliability. However, it is still difficult to identify maintenance workers in French occupational accident and disease statistics. Moreover, few analyses of these activities and of organizational changes in this field have been conducted. This paper presents two different approaches to this same issue. Analyses were aimed firstly at identifying the occupational exposures of these operators and at comparing them with occupational exposures of production staff and, secondly at developing understanding of normal real maintenance activities, i.e. maintenance activities that are normally actually carried out, while taking into account the socio-technical system and maintenance organization within which they lie. The use of the French SUMER 2003 survey shows that occupational exposures of maintenance staff to various constraints are more frequent than occupational exposures of their production colleagues. However, maintenance staff appear to have greater independence. Analyses were also conducted in a subcontracting urban public transport company, who outsources some maintenance work. Those analyses highlight a complex network of companies involved in maintenance activities, a substantial number of work interruptions and a significant fragmentation of the internal technicians' activities that can be cognitively costly, reduce anticipation possibilities and lead to incidents or accidents. Above all they underline internal technicians' contributions to the completion of outsourced interventions and interdependent relationships between the activities of the internal and the external technicians. Outsourcing maintenance interventions thus raises the question of risks associated with the interdependence of actual work activities undertaken by the different types of staff, since they contribute to the same maintenance intervention. This study therefore pinpoints the need to integrate inter-organizational interactions in order to understand the variability of maintenance activities and its relationships with reliability and safety. In this respect, some suggestions are provided with a prevention aim. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mathematical Modelling of Liner Piston Maintenance Activity using Field Data to Minimize Overhauling Time and Human Energy Consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belkhode, Pramod Namdeorao

2017-06-01

Field data based model is proposed to reduce the overhauling time and human energy consumed in liner piston maintenance activity so as to increase the productivity of liner piston maintenance activity. The independent variables affecting the phenomenon such as anthropometric parameters of workers (Eastman Kodak Co. Ltd in Section VIA Appendix-A: Anthropometric Data. Ergonomic Design for People at Work, Van Nostrans Reinhold, New York, 1), workers parameters, specification of liner piston data, specification of tools used in liner piston maintenance activity, specification of solvents, axial clearance of big end bearing and bolt elongation, workstation data (Eastman Kodak Co. Ltd in Work Place Ergonomic Design for People at Work, Van Nostrans Reinhold, New York, 2) and extraneous variables, namely, temperature, humidity at workplace, illumination at workplace and noise at workplace (Eastman Kodak Co. Ltd in Chapter V Environment Ergonomic Design for People at Work, Van Nostrans Reinhold, New York, 3) are taken into account. The model is formulated for dependent variables of liner piston maintenance activity to minimize the overhauling time and human energy consumption so as to improve the productivity of liner piston maintenance activity. The developed model can predict the performance of liner piston maintenance activity which involves man and machine system (Schenck in Theories of Engineering Experimentation, Mc-Graw Hill, New York 4). The model is then optimized by optimization technique and the sensitivity analysis of the model has also been estimated.

Processing oscillatory signals by incoherent feedforward loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Carolyn; Wu, Feilun; Tsoi, Ryan; Shats, Igor; You, Lingchong

From the timing of amoeba development to the maintenance of stem cell pluripotency,many biological signaling pathways exhibit the ability to differentiate between pulsatile and sustained signals in the regulation of downstream gene expression.While networks underlying this signal decoding are diverse,many are built around a common motif, the incoherent feedforward loop (IFFL),where an input simultaneously activates an output and an inhibitor of the output.With appropriate parameters,this motif can generate temporal adaptation,where the system is desensitized to a sustained input.This property serves as the foundation for distinguishing signals with varying temporal profiles.Here,we use quantitative modeling to examine another property of IFFLs,the ability to process oscillatory signals.Our results indicate that the system's ability to translate pulsatile dynamics is limited by two constraints.The kinetics of IFFL components dictate the input range for which the network can decode pulsatile dynamics.In addition,a match between the network parameters and signal characteristics is required for optimal ``counting''.We elucidate one potential mechanism by which information processing occurs in natural networks with implications in the design of synthetic gene circuits for this purpose. This work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (CZ).

Processing Oscillatory Signals by Incoherent Feedforward Loops

PubMed Central

Zhang, Carolyn; You, Lingchong

2016-01-01

From the timing of amoeba development to the maintenance of stem cell pluripotency, many biological signaling pathways exhibit the ability to differentiate between pulsatile and sustained signals in the regulation of downstream gene expression. While the networks underlying this signal decoding are diverse, many are built around a common motif, the incoherent feedforward loop (IFFL), where an input simultaneously activates an output and an inhibitor of the output. With appropriate parameters, this motif can exhibit temporal adaptation, where the system is desensitized to a sustained input. This property serves as the foundation for distinguishing input signals with varying temporal profiles. Here, we use quantitative modeling to examine another property of IFFLs—the ability to process oscillatory signals. Our results indicate that the system’s ability to translate pulsatile dynamics is limited by two constraints. The kinetics of the IFFL components dictate the input range for which the network is able to decode pulsatile dynamics. In addition, a match between the network parameters and input signal characteristics is required for optimal “counting”. We elucidate one potential mechanism by which information processing occurs in natural networks, and our work has implications in the design of synthetic gene circuits for this purpose. PMID:27623175

Gender differences in navigational memory: pilots vs. nonpilots.

PubMed

Verde, Paola; Piccardi, Laura; Bianchini, Filippo; Guariglia, Cecilia; Carrozzo, Paolo; Morgagni, Fabio; Boccia, Maddalena; Di Fiore, Giacomo; Tomao, Enrico

2015-02-01

The coding of space as near and far is not only determined by arm-reaching distance, but is also dependent on how the brain represents the extension of the body space. Recent reports suggest that the dissociation between reaching and navigational space is not limited to perception and action but also involves memory systems. It has been reported that gender differences emerged only in adverse learning conditions that required strong spatial ability. In this study we investigated navigational versus reaching memory in air force pilots and a control group without flight experience. We took into account temporal duration (working memory and long-term memory) and focused on working memory, which is considered critical in the gender differences literature. We found no gender effects or flight hour effects in pilots but observed gender effects in working memory (but not in learning and delayed recall) in the nonpilot population (Women's mean = 5.33; SD= 0.90; Men's mean = 5.54; SD= 0.90). We also observed a difference between pilots and nonpilots in the maintenance of on-line reaching information: pilots (mean = 5.85; SD=0.76) were more efficient than nonpilots (mean = 5.21; SD=0.83) and managed this type of information similarly to that concerning navigational space. In the navigational learning phase they also showed better navigational memory (mean = 137.83; SD=5.81) than nonpilots (mean = 126.96; SD=15.81) and were significantly more proficient than the latter group. There is no gender difference in a population of pilots in terms of navigational abilities, while it emerges in a control group without flight experience. We found also that pilots performed better than nonpilots. This study suggests that once selected, male and female pilots do not differ from each other in visuo-spatial abilities and spatial navigation.

Maintenance of Traffic for Innovative Geometric Design Work Zones

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

Currently there are no guidelines within the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) on construction phasing and maintenance of traffic (MOT) for retrofit construction and maintenance projects involving innovative geometric designs. The res...

Instrumentalization of Eating Improves Weight Loss Maintenance in Obesity.

PubMed

Christensen, Bodil Just; Iepsen, Eva Winning; Lundgren, Julie; Holm, Lotte; Madsbad, Sten; Holst, Jens Juul; Torekov, Signe Sørensen

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify psychosocial determinants for maintaining weight loss. 42 obese individuals who achieved a 12% weight loss before entering a 52-week weight maintenance program were interviewed qualitatively. Psychosocial factors related to weight loss maintenance were identified in two contrasting groups: weight reducers and weight regainers. Groups were defined by health-relevant weight maintenance (additional weight loss > 3% at week 52, n = 9 versus weight gain > 3%, at week 52, n = 20). Weight reducers reported structured meal patterns (p = 0.008), no comfort eating (p = 0.016) and less psychosocial stress (p = 0.04) compared to weight regainers. The ability to instrumentalize eating behavior emerged as an important factor (p = 0.007). Nutritional knowledge, motivation or exercise level did not differ between groups (p > 0.05). Successful weight loss maintenance was associated with an interplay between behavioral, affective and contextual changes. 'Instrumentalization of eating behavior' seems to be an important element in long-term weight maintenance. © 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

Sod-seeding to modify coastal bermuda grass on reclaimed lignite overburden in Texas

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

Skousen, J.G.

1986-01-01

This study was conducted to investigate the ability of nine low-maintenance species to establish and persist with Coastal bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) established on reclaimed lignite overburden; to evaluate the establishment and persistence of seventeen low-maintenance species seeded in overburden with no vegetation cover; and to examine seeding mixtures and rates for establishing low-maintenance species into three cover types (bermuda grass, oats, (Avena fatua L.) and no cover). Seventeen low-maintenance species established and persisted in overburden without fertilization during years of low precipitation. Several seeded grasses showed sufficient stand development in monoculture for erosion control. Most of themore » other seeded species were slower in establishment, yet persisted on the site and promoted multiple use of the reclaimed area. Recommended seeding rates were generally adequate for seedling establishment in oat, bermuda grass, and no vegetation cover types. Sod-seeding into bermuda grass resulted in higher seedling densities than those in oats and no cover because of stored moisture beneath the sod during bermuda grass dormancy. Using /sup 15/N-labelled fertilizer, Coastal bermuda grass demonstrated the ability to rapidly recovery applied N. Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani Schrad.) was suppressed by Coastal bermuda grass in mixture at all fertilizer N rates.« less

Working Memory Replay Prioritizes Weakly Attended Events.

PubMed

Jafarpour, Anna; Penny, Will; Barnes, Gareth; Knight, Robert T; Duzel, Emrah

2017-01-01

One view of working memory posits that maintaining a series of events requires their sequential and equal mnemonic replay. Another view is that the content of working memory maintenance is prioritized by attention. We decoded the dynamics for retaining a sequence of items using magnetoencephalography, wherein participants encoded sequences of three stimuli depicting a face, a manufactured object, or a natural item and maintained them in working memory for 5000 ms. Memory for sequence position and stimulus details were probed at the end of the maintenance period. Decoding of brain activity revealed that one of the three stimuli dominated maintenance independent of its sequence position or category; and memory was enhanced for the selectively replayed stimulus. Analysis of event-related responses during the encoding of the sequence showed that the selectively replayed stimuli were determined by the degree of attention at encoding. The selectively replayed stimuli had the weakest initial encoding indexed by weaker visual attention signals at encoding. These findings do not rule out sequential mnemonic replay but reveal that attention influences the content of working memory maintenance by prioritizing replay of weakly encoded events. We propose that the prioritization of weakly encoded stimuli protects them from interference during the maintenance period, whereas the more strongly encoded stimuli can be retrieved from long-term memory at the end of the delay period.

The impact of storage on processing: how is information maintained in working memory?

PubMed

Vergauwe, Evie; Camos, Valérie; Barrouillet, Pierre

2014-07-01

Working memory is typically defined as a system devoted to the simultaneous maintenance and processing of information. However, the interplay between these 2 functions is still a matter of debate in the literature, with views ranging from complete independence to complete dependence. The time-based resource-sharing model assumes that a central bottleneck constrains the 2 functions to alternate in such a way that maintenance activities postpone concurrent processing, with each additional piece of information to be maintained resulting in an additional postponement. Using different kinds of memoranda, we examined in a series of 7 experiments the effect of increasing memory load on different processing tasks. The results reveal that, insofar as attention is needed for maintenance, processing times linearly increase at a rate of about 50 ms per verbal or visuospatial memory item, suggesting a very fast refresh rate in working memory. Our results also show an asymmetry between verbal and spatial information, in that spatial information can solely rely on attention for its maintenance while verbal information can also rely on a domain-specific maintenance mechanism independent from attention. The implications for the functioning of working memory are discussed, with a specific focus on how information is maintained in working memory. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Methadone maintenance patients show a selective deficit to reverse positive outcomes in drug-related conditions compared to medication free prolonged opiate abstinence.

PubMed

Levy-Gigi, Einat; Kéri, Szabolcs; Shapiro, Alla R; Sason, Anat; Adelson, Miriam; Peles, Einat

2014-11-01

Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disease. Most users will relapse back to using drugs over and over again throughout their life. These relapses may become more frequent in the presence of contextual reminders. We aimed to examine associations between the ability to maintain a medication-free life-style and the capability to learn and reverse positive and negative stimulus-outcome associations in the presence of neutral and drug-related contextual reminders. We conducted a highly unique comparison of former opiate-dependent individuals who are either medication free or methadone maintenance patients for the last ten years. Groups were matched for age, gender and education. Participants were tested on a novel partial reversal paradigm, which tests the ability to acquire and reverse stimulus-outcome associations in neutral and drug-related context. Both groups were equally able to acquire and reverse positive and negative outcomes in conditions of neutral context. However, methadone maintenance patients showed a selective deficit in reversing the outcomes of positive stimulus in drug-related context. Hence, after learning a positive stimulus-outcome association in one drug-related context, methadone maintenance patients struggled to learn that the same stimulus predicts negative outcome when presented later in a different drug-related context. Methadone maintenance patients demonstrate a selective difficulty to learn negative outcomes when exposed to a drug, but not neutral, related environment. The results may reflect the core mechanisms of addiction and provide a possible explanation for the inability of methadone maintenance patients to illicit drug abuse without the need of agonist treatment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attention is required for maintenance of feature binding in visual working memory

PubMed Central

Heider, Maike; Husain, Masud

2013-01-01

Working memory and attention are intimately connected. However, understanding the relationship between the two is challenging. Currently, there is an important controversy about whether objects in working memory are maintained automatically or require resources that are also deployed for visual or auditory attention. Here we investigated the effects of loading attention resources on precision of visual working memory, specifically on correct maintenance of feature-bound objects, using a dual-task paradigm. Participants were presented with a memory array and were asked to remember either direction of motion of random dot kinematograms of different colour, or orientation of coloured bars. During the maintenance period, they performed a secondary visual or auditory task, with varying levels of load. Following a retention period, they adjusted a coloured probe to match either the motion direction or orientation of stimuli with the same colour in the memory array. This allowed us to examine the effects of an attention-demanding task performed during maintenance on precision of recall on the concurrent working memory task. Systematic increase in attention load during maintenance resulted in a significant decrease in overall working memory performance. Changes in overall performance were specifically accompanied by an increase in feature misbinding errors: erroneous reporting of nontarget motion or orientation. Thus in trials where attention resources were taxed, participants were more likely to respond with nontarget values rather than simply making random responses. Our findings suggest that resources used during attention-demanding visual or auditory tasks also contribute to maintaining feature-bound representations in visual working memory—but not necessarily other aspects of working memory. PMID:24266343

Attention is required for maintenance of feature binding in visual working memory.

PubMed

Zokaei, Nahid; Heider, Maike; Husain, Masud

2014-01-01

Working memory and attention are intimately connected. However, understanding the relationship between the two is challenging. Currently, there is an important controversy about whether objects in working memory are maintained automatically or require resources that are also deployed for visual or auditory attention. Here we investigated the effects of loading attention resources on precision of visual working memory, specifically on correct maintenance of feature-bound objects, using a dual-task paradigm. Participants were presented with a memory array and were asked to remember either direction of motion of random dot kinematograms of different colour, or orientation of coloured bars. During the maintenance period, they performed a secondary visual or auditory task, with varying levels of load. Following a retention period, they adjusted a coloured probe to match either the motion direction or orientation of stimuli with the same colour in the memory array. This allowed us to examine the effects of an attention-demanding task performed during maintenance on precision of recall on the concurrent working memory task. Systematic increase in attention load during maintenance resulted in a significant decrease in overall working memory performance. Changes in overall performance were specifically accompanied by an increase in feature misbinding errors: erroneous reporting of nontarget motion or orientation. Thus in trials where attention resources were taxed, participants were more likely to respond with nontarget values rather than simply making random responses. Our findings suggest that resources used during attention-demanding visual or auditory tasks also contribute to maintaining feature-bound representations in visual working memory-but not necessarily other aspects of working memory.

Draft Site Management and Monitoring Plan for Corpus Christi Maintenance and New Work Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

USEPA Region 6 and the US Army Corps of Engineers submit for public comment the Draft Site Management and Monitoring Plan for Corpus Christi Maintenance and New Work Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site

Analyzing machine noise for real time maintenance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamato, Yoji; Fukumoto, Yoshifumi; Kumazaki, Hiroki

2017-02-01

Recently, IoT technologies have been progressed and applications of maintenance area are expected. However, IoT maintenance applications are not spread in Japan yet because of one-off solution of sensing and analyzing for each case, high cost to collect sensing data and insufficient maintenance automation. This paper proposes a maintenance platform which analyzes sound data in edges, analyzes only anomaly data in cloud and orders maintenance automatically to resolve existing technology problems. We also implement a sample application and compare related work.

Deficits in social perception in opioid maintenance patients, abstinent opioid users and non-opioid users.

PubMed

McDonald, Skye; Darke, Shane; Kaye, Sharlene; Torok, Michelle

2013-03-01

This study aimed to compare emotion perception and social inference in opioid maintenance patients with abstinent ex-users and non-heroin-using controls, and determine whether any deficits in could be accounted for by cognitive deficits and/or risk factors for brain damage. Case-control. Sydney, Australia. A total of 125 maintenance patients (MAIN), 50 abstinent opiate users (ABST) and 50 matched controls (CON). The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT) was used to measure emotion perception and social inference. Measures were also taken of executive function, working memory, information processing speed, verbal/non-verbal learning and psychological distress. After adjusting for age, sex, pre-morbid IQ and psychological distress, the MAIN group was impaired relative to CON (β = -0.19, P < 0.05) and ABST (β = -0.19, P < 0.05) on emotion perception and relative to CON (β = -0.25, P < 0.001) and ABST (β = -0.24, P < 0.01) on social inference. In neither case did the CON and ABST groups differ. For both emotion perception (P < 0.001) and social inference (P < 0.001), pre-morbid IQ was a significant independent predictor. Cognitive function was a major predictor of poor emotion perception (β = -0.44, P < 0.001) and social inference (β = -0.48, P < 0.001). Poor emotion recognition was also predicted by number of heroin overdoses (β = -0.14, P < 0.05). Neither time in treatment or type of maintenance medication (methadone or buprenorphine) were related to performance. People in opioid maintenance treatment may have an impaired capacity for emotion perception and ability to make inferences about social situations. © 2012 The Authors, Addiction © 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Hydrocortisone accelerates the decay of iconic memory traces: on the modulation of executive and stimulus-driven constituents of sensory information maintenance.

PubMed

Miller, Robert; Weckesser, Lisa J; Smolka, Michael N; Kirschbaum, Clemens; Plessow, Franziska

2015-03-01

A substantial amount of research documents the impact of glucocorticoids on higher-order cognitive functioning. By contrast, surprisingly little is known about the susceptibility of basic sensory processes to glucocorticoid exposure given that the glucocorticoid receptor density in the human visual cortex exceeds those observed in prefrontal and most hippocampal brain regions. As executive tasks also rely on these sensory processes, the present study investigates the impact of glucocorticoid exposure on different performance parameters characterizing the maintenance and transfer of sensory information from iconic memory (IM; the sensory buffer of the visual system) to working memory (WM). Using a crossover factorial design, we administered one out of three doses of hydrocortisone (0.06, 0.12, or 0.24mg/kg bodyweight) and a placebo to 18 healthy young men. Thereafter participants performed a partial report task, which was used to assess their individual ability to process sensory information. Blood samples were concurrently drawn to determine free and total cortisol concentrations. The compiled pharmacokinetic and psychophysical data demonstrates that free cortisol specifically accelerated the decay of sensory information (r=0.46) without significantly affecting the selective information transfer from IM to WM or the capacity limit of WM. Specifically, nonparametric regression revealed a sigmoid dose-response relationship between free cortisol levels during the testing period and the IM decay rates. Our findings highlight that glucocorticoid exposure may not only impact on the recruitment of top-down control for an active maintenance of sensory information, but alter their passive (stimulus-driven) maintenance thereby changing the availability of information prior to subsequent executive processing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metamemory in schizophrenia: retrospective confidence ratings interact with neurocognitive deficits.

PubMed

Eifler, Sarah; Rausch, Franziska; Schirmbeck, Frederike; Veckenstedt, Ruth; Mier, Daniela; Esslinger, Christine; Englisch, Susanne; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas; Kirsch, Peter; Zink, Mathias

2015-02-28

Prior studies with schizophrenia patients described a reduced ability to discriminate between correct and false memories in terms of confidence compared to control groups. This metamemory bias has been associated with the emergence and maintenance of delusions. The relation to neuropsychological performance and other clinical dimensions is incompletely understood. In a cross-sectional study, metamemory functioning was explored in 32 schizophrenia patients and 25 healthy controls. Metamemory was assessed using a verbal recognition task combined with retrospective confidence level ratings. Associations of metamemory performance with six neuropsychological domains (executive functioning/problem solving, speed of processing, working memory, verbal and visual learning, and attention/vigilance) and psychopathological measures were analyzed. Results revealed a significantly smaller discrepancy between confidence ratings for correct and incorrect recognitions in the patient group. Furthermore, patients showed significantly lower recognition accuracy in the metamemory task and marked deficits in all neuropsychological domains. Across all participants, metamemory performance significantly correlated with executive functioning and working memory. No associations with delusions were found. This data confirms prior findings of metamemory biases in schizophrenia. Selective neuropsychological abilities seem to be modulating factors of metamemory functioning. Longitudinal studies in at risk mental state and first-episode patients are needed to reveal causal interrelations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

LY6/PLAUR domain containing 3 has a role in the maintenance of colorectal cancer stem-like cells

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

Wang, Liming; Department of Surgery, Sapporo Higashi Tokusyukai Hospital, North-33 East-14, Higashi-Ku, Sapporo 065-0033; Hirohashi, Yoshihiko

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related death for both men and women. Recent studies have revealed that a small sub-population of cancer cells, termed cancer stem-like cells (CSCs)/cancer-initiating cells (CICs), are endowed with tumor-initiating ability, self-renewal ability and differentiation ability. CSCs/CICs are resistant to current therapies including chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Thus, CSCs/CICs are responsible for recurrence and metastasis, and eradication of CSCs/CICs is essential to cure cancer. In this study, we isolated CR-CSCs/CICs as sphere-cultured cells and found that a product derived from LY6/PLAUR domain containing 3 (LYPD3) ismore » preferentially expressed in CSCs/CICs. Gene overexpression and gene knockdown experiments revealed that LYPD3 has a role in the maintenance of CR-CSCs/CICs. The findings provide a novel molecular insight into CR-CSCs/CICs.« less

Testing of alternative supporting materials for portable roll-up signs used for maintenance work zones : [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-08-01

Portable roll-up signs are currently used by the Texas Department of Transportation for identification of short-term maintenance/work zones and emergency operations. These signs have fiberglass frames that directly support diamond-shaped and rectangu...

Supplement Analysis for the Transmission System Vegetation Management Program FEIS (DOE/EIS-0285/SA-120 Hanford-Ostrander Corridor Maintenance

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

Hutchinson, Ken

2003-02-10

Vegetation Management for the Hanford-Ostrander Transmission Line Corridor from Tower 10/4 to Tower 17/2 + 770. The line is a 500kV Single Circuit Transmission Line having an easement width of 300 feet. The proposed work will be accomplished in the indicated sections of the transmission line corridor as referenced on the attached checklist. The work will include the performance of road maintenance and tower pad maintenance along the Hanford-Ostrander transmission line. Maintenance will be performed from Tower 10/1, close to Army Loop road near the northeast corner of 200 West Area of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation to the western edgemore » of the Arid Lands Ecological Reserve (ALE) at Tower 17/2 + 700. Total distance of the work is approximately 7.5 miles. The planned work includes spraying with herbicides to minimize vegetation regrowth along the access roads and removing shrubs from within 50 feet of each transmission tower.« less

Managing Highway Maintenance: Standards for Maintenance Work, Part 2, Unit 8, Level 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Highway Administration (DOT), Washington, DC. Offices of Research and Development.

Part of the series "Managing Highway Maintenance," the unit describes the ways maintenance standards are developed and some of the factors which are considered in setting standards; the preceding unit on standards (part 1) should be completed before reading this unit. The format is a programed, self-instruction approach in which…

Maintenance of Mechanical Services. Maintenance and Renewal in Educational Buildings. Building Bulletin 70.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haworth-Roberts, A., Ed.

School building maintenance must find an appropriate balance between planned and reactive work in order to conserve costs. This document provides ways in which authorities can assess their maintenance requirements and make better use of the resources available. It considers how to deal with problems which have their roots in historical design…

Developmental Differences in the Influence of Distractors on Maintenance in Spatial Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schutte, Anne R.; Keiser, Brian A.; Beattie, Heidi L.

2017-01-01

This study examined whether attention to a location plays a role in the maintenance of locations in spatial working memory in young children as it does in adults. This study was the first to investigate whether distractors presented during the delay of a spatial working-memory task influenced young children's memory responses. Across 2…

Modeling strength data for CREW CHIEF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcdaniel, Joe W.

1990-01-01

The Air Force has developed CREW CHIEF, a computer-aided design (CAD) tool for simulating and evaluating aircraft maintenance to determine if the required activities are feasible. CREW CHIEF gives the designer the ability to simulate maintenance activities with respect to reach, accessibility, strength, hand tool operation, and materials handling. While developing the CREW CHIEF, extensive research was performed to describe workers strength capabilities for using hand tools and manual handling of objects. More than 100,000 strength measures were collected and modeled for CREW CHIEF. These measures involved both male and female subjects in the 12 maintenance postures included in CREW CHIEF. The data collection and modeling effort are described.

Software Design Improvements. Part 2; Software Quality and the Design and Inspection Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lalli, Vincent R.; Packard, Michael H.; Ziemianski, Tom

1997-01-01

The application of assurance engineering techniques improves the duration of failure-free performance of software. The totality of features and characteristics of a software product are what determine its ability to satisfy customer needs. Software in safety-critical systems is very important to NASA. We follow the System Safety Working Groups definition for system safety software as: 'The optimization of system safety in the design, development, use and maintenance of software and its integration with safety-critical systems in an operational environment. 'If it is not safe, say so' has become our motto. This paper goes over methods that have been used by NASA to make software design improvements by focusing on software quality and the design and inspection process.

Fatigue risk management in aviation maintenance : current best practices and potential future countermeasures.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-01

The unregulated hours and frequent night work characteristic of maintenance can produce significant levels of : employee fatigue, with a resultant risk of maintenance error. Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS) are : widely used to manage fatigue a...

Sevoflurane represses the self-renewal ability by regulating miR-7a,7b/Klf4 signalling pathway in mouse embryonic stem cells.

PubMed

Wang, Qimin; Li, Guifeng; Li, Baolin; Chen, Qiu; Lv, Dongdong; Liu, Jiaying; Ma, Jieyu; Sun, Nai; Yang, Longqiu; Fei, Xuejie; Song, Qiong

2016-10-01

Sevoflurane is a frequently-used clinical inhalational anaesthetic and can cause toxicity to embryos during foetal development. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are derived from the inner cell mass of blastospheres and can be used as a useful model of early development. Here, we found that sevoflurane significantly influenced self-renewal ability of mESCs on stemness maintenance and cell proliferation. The cell cycle was arrested via G1 phase delay. We further found that sevoflurane upregulated expression of miR-7a,7b to repress self-renewal. Next we performed rescue experiments and found that after adding miR-7a,7b inhibitor into mESCs treated with sevoflurane, its influence on self-renewal could be blocked. Further we identified stemness factor Klf4 as the direct target of miR-7a,7b. Overexpression of Klf4 restored self-renewal ability repressed by miR-7a,7b or sevoflurane. In this work, we determined that sevoflurane repressed self-renewal ability by regulating the miR-7a,7b/Klf4 signalling pathway in mESCs. Our study demonstrated molecular mechanism underlying the side effects of sevoflurane during early development, laying the foundation for studies on safe usage of inhalational anaesthetic during non-obstetric surgery. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Working Memory Replay Prioritizes Weakly Attended Events

PubMed Central

Penny, Will; Knight, Robert T.; Duzel, Emrah

2017-01-01

Abstract One view of working memory posits that maintaining a series of events requires their sequential and equal mnemonic replay. Another view is that the content of working memory maintenance is prioritized by attention. We decoded the dynamics for retaining a sequence of items using magnetoencephalography, wherein participants encoded sequences of three stimuli depicting a face, a manufactured object, or a natural item and maintained them in working memory for 5000 ms. Memory for sequence position and stimulus details were probed at the end of the maintenance period. Decoding of brain activity revealed that one of the three stimuli dominated maintenance independent of its sequence position or category; and memory was enhanced for the selectively replayed stimulus. Analysis of event-related responses during the encoding of the sequence showed that the selectively replayed stimuli were determined by the degree of attention at encoding. The selectively replayed stimuli had the weakest initial encoding indexed by weaker visual attention signals at encoding. These findings do not rule out sequential mnemonic replay but reveal that attention influences the content of working memory maintenance by prioritizing replay of weakly encoded events. We propose that the prioritization of weakly encoded stimuli protects them from interference during the maintenance period, whereas the more strongly encoded stimuli can be retrieved from long-term memory at the end of the delay period. PMID:28824955

Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization for Hybrid Flowshop Scheduling Problem with Maintenance Activities

PubMed Central

Li, Jun-qing; Pan, Quan-ke; Mao, Kun

2014-01-01

A hybrid algorithm which combines particle swarm optimization (PSO) and iterated local search (ILS) is proposed for solving the hybrid flowshop scheduling (HFS) problem with preventive maintenance (PM) activities. In the proposed algorithm, different crossover operators and mutation operators are investigated. In addition, an efficient multiple insert mutation operator is developed for enhancing the searching ability of the algorithm. Furthermore, an ILS-based local search procedure is embedded in the algorithm to improve the exploitation ability of the proposed algorithm. The detailed experimental parameter for the canonical PSO is tuning. The proposed algorithm is tested on the variation of 77 Carlier and Néron's benchmark problems. Detailed comparisons with the present efficient algorithms, including hGA, ILS, PSO, and IG, verify the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. PMID:24883414

Working memory maintenance is sufficient to reduce state anxiety.

PubMed

Balderston, Nicholas L; Quispe-Escudero, David; Hale, Elizabeth; Davis, Andrew; O'Connell, Katherine; Ernst, Monique; Grillon, Christian

2016-11-01

According to the attentional control theory (ACT) proposed by Eysenck and colleagues, anxiety interferes with cognitive processing by prioritizing bottom-up attentional processes over top-down attentional processes, leading to competition for access to limited resources in working memory, particularly the central executive (Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos, & Calvo, ). However, previous research using the n-back working memory task suggests that working memory load also reduces state anxiety. Assuming that similar mechanisms underlie the effect of anxiety on cognition, and the effect of cognition on anxiety, one possible implication of the ACT would suggest that the reduction of state anxiety with increasing working memory load is driven by activation of central executive attentional control processes. We tested this hypothesis using the Sternberg working memory paradigm, where maintenance processes can be isolated from central executive processes (Altamura et al., ; Sternberg, ). Consistent with the n-back results, subjects showed decreased state anxiety during the maintenance period of high-load trials relative to low-load trials, suggesting that maintenance processes alone are sufficient to achieve this state anxiety reduction. Given that the Sternberg task does not require central executive engagement, these results are not consistent with an implication of the ACT where the cognition/anxiety relationship and anxiety/cognition relationship are mediated by similar central executive mechanisms. Instead, we propose an extension of the ACT such that engaging working memory maintenance suppresses state anxiety in a load-dependent manner. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the efficacy of this effect may moderate the effect of trait anxiety on cognition. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Developmental Differences in Cognitive Control: Goal Representation and Maintenance during a Continuous Performance Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorsbach, Thomas C.; Reimer, Jason F.

2010-01-01

The present study examined whether younger and older children differ in the use of the goal-related information in a continuous performance task (AX-CPT), and if so, whether those age differences are due to the ability to represent and/or maintain goal information. Experiment 1 compared third- and sixth-grade children in their ability to transform…

14 CFR 145.3 - Definition of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... maintenance resulting from unforeseen events; or (2) Scheduled checks that contain servicing and/or... regulations and serving as the primary contact with the FAA. (b) Article means an aircraft, airframe, aircraft... for the work of a certificated repair station that performs maintenance, preventive maintenance...

14 CFR 145.3 - Definition of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... maintenance resulting from unforeseen events; or (2) Scheduled checks that contain servicing and/or... regulations and serving as the primary contact with the FAA. (b) Article means an aircraft, airframe, aircraft... for the work of a certificated repair station that performs maintenance, preventive maintenance...

14 CFR 145.3 - Definition of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... maintenance resulting from unforeseen events; or (2) Scheduled checks that contain servicing and/or... regulations and serving as the primary contact with the FAA. (b) Article means an aircraft, airframe, aircraft... for the work of a certificated repair station that performs maintenance, preventive maintenance...

14 CFR 145.3 - Definition of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... maintenance resulting from unforeseen events; or (2) Scheduled checks that contain servicing and/or... regulations and serving as the primary contact with the FAA. (b) Article means an aircraft, airframe, aircraft... for the work of a certificated repair station that performs maintenance, preventive maintenance...

14 CFR 145.3 - Definition of terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... maintenance resulting from unforeseen events; or (2) Scheduled checks that contain servicing and/or... regulations and serving as the primary contact with the FAA. (b) Article means an aircraft, airframe, aircraft... for the work of a certificated repair station that performs maintenance, preventive maintenance...

49 CFR 214.341 - Roadway maintenance machines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD WORKPLACE SAFETY Roadway Worker Protection § 214.341 Roadway maintenance machines. (a) Each employer shall include in its on-track safety program specific provisions for the safety of roadway workers who operate or work near roadway maintenance machines. Those...

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) from JAK2+ myeloproliferative neoplasms differ from normal MSC and contribute to the maintenance of neoplastic hematopoiesis

PubMed Central

Sánchez-Abarca, Luis Ignacio; Rosón-Burgo, Beatriz; Redondo, Alba; Rico, Ana; Preciado, Silvia; Ortega, Rebeca; Rodríguez, Concepción; Muntión, Sandra; Hernández-Hernández, Ángel; De Las Rivas, Javier; González, Marcos; González Porras, José Ramón; del Cañizo, Consuelo; Sánchez-Guijo, Fermín

2017-01-01

There is evidence of continuous bidirectional cross-talk between malignant cells and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSC), which favors the emergence and progression of myeloproliferative neoplastic (MPN) diseases. In the current work we have compared the function and gene expression profile of BM-MSC from healthy donors (HD-MSC) and patients with MPN (JAK2V617F), showing no differences in the morphology, proliferation and differentiation capacity between both groups. However, BM-MSC from MPN expressed higher mean fluorescence intensity (MIF) of CD73, CD44 and CD90, whereas CD105 was lower when compared to controls. Gene expression profile of BM-MSC showed a total of 169 genes that were differentially expressed in BM-MSC from MPN patients compared to HD-MSC. In addition, we studied the ability of BM-MSC to support the growth and survival of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC), showing a significant increase in the number of CFU-GM colonies when MPN-HSPC were co-cultured with MPN-MSC. Furthermore, MPN-MSC showed alteration in the expression of genes associated to the maintenance of hematopoiesis, with an overexpression of SPP1 and NF-kB, and a downregulation of ANGPT1 and THPO. Our results suggest that BM-MSC from JAK2+ patients differ from their normal counterparts and favor the maintenance of malignant clonal hematopoietic cells. PMID:28796790

Evaluation of knowledge transfer in an immersive virtual learning environment for the transportation community : research project capsule.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

In 2008 alone, 720 individuals were killed in a : construction or maintenance work zone in the : United States. However, since 2003, the total : number of individuals killed in a construction or : maintenance work zone in the US reached a : staggerin...

Boosting Maintenance in Working Memory with Temporal Regularities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plancher, Gaën; Lévêque, Yohana; Fanuel, Lison; Piquandet, Gaëlle; Tillmann, Barbara

2018-01-01

Music cognition research has provided evidence for the benefit of temporally regular structures guiding attention over time. The present study investigated whether maintenance in working memory can benefit from an isochronous rhythm. Participants were asked to remember series of 6 letters for serial recall. In the rhythm condition of Experiment…

18 CFR 12.12 - Maintenance of records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY REGULATIONS UNDER THE FEDERAL POWER ACT SAFETY OF WATER POWER PROJECTS AND PROJECT WORKS Reports and Records § 12.12 Maintenance of records. (a) Kinds of records—1) General rule. Except as... project works; and (B) Any reports of project modifications, conditions affecting the safety of the...

Two Maintenance Mechanisms of Verbal Information in Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camos, V.; Lagner, P.; Barrouillet, P.

2009-01-01

The present study evaluated the interplay between two mechanisms of maintenance of verbal information in working memory, namely articulatory rehearsal as described in Baddeley's model, and attentional refreshing as postulated in Barrouillet and Camos's Time-Based Resource-Sharing (TBRS) model. In four experiments using complex span paradigm, we…

40 CFR 63.1451 - How do I demonstrate initial compliance with the emission limitations, work practice standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... written operation and maintenance plan required under § 63.1447(b) detailed descriptions of the procedures... with the emission limitations, work practice standards, and operation and maintenance requirements that... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FOR SOURCE...

40 CFR 63.1451 - How do I demonstrate initial compliance with the emission limitations, work practice standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... written operation and maintenance plan required under § 63.1447(b) detailed descriptions of the procedures... with the emission limitations, work practice standards, and operation and maintenance requirements that... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FOR SOURCE...

40 CFR 63.1451 - How do I demonstrate initial compliance with the emission limitations, work practice standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... written operation and maintenance plan required under § 63.1447(b) detailed descriptions of the procedures... with the emission limitations, work practice standards, and operation and maintenance requirements that... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FOR SOURCE...

40 CFR 63.1451 - How do I demonstrate initial compliance with the emission limitations, work practice standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... written operation and maintenance plan required under § 63.1447(b) detailed descriptions of the procedures... compliance with the emission limitations, work practice standards, and operation and maintenance requirements... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FOR SOURCE...

40 CFR 63.1451 - How do I demonstrate initial compliance with the emission limitations, work practice standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... written operation and maintenance plan required under § 63.1447(b) detailed descriptions of the procedures... compliance with the emission limitations, work practice standards, and operation and maintenance requirements... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FOR SOURCE...

43 CFR 418.29 - Project management.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... determination by the Bureau, the Bureau may take over from the District the care, operation, maintenance, and management of the diversion and outlet works (Derby Dam and Lahontan Dam/Reservoir) or any or all of the.... Following written notification from the Bureau, the care, operation, and maintenance of the works may be...

Rehabilitation of acute and subacute low back and neck pain in the work-injured patient.

PubMed

Hartigan, C; Miller, L; Liewehr, S C

1996-10-01

In spite of the favorable natural history and the nonserious nature of the problem of much work-related low back and neck pain, conventional rehabilitation methods have failed to reduce work disability. Recently, rehabilitation goals have shifted from exclusively reducing or eradicating pain to improving patients' work and activity tolerance, avoiding illness behaviors, and preventing deconditioning and chronicity. Rehabilitation programs must incorporate strategies that have been proved to improve outcome in randomized, controlled trials. Treatment should be based on duration of symptoms, severity of impairment, and patient response. Consideration must be given to physical and psychological therapeutic milieu. Acute patients should be educated that pain is a normal part of recovery, and that activity maintenance improves outcome. Therapy should focus on restoring or maintaining flexibility, strength, and level of fitness while maintaining maximum productivity. Some acute patients may wish to change health habits and may undergo several sessions of general and low back conditioning training with the development of a health-club or home maintenance regimen. Patients failing to respond favorably to acute treatment and other subacute patients should participate in quota-based graded exercise regimens, with behavioral management. Quantification of function for flexibility, trunk strength, lifting capacity, and cardiovascular fitness is recommended to document progress and guide treatment. "Wellness" is stressed. Incorporating direct return-to-work advice into the treatment plan is important, as is direct communication with the employer throughout treatment. Patients should be cleared for full-duty return to work at treatment end in most circumstances. Successfully managed patients will feel confident about abilities for work and general activities. Intensive management of subacute patients may require 4 to 6 weeks and 12 to 18 comprehensive rehabilitation sessions. Once such comprehensive treatment has been provided, patients may be deemed at a medical endpoint, and further "chronic" rehabilitation treatment should not be necessary. The rehabilitation principles discussed here for work-injured low back and neck pain patients may be used to treat other industrial injuries as long as medical clearance is given for applying the treatment model. Specific time frames for recovery and expected performance for specific diagnoses need to be developed.

14 CFR 91.1433 - CAMP: Maintenance and preventive maintenance training program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) AIR TRAFFIC AND GENERAL OPERATING RULES GENERAL OPERATING AND FLIGHT RULES Fractional Ownership Operations Program Management § 91.1433 CAMP: Maintenance and preventive... each person (including inspection personnel) who determines the adequacy of work done is fully informed...

Fixing Maintenance Productivity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fickes, Michael

2003-01-01

Describes how one university's facility managers use Nextel communications technology in conjunction with a Famis Software maintenance management system to improve the productivity of its maintenance technicians. The system uses a wireless Internet connection to automate the flow of work order information to and from technicians. The key to these…

Digging up the Dirt.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knuffman, Susan M.

1997-01-01

Explores ways of maintaining school floors and carpeting that ensure students and staff are comfortable, safe, and healthy. Carpet maintenance for high- to low-traffic areas and cleaning procedures are examined, as are ways maintenance staff can work together to help ensure a successful flooring-maintenance plan. (GR)

Preservation of live cultures of basidiomycetes - recent methods.

PubMed

Homolka, Ladislav

2014-02-01

Basidiomycetes are used in industrial processes, in basic or applied research, teaching, systematic and biodiversity studies. Efficient work with basidiomycete cultures requires their reliable source, which is ensured by their safe long-term storage. Repeated subculturing, frequently used for the preservation, is time-consuming, prone to contamination, and does not prevent genetic and physiological changes during long-term maintenance. Various storage methods have been developed in order to eliminate these disadvantages. Besides lyophilization (unsuitable for the majority of basidiomycetes), cryopreservation at low temperatures seems to be a very efficient way to attain this goal. Besides survival, another requirement for successful maintenance of fungal strains is the ability to preserve their features unchanged. An ideal method has not been created so far. Therefore it is highly desirable to develop new or improve the current preservation methods, combining advantages and eliminate disadvantages of individual techniques. Many reviews on preservation of microorganisms including basidiomycetes have been published, but the progress in the field requires an update. Although herbaria specimens of fungi (and of basidiomycetes in particular) are very important for taxonomic and especially typological studies, this review is limited to live fungal cultures. Copyright © 2013 The British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of goal management for successful adaptation to arthritis.

PubMed

Arends, Roos Y; Bode, Christina; Taal, Erik; Van de Laar, Mart A F J

2013-10-01

Persons with polyarthritis often experience difficulties in attaining personal goals due to disease symptoms such as pain, fatigue and reduced mobility. This study examines the relationship of goal management strategies - goal maintenance, goal adjustment, goal disengagement, goal reengagement - with indicators of adaptation to polyarthritis, namely, depression, anxiety, purpose in life, positive affect, participation, and work participation. 305 patients diagnosed with polyarthritis participated in a questionnaire study (62% female, 29% employed, mean age: 62 years). Hierarchical multiple-regression-analyses were conducted to examine the relative importance of the goal management strategies for adaptation. Self-efficacy in relation to goal management was also studied. For all adaptation indicators, the goal management strategies added substantial explained variance to the models (R(2): .07-.27). Goal maintenance and goal adjustment were significant predictors of adaptation to polyarthritis. Self-efficacy partly mediated the influence of goal management strategies. Goal management strategies were found to be important predictors of successful adaptation to polyarthritis. Overall, adjusting goals to personal ability and circumstances and striving for goals proved to be the most beneficial strategies. Designing interventions that focus on the effective management of goals may help people to adapt to polyarthritis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selective attention supports working memory maintenance by modulating perceptual processing of distractors.

PubMed

Sreenivasan, Kartik K; Jha, Amishi P

2007-01-01

Selective attention has been shown to bias sensory processing in favor of relevant stimuli and against irrelevant or distracting stimuli in perceptual tasks. Increasing evidence suggests that selective attention plays an important role during working memory maintenance, possibly by biasing sensory processing in favor of to-be-remembered items. In the current study, we investigated whether selective attention may also support working memory by biasing processing against irrelevant and potentially distracting information. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while subjects (n = 22) performed a delayed-recognition task for faces and shoes. The delay period was filled with face or shoe distractors. Behavioral performance was impaired when distractors were congruent with the working memory domain (e.g., face distractor during working memory for faces) relative to when distractors were incongruent with the working memory domain (e.g., face distractor during shoe working memory). If attentional biasing against distractor processing is indeed functionally relevant in supporting working memory maintenance, perceptual processing of distractors is predicted to be attenuated when distractors are more behaviorally intrusive relative to when they are nonintrusive. As such, we predicted that perceptual processing of distracting faces, as measured by the face-sensitive N170 ERP component, would be reduced in the context of congruent (face) working memory relative to incongruent (shoe) working memory. The N170 elicited by distracting faces demonstrated reduced amplitude during congruent versus incongruent working memory. These results suggest that perceptual processing of distracting faces may be attenuated due to attentional biasing against sensory processing of distractors that are most behaviorally intrusive during working memory maintenance.

A comprehensive review of arsenic levels in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

PubMed

Park, Donguk; Yang, Haengsun; Jeong, Jeeyeon; Ha, Kwonchul; Choi, Sangjun; Kim, Chinyon; Yoon, Chungsik; Park, Dooyong; Paek, Domyung

2010-11-01

This paper presents a summary of arsenic level statistics from air and wipe samples taken from studies conducted in fabrication operations. The main objectives of this study were not only to describe arsenic measurement data but also, through a literature review, to categorize fabrication workers in accordance with observed arsenic levels. All airborne arsenic measurements reported were included in the summary statistics for analysis of the measurement data. The arithmetic mean was estimated assuming a lognormal distribution from the geometric mean and the geometric standard deviation or the range. In addition, weighted arithmetic means (WAMs) were calculated based on the number of measurements reported for each mean. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to compare arsenic levels classified according to several categories such as the year, sampling type, location sampled, operation type, and cleaning technique. Nine papers were found reporting airborne arsenic measurement data from maintenance workers or maintenance areas in semiconductor chip-making plants. A total of 40 statistical summaries from seven articles were identified that represented a total of 423 airborne arsenic measurements. Arsenic exposure levels taken during normal operating activities in implantation operations (WAM = 1.6 μg m⁻³, no. of samples = 77, no. of statistical summaries = 2) were found to be lower than exposure levels of engineers who were involved in maintenance works (7.7 μg m⁻³, no. of samples = 181, no. of statistical summaries = 19). The highest level (WAM = 218.6 μg m⁻³) was associated with various maintenance works performed inside an ion implantation chamber. ANOVA revealed no significant differences in the WAM arsenic levels among the categorizations based on operation and sampling characteristics. Arsenic levels (56.4 μg m⁻³) recorded during maintenance works performed in dry conditions were found to be much higher than those from maintenance works in wet conditions (0.6 μg m⁻³). Arsenic levels from wipe samples in process areas after maintenance activities ranged from non-detectable to 146 μg cm⁻², indicating the potential for dispersion into the air and hence inhalation. We conclude that workers who are regularly or occasionally involved in maintenance work have higher potential for occupational exposure than other employees who are in charge of routine production work. In addition, fabrication workers can be classified into two groups based on the reviewed arsenic exposure levels: operators with potential for low levels of exposure and maintenance engineers with high levels of exposure. These classifications could be used as a basis for a qualitative ordinal ranking of exposure in an epidemiological study.

Visuospatial abilities and fine motor experiences influence acquisition and maintenance of fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery (FLS) task performance.

PubMed

Harrington, Cuan M; Dicker, Patrick; Traynor, Oscar; Kavanagh, Dara O

2018-05-18

Minimally invasive surgery poses a unique learning curve due to the requirement for non-intuitive psychomotor skills. The fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery (FLS) program trains and certifies residents in such skills. However, innate predictors of FLS performance and maintenance remain to be described. This single-centre observational study aimed to assess for candidate factors influencing the acquisition and maintenance of FLS performance amongst a surgically naïve cohort. Laparoscopically naïve medical students were recruited from pre-clinical university grades. Participants completed five visuospatial/psychomotor tests and a questionnaire surveying non-surgical experiences and personality traits. Individuals completed baseline assessments of FLS standard tasks followed by an intensive training course over week one and two on inanimate box trainers. A post-training assessment was performed in week three to evaluate acquisition. Participants were withdrawn from exposure and retested at four 1-month intervals to assess maintenance requirements. Forty-nine participants enrolled with 35 (71.4%) and 33 (67.3%) completing acquisition and maintenance phases, respectively. Mean age of participants was 19.3 (± 1.2) years with 68.6% female predominance. Participants demonstrated significant improvements in all five tasks during the acquisition (p < 0.05) period and maintenance of skills with task exposure at 1-month intervals. Significant predictors of skill acquisition included: card rotations for intracorporeal knot (p = 0.027) and combined tasks (p = 0.028) and cube comparisons for extracorporeal knot (p = 0.040). During skill maintenance: Card rotations predicted performance across all tasks (p < 0.05), Cube comparisons for tasks 1/2/4/5 (p < 0.05), PicSOR for peg transfer (p = 0.017) and grooved pegboard for peg transfer (p = 0.023) and ligating-loop (p = 0.038) tasks. Musical instrument experience demonstrated associations with skill acquisition in peg transfer (p = 0.042) and intracorporeal knot (p = 0.034) while video gaming predicted performance in these tasks (p < 0.05) during the maintenance phase. A sporting background or competitive personality did not influence skill performance. Multiple visuospatial abilities and non-surgical experiences positively influenced FLS performance during skill acquisition and/or maintenance. Further consideration to these individual factors may facilitate selection of more technically adaptable surgical residents.

Internal shifting impairments in response to emotional information in dysphoric adolescents.

PubMed

Wante, Laura; Mueller, Sven C; Demeyer, Ineke; Naets, Tiffany; Braet, Caroline

2017-12-01

Previous studies have suggested that internal cognitive control impairments may play an important role in the development of depression. Despite a growing body of research in adults, the ability to shift internal attention between mental representations in working memory has received little attention in younger populations. This study investigated internal shifting capacity between emotional and non-emotional information in dysphoric and non-dysphoric adolescents. Twenty dysphoric and 34 non-dysphoric adolescents (10-17 years) completed an Internal Shifting Task, with pictures of angry and neutral faces, to measure the ability to shift attention between information held in working memory. Dysphoric adolescents showed specific shifting impairments when processing emotional material relative to non-dysphoric adolescents. Valence-specific analyses revealed that shifting was particularly impaired when shifting from negative to neutral information. By comparison, relative to non-dysphoric adolescents, dysphoric adolescents did not show shifting impairments when non-emotional features of the pictures had to be processed. The study is limited by the absence of a structured clinical interview as dysphoria was determined dimensionally. Furthermore, a comparison of the effects of different negative stimuli on shifting could not be made since sad stimuli were not included in the stimulus set. The results confirm the link between depressive symptoms and emotion-specific shifting impairments in adolescents and indicate that targeting shifting ability in response to emotional stimuli may be a promising avenue for prevention programs. Longitudinal research is needed to replicate results and to explore the role of internal shifting impairments in the etiology and maintenance of depression. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Protracted development of executive and mnemonic brain systems underlying working memory in adolescence: A longitudinal fMRI study.

PubMed

Simmonds, Daniel J; Hallquist, Michael N; Luna, Beatriz

2017-08-15

Working memory (WM), the ability to hold information on-line to guide planned behavior, improves through adolescence in parallel with continued maturation of critical brain systems supporting cognitive control. Initial developmental neuroimaging studies with one or two timepoints have provided important though varied results limiting our understanding of which and how neural systems change during this transition into mature WM. In this study, we leverage functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) longitudinal data spanning up to 9 years in 129 normally developing individuals to identify which systems demonstrate growth changes that accompany improvements in WM performance. We used a memory guided saccade task that allowed us to probe encoding, pure maintenance, and retrieval neural processes of WM. Consistent with prior research, we found that WM performance continued to improve into the early 20's. fMRI region of interest (ROI) analyses revealed developmental (1) increases in sensorimotor-related (encoding/retrieval) activity in visual cortex from childhood through early adulthood that were associated with WM accuracy and (2) decreases in sustained (maintenance) activity in executive regions from childhood through mid-adolescence that were associated with response latency in childhood and early adolescence. Together these results provide compelling evidence that underlying the maturation of WM is a transition from reliance on executive systems to specialized regions related to the domain of mnemonic requirements of the task leading to optimal performance. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Working memory and executive function: the influence of content and load on the control of attention.

PubMed

Hester, Robert; Garavan, Hugh

2005-03-01

In a series of three experiments, increasing working memory (WM) load was demonstrated to reduce the executive control of attention, measured via task-switching and inhibitory control paradigms. Uniquely, our paradigms allowed comparison of the ability to exert executive control when the stimulus was either part of the currently rehearsed memory set or an unrelated distractor item. The results demonstrated a content-specific effect-insofar as switching attention away from, or exerting inhibitory control over, items currently held in WM was especially difficult-compounded by increasing WM load. This finding supports the attentional control theory that active maintenance of competing task goals is critical to executive function and WM capacity; however, it also suggests that the increased salience provided to the contents of WM through active rehearsal exerts a content-specific influence on attentional control. These findings are discussed in relation to cue-induced ruminations, where active rehearsal of evocative information (e.g., negative thoughts in depression or drug-related thoughts in addiction) in WM typically results from environmental cuing. The present study has demonstrated that when information currently maintained in WM is reencountered, it is harder to exert executive control over it. The difficulty with suppressing the processing of these stimuli presumably reinforces the maintenance of these items in WM, due to the greater level of attention they are afforded, and may help to explain how the cue-induced craving/rumination cycle is perpetuated.

Regional Brain Differences in the Effect of Distraction During the Delay Interval of a Working Memory Task

PubMed Central

Dolcos, Florin; Miller, Brian; Kragel, Philip; Jha, Amishi; McCarthy, Gregory

2012-01-01

Working memory (WM) comprises operations whose coordinated action contributes to our ability to maintain focus on goal-relevant information in the presence of distraction. The present study investigated the nature of distraction upon the neural correlates of WM maintenance operations by presenting task-irrelevant distracters during the interval between the memoranda and probes of a delayed-response WM task. The study used a region of interest (ROIs) approach to investigate the role of anterior (e.g., lateral and medial prefrontal cortex - PFC) and posterior (e.g., parietal and fusiform cortices) brain regions that have been previously associated with WM operations. Behavioral results showed that distracters that were confusable with the memorandum impaired WM performance, compared to either the presence of non-confusable distracters or to the absence of distracters. These different levels of distraction led to differences in the regional patterns of delay interval activity measured with event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In the anterior ROIs, dorsolateral PFC activation was associated with WM encoding and maintenance, and in maintaining a preparatory state, and ventrolateral PFC activation was associated with the inhibition of distraction. In the posterior ROIs, activation of the posterior parietal and fusiform cortices was associated with WM and perceptual processing, respectively. These findings provide novel evidence concerning the neural systems mediating the cognitive and behavioral responses during distraction, and places frontal cortex at the top of the hierarchy of the neural systems responsible for cognitive control. PMID:17459348

The Logistic Path from the International Space Station to the Moon and Beyond

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, J. K.; Dempsey, C. A.; Butina, A. J., Sr.

2005-01-01

The period from the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia in February 2003 to resumption of Space Shuttle flights, planned for May 2005, has presented significant challenges to International Space Station (ISS) maintenance operations. Sharply curtailed upmass capability has forced NASA to revise its support strategy and to undertake maintenance activities that have significantly expanded the envelope of the ISS maintenance concept. This experience has enhanced confidence in the ability to continue to support ISS in the period following the permanent retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet in 2010. Even greater challenges face NASA with the implementation of the Vision for Space Exploration that will introduce extended missions to the Moon beginning in the period of 2015 - 2020 and ultimately see human missions to more distant destinations such as Mars. The experience and capabilities acquired through meeting the maintenance challenges of ISS will serve as the foundation for the maintenance strategy that will be employed in support of these future missions.

Aripiprazole Long-Acting Injectable for Maintenance Treatment of Bipolar I Disorder in Adults.

PubMed

Aggarwal, Arpit; Schrimpf, Lindsey; Lauriello, John

2018-01-01

Bipolar I disorder is a serious and disabling psychiatric illness. It is associated with a significant reduction in quality of life and an increased risk for suicide. Pharmacotherapy is essential for both the acute and maintenance treatment of bi-polar I disorder. While multiple oral medications are recommended for the maintenance treatment, there are not many long-acting injectable medications approved for this indication. New treatments that would improve patient adherence have the potential for decreasing relapses and improving patients' ability to remain functional members of society. In this paper we discuss the available data for safety and efficacy of aripiprazole long-acting injectable in bipolar disorder.

Twisting Tongues and Memories: Explorations of the Relationship between Language Production and Verbal Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acheson, Daniel J.; MacDonald, Maryellen C.

2009-01-01

Many accounts of working memory posit specialized storage mechanisms for the maintenance of serial order. We explore an alternative, that maintenance is achieved through temporary activation in the language production architecture. Four experiments examined the extent to which the phonological similarity effect can be explained as a sublexical…

75 FR 80471 - Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; St. George Reef Light Station...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-22

... maintenance activities. SGRLPS proposes to transport visitors to the Station during the Sunday work window... two times per year within the proposed work window. Scheduled light maintenance activities would... light. For each emergency repair event, the SGRLPS proposes to conduct a maximum of four flights (two...

24 CFR 904.111 - Nonroutine Maintenance Reserve (NRMR).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... painting, etc.), (2) show for each listed item the estimated frequency of maintenance or useful life before... but only pursuant to a prior written agreement with the LHA covering the nature and scope of the work... of the work, be credited to the homebuyer's EHPA and charged as provided in paragraph (c)(2) of this...

A review of the factors affecting the survival of donkeys in semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Smith, D G; Pearson, R A

2005-11-01

The large fluctuations seen in cattle populations during periods of drought in sub-Saharan Africa are not evident in the donkey population. Donkeys appear to have a survival advantage over cattle that is increasingly recognized by smallholder farmers in their selection of working animals. The donkey's survival advantages arise from both socioeconomic and biological factors. Socioeconomic factors include the maintenance of a low sustainable population of donkeys owing to their single-purpose role and their low social status. Also, because donkeys are not usually used as a meat animal and can provide a regular income as a working animal, they are not slaughtered in response to drought, as are cattle. Donkeys have a range of physiological and behavioural adaptations that individually provide small survival advantages over cattle but collectively may make a large difference to whether or not they survive drought. Donkeys have lower maintenance costs as a result of their size and spend less energy while foraging for food; lower energy costs result in a lower dry matter intake (DMI) requirement. In donkeys, low-quality diets are digested almost as efficiently as in ruminants and, because of a highly selective feeding strategy, the quality of diet obtained by donkeys in a given pasture is higher than that obtained by cattle. Lower energy costs of walking, longer foraging times per day and ability to tolerate thirst may allow donkeys to access more remote, under-utilized sources of forage that are inaccessible to cattle on rangeland. As donkeys become a more popular choice of working animal for farmers, specific management practices need to be devised that allow donkeys to fully maximize their natural survival advantages.

30 CFR 48.22 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... surface mine, including any delivery, office, or scientific worker or occasional, short-term maintenance... construction, or who is regularly exposed to mine hazards, or who is a maintenance or service worker employed by the operator or a maintenance or service worker contracted by the operator to work at the mine for...

30 CFR 48.22 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... surface mine, including any delivery, office, or scientific worker or occasional, short-term maintenance... construction, or who is regularly exposed to mine hazards, or who is a maintenance or service worker employed by the operator or a maintenance or service worker contracted by the operator to work at the mine for...

30 CFR 48.22 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... surface mine, including any delivery, office, or scientific worker or occasional, short-term maintenance... construction, or who is regularly exposed to mine hazards, or who is a maintenance or service worker employed by the operator or a maintenance or service worker contracted by the operator to work at the mine for...

30 CFR 48.22 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... surface mine, including any delivery, office, or scientific worker or occasional, short-term maintenance... construction, or who is regularly exposed to mine hazards, or who is a maintenance or service worker employed by the operator or a maintenance or service worker contracted by the operator to work at the mine for...

77 FR 24344 - Airworthiness Directives; Learjet Inc.

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-24

... airplanes. This AD was prompted by changes to the Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) of the maintenance... cost Parts cost product operators Change ALS in maintenance manual.... 1 work-hour x $85 per $0 $85 $28... Section (ALS) of the maintenance manual (MM), which adds life- limits, revises life-limits, or adds...

Development the conceptual design of Knowledge Based System for Integrated Maintenance Strategy and Operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milana; Khan, M. K.; Munive, J. E.

2014-07-01

The importance of maintenance has escalated significantly by the increasing of automation in manufacturing process. This condition switches traditional maintenance perspective of inevitable cost into the business competitive driver. Consequently, maintenance strategy and operation decision needs to be synchronized to business and manufacturing concerns. This paper shows the development of conceptual design of Knowledge Based System for Integrated Maintenance Strategy and Operation (KBIMSO). The framework of KBIMSO is elaborated to show the process of how the KBIMSO works to reach the maintenance decision. By considering the multi-criteria of maintenance decision making, the KB system embedded with GAP and AHP to support integrated maintenance strategy and operation which is novel in this area. The KBIMSO is useful to review the existing maintenance system and give reasonable recommendation of maintenance decisions in respect to business and manufacturing perspective.

The making of a lymphocyte: the choice among disparate cell fates and the IKAROS enigma.

PubMed

Georgopoulos, Katia

2017-03-01

Lymphocyte differentiation is set to produce myriad immune effector cells with the ability to respond to multitudinous foreign substances. The uniqueness of this developmental system lies in not only the great diversity of cellular functions that it can generate but also the ability of its differentiation intermediates and mature effector cells to expand upon demand, thereby providing lifelong immunity. Surprisingly, the goals of this developmental system are met by a relatively small group of DNA-binding transcription factors that work in concert to control the timing and magnitude of gene expression and fulfill the demands for cellular specialization, expansion, and maintenance. The cellular and molecular mechanisms through which these lineage-promoting transcription factors operate have been a focus of basic research in immunology. The mechanisms of development discerned in this effort are guiding clinical research on disorders with an immune cell base. Here, I focus on IKAROS, one of the earliest regulators of lymphoid lineage identity and a guardian of lymphocyte homeostasis. © 2017 Georgopoulos; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Emotion regulation and mental health: recent findings, current challenges, and future directions.

PubMed

Berking, Matthias; Wupperman, Peggilee

2012-03-01

In recent years, deficits in emotion regulation have been studied as a putative maintaining factor and promising treatment target in a broad range of mental disorders. This article aims to provide an integrative review of the latest theoretical and empirical developments in this rapidly growing field of research. Deficits in emotion regulation appear to be relevant to the development, maintenance, and treatment of various forms of psychopathology. Increasing evidence demonstrates that deficits in the ability to adaptively cope with challenging emotions are related to depression, borderline personality disorder, substance-use disorders, eating disorders, somatoform disorders, and a variety of other psychopathological symptoms. Unfortunately, studies differ with regard to the conceptualization and assessment of emotion regulation, thus limiting the ability to compare findings across studies. Future research should systematically work to use comparable methods in order to clarify the following: which individuals have; what kinds of emotion regulation difficulties with; which types of emotions; and what interventions are most effective in alleviating these difficulties. Despite some yet to be resolved challenges, the concept of emotion regulation has a broad and significant heuristic value for research in mental health.

Cyber situational awareness and differential hardening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwivedi, Anurag; Tebben, Dan

2012-06-01

The advent of cyber threats has created a need for a new network planning, design, architecture, operations, control, situational awareness, management, and maintenance paradigms. Primary considerations include the ability to assess cyber attack resiliency of the network, and rapidly detect, isolate, and operate during deliberate simultaneous attacks against the network nodes and links. Legacy network planning relied on automatic protection of a network in the event of a single fault or a very few simultaneous faults in mesh networks, but in the future it must be augmented to include improved network resiliency and vulnerability awareness to cyber attacks. Ability to design a resilient network requires the development of methods to define, and quantify the network resiliency to attacks, and to be able to develop new optimization strategies for maintaining operations in the midst of these newly emerging cyber threats. Ways to quantify resiliency, and its use in visualizing cyber vulnerability awareness and in identifying node or link criticality, are presented in the current work, as well as a methodology of differential network hardening based on the criticality profile of cyber network components.

Laboratory Cultivation and Maintenance of Borrelia miyamotoi.

PubMed

Stone, Brandee L; Brissette, Catherine A

2016-08-12

Borrelia miyamotoi is a relapsing fever tick-borne pathogen found in Ixodes spp. (hard) ticks. In vitro culturing has proven difficult despite initial reports of cultures maintained in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly-II (BSK-II) medium. The ability to culture in vitro opens many avenues for investigating the genetics and physiology of bacterial species. This unit describes methods for the maintenance and cultivation of B. miyamotoi in liquid medium. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Empathy deficit in antisocial personality disorder: a psychodynamic formulation.

PubMed

Malancharuvil, Joseph M

2012-09-01

Empathic difficulty is a highly consequential characteristic of antisocial personality structure. The origin, maintenance, and possible resolution of this profound deficit are not very clear. While reconstructing empathic ability is of primary importance in the treatment of antisocial personality, not many proven procedures are in evidence. In this article, the author offers a psychodynamic formulation of the origin, character, and maintenance of the empathic deficiency in antisocial personality. The author discusses some of the treatment implications from this dynamic formulation.

Performance of hybrid ball bearings in oil and jet fuel

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

Schrader, S.M.; Pfaffenberger, E.E.

1992-07-01

A 308-size hybrid ball bearing, with ceramic balls and steel rings, was tested using a diester oil and gas turbine fuel as lubricants at several speeds and loads. Heat generation data from this test work was then correlated with the heat generation model from a widely used computer code. The ability of this hybrid split inner ring bearing design to endure thrust reversals, which are expected in many turbine applications, was demonstrated. Finally, the bearing was successfully endurance tested in JP-10 fuel for 25 hours at 7560 N axial load and 36,000 rpm. This work has successfully demonstrated the technologymore » necessary to use fuel-lubricated hybrid bearings in limited-life gas turbine engine applications such as missiles, drones, and other unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). In addition, it has provided guidance for use in designing such bearing systems. As a result, the benefits of removing the conventional oil lubricant system, i.e., design simplification and reduced maintenance, can be realized. 6 refs.« less

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Propane

Science.gov Websites

they work, and find information about vehicle availability, conversions, emissions, maintenance, and Fuel Prices Conserve Fuel Idle Reduction Parts & Equipment Maintenance Driving Behavior Fleet

Identification of the human factors contributing to maintenance failures in a petroleum operation.

PubMed

Antonovsky, Ari; Pollock, Clare; Straker, Leon

2014-03-01

This research aimed to identify the most frequently occurring human factors contributing to maintenance-related failures within a petroleum industry organization. Commonality between failures will assist in understanding reliability in maintenance processes, thereby preventing accidents in high-hazard domains. Methods exist for understanding the human factors contributing to accidents. Their application in a maintenance context mainly has been advanced in aviation and nuclear power. Maintenance in the petroleum industry provides a different context for investigating the role that human factors play in influencing outcomes. It is therefore worth investigating the contributing human factors to improve our understanding of both human factors in reliability and the factors specific to this domain. Detailed analyses were conducted of maintenance-related failures (N = 38) in a petroleum company using structured interviews with maintenance technicians. The interview structure was based on the Human Factor Investigation Tool (HFIT), which in turn was based on Rasmussen's model of human malfunction. A mean of 9.5 factors per incident was identified across the cases investigated.The three most frequent human factors contributing to the maintenance failures were found to be assumption (79% of cases), design and maintenance (71%), and communication (66%). HFIT proved to be a useful instrument for identifying the pattern of human factors that recurred most frequently in maintenance-related failures. The high frequency of failures attributed to assumptions and communication demonstrated the importance of problem-solving abilities and organizational communication in a domain where maintenance personnel have a high degree of autonomy and a wide geographical distribution.

Work-related back discomfort and associated factors among automotive maintenance mechanics in Eastern Nigeria: A cross sectional study.

PubMed

Abaraogu, Ukachukwu Okoroafor; Ezema, Charles Ikechukwu; Igwe, S E; Egwuonwu, Afamefuna Victor; Okafor, Udoka Chris

2016-02-15

Back pain has been identified as a common cause of disability in the working population. Automotive mechanics habitually use awkward back posture in their course of manual activity and hence may be at risk of work-related back pain. To investigate the prevalence, pattern and severity of back pain among automotive maintenance mechanics, as well as the personal and job variables associated with or predicting occurrence of back pain. Using a cross-sectional design, information about self-reported back pain and the associated variables were collected among 684 randomly recruited automotive mechanics. Prevalence of back pain was 76.02%; with the majority experiencing low back pain. 63.3% of the workers reported they limited their activity due to the back pain. Older workers (>50 years), daily work lasting ≥5 hours duration, no more than primary education, being normal weight, frequent use of kneeling and sustained postures, and lack of knowledge of ergonomic postures were associated with increased prevalence of back pain. Lack of job autonomy, inadequate task clarity, heavy physical work load, manual material handling, strenuous posture, noisy environment, vibrations, work schedule and inadequate auxiliary support were also associated with increased prevalence of back pain among the mechanics. Work-related back pain is prevalent among automotive maintenance mechanics. Work-related back pain is high among automotive maintenance mechanics. Workstation policy and legislation on reduction of risks with combined health literacy and ergonomic education programs in this occupational group are imperative.

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

Ouji, Yukiteru, E-mail: oujix@naramed-u.ac.jp; Nakamura-Uchiyama, Fukumi; Yoshikawa, Masahide, E-mail: myoshika@naramed-u.ac.jp

Highlights: •First report on effects of various Wnts on DP cells. •Wnt-10b promoted trichogenesis, while Wnt-3a showed to a limited extent. •Canonical Wnts, specifically Wnt-10b, is important for DP cells maintenance. -- Abstract: Although Wnts are expressed in hair follicles (HFs) and considered to be crucial for maintaining dermal papilla (DP) cells, the functional differences among them remain largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Wnts (Wnt-3a, 5a, 10b, 11) on the proliferation of mouse-derived primary DP cells in vitro as well as their trichogenesis-promoting ability using an in vivo skin reconstitution protocol. Wnt-10b promoted cellmore » proliferation and trichogenesis, while Wnt-3a showed those abilities to a limited extent, and Wnt-5a and 11 had no effects. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of these Wnts on cultured DP cells obtained from versican-GFP transgenic mice and found that Wnt-10b had a potent ability to sustain their GFP-positivity. These results suggest that canonical Wnts, specifically Wnt-10b, play important roles in the maintenance of DP cells and trichogenesis.« less

The maintenance of pluripotency following laser direct-write of mouse embryonic stem cells.

PubMed

Raof, Nurazhani Abdul; Schiele, Nathan R; Xie, Yubing; Chrisey, Douglas B; Corr, David T

2011-03-01

The ability to precisely pattern embryonic stem (ES) cells in vitro into predefined arrays/geometries may allow for the recreation of a stem cell niche for better understanding of how cellular microenvironmental factors govern stem cell maintenance and differentiation. In this study, a new gelatin-based laser direct-write (LDW) technique was utilized to deposit mouse ES cells into defined arrays of spots, while maintaining stem cell pluripotency. Results obtained from these studies showed that ES cells were successfully printed into specific patterns and remained viable. Furthermore, ES cells retained the expression of Oct4 in nuclei after LDW, indicating that the laser energy did not affect their maintenance of an undifferentiated state. The differentiation potential of mouse ES cells after LDW was confirmed by their ability to form embryoid bodies (EBs) and to spontaneously become cell lineages representing all three germ layers, revealed by the expression of marker proteins of nestin (ectoderm), Myf-5 (mesoderm) and PDX-1 (endoderm), after 7 days of cultivation. Gelatin-based LDW provides a new avenue for stem cell patterning, with precision and control of the cellular microenvironment. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Rehabilitation in rheumatology].

PubMed

Luttosch, F; Baerwald, C

2010-10-01

Rehabilitation in rheumatology focuses on prevention of functional disorders of the musculoskeletal system, maintenance of working ability and prevention of care dependency. Drug treatment alone rarely results in long-term remission, therefore rehabilitative measures must be integrated into rheumatic care. Rehabilitative therapy in rheumatology includes physiotherapy, patient education and occupational therapy. Positive effects of physical therapy methods have been proven by various studies. Patient education and occupational therapy are important tools for stabilizing the course of the disease. To maintain positive rehabilitative results patients have to be involved in the selection of treatment measures and should take an active part in the long-term treatment process. Despite proven efficacy of physical measures there is evidence for a lack of utilization of rehabilitative therapy due to increasing cost pressure in the health care system which will further increase over time.

Working Memory in the Processing of Long-Distance Dependencies: Interference and Filler Maintenance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ness, Tal; Meltzer-Asscher, Aya

2017-01-01

During the temporal delay between the filler and gap sites in long-distance dependencies, the "active filler" strategy can be implemented in two ways: the filler phrase can be actively maintained in working memory ("maintenance account"), or it can be retrieved only when the parser posits a gap ("retrieval account").…

Repair, Evaluation, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation Research Program. Lock Accident Study

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-01

ZIP Code) 10 . SOURCE OF FUNDIN6 NUMBERS -- . ;_ PROGRAM PROJECT TASK WORK UNIT Washington, DC 20314-1000 ELEMENT NO. NO. NO. . NO. 11. TITLE (1 eNy...miwcrwA; I ’+an na SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE 10 . WORK UNIT ACCESSION NO. (Continued). Funding provided by Repair, Evaluation, Maintenance, and... 10 PM S ............................................................... 10 District Records

Spatial sequences, but not verbal sequences, are vulnerable to general interference during retention in working memory.

PubMed

Morey, Candice C; Miron, Monica D

2016-12-01

Among models of working memory, there is not yet a consensus about how to describe functions specific to storing verbal or visual-spatial memories. We presented aural-verbal and visual-spatial lists simultaneously and sometimes cued one type of information after presentation, comparing accuracy in conditions with and without informative retro-cues. This design isolates interference due specifically to maintenance, which appears most clearly in the uncued trials, from interference due to encoding, which occurs in all dual-task trials. When recall accuracy was comparable between tasks, we found that spatial memory was worse in uncued than in retro-cued trials, whereas verbal memory was not. Our findings bolster proposals that maintenance of spatial serial order, like maintenance of visual materials more broadly, relies on general rather than specialized resources, while maintenance of verbal sequences may rely on domain-specific resources. We argue that this asymmetry should be explicitly incorporated into models of working memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

49 CFR 212.201 - General qualifications of State inspection personnel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... acceptable; (3) The ability to record data on standard report forms with a high degree of accuracy; (4) The..., and terminology common to operating and maintenance functions; and (2) The scope and major...

49 CFR 212.201 - General qualifications of State inspection personnel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... acceptable; (3) The ability to record data on standard report forms with a high degree of accuracy; (4) The..., and terminology common to operating and maintenance functions; and (2) The scope and major...

14 CFR 147.17 - Instructional equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... (CONTINUED) SCHOOLS AND OTHER CERTIFICATED AGENCIES AVIATION MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN SCHOOLS Certification... maintenance technician might be required to work and with which the technician should be familiar. (b) The...

Maintenance of the Hanford cone penetrometer platform during fiscal year 1999

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

IWATATE, D.F.

This SOW describes services requested of Applied Research and Associates, Inc. (ARA), as a commercial provider of cone penetrometer equipment and services, to provide routine inspection and minimum preventive maintenance on the Hanford CP Platform (CPP) during Fiscal Year 1999. This SOW specifically pertains to the maintenance of the CPP and associated support equipment and is limited in scope to routine preventive maintenance and identification of any deficiencies. ARA is the original manufacturer of the CPP and will conduct this work following the vendor-prepared maintenance schedule.

Maintenance Work, Maintenance Skills: The Case of a Major Water Company in the UK.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooke, Fang Lee

2002-01-01

A case study of a British water company found that technological change had only a moderate impact on technical skills but increased the need for diagnostic and information technology skills for the maintenance of electronic equipment. Organizational restructuring increased requirements for functional flexibility and interpersonal skills.…

76 FR 64851 - Airworthiness Directives; Learjet Inc. Model 45 Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-19

... Limitations Section (ALS) of the maintenance manual, which adds life-limits, revises life-limits, or adds.... Discussion We have reviewed the design approval holder's changes to the ALS of the maintenance manual, which... Labor cost Parts cost product operators Change ALS in maintenance manual.... 1 work-hour x $85 per $0...

Minor Maintenance. A Resource Manual for Custodians.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee.

Areas of minor maintenance covered by this manual are--(1) electrical, (2) carpentry, (3) plumbing, (4) painting, and (5) masonry. Each area is defined, tools and equipment for maintenance are listed, and the job procedure is given. The description of electrical work also covers sources of electricity and power transmission. The description of…

30 CFR 74.10 - Operating and maintenance instructions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... storage instructions and a maintenance and service life plan with each new CPDM device sold. These... of how the CPDM works; (ii) A schematic diagram of the CPDM; (iii) Procedures for wearing and use of... functioning of the CPDM. (2) The maintenance and service life plan must address: (i) Conditions that should...

Appraisal of work ability in relation to job-specific health requirements in ambulance workers.

PubMed

van Schaaijk, A; Boschman, J S; Frings-Dresen, M H W; Sluiter, J K

2017-01-01

To gain insight into which job-specific health requirements relate to work ability, the following two research questions were formulated: Which job-specific health requirements are associated with the appraisal of work ability in ambulance drivers and paramedics? How are appraisals of physical and mental work ability associated with the appraisal of overall work ability in ambulance drivers and paramedics? Workers Health Surveillance cross-sectional data of 506 ambulance workers (236 drivers and 270 paramedics) were used. The tests for specific job requirements were divided into six categories. Work ability was appraised as overall, physical and mental/emotional. Multiple linear stepwise regression analyses were used to model the associations. Outcomes in 'raised alertness and judgment ability' (R 2  = 0.09), 'job-specific physical abilities' (R 2  = 0.10) and 'emotional peak load' (R 2  = 0.07) significantly explained appraised overall, physical and mental/emotional work ability. Physical and mental/emotional work ability together explained 48.3% of the variance of overall work ability. The explained variance by physical and mental/emotional work ability was almost 4% higher in drivers than in paramedics. Overall work ability was significantly explained by outcomes in 'raised alertness and judgment ability' and 'emotional peak load.' Physical work ability was significantly explained by 'job-specific physical abilities' and 'raised alertness and judgment ability' outcomes, while 'emotional peak load' and 'raised alertness and judgment ability' outcomes significantly explained mental/emotional work ability. Physical and mental/emotional work ability explains the same proportion of variance in overall work ability.

Optimizing preventive maintenance policy: A data-driven application for a light rail braking system.

PubMed

Corman, Francesco; Kraijema, Sander; Godjevac, Milinko; Lodewijks, Gabriel

2017-10-01

This article presents a case study determining the optimal preventive maintenance policy for a light rail rolling stock system in terms of reliability, availability, and maintenance costs. The maintenance policy defines one of the three predefined preventive maintenance actions at fixed time-based intervals for each of the subsystems of the braking system. Based on work, maintenance, and failure data, we model the reliability degradation of the system and its subsystems under the current maintenance policy by a Weibull distribution. We then analytically determine the relation between reliability, availability, and maintenance costs. We validate the model against recorded reliability and availability and get further insights by a dedicated sensitivity analysis. The model is then used in a sequential optimization framework determining preventive maintenance intervals to improve on the key performance indicators. We show the potential of data-driven modelling to determine optimal maintenance policy: same system availability and reliability can be achieved with 30% maintenance cost reduction, by prolonging the intervals and re-grouping maintenance actions.

Optimizing preventive maintenance policy: A data-driven application for a light rail braking system

PubMed Central

Corman, Francesco; Kraijema, Sander; Godjevac, Milinko; Lodewijks, Gabriel

2017-01-01

This article presents a case study determining the optimal preventive maintenance policy for a light rail rolling stock system in terms of reliability, availability, and maintenance costs. The maintenance policy defines one of the three predefined preventive maintenance actions at fixed time-based intervals for each of the subsystems of the braking system. Based on work, maintenance, and failure data, we model the reliability degradation of the system and its subsystems under the current maintenance policy by a Weibull distribution. We then analytically determine the relation between reliability, availability, and maintenance costs. We validate the model against recorded reliability and availability and get further insights by a dedicated sensitivity analysis. The model is then used in a sequential optimization framework determining preventive maintenance intervals to improve on the key performance indicators. We show the potential of data-driven modelling to determine optimal maintenance policy: same system availability and reliability can be achieved with 30% maintenance cost reduction, by prolonging the intervals and re-grouping maintenance actions. PMID:29278245

Analysis of shape memory alloy sensory particles for damage detection via substructure and continuum damage modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bielefeldt, Brent R.; Benzerga, A. Amine; Hartl, Darren J.

2016-04-01

The ability to monitor and predict the structural health of an aircraft is of growing importance to the aerospace industry. Currently, structural inspections and maintenance are based upon experiences with similar aircraft operating in similar conditions. While effective, these methods are time-intensive and unnecessary if the aircraft is not in danger of structural failure. It is imagined that future aircraft will utilize non-destructive evaluation methods, allowing for the near real-time monitoring of structural health. A particularly interesting method involves utilizing the unique transformation response of shape memory alloy (SMA) particles embedded in an aircraft structure. By detecting changes in the mechanical and/or electromagnetic responses of embedded particles, operators could detect the formation or propagation of fatigue cracks in the vicinity of these particles. This work focuses on a finite element model of SMA particles embedded in an aircraft wing using a substructure modeling approach in which degrees of freedom are retained only at specified points of connection to other parts or the application of boundary conditions, greatly reducing computational cost. Previous work evaluated isolated particle response to a static crack to numerically demonstrate and validate this damage detection method. This paper presents the implementation of a damage model to account for crack propagation and examine for the first time the effect of particle configuration and/or relative placement with respect to the ability to detect damage.

Transportation and aging: a research agenda for advancing safe mobility.

PubMed

Dickerson, Anne E; Molnar, Lisa J; Eby, David W; Adler, Geri; Bédard, Michel; Berg-Weger, Marla; Classen, Sherrilene; Foley, Daniel; Horowitz, Amy; Kerschner, Helen; Page, Oliver; Silverstein, Nina M; Staplin, Loren; Trujillo, Leonard

2007-10-01

We review what we currently know about older driver safety and mobility, and we highlight important research needs in a number of key areas that hold promise for achieving the safety and mobility goals for the aging baby boomers and future generations of older drivers. Through the use of a framework for transportation and safe mobility, we describe key areas of screening and assessment, remediation and rehabilitation, vehicle design and modification, technological advancements, roadway design, transitioning to nondriving, and alternative transportation to meet the goals of crash prevention and mobility maintenance for older adults. Four cross-cutting themes emerged from this review: safe transportation for older adults is important; older adults have a variety of needs, abilities, and resources; research to help meet the transportation needs of older adults may be of benefit to persons with disabilities; and transportation issues concerning older adults are multifaceted. Safe mobility is essential to continued engagement in civic, social, and community life, and to the human interactions necessary for health, well-being, and quality of life. When safe driving is no longer possible for older adults, safe and practicable alternative transportation must be available. Furthermore, older adults are individuals; they have specific needs, abilities, and resources. Not all older adults will have difficulty meeting their transportation needs and no single transportation solution will work for all people. Research and countermeasures intended to help meet the transportation needs of older adults will likely also benefit younger users of the transportation system, particularly those with disabilities. The issues surrounding the maintenance of safe transportation for older adults will require an interdisciplinary research approach if we are to make significant progress in the next decade as the baby boomers begin to reach age 70.

Aircraft Structural Design Handbook for Lower Cost Maintenance and Repair

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-03-01

Structure Repair and Maintenance program under Air Force contract F33615-74-C-3101, Project No. 1368, Task No. 136802. The work was performed by...Interchangeability 6.4.5.3 Work Area Consideration 6.5 Life Cycle Cost Impact Considerati ons 6.5.1 Introduction 6.5.2 Objective 6.5.3 Life Cycle Cost...engine sonic vibration, ^auses working of the vane assemblies and their inboard and outboard attach members resulting in fatigue cracks. The constant

Elderly health beliefs, attitudes, and maintenance.

PubMed

Jensen, J; Counte, M A; Glandon, G L

1992-07-01

Why older persons engage in varying amounts of health maintenance activity is becoming both an increasingly important policy issue and a topic of interest to health services researchers. Such activity may help the elderly to delay the onset of the health-related problems associated with aging, maintain if not improve their functional abilities, and perhaps improve their quality of life. Using a conceptual model largely based upon the health belief model, this study sought to examine predictors of variability of health maintenance activity among older persons. The project included cross-sectional data drawn from the first phase of a multiyear panel study of elderly community residents. Results of ordinary least-squares and logistic regression analyses of seven types of health maintenance activity suggest that health beliefs are an important consideration but that other variables, namely, type of insurance plan and select sociodemographic factors, also had significant impacts. Another consistent finding was that each of the types of health maintenance activity was associated with different types of predictor variables. These findings suggest that in order for levels of health maintenance activity to be increased, intervention programs need to be targeted toward specific types of health beliefs and need to take into account the importance of social differences.

Soy lecithin replaces egg yolk for cryopreservation of human sperm without adversely affecting postthaw motility, morphology, sperm DNA integrity, or sperm binding to hyaluronate.

PubMed

Reed, Michael L; Ezeh, Peace C; Hamic, Amanda; Thompson, Douglas J; Caperton, Charles L

2009-11-01

Semen specimens (one ejaculate from each of 20 consenting study participants) were subjected to routine semen analysis, an in vitro sperm binding assay (HBA), and a sperm chromatin dispersion assay (HaloSperm), both before and after cryopreservation using cryoprotectant media supplemented with either egg yolk or soy lecithin. Comparing the equivalency of the two phospholipid cryopreservation supplements with regard to postthaw functional parameters demonstrated that there were no statistically significant differences between the two supplements for [1] recovery of motile sperm, [2] maintenance of sperm cell morphology, [3] maintenance of the ability of sperm to bind to hyaluronate in vitro, or [4] maintenance of sperm DNA integrity.

Saccharopolyspora Species: Laboratory Maintenance and Enhanced Production of Secondary Metabolites.

PubMed

Dhakal, Dipesh; Pokhrel, Anaya Raj; Jha, Amit Kumar; Thuan, Nguyen Huy; Sohng, Jae Kyung

2017-02-06

Saccharopolyspora spp. are aerobic, Gram-positive, non-acid-fast, and non-motile actinomycetes. Various species of the genus Saccharopolyspora have been reported with an ability to produce various bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical and agricultural uses. This unit includes general protocols for the laboratory maintenance of Saccharopolyspora species, including growth in liquid medium, growth on solid agar, long-term storage, and generation of a higher producer strain by mutagenesis. Saccharopolyspora spinosa ATCC 49460 is used as a prototype for explaining the considerations for efficient laboratory maintenance of Saccharopolyspora spp. Saccharopolyspora spinosa is a producer of spinosad, a prominent insecticide with selective activity against various insects. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Industrial relations: workings of the maintenance strike.

PubMed

Davidson, N

1978-11-10

The frustrations leading to the maintenance dispute go back four years. Author highlights the NHS's inability to handle internal disagreements, and the problems of a bureaucratic and politically-directed profession.

Working memory still needs verbal rehearsal.

PubMed

Lucidi, Annalisa; Langerock, Naomi; Hoareau, Violette; Lemaire, Benoît; Camos, Valérie; Barrouillet, Pierre

2016-02-01

The causal role of verbal rehearsal in working memory has recently been called into question. For example, the SOB-CS (Serial Order in a Box-Complex Span) model assumes that there is no maintenance process for the strengthening of items in working memory, but instead a process of removal of distractors that are involuntarily encoded and create interference with memory items. In the present study, we tested the idea that verbal working memory performance can be accounted for without assuming a causal role of the verbal rehearsal process. We demonstrate in two experiments using a complex span task and a Brown-Peterson paradigm that increasing the number of repetitions of the same distractor (the syllable ba that was read aloud at each of its occurrences on screen) has a detrimental effect on the concurrent maintenance of consonants whereas the maintenance of spatial locations remains unaffected. A detailed analysis of the tasks demonstrates that accounting for this effect within the SOB-CS model requires a series of unwarranted assumptions leading to undesirable further predictions contradicted by available experimental evidence. We argue that the hypothesis of a maintenance mechanism based on verbal rehearsal that is impeded by concurrent articulation still provides the simplest and most compelling account of our results.

Contribution to the Optimization of Strategy of Maintenance by Lean Six Sigma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Youssouf, Ayadi; Rachid, Chaib; Ion, Verzea

The efficiency of the maintenance of the industrial systems is a major economic stake for their business concern. The main difficulties and the sources of ineffectiveness live in the choice of the actions of maintenance especially when the machine plays a vital role in the process of production. But as Algeria has embarked on major infrastructure projects in transport, housing, automobile, manufacturing industry and construction (factories, housing, highway, subway, tram, etc.) requiring new implications on maintenance strategies that meet industry requirements imposed by the exploitation. From then on and seen the importance of the maintenance on the economic market and sound impacts on the performances of the installations, methods of optimization were developed. For this purpose, to ensure the survival of businesses, be credible, contributing and competitive in the market, maintenance services must continually adapt to the progress of technical areas, technological and organizational even help maintenance managers to construct or to modify maintenance strategies, objective of this work. Our contribution in this work focuses on the optimization of maintenance for industrial systems by the use of Lean six Sigma bases. Lean Six Sigma is a method of improving the quality and profitability based on mastering statically of process and it is also a management style that based on a highly regulated organization dedicated to managing project. The method is based on five main steps summarized in the acronym (DMAIC): Define Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. Application of the method on the maintenance processes with using maintenance methods during the five phases of the method will help to reduce costs and losses in order to strive for optimum results in terms of profit and quality.

Evaluation of methods for freeway operational analysis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-10-01

The ability to estimate accurately the operational performance of roadway segments has become increasingly critical as we move from a period of new construction into one of operations, maintenance, and, in some cases, reconstruction. In addition to m...

Pavement condition model based on automated pavement distress surveys.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

Many government agencies and private consulting companies must deal with the issue of : pavement maintenance. The ability to maintain an in-service pavement structure in : acceptable condition from structural and functional points of view is related ...

33 CFR 157.12c - Construction, maintenance, security, calibration, and training.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... seals or activation of another device, which indicates an entry to the equipment. (b) The seals must be... reading, and the ability to re-zero the instrument. (f) Ship staff training must include familiarization...

Public-private partnerships for transportation : a toolkit for legislators.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-10-01

A variety of factors have negatively affected states ability : to pay for necessary maintenance of transportation : infrastructure and to build new capacity to keep : pace with and encourage economic development and job : creation. These factors i...

Work ability score and future work ability as predictors of register-based disability pension and long-term sickness absence: A three-year follow-up study.

PubMed

Kinnunen, Ulla; Nätti, Jouko

2018-05-01

We investigated two single items of the Work Ability Index - work ability score, and future work ability - as predictors of register-based disability pension and long-term sickness absence over a three-year follow-up. Survey responses of 11,131 Finnish employees were linked to pension and long-term (more than 10 days) sickness absence register data by Statistics Finland. Work ability score was divided into poor (0-5), moderate (6-7) and good/excellent (8-10) and future work ability into poor (1-2) and good (3) work ability at baseline. Cox proportional hazard regressions were used in the analysis of disability pension, and a negative binomial model in the analysis of long-term sickness absence. The results were adjusted for several background, work- and health-related covariates. Compared with those with good/excellent work ability scores, the hazard ratios of disability pension after adjusting for all covariates were 9.84 (95% CI 6.68-14.49) for poor and 2.25 (CI 95% 1.51-3.35) for moderate work ability score. For future work ability, the hazard ratio was 8.19 (95% CI 4.71-14.23) among those with poor future work ability. The incidence rate ratios of accumulated long-term sickness absence days were 3.08 (95% CI 2.19-4.32) and 1.59 (95% CI 1.32-1.92) for poor and moderate work ability scores, and 1.51 (95% CI 0.97-2.36) for poor future work ability. The single items of work ability score and future work ability predicted register-based disability pension equally well, but work ability score was a better predictor of register-based long-term sickness absence days than future work ability in a three-year follow-up. Both items seem to be of use especially when examining the risk of poor work ability for disability but also for long sick leave.

[Effects of mental workload on work ability in primary and secondary school teachers].

PubMed

Xiao, Yuanmei; Li, Weijuan; Ren, Qingfeng; Ren, Xiaohui; Wang, Zhiming; Wang, Mianzhen; Lan, Yajia

2015-02-01

To investigate the change pattern of primary and secondary school teachers' work ability with the changes in their mental workload. A total of 901 primary and secondary school teachers were selected by random cluster sampling, and then their mental workload and work ability were assessed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) and Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaires, whose reliability and validity had been tested. The effects of their mental workload on the work ability were analyzed. Primary and secondary school teachers' work ability reached the highest level at a certain level of mental workload (55.73< mental workload ≤ 64.10). When their mental workload was lower than the level, their work ability had a positive correlation with the mental workload. Their work ability increased or maintained stable with the increasing mental workload. Moreover, the percentage of teachers with good work ability increased, while that of teachers with moderate work ability decreased. But when their mental workload was higher than the level, their work ability had a negative correlation with the mental workload. Their work ability significantly decreased with the increasing mental workload (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the percentage of teachers with good work ability decreased, while that of teachers with moderate work ability increased (P < 0.001). Too high or low mental workload will result in the decline of primary and secondary school teachers' work ability. Moderate mental workload (55.73∼64.10) will benefit the maintaining and stabilization of their work ability.

A Location Analysis Approach for Military Maintenance Scheduling with Geographically Dispersed Service Areas

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

activities within the patrol area. Maintenance of the Minuteman III weapon system requires maintenance and security teams travel to one or more of 150...launch facilities, all of which are geograph- ically isolated from major population centers. Travel time from F. E. Warren AFB, the main support base...the F. E. Warren AFB work center to make travel preparations, and ends after all maintenance actions are completed, or once the team arrives at one

Assessment of highway pavements using GPR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plati, Christina; Loizos, Andreas

2015-04-01

Highway infrastructure is a prerequisite for a functioning economy and social life. Highways, often prone to congestion and disruption, are one of the aspects of a modern transport network that require maximum efficiency if an integrated transport network, and sustainable mobility, is to be achieved. Assessing the condition of highway structures, to plan subsequent maintenance, is essential to allow the long-term functioning of a road network. Optimizing the methods used for such assessment will lead to better information being obtained about the road and underlying ground conditions. The condition of highway structures will be affected by a number of factors, including the properties of the highway pavement, the supporting sub-base and the subgrade (natural ground), and the ability to obtain good information about the entire road structure, from pavement to subgrade, allows appropriate maintenance programs to be planned. The maintenance of highway pavements causes considerable cost and in many cases obstruction to traffic flow. In this situation, methods that provide information on the present condition of pavement structure non-destructively and economically are of great interest. It has been shown that Ground-Penetrating-Radar (GPR), which is a Non Destructive Technique (NDT), can deliver information that is useful for the planning of pavement maintenance activities. More specifically GPR is used by pavement engineers in order to determine physical properties and characteristics of the pavement structure, information that is valuable for the assessment of pavement condition. This work gives an overview on the practical application of GPR using examples from highway asphalt pavements monitoring. The presented individual applications of GPR pavement diagnostics concern structure homogeneity, thickness of pavement layers, dielectric properties of asphalt materials etc. It is worthwhile mentioning that a number of applications are standard procedures, either separately or in combination with other NDT methods, but even for them there is still a room for improvement and there is still need to set stricter regulations Comparisons between radar results and ground truth data produce evidence in support of the statement that the accuracy and reliability of radar results is sufficient for facing many issues related to the evaluation of asphalt pavements. Thus, benefits and limits of this method are shown and recommendations for GPR inspections are presented. Acknowledgments: This work benefited from networking activities carried out within the EU funded COST Action TU1208 "Civil Engineering Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar."

Do TRPC channels support working memory? Comparing modulations of TRPC channels and working memory through G-protein coupled receptors and neuromodulators.

PubMed

Reboreda, Antonio; Theissen, Frederik M; Valero-Aracama, Maria J; Arboit, Alberto; Corbu, Mihaela A; Yoshida, Motoharu

2018-03-01

Working memory is a crucial ability we use in daily life. However, the cellular mechanisms supporting working memory still remain largely unclear. A key component of working memory is persistent neural firing which is believed to serve short-term (hundreds of milliseconds up to tens of seconds) maintenance of necessary information. In this review, we will focus on the role of transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channels as a mechanism underlying persistent firing. Many years of in vitro work have been suggesting a crucial role of TRPC channels in working memory and temporal association tasks. If TRPC channels are indeed a central mechanism for working memory, manipulations which impair or facilitate working memory should have a similar effect on TRPC channel modulation. However, modulations of working memory and TRPC channels were never systematically compared, and it remains unanswered whether TRPC channels indeed contribute to working memory in vivo or not. In this article, we review the effects of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) and neuromodulators, including acetylcholine, noradrenalin, serotonin and dopamine, on working memory and TRPC channels. Based on comparisons, we argue that GPCR and downstream signaling pathways that activate TRPC, generally support working memory, while those that suppress TRPC channels impair it. However, depending on the channel types, areas, and systems tested, this is not the case in all studies. Further work to clarify involvement of specific TRPC channels in working memory tasks and how they are affected by neuromodulators is still necessary in the future. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The air transportation industry birthplace of reliability-centered maintenance

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

Matteson, T.D.

1996-08-01

The 1980s and 1970s provided a timely opportunity for examining and radically changing the process called {open_quotes}preventive maintenance{close_quotes} as it is applied to the aircraft used for scheduled air transportation. The Federal Aviation Administration and four major airlines, United, American, Pan American and Trans World, were the {open_quotes}principals{close_quotes} in that process. While United`s work with the FAA on the Boeing 737 had opened the door a crack, the Boeing 747 presented a major opportunity to radically improve the process for maintenance program design. That program was guided by the results of United`s analyses of failure data from operations of severalmore » fleets, each larger than 100 aircraft, and the concurrent experience of American, Pan American and Trans World. That knowledge provided the insights necessary to support an entirely different approach to maintenance program design. As a result, while United`s existing maintenance program required scheduled overhaul of 339 items on each DC-8, it required overhaul of only 8 items on the B-7471 Although the initial thrust of that work focused on components of active systems, there was concurrent work focused on items whose principal function was to carry the loads associated with operations. That program focused on the classification of structurally-significant items and their classification as {open_quotes}safe life{close_quotes} or {open_quotes}damage tolerant{close_quote} to determine what periodic replacements or repeated inspections were required. That work came to the attention of the Department of Defense which supported preparation of the book-length report by F. Stanley Nowlan and Howard F. Heap at United Airlines entitled {open_quote}Reliability-Centered maintenance{close_quotes}.« less

77 FR 30473 - Notice of Intent To Revise Stormwater Regulations To Specify That an NPDES Permit Is Not Required...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-23

... submit for approval by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) a Road Maintenance and... potential road maintenance problems. While the program is enforceable, the state focuses first on technical... the maintenance of roads within and near the public lands and perform that work, in part, by...

43 CFR 3835.11 - What special filing and reporting requirements pertain to the different types of waivers?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... maintenance fee to maintain your claim during that assessment year; (iii) Assessment work was deferred for... MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) WAIVERS FROM ANNUAL MAINTENANCE FEES Filing Requirements § 3835.11 What special... the annual maintenance fee. (e) Contest actions. If the Secretary contests your mining claim or site...

43 CFR 3835.11 - What special filing and reporting requirements pertain to the different types of waivers?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... maintenance fee to maintain your claim during that assessment year; (iii) Assessment work was deferred for... MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) WAIVERS FROM ANNUAL MAINTENANCE FEES Filing Requirements § 3835.11 What special... the annual maintenance fee. (e) Contest actions. If the Secretary contests your mining claim or site...

43 CFR 3835.11 - What special filing and reporting requirements pertain to the different types of waivers?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... maintenance fee to maintain your claim during that assessment year; (iii) Assessment work was deferred for... MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) WAIVERS FROM ANNUAL MAINTENANCE FEES Filing Requirements § 3835.11 What special... the annual maintenance fee. (e) Contest actions. If the Secretary contests your mining claim or site...

43 CFR 3835.11 - What special filing and reporting requirements pertain to the different types of waivers?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... maintenance fee to maintain your claim during that assessment year; (iii) Assessment work was deferred for... MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) WAIVERS FROM ANNUAL MAINTENANCE FEES Filing Requirements § 3835.11 What special... the annual maintenance fee. (e) Contest actions. If the Secretary contests your mining claim or site...

Dual-task interference in visual working memory: A limitation in storage capacity but not in encoding or retrieval

PubMed Central

Fougnie, Daryl; Marois, René

2009-01-01

The concurrent maintenance of two visual working memory (VWM) arrays can lead to profound interference. It is unclear, however, whether these costs arise from limitations in VWM storage capacity (Fougnie & Marois, 2006), or from interference between the storage of one visual array and encoding or retrieval of another visual array (Cowan & Morey, 2007). Here, we show that encoding a VWM array does not interfere with maintenance of another VWM array unless the two displays exceed maintenance capacity (Experiments 1 and 2). Moreover, manipulating the extent to which encoding and maintenance can interfere with one another had no discernable effect on dual-task performance (Experiment 2). Finally, maintenance of a VWM array was not affected by retrieval of information from another VWM array (Experiment 3). Taken together, these findings demonstrate that dual-task interference between two concurrent VWM tasks is due to a capacity-limited store that is independent from encoding and retrieval processes. PMID:19933566

Attentional and non-attentional systems in the maintenance of verbal information in working memory: the executive and phonological loops

PubMed Central

Camos, Valérie; Barrouillet, Pierre

2014-01-01

Working memory is the structure devoted to the maintenance of information at short term during concurrent processing activities. In this respect, the question regarding the nature of the mechanisms and systems fulfilling this maintenance function is of particular importance and has received various responses in the recent past. In the time-based resource-sharing (TBRS) model, we suggest that only two systems sustain the maintenance of information at the short term, counteracting the deleterious effect of temporal decay and interference. A non-attentional mechanism of verbal rehearsal, similar to the one described by Baddeley in the phonological loop model, uses language processes to reactivate phonological memory traces. Besides this domain-specific mechanism, an executive loop allows the reconstruction of memory traces through an attention-based mechanism of refreshing. The present paper reviews evidence of the involvement of these two independent systems in the maintenance of verbal memory items. PMID:25426049

29 CFR 1915.15 - Maintenance of safe conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres in Shipyard Employment § 1915.15 Maintenance of safe... within a tested confined or enclosed space or other dangerous atmosphere occurs, work in the affected...

29 CFR 1915.15 - Maintenance of safe conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres in Shipyard Employment § 1915.15 Maintenance of safe... within a tested confined or enclosed space or other dangerous atmosphere occurs, work in the affected...

29 CFR 1915.15 - Maintenance of safe conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres in Shipyard Employment § 1915.15 Maintenance of safe... within a tested confined or enclosed space or other dangerous atmosphere occurs, work in the affected...

A Meta-Analysis Of Corrosion Studies for Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

performed onsite. Aircraft rating was based upon the presence and/or extent of paint adhesion, paint cracking , clean ability, fluid damage, oxidation...because of corrosion control maintenance. No significant issues were observed related to paint cracking , fluid damage, corrosion, and clean ability of...HEXAMETHYLENEDIISOCYANATE 822-06-0 83194 X-310A; POLYURETHANE CATALYST XYLENE 1330-20-7 82649 X-530; HS EPOXY ENAMEL CURING SOLUTION BUTANOL 71-36-3

Relations between Short-term Memory Deficits, Semantic Processing, and Executive Function

PubMed Central

Allen, Corinne M.; Martin, Randi C.; Martin, Nadine

2012-01-01

Background Previous research has suggested separable short-term memory (STM) buffers for the maintenance of phonological and lexical-semantic information, as some patients with aphasia show better ability to retain semantic than phonological information and others show the reverse. Recently, researchers have proposed that deficits to the maintenance of semantic information in STM are related to executive control abilities. Aims The present study investigated the relationship of executive function abilities with semantic and phonological short-term memory (STM) and semantic processing in such patients, as some previous research has suggested that semantic STM deficits and semantic processing abilities are critically related to specific or general executive function deficits. Method and Procedures 20 patients with aphasia and STM deficits were tested on measures of short-term retention, semantic processing, and both complex and simple executive function tasks. Outcome and Results In correlational analyses, we found no relation between semantic STM and performance on simple or complex executive function tasks. In contrast, phonological STM was related to executive function performance in tasks that had a verbal component, suggesting that performance in some executive function tasks depends on maintaining or rehearsing phonological codes. Although semantic STM was not related to executive function ability, performance on semantic processing tasks was related to executive function, perhaps due to similar executive task requirements in both semantic processing and executive function tasks. Conclusions Implications for treatment and interpretations of executive deficits are discussed. PMID:22736889

Risk mitigation strategies for operations and maintenance activities.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-04-01

The objective of this research was to investigate the application of integrated risk modeling to operations and maintenance activities, specifically moving operations, such as pavement testing, pavement marking, painting, snow removal, shoulder work,...

Fact Sheet: Roles and Responsibilities of One EPA Web Editors-in-Chief (EICs)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Skills and abilities expected of EICs include project management, communication, leadership, and problem solving. The EIC is responsible to serve as the lead for their web topic, and coordinate content development and maintenance.

Effects of Scene-Linked Symbology on Flight Performance

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

Previous research has shown that the presence of aircraft head-up display (HUD) : symbology indicating altitude improves maintenance of altitude, but at a cost : to (ground) path-following ability. We term this the altitude/path performance : trade-o...

Current and anticipated uses of the thermal hydraulics codes at the NRC

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

Caruso, R.

1997-07-01

The focus of Thermal-Hydraulic computer code usage in nuclear regulatory organizations has undergone a considerable shift since the codes were originally conceived. Less work is being done in the area of {open_quotes}Design Basis Accidents,{close_quotes}, and much more emphasis is being placed on analysis of operational events, probabalistic risk/safety assessment, and maintenance practices. All of these areas need support from Thermal-Hydraulic computer codes to model the behavior of plant fluid systems, and they all need the ability to perform large numbers of analyses quickly. It is therefore important for the T/H codes of the future to be able to support thesemore » needs, by providing robust, easy-to-use, tools that produce easy-to understand results for a wider community of nuclear professionals. These tools need to take advantage of the great advances that have occurred recently in computer software, by providing users with graphical user interfaces for both input and output. In addition, reduced costs of computer memory and other hardware have removed the need for excessively complex data structures and numerical schemes, which make the codes more difficult and expensive to modify, maintain, and debug, and which increase problem run-times. Future versions of the T/H codes should also be structured in a modular fashion, to allow for the easy incorporation of new correlations, models, or features, and to simplify maintenance and testing. Finally, it is important that future T/H code developers work closely with the code user community, to ensure that the code meet the needs of those users.« less

Experiences of nurses on the critical shortage of medical equipment at a rural district hospital in South Africa: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Moyimane, Merriam Bautile; Matlala, Sogo France; Kekana, Mokoko Percy

2017-01-01

Medical equipment is an essential health intervention tool used by nurses for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease and for rehabilitation of patients. However, access to functioning medical equipment is a challenge in low- and middle-income countries. The World Health Organization estimated that 50 to 80 percent of medical equipment in developing countries is not working, creating a barrier to the ability of the health system to deliver health services to patients. This study explored and described the lived experiences of nurses working at a district hospital with a critical shortage of medical equipment. A qualitative, exploratory, phenomenological and descriptive study design was used. A purposive sampling was used to select participants and due to saturation of data 14 nurses participated in the study. Research ethics were observed. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews using an interview guide. Interviews were audio-taped and field notes were taken. Voice recordings were transcribed verbatim and Tesch's open coding method was used for data analysis. Findings were confirmed by an independent coder. Critical shortage of medical equipment at the hospital occurred in the form of unavailability of equipment, low quality and poor maintenance of the few that were available. Shortage impacted negatively on nursing care, nursing profession and the hospital. Nurses should be provided with functional medical equipment in order to provide quality nursing care. Management, leadership and governance structures should be strengthened to ensure that procurement and maintenance plans for medical equipment are developed and implemented.

Experiences of nurses on the critical shortage of medical equipment at a rural district hospital in South Africa: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Moyimane, Merriam Bautile; Matlala, Sogo France; Kekana, Mokoko Percy

2017-01-01

Introduction Medical equipment is an essential health intervention tool used by nurses for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease and for rehabilitation of patients. However, access to functioning medical equipment is a challenge in low- and middle-income countries. The World Health Organization estimated that 50 to 80 percent of medical equipment in developing countries is not working, creating a barrier to the ability of the health system to deliver health services to patients. This study explored and described the lived experiences of nurses working at a district hospital with a critical shortage of medical equipment. Methods A qualitative, exploratory, phenomenological and descriptive study design was used. A purposive sampling was used to select participants and due to saturation of data 14 nurses participated in the study. Research ethics were observed. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews using an interview guide. Interviews were audio-taped and field notes were taken. Voice recordings were transcribed verbatim and Tesch’s open coding method was used for data analysis. Findings were confirmed by an independent coder. Results Critical shortage of medical equipment at the hospital occurred in the form of unavailability of equipment, low quality and poor maintenance of the few that were available. Shortage impacted negatively on nursing care, nursing profession and the hospital. Conclusion Nurses should be provided with functional medical equipment in order to provide quality nursing care. Management, leadership and governance structures should be strengthened to ensure that procurement and maintenance plans for medical equipment are developed and implemented. PMID:29515718

The use of a combination of instrumental methods to assess change in sensory crispness during storage of a "Honeycrisp" apple breeding family.

PubMed

Chang, Hsueh-Yuan; Vickers, Zata M; Tong, Cindy B S

2018-04-01

Loss of crispness in apple fruit during storage reduces the fruit's fresh sensation and consumer acceptance. Apple varieties that maintain crispness thus have higher potential for longer-term consumer appeal. To efficiently phenotype crispness, several instrumental methods have been tested, but variable results were obtained when different apple varieties were assayed. To extend these studies, we assessed the extent to which instrumental measurements correlate to and predict sensory crispness, with a focus on crispness maintenance. We used an apple breeding family derived from a cross between "Honeycrisp" and "MN1764," which segregates for crispness maintenance. Three types of instrumental measurements (puncture, snapping, and mechanical-acoustic tests) and sensory evaluation were performed on fruit at harvest and after 8 weeks of cold storage. Overall, 20 genotypes from the family and the 2 parents were characterized by 19 force and acoustic measures. In general, crispness was more related to force than to acoustic measures. Force linear distance and maximum force as measured by the mechanical-acoustic test were best correlated with sensory crispness and change in crispness, respectively. The correlations varied by apple genotype. The best multiple linear regression model to predict change in sensory crispness between harvest and storage of fruit of this breeding family incorporated both force and acoustic measures. This work compared the abilities of instrumental tests to predict sensory crispness maintenance of apple fruit. The use of an instrumental method that is highly correlated to sensory crispness evaluation can enhance the efficiency and reduce the cost of measuring crispness for breeding purposes. This study showed that sensory crispness and change in crispness after storage of an apple breeding family were reliably predicted with a combination of instrumental measurements and multiple variable analyses. The strategy potentially can be applied to other apple varieties for more accurate interpretation of crispness maintenance measured instrumentally. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Self-reported work ability and work performance in workers with chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain.

PubMed

de Vries, Haitze J; Reneman, Michiel F; Groothoff, Johan W; Geertzen, Jan H B; Brouwer, Sandra

2013-03-01

To assess self-reported work ability and work performance of workers who stay at work despite chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain (CMP), and to explore which variables were associated with these outcomes. In a cross-sectional study we assessed work ability (Work Ability Index, single item scale 0-10) and work performance (Health and Work Performance Questionnaire, scale 0-10) among 119 workers who continued work while having CMP. Scores of work ability and work performance were categorized into excellent (10), good (9), moderate (8) and poor (0-7). Hierarchical multiple regression and logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relation of socio-demographic, pain-related, personal- and work-related variables with work ability and work performance. Mean work ability and work performance were 7.1 and 7.7 (poor to moderate). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that higher work ability scores were associated with lower age, better general health perception, and higher pain self-efficacy beliefs (R(2) = 42 %). Higher work performance was associated with lower age, higher pain self-efficacy beliefs, lower physical work demand category and part-time work (R(2) = 37 %). Logistic regression analysis revealed that work ability ≥8 was significantly explained by age (OR = 0.90), general health perception (OR = 1.04) and pain self-efficacy (OR = 1.15). Work performance ≥8 was explained by pain self-efficacy (OR = 1.11). Many workers with CMP who stay at work report poor to moderate work ability and work performance. Our findings suggest that a subgroup of workers with CMP can stay at work with high work ability and performance, especially when they have high beliefs of pain self-efficacy. Our results further show that not the pain itself, but personal and work-related factors relate to work ability and work performance.

Power Grid Maintenance Scheduling Intelligence Arrangement Supporting System Based on Power Flow Forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Chang; Wen, Jing; Liu, Wenying; Wang, Jiaming

With the development of intelligent dispatching, the intelligence level of network control center full-service urgent need to raise. As an important daily work of network control center, the application of maintenance scheduling intelligent arrangement to achieve high-quality and safety operation of power grid is very important. By analyzing the shortages of the traditional maintenance scheduling software, this paper designs a power grid maintenance scheduling intelligence arrangement supporting system based on power flow forecasting, which uses the advanced technologies in maintenance scheduling, such as artificial intelligence, online security checking, intelligent visualization techniques. It implements the online security checking of maintenance scheduling based on power flow forecasting and power flow adjusting based on visualization, in order to make the maintenance scheduling arrangement moreintelligent and visual.

The Development of Memory Maintenance: Children's Use of Phonological Rehearsal and Attentional Refreshment in Working Memory Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tam, Helen; Jarrold, Christopher; Baddeley, Alan D.; Sabatos-DeVito, Maura

2010-01-01

Past research suggests that children begin to phonologically rehearse at around 7 years of age. Less is known regarding the development of refreshment, an attention-based maintenance mechanism. Therefore, the use of these two maintenance methods by 6- and 8-year-olds was assessed using memory span tasks that varied in their opportunities for…

Automotive Body Sheet Metal Maintenance I; Automotive Body Repair and Refinishing 1: 9033.05.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

The automotive body sheet metal maintenance course is an exploratory course in the use of all sheet metal working and equipment common to this trade area. Included are techniques of diagnosis of damage and repair. Emphasized is the proper use of tools and fabrication methods used in automotive body maintenance and repair. This nine week course…

RIGHT ENGINE MAINTENANCE ON BOEING 737200. THE COWLING OF THE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

RIGHT ENGINE MAINTENANCE ON BOEING 737-200. THE COWLING OF THE RIGHT ENGINE IS OPEN, AND THE CREW IS WORKING ON THE JACK SCREWS THAT REGULATE THE FLAPS. MECHANICS WILL CHANGE ALL FUEL AND OIL FILTERS AS WELL AS CHECKING CHIP DETECTORS FOR METAL PARTICLES THAT INDICATE BEARING FAILURE. - Greater Buffalo International Airport, Maintenance Hangar, Buffalo, Erie County, NY

Reverse osmosis plant maintenance and efficacy in chronic kidney disease endemic region in Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Jayasumana, Channa; Ranasinghe, Omesh; Ranasinghe, Sachini; Siriwardhana, Imalka; Gunatilake, Sarath; Siribaddana, Sisira

2016-11-01

Chronic Interstitial Nephritis in Agricultural Communities (CINAC) causes major morbidity and mortality for farmers in North-Central province (NCP) of Sri Lanka. To prevent the CINAC, reverse osmosis (RO) plants are established to purify the water and reduce the exposure to possible nephrotoxins through drinking water. We assessed RO plant maintenance and efficacy in NCP. We have interviewed 10 RO plant operators on plant establishment, maintenance, usage and funding. We also measured total dissolved solids (TDS in ppm) to assess the efficacy of the RO process. Most RO plants were operated by community-based organizations. They provide clean and sustainable water source for many in the NCP for a nominal fee, which tends to be variable. The RO plant operators carry out RO plant maintenance. However, maintenance procedures and quality management practices tend to vary from an operator to another. RO process itself has the ability to lower the TDS of the water. On average, RO process reduces the TDS to 29 ppm. The RO process reduces the impurities in water available to many individuals within CINAC endemic regions. However, there variation in maintenance, quality management, and day-to-day care between operators can be a cause for concern. This variability can affect the quality of water produced by RO plant, its maintenance cost and lifespan. Thus, uniform regulation and training is needed to reduce cost of maintenance and increase the efficacy of RO plants.

Is it a Case of "Work-Anxiety" When Patients Report Bad Workplace Characteristics and Low Work Ability?

PubMed

Muschalla, Beate

2017-03-01

Aims Work-anxiety may produce overly negative views of the workplace that impair provider efforts to assess work ability from patient self-report. This study explores the empirical relationships between patient-reported workplace characteristics, work-anxiety, and subjective and objective work ability measures. Methods 125 patients in medical rehabilitation before vocational reintegration were interviewed concerning their vocational situation, and filled in a questionnaire on work-anxiety, subjective mental work ability and perceived workplace characteristics. Treating physicians gave independent socio-medical judgments concerning the patients' work ability and impairment, and need for supportive means for vocational reintegration. Results Patients with high work-anxiety reported more negative workplace characteristics. Low judgments of work ability were correlated with problematic workplace characteristics. When controlled for work-anxiety, subjective work ability remained related only with social workplace characteristics and with work achievement demands, but independent from situational or task characteristics. Sick leave duration and physicians' judgment of work ability were not significantly related to patient-reported workplace characteristics. Conclusions In socio-medical work ability assessments, patients with high work-anxiety may over-report negative workplace characteristics that can confound provider estimates of work ability. Assessing work-anxiety may be important to assess readiness for returning to work and initiating work-directed treatments.

Effects of psychosocial work factors and psychological distress on self-assessed work ability: A 7-year follow-up in a general working population.

PubMed

Leijon, Ola; Balliu, Natalja; Lundin, Andreas; Vaez, Marjan; Kjellberg, Katarina; Hemmingsson, Tomas

2017-01-01

Toinvestigate the effects of psychosocial work factors (PWF) and psychological distress (PD) on self-assessed work ability. This follow-up study included 7,810 individuals (55%women) with good work ability at baseline. PWFandPD (measured by GHQ-12) were assessed at baseline and work ability at 7-year follow-up. Effects of PWF and PD on work ability were analyzed by logistic regression, odds ratios (OR) with 95% CI, and by mediation analysisusing 4-way decomposition. Low support was associated with poor work ability for both women and men (OR 1.78 and 1.89). For men, also low skill discretion was associated with poor work ability (OR 2.07). For both women and men, PD was associated with poor work ability (OR 3.41 and 1.84). PD did not act as an intermediate variablein the association between PWF and work ability. Strategies for sustainable work ability should focus on both working conditions and health factors. Am. J. Ind. Med. 60:121-130, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Balanced Cortical Microcircuitry for Spatial Working Memory Based on Corrective Feedback Control

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

A hallmark of working memory is the ability to maintain graded representations of both the spatial location and amplitude of a memorized stimulus. Previous work has identified a neural correlate of spatial working memory in the persistent maintenance of spatially specific patterns of neural activity. How such activity is maintained by neocortical circuits remains unknown. Traditional models of working memory maintain analog representations of either the spatial location or the amplitude of a stimulus, but not both. Furthermore, although most previous models require local excitation and lateral inhibition to maintain spatially localized persistent activity stably, the substrate for lateral inhibitory feedback pathways is unclear. Here, we suggest an alternative model for spatial working memory that is capable of maintaining analog representations of both the spatial location and amplitude of a stimulus, and that does not rely on long-range feedback inhibition. The model consists of a functionally columnar network of recurrently connected excitatory and inhibitory neural populations. When excitation and inhibition are balanced in strength but offset in time, drifts in activity trigger spatially specific negative feedback that corrects memory decay. The resulting networks can temporally integrate inputs at any spatial location, are robust against many commonly considered perturbations in network parameters, and, when implemented in a spiking model, generate irregular neural firing characteristic of that observed experimentally during persistent activity. This work suggests balanced excitatory–inhibitory memory circuits implementing corrective negative feedback as a substrate for spatial working memory. PMID:24828633

Evaluation of substitute diets for live algae in the captive maintenance of adult and subadult unionidae

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nichols, S. Jerrine; Garling, D.

2002-01-01

Ten nonlive algal diets were evaluated as potential broodstock diets for adult and subadult unionids. These diets varied significantly in their ability to support growth, reproduction and survival. Growth, increase in glycogen stores, and limited glochidial formation were seen in most unionid species on two of the diets. However, long-term survival (>3 y) remained problematic, and the cause of mortality in these animals could not be determined. While two of the diets tested are potentially useful for supplemental feeding of adult unionids to increase glycogen levels during quarantine, or during short-term captive maintenance in the laboratory, none can be recommended without reservation for long-term maintenance because of the lack of survival after three years during this study.

Determinants of work ability and its predictive value for disability.

PubMed

Alavinia, S M; de Boer, A G E M; van Duivenbooden, J C; Frings-Dresen, M H W; Burdorf, A

2009-01-01

Maintaining the ability of workers to cope with physical and psychosocial demands at work becomes increasingly important in prolonging working life. To analyse the effects of work-related factors and individual characteristics on work ability and to determine the predictive value of work ability on receiving a work-related disability pension. A longitudinal study was conducted among 850 construction workers aged 40 years and older, with average follow-up period of 23 months. Disability was defined as receiving a disability pension, granted to workers unable to continue working in their regular job. Work ability was assessed using the work ability index (WAI). Associations between work-related factors and individual characteristics with work ability at baseline were evaluated using linear regression analysis, and Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of work ability for disability. Work-related factors were associated with a lower work ability at baseline, but had little prognostic value for disability during follow-up. The hazard ratios for disability among workers with a moderate and poor work ability at baseline were 8 and 32, respectively. All separate scales in the WAI had predictive power for future disability with the highest influence of current work ability in relation to job demands and lowest influence of diseases diagnosed by a physician. A moderate or poor work ability was highly predictive for receiving a disability pension. Preventive measures should facilitate a good balance between work performance and health in order to prevent quitting labour participation.

If-then contingencies and the differential effects of the availability of an attractive alternative on relationship maintenance for men and women.

PubMed

Lydon, John E; Menzies-Toman, Danielle; Burton, Kimberly; Bell, Chris

2008-07-01

In 7 experiments, the causal effects of the availability of an attractive alternative (AA) relationship partner on current relationship thoughts and intentions were tested using confederates, mental simulations, and virtual reality. Men behaved consistent with traditional relationship-commitment theories, showing decreased willingness to tolerate their partner's transgressions after the availability of an AA was made salient. However, consistent with a motivated cognition approach to commitment and work on relational self-construals, women increased their tolerance when presented with the relationship threat of an alternative. Word-fragment and lexical decision data suggested that AAs may activate threat for women, and their ability to dampen threat accessibility is associated with prorelationship responses. Finally, this "if relationship is threatened, then defend the relationship" contingency was induced in men with an implementation intention induction.

Inbreeding, energy use and condition.

PubMed

Ketola, T; Kotiaho, J S

2009-04-01

In energetic terms, fitness may be seen to be dependent on successful allocation of energy between life-history traits. In addition, fitness will be constrained by the energy allocation ability, which has also been defined as condition. We suggest here that the allocation ability, estimated as the difference between total energy budget and maintenance metabolism, may be used as a measure of condition. We studied this possibility by measuring the resting metabolic rate and metabolism during forced exercise in Gryllodes sigillatus crickets. To verify that these metabolic traits are closely related to fitness, we experimentally manipulated the degree of inbreeding of individuals belonging to the same pedigree, hence enabling analysis of both inbreeding depression and heritability of traits. We found that inbreeding increased maintenance metabolism, whereas total energy budget was rather insensitive to inbreeding. Despite this, inbreeding led to decreased allocation ability. Overall, metabolic traits exhibited strong inbreeding depression and rather low heritabilities, a pattern that is typical of traits under strong selection. However, traditionally used condition indices were not affected by inbreeding and did not covary with metabolic traits. Moreover, in contrast to the common, but largely untested, tenet, it seems that high resting metabolic rate is indicative of low rather than high quality.

Rural public transportation technologies : user needs and applications

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-09-01

Rural Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) have the ability to meet the needs of travelers in and through rural areas as well as the needs of agencies responsible for the operation and maintenance of rural transportation systems. To assist in the...

Moving Species Redundancy Toward a More Predictive Framework

EPA Science Inventory

Human activities are driving rapid changes in species diversity in a wide range of habitats globally. These changes in species diversity raise questions about the ability of altered systems to continue to offer valuable ecosystem services. Maintenance of ecosystem services unde...

Development of hospital nurses' work ability over a 2 year period.

PubMed

Boschman, J S; Nieuwenhuijsen, K; Frings-Dresen, M H W; Sluiter, J K

2015-10-01

A new approach to the study of work ability is an individually oriented approach. This approach increases our understanding of how work ability develops over time among individuals with a different level of work ability. To increase knowledge about individuals' work ability trajectories by studying hospital nurses' development of work ability over a 2 year period and factors associated with these trajectories. We used a data set of a prospective cohort study of hospital nurses, which was surveyed for 2 years by means of three questionnaires on work characteristics, health and work ability. The outcome variable was the general work ability trajectory over the course of 2 years (favourable/unfavourable). The predictors were the individual, physical and mental work ability and health characteristics at baseline. A multivariate backwards stepwise logistic regression analysis was used. Of 572 nurses in the cohort, nearly one-third (31%, 179/572) showed an unfavourable general work ability trajectory. Low physical work ability (odds ratio (OR) 1.82; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.12-2.95) and high level of fatigue (OR 1.52; 95% CI 0.97-2.40) at baseline were predictors for the unfavourable course of self-reported general work ability. A substantial proportion of this cohort of hospital nurses experienced a reduction in work ability over the course of 2 years. Baseline physical work ability and level of fatigue were related to this. The next step is to address these factors when counselling nurses and evaluate the effect of interventions aimed at improving physical work ability and reducing fatigue. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

[The composition of lipids and lipid peroxidation in the pancreas of quails exposed to nitrates and correction by the amaranth's seeds].

PubMed

Tsekhmistrenko, S I; Ponomarenko, N V

2013-01-01

Researches of features of lipid composition, functioning of the system of antioxidant defense, maintenance of lipid peroxidation products in the quail's pancreas on the early postnatal ontogenesis stages are conducted for actions of nitrates and feeding with amaranth's seeds in mixed fodder. The arrival of nitrates in the organism of quails results in the decline of general lipids maintenance and nonetherified fat acids in the pancreas. Using of amaranth's seeds in mixed fodder on the background of the nitrate loading results in the increase of activity of the enzimes system of antioxidant defence, the growth of general lipid level in the quail's pancreas. Thus in correlation with separate classes of lipid maintenance of cholesterol goes down for certain, whereas the maintenance of triacylglycerols and ethers of cholesterol rises. The results obtained in the researches show the ability of amaranth's seeds to avert oxidative stress in quail's pancreas under nitrates influence.

What parts of a house and yard landscape are homeowners maintaining for wildfire safety?

Treesearch

Christine Vogt; Sarah McCaffrey; Greg Winter

2010-01-01

Homeownership can be a lot of work. Interior maintenance and housekeeping; outdoor maintenance and weekly yard work–all part of the drill. The investment of time and money can be substantial depending on the size and condition of the home and acreage, or the amount of vegetation, including deciduous trees and other woody matter in a yard. Homeowners in high fire risk...

Working Memory Updating Latency Reflects the Cost of Switching between Maintenance and Updating Modes of Operation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kessler, Yoav; Oberauer, Klaus

2014-01-01

Updating and maintenance of information are 2 conflicting demands on working memory (WM). We examined the time required to update WM (updating latency) as a function of the sequence of updated and not-updated items within a list. Participants held a list of items in WM and updated a variable subset of them in each trial. Four experiments that vary…

Contribution of psychological, social, and mechanical work exposures to low work ability: a prospective study.

PubMed

Emberland, Jan S; Knardahl, Stein

2015-03-01

To determine the contribution of specific psychological, social, and mechanical work exposures to the self-reported low level of work ability. Employees from 48 organizations were surveyed over a 2-year period (n = 3779). Changes in 16 work exposures and 3 work ability measures-the work ability index score, perceived current, and future work ability-were tested with Spearman rank correlations. Binary logistic regressions were run to determine contribution of work exposures to low work ability. Role conflict, human resource primacy, and positive challenge were the most consistent predictors of low work ability across test designs. Role clarity and fair leadership were less consistent but prominent predictors. Mechanical exposures were not predictive. To protect employee work ability, work place interventions would benefit from focusing on reducing role conflicts and on promoting positive challenges and human resource primacy.

Who succeeds in maintaining weight loss? A conceptual review of factors associated with weight loss maintenance and weight regain.

PubMed

Elfhag, K; Rössner, S

2005-02-01

Weight loss is difficult to achieve and maintaining the weight loss is an even greater challenge. The identification of factors associated with weight loss maintenance can enhance our understanding for the behaviours and prerequisites that are crucial in sustaining a lowered body weight. In this paper we have reviewed the literature on factors associated with weight loss maintenance and weight regain. We have used a definition of weight maintenance implying intentional weight loss that has subsequently been maintained for at least 6 months. According to our review, successful weight maintenance is associated with more initial weight loss, reaching a self-determined goal weight, having a physically active lifestyle, a regular meal rhythm including breakfast and healthier eating, control of over-eating and self-monitoring of behaviours. Weight maintenance is further associated with an internal motivation to lose weight, social support, better coping strategies and ability to handle life stress, self-efficacy, autonomy, assuming responsibility in life, and overall more psychological strength and stability. Factors that may pose a risk for weight regain include a history of weight cycling, disinhibited eating, binge eating, more hunger, eating in response to negative emotions and stress, and more passive reactions to problems.

[Impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders on work ability among workers].

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Huang, Chunping; Lan, Yajia; Wang, Mianzhen; Shu, Liping; Zhang, Wenhui; Yu, Long; Yao, Shengcai; Liao, Yunhua

2015-04-01

To assess the impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) on work ability among workers. A total of 1686 workers in various occupations, such as administration and education, were enrolled as subjects using the random cluster sampling method. The WRMDs and work ability of all subjects were evaluated using standardized Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms and the Work Ability Index (WAI) scale, respectively. Comparison of work ability and its classification between the disease group and the non-disease group was performed by paired t test, RxC table χ2 test, and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The relationship between work duration and work ability was analyzed by the Spearman correlation test and a multi-level model. (1). The work ability of workers in the disease group was significantly lower than that in the non-disease group (P<0.0 1). (2) There were significant differences in work ability between workers with different work durations (<10 years, 10-20 years, and ≥20 years) (F=22.124, P< 0.01). With the increase in work duration, the work ability of workers declined in both groups, and the work ability of workers in the disease group (Spearman coefficient rs=-0. 172, P<0.01) had a more significant decline than that in the non-disease group (Spearman coefficient rs=-0.104, P<0.01). WRMDs were important risk factors for the decrease in work ability among workers. (3) There were significant differences in constituent ratios and levels of work ability classification between the disease group and the non-disease group (χ2=121.097, P<0.01; Z=-10.699, P<0.01). The proportions of workers with poor and medium work ability in the disease group were significantly higher than those in the non-disease group, while the proportion of works with excellent work ability in the disease group was significantly lower than that in the non-disease group. The similar characteristics in constituent ratios and levels of work ability classification could be found between the disease group and the non- disease group in various occupations (P<0.01). WRMDs have a harmful effect on the work ability of workers, and the work ability of workers substantially declines with the increase in exposure time (work duration).

[Medical Equipment Maintenance Methods].

PubMed

Liu, Hongbin

2015-09-01

Due to the high technology and the complexity of medical equipment, as well as to the safety and effectiveness, it determines the high requirements of the medical equipment maintenance work. This paper introduces some basic methods of medical instrument maintenance, including fault tree analysis, node method and exclusive method which are the three important methods in the medical equipment maintenance, through using these three methods for the instruments that have circuit drawings, hardware breakdown maintenance can be done easily. And this paper introduces the processing methods of some special fault conditions, in order to reduce little detours in meeting the same problems. Learning is very important for stuff just engaged in this area.

Endow My Air Conditioner!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simmons, Charles E. P.

1982-01-01

Administrators need to plan and set priorities in various energy/maintenance areas, and trustees and legislators, faculty and students have to be educated regarding maintenance and conservation. Cost of energy consumption by area and department must be worked out. (MLW)

Contracting Maintenance Services: An Easy Question, but a Difficult Answer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geiger, Philip E.

2003-01-01

Discusses issues involved in outsourcing school maintenance and custodial services. There are many advantages to this approach, but it has definite drawbacks. In many instances, a combination of contract and employee services works well. (SLD)

Exploring alternative methods for vegetation control and maintenance along roadsides.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-02-01

The search for alternative methods for controlling : and maintaining vegetation along roadsides has : just begun. This work was initiated to find : alternatives to the traditional methods for roadside : vegetation maintenance that includes the use of...

Working memory training in older adults: evidence of transfer and maintenance effects.

PubMed

Borella, Erika; Carretti, Barbara; Riboldi, Francesco; De Beni, Rossana

2010-12-01

Few studies have examined working memory (WM) training-related gains and their transfer and maintenance effects in older adults. This present research investigates the efficacy of a verbal WM training program in adults aged 65-75 years, considering specific training gains on a verbal WM (criterion) task as well as transfer effects on measures of visuospatial WM, short-term memory, inhibition, processing speed, and fluid intelligence. Maintenance of training benefits was evaluated at 8-month follow-up. Trained older adults showed higher performance than did controls on the criterion task and maintained this benefit after 8 months. Substantial general transfer effects were found for the trained group, but not for the control one. Transfer maintenance gains were found at follow-up, but only for fluid intelligence and processing speed tasks. The results are discussed in terms of cognitive plasticity in older adults. (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

[Impact of work place stresses on work ability index in patients with depressive disorders].

PubMed

Lazarević, Sanja Brekalo; Pranjić, Nurka; Selmanović, Senada; Grbović, Mensur

2011-01-01

Depression seriously affects one's ability to perform work tasks and function at work. We studied the impact of both the individual and work factors on work ability index in patients suffering from depression. The prospective study, which was conducted by using questionnaires, included 210 patients with depression, who had been on sick leave from 60 to 360 days. The individual factors were evaluated by the standardized abridged form of Occupational Stress Questionnaire, while the work place factors in relation to work ability were evaluated by the work ability index. Poor work ability was observed in 151 (71%) of subjects suffering from depression. All workplace stresses, lack of support by colleagues and supervisors, ergonomically not adjusted work and huge work load are statistically associated with poor work ability index (P=0.001). More than 95% of variables of the evaluated work ability index are the result of varying in the group of stresses at work place (R2=0.95). Perception of bad health condition (Rsq=0.412, P=0.001), low level of life satisfaction (Rsq=0.309, P=0.001), low level of motivation and work knowledge (Rsq=0.309, P=0.001) are predictors for poor work ability. The work ability cannot be related with age and sex. The key activities for maintaining the work ability at the times when epidemic of depression emerges, as it is nowadays, are timely carrying out the psycho-treatments, mental and professional rehabilitation, occupational therapy and adapted work place.

Factors Associated With Work Ability in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Cervical Radiculopathy.

PubMed

Ng, Eunice; Johnston, Venerina; Wibault, Johanna; Löfgren, Håkan; Dedering, Åsa; Öberg, Birgitta; Zsigmond, Peter; Peolsson, Anneli

2015-08-15

Cross-sectional study. To investigate the factors associated with work ability in patients undergoing surgery for cervical radiculopathy. Surgery is a common treatment of cervical radiculopathy in people of working age. However, few studies have investigated the impact on the work ability of these patients. Patients undergoing surgery for cervical radiculopathy (n = 201) were recruited from spine centers in Sweden to complete a battery of questionnaires and physical measures the day before surgery. The associations between various individual, psychological, and work-related factors and self-reported work ability were investigated by Spearman rank correlation coefficient, multivariate linear regression, and forward stepwise regression analyses. Factors that were significant (P < 0.05) in each statistical analysis were entered into the successive analysis to reveal the factors most related to work ability. Work ability was assessed using the Work Ability Index. The mean Work Ability Index score was 28 (SD, 9.0). The forward stepwise regression analysis revealed 6 factors significantly associated with work ability, which explained 62% of the variance in the Work Ability Index. Factors highly correlated with greater work ability included greater self-efficacy in performing self-cares, lower physical load on the neck at work, greater self-reported chance of being able to work in 6 months' time, greater use of active coping strategies, lower frequency of hand weakness, and higher health-related quality of life. Psychological, work-related and individual factors were significantly associated with work ability in patients undergoing surgery for cervical radiculopathy. High self-efficacy was most associated with greater work ability. Consideration of these factors by surgeons preoperatively may provide optimal return to work outcomes after surgery. 3.

No functional role of attention-based rehearsal in maintenance of spatial working memory representations.

PubMed

Belopolsky, Artem V; Theeuwes, Jan

2009-10-01

The present study systematically examined the role of attention in maintenance of spatial representations in working memory as proposed by the attention-based rehearsal hypothesis [Awh, E., Jonides, J., & Reuter-Lorenz, P. A. (1998). Rehearsal in spatial working memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology--Human Perception and Performance, 24(3), 780-790]. Three main issues were examined. First, Experiments 1-3 demonstrated that inhibition and not facilitation of visual processing is often observed at the memorized location during the retention interval. This inhibition was caused by keeping a location in memory and not by the exogenous nature of the memory cue. Second, Experiment 4 showed that inhibition of the memorized location does not lead to any significant impairment in memory accuracy. Finally, Experiment 5 connected current results to the previous findings and demonstrated facilitation of processing at the memorized location. Importantly, facilitation of processing did not lead to more accurate memory performance. The present results challenge the functional role of attention in maintenance of spatial working memory representations.

Work load and individual factors affecting work ability among aging municipal employees.

PubMed

Tuomi, K; Eskelinen, L; Toikkanen, J; Jarvinen, E; Ilmarinen, J; Klockars, M

1991-01-01

The effects of work stressors, individual characteristics, symptoms, and diseases on work ability were studied among 4255 municipal employees. Work ability was assessed by a work ability index in two cross-sectional inquiries, one in 1981 and the other in 1985. The most impairing for work ability were mental symptoms and musculoskeletal disease. Among the work stressors, high physical demands at work, poor physical work environment, and lack of freedom were associated with impaired work ability. Muscular work, disturbing temperatures at the workplace, and lack of freedom particularly affected employees with disease, whereas poor work postures and role conflicts at work were particularly injurious for healthy employees. The worst situation was observed when a worker with many symptoms and disease was exposed to many different work stressors. Life satisfaction, sitting work posture, a good basic education, and physical exercise during leisure time were associated with good work ability.

Value centric approaches to the design, operations and maintenance of wind turbines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khadabadi, Madhur Aravind

Wind turbine maintenance is emerging as an unexpectedly high component of turbine operating cost, and there is an increasing interest in managing this cost. This thesis presents an alternative view of maintenance as a value-driver, and develops an optimization algorithm to evaluate the value delivered by different maintenance techniques. I view maintenance as an operation that moves the turbine to an improved state in which it can generate more power and, thus, earn more revenue. To implement this approach, I model the stochastic deterioration of the turbine in two dimensions: the deterioration rate, and the extent of deterioration, and then use maintenance to improve the state of the turbine. The value of the turbine is the difference between the revenue from to the power generation and the costs incurred in operation and maintenance. With a focus on blade deterioration, I evaluate the value delivered by implementing two different maintenance schemes, predictive maintenance and scheduled maintenance. An example of predictive maintenance technique is the use of Condition Monitoring Systems to precisely detect deterioration. I model Condition Monitoring System (CMS) of different degrees of fidelity, where a higher fidelity CMS would allow the blade state to be determined with a higher precision. The same model is then applied for the scheduled maintenance technique. The improved state information obtained from these techniques is then used to derive an optimal maintenance strategy. The difference between the value of the turbine with and without the inspection type can be interpreted as the value of the inspection. The results indicate that a higher fidelity (and more expensive) inspection method does not necessarily yield the highest value, and, that there is an optimal level of fidelity that results in maximum value. The results also aim to inform the operator of the impact of regional parameters such as wind speed, variance and maintenance costs to the optimal maintenance strategy. The contributions of this work are twofold. First, I present a practical approach to wind turbine valuation that takes operating and market conditions into account. This work should therefore be useful to wind farm operators, investors and decision makers. Second, I show how the value of a maintenance scheme can be explicitly assessed for different conditions.

Opportunities for recovery at work and excellent work ability - a cross-sectional population study among young workers.

PubMed

Boström, Maria; Sluiter, Judith K; Hagberg, Mats; Grimby-Ekman, Anna

2016-09-15

Better opportunities for recovery at work are thought to be associated with work ability in a young workforce but evidence is scarce to lacking. The aim of this study was to examine cross-sectional associations between opportunities for recovery at work and excellent work ability among young workers and specifically for young workers with high work demands. A study group of 1295 women and 1056 men aged 18-29 years was selected from three biennial years of a population cohort. The subsample reporting high work demands consisted of 439 women and 349 men. The study group had completed a work environment questionnaire in a survey conducted by Statistics Sweden. Associations between opportunities for recovery at work and excellent work ability were assessed by multiple logistic regression models stratified for gender. Having varied work was associated with excellent work ability in all young men (p < 0.0006; prevalence ratio [PR] 1.3) and also specifically in men with high work demands (p = 0.019; PR 1.3). For the latter group the possibility of deciding when to perform a work task was also associated with excellent work ability (p = 0.049; PR 1.3). Among young women with high work demands, the possibility of deciding one's working hours was associated with excellent work ability (p = 0.046; PR 1.2). For young men, having varied work can contribute to excellent work ability. In addition, for men with high work demands, the possibility of deciding when to perform a work task may be favourable for excellent work ability. For young women with high work demands, the possibility of deciding one's working hours can contribute to excellent work ability. Employers could use these opportunities for recovery in promoting work ability among young workers.

An enhanced reliability-oriented workforce planning model for process industry using combined fuzzy goal programming and differential evolution approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ighravwe, D. E.; Oke, S. A.; Adebiyi, K. A.

2018-03-01

This paper draws on the "human reliability" concept as a structure for gaining insight into the maintenance workforce assessment in a process industry. Human reliability hinges on developing the reliability of humans to a threshold that guides the maintenance workforce to execute accurate decisions within the limits of resources and time allocations. This concept offers a worthwhile point of deviation to encompass three elegant adjustments to literature model in terms of maintenance time, workforce performance and return-on-workforce investments. These fully explain the results of our influence. The presented structure breaks new grounds in maintenance workforce theory and practice from a number of perspectives. First, we have successfully implemented fuzzy goal programming (FGP) and differential evolution (DE) techniques for the solution of optimisation problem in maintenance of a process plant for the first time. The results obtained in this work showed better quality of solution from the DE algorithm compared with those of genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimisation algorithm, thus expressing superiority of the proposed procedure over them. Second, the analytical discourse, which was framed on stochastic theory, focusing on specific application to a process plant in Nigeria is a novelty. The work provides more insights into maintenance workforce planning during overhaul rework and overtime maintenance activities in manufacturing systems and demonstrated capacity in generating substantially helpful information for practice.

Effect of job maintenance training program for employees with chronic disease - a randomized controlled trial on self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and fatigue.

PubMed

Varekamp, Inge; Verbeek, Jos H; de Boer, Angela; van Dijk, Frank J H

2011-07-01

Employees with a chronic physical condition may be hampered in job performance due to physical or cognitive limitations, pain, fatigue, psychosocial barriers, or because medical treatment interferes with work. This study investigates the effect of a group-training program aimed at job maintenance. Essential elements of the program are exploration of work-related problems, communication at the workplace, and the development and implementation of solutions. Participants with chronic physical diseases were randomly assigned to the intervention (N=64) or the control group (N=58). Participants were eligible for the study if they had a chronic physical disease, paid employment, experienced work-related problems, and were not on long-term 100% sick leave. Primary outcome measures were self-efficacy in solving work- and disease-related problems (14-70), job dissatisfaction (0-100), fatigue (20-140) and job maintenance measured at 4-, 8-, 12- and 24-month follow-up. We used GLM repeated measures for the analysis. After 24 months, loss to follow-up was 5.7% (7/122). Self-efficacy increased and fatigue decreased significantly more in the experimental than the control group [10 versus 4 points (P=0.000) and 19 versus 8 points (P=0.032), respectively]. Job satisfaction increased more in the experimental group but not significantly [6 versus 0 points (P=0.698)]. Job maintenance was 87% in the experimental and 91% in the control group, which was not a significant difference. Many participants in the control group also undertook actions to solve work-related problems. Empowerment training increases self-efficacy and helps to reduce fatigue complaints, which in the long term could lead to more job maintenance. Better understanding of ways to deal with work-related problems is needed to develop more efficient support for employees with a chronic disease.

Experiences of work ability in young workers: an exploratory interview study.

PubMed

Boström, Maria; Holmgren, Kristina; Sluiter, Judith K; Hagberg, Mats; Grimby-Ekman, Anna

2016-05-01

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of and influences on work ability in young workers related to their work and life situation. In a qualitative study of a strategic sample of 12 young female and 12 young male workers, aged 25-30 years, in work or recently left work, recruited from the 5-year follow-up of a Swedish cohort, semi-structured interviews were performed to explore the experiences of work ability in these young workers. Systematic text condensation inspired by phenomenology was used in the analysis. Work ability was experienced as complex, consisting of four themes, each with three subthemes. To be alert and have energy, to possess sufficient education, skills and working life experience and experience meaningfulness and engagement in work, were perceived to be fundamental for work ability and were seen as the worker's own responsibility. Moreover, work ability can be improved or reduced by the psychosocial work climate, the work organization and the private life. Optimal work ability was experienced when all themes integrated in a positive way. Work ability was experienced as the worker's own responsibility that could be influenced by work circumstances and private life. To promote good work ability among young workers, work ability has to be understood in its specific context. Whether the understanding of work ability found in this study is explicit for the group of young adults needs to be explored in a more general population in further research.

A qualitative approach to assessing work ability.

PubMed

Tengland, Per-Anders

2013-01-01

We often need to be able to assess the extent to which individuals have or lack work ability. For this we need instruments. Most of the instruments available have flaws. They either lack validity or they use roundabout methods when collecting information about the individual's work ability. The aim of this paper is to present a conceptual model for constructing a questionnaire that can be used for assessing work ability. The methods used are philosophical, i.e. analytical and deductive. A conceptual theory is provided, and based on the resulting definition of the concept of "work ability" conclusions are drawn regarding how to assess work ability. When constructing quantitative instruments, we can increase validity through using a more strict definition of work ability. However, such an approach will only solve some of the problems noted above. The proposal is, instead, to create a qualitative questionnaire, founded on a definition of "work ability", which focuses on the concrete problems concerning the work ability of the individual. Finally, a sketch of such an instrument is provided, with questions covering all the relevant aspects of work ability. The qualitative questionnaire proposed is believed to be superior to more traditional (quantitative) instruments for assessing a person's work ability, as well as for finding solutions to her problems concerning work ability.

[A multilevel model analysis of correlation between population characteristics and work ability of employees].

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Huang, Chunping; Lan, Yajia; Wang, Mianzhen

2015-12-01

To analyze the correlation between population characteristics and work ability of employees with a multilevel model, to investigate the important influencing factors for work ability, and to provide a basis for improvement in work ability. Work ability index (WAI)was applied to measure the work ability of 1686 subjects from different companies (n=6). MLwi N2.0 software was applied for two-level variance component model fitting. The WAI of employees showed differences between various companies (χ2=3.378 6, P=0.0660); working years was negatively correlated with WAI (χ2=38.229 2, P=0.0001), and the WAI of the employees with 20 or more working years was 1.63 lower than that of the employees with less than 20 working years; the work ability of manual workers was lower than that of mental-manual workers (χ2=8.2726, P=0.0040), and the work ability showed no significant difference between mental workers and mental-manual workers (χ2=2.086 0, P=0.148 7). From the perspective of probability, the multilevel model analysis reveals the differences in work ability of employees between different companies, and suggests that company, work type, and working years are the important influencing factors for work ability of employees. These factors should be improved and adjusted to protect or enhance the work ability of employees.

Memory Retrieval Has a Dynamic Influence on the Maintenance Mechanisms That Are Sensitive to ζ-Inhibitory Peptide (ZIP).

PubMed

Levitan, David; Fortis-Santiago, Yaihara; Figueroa, Joshua A; Reid, Emily E; Yoshida, Takashi; Barry, Nicholas C; Russo, Abigail; Katz, Donald B

2016-10-12

In neuroscientists' attempts to understand the long-term storage of memory, topics of particular importance and interest are the cellular and system mechanisms of maintenance (e.g., those sensitive to ζ-inhibitory peptide, ZIP) and those induced by memory retrieval (i.e., reconsolidation). Much is known about each of these processes in isolation, but less is known concerning how they interact. It is known that ZIP sensitivity and memory retrieval share at least some molecular targets (e.g., recycling α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid, AMPA, receptors to the plasma membrane); conversely, the fact that sensitivity to ZIP emerges only after consolidation ends suggests that consolidation (and by extension reconsolidation) and maintenance might be mutually exclusive processes, the onset of one canceling the other. Here, we use conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in rats, a cortically dependent learning paradigm, to test this hypothesis. First, we demonstrate that ZIP infusions into gustatory cortex begin interfering with CTA memory 43-45 h after memory acquisition-after consolidation ends. Next, we show that a retrieval trial administered after this time point interrupts the ability of ZIP to induce amnesia and that ZIP's ability to induce amnesia is reengaged only 45 h after retrieval. This pattern of results suggests that memory retrieval and ZIP-sensitive maintenance mechanisms are mutually exclusive and that the progression from one to the other are similar after acquisition and retrieval. They also reveal concrete differences between ZIP-sensitive mechanisms induced by acquisition and retrieval: the latency with which ZIP-sensitive mechanisms are expressed differ for the two processes. Memory retrieval and the molecular mechanisms that are sensitive to ζ-inhibitory peptide (ZIP) are the few manipulations that have been shown to effect memory maintenance. Although much is known about their effect on maintenance separately, it is unknown how they interact. Here, we describe a model for the interaction between memory retrieval and ZIP-sensitive mechanisms, showing that retrieval trials briefly (i.e., for 45 h) interrupt these mechanisms. ZIP sensitivity emerges across a similar time window after memory acquisition and retrieval; the maintenance mechanisms that follow acquisition and retrieval differ, however, in the latency with which the impact of ZIP is expressed. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/3610654-09$15.00/0.

Phonological similarity effect in complex span task.

PubMed

Camos, Valérie; Mora, Gérôme; Barrouillet, Pierre

2013-01-01

The aim of our study was to test the hypothesis that two systems are involved in verbal working memory; one is specifically dedicated to the maintenance of phonological representations through verbal rehearsal while the other would maintain multimodal representations through attentional refreshing. This theoretical framework predicts that phonologically related phenomena such as the phonological similarity effect (PSE) should occur when the domain-specific system is involved in maintenance, but should disappear when concurrent articulation hinders its use. Impeding maintenance in the domain-general system by a concurrent attentional demand should impair recall performance without affecting PSE. In three experiments, we manipulated the concurrent articulation and the attentional demand induced by the processing component of complex span tasks in which participants had to maintain lists of either similar or dissimilar words. Confirming our predictions, PSE affected recall performance in complex span tasks. Although both the attentional demand and the articulatory requirement of the concurrent task impaired recall, only the induction of an articulatory suppression during maintenance made the PSE disappear. These results suggest a duality in the systems devoted to verbal maintenance in the short term, constraining models of working memory.

The effect of low versus high approach-motivated positive affect on the balance between maintenance and flexibility.

PubMed

Liu, Liting; Xu, Baihua

2016-05-27

Successful goal-directed behavior in a constantly changing environment requires a balance between maintenance and flexibility. Although some studies have found that positive affect influences this balance differently than neutral affect, one recent study found that motivational intensity of positive affective states influences this balance in a cognitive set-shifting paradigm. However, working memory updating and set shifting are interrelated but distinct components of cognitive control. The present study examined the effect of low versus high approach-motivated positive affect on the balance between maintenance and flexibility in working memory. A simple cuing paradigm (the AX Continuous Performance Task) was employed, and neutral affect and high and low approach-motivated positive affect were induced using affective pictures. The results revealed that, relative to neutral affect, low approach-motivated positive affect attenuated maintenance and increased flexibility, whereas high approach-motivated positive affect promoted maintenance and decreased flexibility. These findings offer further evidence that the effects of positive affect on cognitive control are modulated by approach motivational intensity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The impact of adjustment latitude on self-assessed work ability in regard to gender and occupational type.

PubMed

Johansson, Gun; Hultin, Hanna; Möller, Jette; Hallqvist, Johan; Kjellberg, Katarina

2012-07-01

Adjustment latitude describes opportunities to change demands at work when ill and may affect work ability. The aim here is to study the association between adjustment latitude and self-assessed work ability among men and women and employees from different occupational sectors. This cross-sectional study used data from a questionnaire sent to 3020 employees in three occupational sectors in Sweden; 1430 responded. Subjects were divided into: full, moderately reduced, and greatly reduced work ability. Presence of nine adjustment opportunities was requested and subjects were divided into three groups. Each specific opportunity was also analyzed in relation to work ability. Multinomial logistic regression was used for analyses. Number of opportunities to adjust was associated with work ability among men and employees in health care. "Shortening the working day" was associated with work ability in most groups. For men and industrial employees, "postponing work", "going home and working later", and "working without disturbance" were associated with work ability. "To work from home" was associated with work ability among women and employees in insurance. The assumption that adjustment latitude affects work ability is supported. Associations differ with regard to gender and occupational sectors. Further studies with longitudinal design and alternative samples are needed.

Non-nuclear methods for HMA density measurements : final report, June 2008.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-05-01

Non-nuclear methods for the measurement of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) density offer the ability to take numerous density readings in a very short period of time, without the need for intensive licensing, training, and maintenance efforts common to nuclear...

Rural Public Transportation Technologies: User Needs and Applications. Tech Brief.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-09-01

Rural Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) have the ability to meet the needs of travelers in and through rural areas as well as the needs of agencies responsible for the operation and maintenance of rural transportation systems. To assist in the...

Maintenance Decision Support System, Phase III

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-09-01

The main goal of the project was to address barriers that limit NDOTs ability to implement MDSS and MMS systems. The four project tasks included: Task 1: Develop system for tracking sand and/or deicing material usage: A system that tracks where and w...

Sexual Patterns in the Process of Aging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spinazzola, Angelo J.

1975-01-01

The key to successful aging is successful living, and an important part of the strategy for successful living, in the later years, is the maintenance of an active sex life, concordant with the desires and abilities of the individuals who are involved. (RC)

Reproductive Management for Optimal Uterine Preparedness for Pregnancy

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

It is clear that decreased serum concentrations of preovulatory estradiol create uterine deficiencies that prevent the maintenance of pregnancy and losses are related to reduced ability of the developing embryo to implant. The uterine deficiencies in response to reduced post-ovulatory progesterone ...

Improving the freight transportation roadway system during snow events : a performance evaluation of deicing chemicals.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-05-01

The ability of state DOTs to adequately clear roadways during winter weather conditions is critical for a safe and effective : freight transportation system. Variables affecting winter maintenance operations include the type of precipitation, air and...

MDOT Pavement Management System : Prediction Models and Feedback System

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-10-01

As a primary component of a Pavement Management System (PMS), prediction models are crucial for one or more of the following analyses: : maintenance planning, budgeting, life-cycle analysis, multi-year optimization of maintenance works program, and a...

Eyharts performs TVIS maintenance

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-03-03

ISS016-E-030559 (4 March 2008) --- European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Leopold Eyharts, Expedition 16 flight engineer, works with the Treadmill Vibration Isolation System (TVIS) removed from the Zvezda Service Module floor during in-flight maintenance (IFM) on the International Space Station.

Selection criteria for using nighttime construction and maintenance operations : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-05-01

Like other state departments of transportation, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has emphasized preservation of existing highways and bridges. Thus, ODOT has done construction and maintenance work at night in order to minimize the disru...

Inhibition of Orexin Signaling Promotes Sleep Yet Preserves Salient Arousability in Monkeys.

PubMed

Tannenbaum, Pamela L; Tye, Spencer J; Stevens, Joanne; Gotter, Anthony L; Fox, Steven V; Savitz, Alan T; Coleman, Paul J; Uslaner, Jason M; Kuduk, Scott D; Hargreaves, Richard; Winrow, Christopher J; Renger, John J

2016-03-01

In addition to enhancing sleep onset and maintenance, a desirable insomnia therapeutic agent would preserve healthy sleep's ability to wake and respond to salient situations while maintaining sleep during irrelevant noise. Dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs) promote sleep by selectively inhibiting wake-promoting neuropeptide signaling, unlike global inhibition of central nervous system excitation by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A receptor (GABAaR) modulators. We evaluated the effect of DORA versus GABAaR modulators on underlying sleep architecture, ability to waken to emotionally relevant stimuli versus neutral auditory cues, and performance on a sleepiness-sensitive cognitive task upon awakening. DORA-22 and GABAaR modulators (eszopiclone, diazepam) were evaluated in adult male rhesus monkeys (n = 34) with continuous polysomnography recordings in crossover studies of sleep architecture, arousability to a classically conditioned salient versus neutral acoustical stimulus, and psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) performance if awakened. All compounds decreased wakefulness, but only DORA-22 sleep resembled unmedicated sleep in terms of underlying sleep architecture, preserved ability to awaken to salient-conditioned acoustic stimuli while maintaining sleep during neutral acoustic stimuli, and no congnitive impairment in PVT performance. Although GABAaR modulators induced lighter sleep, monkeys rarely woke to salient stimuli and PVT performance was impaired if monkeys were awakened. In nonhuman primates, DORAs' targeted mechanism for promoting sleep protects the ability to selectively arouse to salient stimuli and perform attentional tasks unimpaired, suggesting meaningful differentiation between a hypnotic agent that works through antagonizing orexin wake signaling versus the sedative hypnotic effects of the GABAaR modulator mechanism of action. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Human Factors Engineering. A Self-Paced Text, Lessons 36-40,

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-08-01

proposed contract does not involve ’significant human interface for operation/ maintenance /control,’ the selection guide should not be used. Turn to Page 98... work space configuration, packaging, and labeling. These are all aspects of maintenance which need to be incorporated into the original design plans... work done. An ROC is a ’Required Operational Capability’ statement that is required by the Army during the system acquisition process . Return to Page

Enhanced, Partially Redundant Emergency Notification System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pounds, Clark D.

2005-01-01

The Johnson Space Center Emergency Notification System (JENS) software utilizes pre-existing computation and communication infrastructure to augment a prior variable-tone, siren-based, outdoor alarm system, in order to enhance the ability to give notice of emergencies to employees working in multiple buildings. The JENS software includes a component that implements an administrative Web site. Administrators can grant and deny access to the administrative site and to an originator Web site that enables authorized individuals to quickly compose and issue alarms. The originator site also facilitates maintenance and review of alarms already issued. A custom client/server application program enables an originator to notify every user who is logged in on a Microsoft Windows-based desktop computer by means of a pop-up message that interrupts, but does not disrupt, the user s work. Alternatively or in addition, the originator can send an alarm message to recipients on an e-mail distribution list and/or can post the notice on an internal Web site. An alarm message can consist of (1) text describing the emergency and suggesting a course of action and (2) a replica of the corresponding audible outdoor alarm.

Distinct mechanisms for the impact of distraction and interruption on working memory in aging

PubMed Central

Clapp, Wesley C; Gazzaley, Adam

2010-01-01

Interference is known to negatively impact the ability to maintain information in working memory (WM), an effect that is exacerbated with aging. Here, we explore how distinct sources of interference, i.e., distraction (stimuli to-be-ignored) and interruption (stimuli requiring attention), differentially influence WM in younger and older adults. EEG was recorded while participants engaged in three versions of a delayed-recognition task: no interference, a distracting stimulus, and an interrupting stimulus presented during WM maintenance. Behaviorally, both types of interference negatively impacted WM accuracy in older adults significantly more than younger adults (with a larger deficit for interruptions). N170 latency measures revealed that the degree of processing both distractors and interruptors predicted WM accuracy in both populations. However, while WM impairments could be explained by excessive attention to distractors by older adults (a suppression deficit), impairment induced by interruption were not clearly mediated by age-related increases in attention to interruptors. These results suggest that distinct underlying mechanisms mediate the impact of different types of external interference on WM in normal aging. PMID:20144492

Evidence that ligand formation is a mechanism underlying the maintenance of cytochrome P-450 in rat liver cell culture. Potent maintenance by metyrapone.

PubMed Central

Paine, A J; Villa, P; Hockin, L J

1980-01-01

The loss of cytochrome P-450 in cultured rat hepatocytes can be prevented by substituted pyridines, especially isonicotinamide, 3-hydroxypyridine and metyrapone. The effect of these compounds is independent of protein synthesis, suggesting that they maintain pre-existing cytochrome P-450. The efficiency of pyridines at maintaining cytochrome P-450 in hepatocyte culture is highly correlated with their ability to bind to this cytochrome, suggesting that ligand formation with cytochrome P-450 prevents its accelerated turnover in liver cell culture. PMID:7470047

Separate and Combined Effects of Naltrexone and Extended-Release Alprazolam on the Reinforcing, Subject-Rated, and Cardiovascular Effects of Methamphetamine

PubMed Central

Marks, Katherine R.; Lile, Joshua A.; Stoops, William W.; Glaser, Paul E.A.; Hays, Lon R.; Rush, Craig R.

2016-01-01

Opioid antagonists (e.g., naltrexone) and positive modulators of γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors (e.g., alprazolam) each modestly attenuate the abuse-related effects of stimulants. A previous study demonstrated that acute pretreatment with the combination of naltrexone and alprazolam attenuated a greater number of the subject-rated effects of d-amphetamine than the constituent drugs alone. This study tested the hypothesis that maintenance on the combination of naltrexone and alprazolam XR would attenuate the reinforcing and “positive” subject-rated effects of methamphetamine to a greater extent than the constituent drugs alone. Eight non-treatment-seeking, stimulant-using individuals completed a placebo-controlled, crossover, double-blind inpatient protocol. Participants were maintained on naltrexone (0 and 50 mg), alprazolam XR (0 and 1 mg), and the combination of naltrexone and alprazolam XR (50 mg and 1 mg, respectively) for 6–7 days. Under each maintenance condition, participants sampled intranasal doses of methamphetamine (0, 10, and 30 mg), and were then offered the opportunity to work for the sampled dose on a modified progressive-ratio procedure. Subject-rated drug effect questionnaires, psychomotor, and physiology assessments were collected. Intranasal methamphetamine functioned as a reinforcer and produced prototypical stimulant-like “positive” subject-rated and physiological effects. Maintenance on naltrexone significantly decreased the reinforcing, but not subject-rated drug effects of 10 mg methamphetamine. Alprazolam XR and the combination of naltrexone and alprazolam XR did not impact methamphetamine self-administration or subject-rated drug effects. The results support the continued evaluation of naltrexone for methamphetamine dependence, as well as the identification of other drugs that enhance its ability to reduce drug-taking behavior. PMID:27043121

Separate and Combined Effects of Naltrexone and Extended-Release Alprazolam on the Reinforcing, Subject-Rated, and Cardiovascular Effects of Methamphetamine.

PubMed

Marks, Katherine R; Lile, Joshua A; Stoops, William W; Glaser, Paul E A; Hays, Lon R; Rush, Craig R

2016-06-01

Opioid antagonists (eg, naltrexone) and positive modulators of γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (eg, alprazolam) each modestly attenuate the abuse-related effects of stimulants. A previous study demonstrated that acute pretreatment with the combination of naltrexone and alprazolam attenuated a greater number of the subject-rated effects of D-amphetamine than the constituent drugs alone. This study tested the hypothesis that maintenance on the combination of naltrexone and alprazolam XR would attenuate the reinforcing and "positive" subject-rated effects of methamphetamine to a greater extent than the constituent drugs alone.Eight non-treatment-seeking, stimulant-using individuals completed a placebo-controlled, crossover, double-blind inpatient protocol. Participants were maintained on naltrexone (0 and 50 mg), alprazolam XR (0 and 1 mg), and the combination of naltrexone and alprazolam XR (50 mg and 1 mg, respectively) for 6 to 7 days. Under each maintenance condition, participants sampled intranasal doses of methamphetamine (0, 10, and 30 mg), and were then offered the opportunity to work for the sampled dose on a modified progressive-ratio procedure. Subject-rated drug effect questionnaires, psychomotor, and physiology assessments were collected.Intranasal methamphetamine functioned as a reinforcer and produced prototypical stimulant-like "positive" subject-rated and physiological effects. Maintenance on naltrexone significantly decreased the reinforcing, but not subject-rated drug effects of 10-mg methamphetamine. Alprazolam XR and the combination of naltrexone and alprazolam XR did not impact methamphetamine self-administration or subject-rated drug effects. The results support the continued evaluation of naltrexone for methamphetamine dependence, as well as the identification of other drugs that enhance its ability to reduce drug-taking behavior.

An Analysis of the United States Naval Aviation Schedule Removal Component (SRC) Card Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

JSF has the ability to communicate in flight with its maintenance system , ALIS. Its Prognostic Health Management (PHM) System abilities allow it to...end-users. PLCS allows users of the system , through a central database, visibility of a component’s history and lifecycle data . Since both OOMA...used in PLM systems .2 This research recommends a PLM system that is Web-based and uses DoD- mandated UID technology as the future for data

Army Corps of Engineers: Action Needed to Ensure the Quality of Maintenance Dredging Contract Cost Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

planning, awarding, and administering maintenance dredging contracts with industry . 8For more information on hopper dredging, see GAO, Army Corps of...miles of waterways and hundreds of ports of harbors. The Corps conducts maintenance dredging primarily under contract with private industry to...headquarters, divisions, and districts (selected for geographic variation and range of dredging work) and dredging industry stakeholders. What

Optimal Maintenance Works for the Aborshada Road in the Western Region of Libya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Youssef, Medhat Abdelrahman; Elbasher, Abdelbary Altayb

2014-09-01

In this research, the condition of a road pavement was investigated for the Aborshada Road in the Gharian region of Libya to determine the optimal maintenance works. Previously, a simple engineering judgment was the only procedure followed by the Gharian municipal engineers for evaluating pavements and prioritizing maintenance. The surface condition of the Aborshada Road pavement was investigated using "the Pavement Condition Index (PCI)" visual technique. The pavement was inspected to survey the different distresses in each sample unit. Ninteen pavement distresses were classified according to the PCI standards (PCI for roads and parking lots became an ASTM standard in 2007 (D6433-07)). It was necessary to know the most common distresses of the Aborshada Road to provide assistance for the decision maker in his evaluation of the pavement and the optimum repair method to be selected. This study reveals the actual performance of the pavements and suggests the research required for dealing with the pavement maintenance problem in Libya, especially in the western region. The best maintenance alternative for Aborshada Road was Case No. 3 (Potholes, Long. & Trans. Cracking and Alligator Crack Maintenance). Also, the most common pavement distresses on the Aborshada Road were Distress Nos. 1, 3, 6, 7, 10 and 13 according to the ASTM - D6433-07 classification

Space Station Freedom pressurized element interior design process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hopson, George D.; Aaron, John; Grant, Richard L.

1990-01-01

The process used to develop the on-orbit working and living environment of the Space Station Freedom has some very unique constraints and conditions to satisfy. The goal is to provide maximum efficiency and utilization of the available space, in on-orbit, zero G conditions that establishes a comfortable, productive, and safe working environment for the crew. The Space Station Freedom on-orbit living and working space can be divided into support for three major functions: (1) operations, maintenance, and management of the station; (2) conduct of experiments, both directly in the laboratories and remotely for experiments outside the pressurized environment; and (3) crew related functions for food preparation, housekeeping, storage, personal hygiene, health maintenance, zero G environment conditioning, and individual privacy, and rest. The process used to implement these functions, the major requirements driving the design, unique considerations and constraints that influence the design, and summaries of the analysis performed to establish the current configurations are described. Sketches and pictures showing the layout and internal arrangement of the Nodes, U.S. Laboratory and Habitation modules identify the current design relationships of the common and unique station housekeeping subsystems. The crew facilities, work stations, food preparation and eating areas (galley and wardroom), and exercise/health maintenance configurations, waste management and personal hygiene area configuration are shown. U.S. Laboratory experiment facilities and maintenance work areas planned to support the wide variety and mixtures of life science and materials processing payloads are described.

Work ability, age and intention to leave aged care work.

PubMed

Austen, Siobhan; Jefferson, Therese; Lewin, Gill; Ong, Rachel; Sharp, Rhonda

2016-03-01

To describe the work ability of mature age women workers in Australia's aged care sector, and to explore the relationship between ageing, work ability and intention to leave. Logistic regression techniques were applied to a sample of 2721 responses to a survey of mature age women workers in the aged care sector. Mature age women working in the Australian aged care sector have relatively high levels of work ability by international standards. Furthermore, their work ability remains high in their 50s and 60s, in contrast to some prevailing stereotypes. However, work ability is a key determinant of intention to leave in key occupational groups. Our findings challenge some prevailing stereotypes about the work ability of mature age workers. However, they lend support for the development of retention strategies, which incorporate programs that target low work ability. © 2015 AJA Inc.

Contribution of Psychological, Social, and Mechanical Work Exposures to Low Work Ability

PubMed Central

Knardahl, Stein

2015-01-01

Objective: To determine the contribution of specific psychological, social, and mechanical work exposures to the self-reported low level of work ability. Methods: Employees from 48 organizations were surveyed over a 2-year period (n = 3779). Changes in 16 work exposures and 3 work ability measures—the work ability index score, perceived current, and future work ability—were tested with Spearman rank correlations. Binary logistic regressions were run to determine contribution of work exposures to low work ability. Results: Role conflict, human resource primacy, and positive challenge were the most consistent predictors of low work ability across test designs. Role clarity and fair leadership were less consistent but prominent predictors. Mechanical exposures were not predictive. Conclusions: To protect employee work ability, work place interventions would benefit from focusing on reducing role conflicts and on promoting positive challenges and human resource primacy. PMID:25470453

Evaluation System and Implementation Countermeasure of Automobile Green Maintenance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Fei; Xie, Xinxin; Yan, Chaoyong

2018-01-01

Green maintenance research is in the beginning of our country, the work is being explored. Based on the existing research results at home and abroad, this paper learns and draws lessons from the experiences and lessons of foreign advanced countries and domestic advanced enterprises. In the face of the challenges brought by economic development and energy saving and emission reduction, this paper discusses the green maintenance theory and security system, And the research status of green maintenance content and system at home and abroad, through the deletion and selection of green maintenance index, through the AHP method to determine the green evaluation criteria, and the introduction of C equivalent evaluation system, the use of fuzzy synthesis Evaluation method to build a green maintenance evaluation model, and the actual validation, put forward the implementation of green maintenance feasibility programs and related security recommendations, vehicle maintenance enterprises to carry out green maintenance, improve business efficiency and reduce environmental management costs to provide theoretical basis. And to achieve effective reduction of environmental pollution, reduce maintenance costs of the target, a reasonable promotion of maintenance and environmental protection and sustainable development. Promote green maintenance from research to practice, from the laboratory to the maintenance of enterprises, from the pilot to the overall development and transformation.

A computer-based maintenance reminder and record-keeping system for clinical laboratories.

PubMed

Roberts, B I; Mathews, C L; Walton, C J; Frazier, G

1982-09-01

"Maintenance" is all the activity an organization devotes to keeping instruments within performance specifications to assure accurate and precise operation. The increasing use of complex analytical instruments as "workhorses" in clinical laboratories requires more maintenance awareness by laboratory personnel. Record-keeping systems that document maintenance completion and that should prompt the continued performance of maintenance tasks have not kept up with instrumentation development. We report here a computer-based record-keeping and reminder system that lists weekly the maintenance items due for each work station in the laboratory, including the time required to complete each item. Written in BASIC, the system uses a DATABOSS data base management system running on a time-shared Digital Equipment Corporation PDP 11/60 computer with a RSTS V 7.0 operating system.

Working memory capacity and the antisaccade task: A microanalytic-macroanalytic investigation of individual differences in goal activation and maintenance.

PubMed

Meier, Matt E; Smeekens, Bridget A; Silvia, Paul J; Kwapil, Thomas R; Kane, Michael J

2018-01-01

The association between working memory capacity (WMC) and the antisaccade task, which requires subjects to move their eyes and attention away from a strong visual cue, supports the claim that WMC is partially an attentional construct (Kane, Bleckley, Conway, & Engle, 2001; Unsworth, Schrock, & Engle, 2004). Specifically, the WMC-antisaccade relation suggests that WMC helps maintain and execute task goals despite interference from habitual actions. Related work has recently shown that mind wandering (McVay & Kane, 2009, 2012a, 2012b) and reaction time (RT) variability (Unsworth, 2015) are also related to WMC and they partially explain WMC's prediction of cognitive abilities. Here, we tested whether mind-wandering propensity and intraindividual RT variation account for WMC's associations with 2 antisaccade-cued choice RT tasks. In addition, we asked whether any influences of WMC, mind wandering, or intraindividual RT variation on antisaccade are moderated by (a) the temporal gap between fixation and the flashing location cue, and (b) whether targets switch sides on consecutive trials. Our quasi-experimental study reexamined a published dataset (Kane et al., 2016) comprising 472 subjects who completed 6 WMC tasks, 5 attentional tasks with mind-wandering probes, 5 tasks from which we measured intraindividual RT variation, and 2 antisaccade tasks with varying fixation-cue gap durations. The WMC-antisaccade association was not accounted for by mind wandering or intraindividual RT variation. WMC's effects on antisaccade performance were greater with longer fixation-to-cue intervals, suggesting that goal activation processes-beyond the ability to control mind wandering and RT variability-are partially responsible for the WMC-antisaccade relation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Review of Residential Comfort Control Products and Opportunities

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

Metzger, Cheryn E.; Goyal, Siddharth; Baechler, Michael C.

This paper begins by discussing the interaction of each major component in advanced sensor and control applications related to HVAC equipment. The paper also looks at the applications of these components to commissioning, maintenance and operations of the HVAC equipment in residential buildings. A summary of state-of-the-art product features is also provided. These products are categorized through their primary application type (commissioning/maintenance or operation) and the features are categorized by component type (sensors, data storage, human-in-the-loop, communication, and controls). A common theme that emerges from this study is the importance of the ability for various product categories to be connectedmore » to each other. There are many manufacturers of sensors and many manufacturers of controls, but the power to automate any commissioning, maintenance or operation application, requires connectivity.« less

A Medical Decision Support System for the Space Station Health Maintenance Facility

PubMed Central

Ostler, David V.; Gardner, Reed M.; Logan, James S.

1988-01-01

NASA is developing a Health Maintenance Facility (HMF) to provide the equipment and supplies necessary to deliver medical care in the Space Station. An essential part of the Health Maintenance Facility is a computerized Medical Decision Support System (MDSS) that will enhance the ability of the medical officer (“paramedic” or “physician”) to maintain the crew's health, and to provide emergency medical care. The computer system has four major functions: 1) collect and integrate medical information into an electronic medical record from Space Station medical officers, HMF instrumentation, and exercise equipment; 2) provide an integrated medical record and medical reference information management system; 3) manage inventory for logistical support of supplies and secure pharmaceuticals; 4) supply audio and electronic mail communications between the medical officer and ground based flight surgeons. ImagesFigure 1

23 CFR 630.1002 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... mobility of road users and highway workers. These safety and mobility impacts are exacerbated by an aging... prescribes standards for the design, application, installation, and maintenance of traffic control devices for highway and street construction, maintenance operation, and utility work. In addition to the...

Treatments to reduce the frequency of freeway exit sign hits.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-01

Exit gore signs present a significant maintenance challenge for TxDOT. There is concern regarding the safety : of personnel working in gore areas to replace these signs, and the resources necessary for continual : maintenance. The objective of this p...

Williams with TVIS hardware in Zvezda Service module

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-26

ISS014-E-15136 (26 Feb. 2007) --- Astronaut Sunita L. Williams, Expedition 14 flight engineer, performs maintenance work on the Treadmill Vibration Isolation System (TVIS) during routine in-flight maintenance (IFM) in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.

40 CFR 63.1108 - Compliance with standards and operation and maintenance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... operation and maintenance requirements. 63.1108 Section 63.1108 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... Source Categories: Generic Maximum Achievable Control Technology Standards § 63.1108 Compliance with..., air pollution control technologies, recovery technologies, work practices, pollution prevention...

Work ability of Chinese migrant workers: the influence of migration characteristics.

PubMed

Han, Lu; Shi, Leiyu; Lu, Liming; Ling, Li

2014-04-13

Migrant workers have become a vital labor supply to China's economy. Their migration process and work conditions may influence their health and work ability. The work ability of migrant workers in China and the influence of the migration process on work ability have not been explored extensively in previous studies. The objective of this study is to evaluate the association of migration characteristics and work-related factors with work ability among migrant workers in the Pearl River Delta. In this cross-sectional survey, the study population consisted of 907 migrant workers from ten factories in the Pearl River Delta who were exposed to organic solvents during work. The primary dependent variable of the study was work ability, measured by the Work Ability Index (WAI). The independent variables were individual characteristics, migration characteristics, and work-related factors. Logistic regression models were used to determine the influence of different factors on work ability and three dimensions of WAI. The result shows that among migration characteristics, social support was significantly associated with all three dimensions of the work ability index. Permanent migration intention and longer length of migration were negatively associated with the mental resource dimension of WAI. WAI was also influenced by individual and work-related factors. The findings of this study suggest that expanding migrants' social networks and social support systems in their work place or living community, (i.e. expanding the functions of labor unions) would be an effective way to improve migrant workers' work ability. Improving of migrant workers' physical and psychosocial related work environments would also increase their work ability.

Factors associated with inadequate work ability among women in the clothing industry.

PubMed

Augusto, Viviane Gontijo; Sampaio, Rosana Ferreira; Ferreira, Fabiane Ribeiro; Kirkwood, Renata Noce; César, Cibele Comini

2015-01-01

Work ability depends on a balance between individual resources and work demands. This study evaluated factors that are associated with inadequate work ability among workers in the clothing industry. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study of 306 workers in 40 small and medium-sized enterprises. We assessed work ability, individual resources, physical and psychosocial demands, and aspects of life outside work using a binary logistic regression model with hierarchical data entry. The mean work ability was 42.5 (SD=3.5); when adjusted for age, only 11% of the workers showed inadequate work ability. The final model revealed that smoking, high isometric physical load, and poor physical environmental conditions were the most significant predictors of inadequate work ability. Good working conditions and worker education must be implemented to eliminate factors that can be changed and that have a negative impact on work ability. These initiatives include anti-smoking measures, improved postures at work, and better physical environmental conditions.

Truth or Consequence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tolson, Stephanie D.

2005-01-01

Staffing, recruitment and retention, and staff development will become more challenging as resources shrink in community college libraries. Technical skills such as website development, systems maintenance, and the ability to support students and faculty using course management systems will become more specialized and may be found in staff other…

Advancements in the maintenance of skin barrier/skin lipid composition and the involvement of metabolic enzymes.

PubMed

Cui, Le; Jia, Yan; Cheng, Zhi-Wei; Gao, Ying; Zhang, Gao-Lei; Li, Jing-Yi; He, Cong-Fen

2016-12-01

The human skin barrier has an important role in protection and defense, reflected not only in the ability to resist entry of harmful substances into the human body, but also in the ability to prevent loss of water and nutrients. Once the skin barrier is damaged, the skin may become dry, scaly, and wrinkled, and a series of skin problems may occur. In this article, we review the composition of lipids, such as ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids, in the skin and examine the expression of enzymes related to lipid metabolism, such as kallikreins, elongase of elongation of very long-chain fatty acids, hydrolases, and lipid synthases. Additionally, we discuss the involvement of these proteins in skin barrier function and structure. The information presented in this review is expected to provide a theoretical basis for the development of skin care products facilitating the maintenance and repair of skin barrier function. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Gait training strategies to optimize walking ability in people with stroke: A synthesis of the evidence

PubMed Central

Tang, Pei Fang

2011-01-01

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability. Impairments resulting from stroke lead to persistent difficulties with walking and subsequently, improved walking ability is one of the highest priorities for people living with a stroke. In addition, walking ability has important health implications in providing protective effects against secondary complications common after a stroke such as heart disease or osteoporosis. This paper systematically reviews common gait training strategies (neurodevelopmental techniques, muscle strengthening, treadmill training, intensive mobility exercises) to improve walking ability. The results (descriptive summaries as well as pooled effect sizes) from randomized controlled trials are presented and implications for optimal gait training strategies are discussed. Novel and emerging gait training strategies are highlighted and research directions proposed to enable the optimal recovery and maintenance of walking ability. PMID:17939776

Work Ability: using structural equation modeling to assess the effects of aging, health and work on the population of Brazilian municipal employees.

PubMed

Alcântara, Marcus A; Sampaio, Rosana F; Assunção, Ada Ávila; Silva, Fabiana C Martins

2014-01-01

The Work Ability Model has a holistic structure that incorporates individual characteristics, work-related factors and life outside of work. The model has been explored in the context of Finland but still needs to be applied in other countries. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between age, health, work and work ability in a sample of Brazilian municipal employees. A sample of 5,646 workers answered a web-survey questionnaire that collected information about socio-demographics, health, work characteristics and work ability. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the simultaneous relationships between the variables that comprise the Work Ability Model. The sample was predominantly female (68.0%), between 30 and 49 years old (60.0%) and highly educated (66.0%). SEM produced good fit indexes that supported the Work Ability Model. Age was positively related to work ability and negatively related to health. Health and work characteristics positively influenced work ability. The results produced additional support for the conceptualization of work ability as a complex and dynamic phenomenon: a system composed of an individual and various elements of his/her work interact in time and space in a nonlinear way.

Research on gesture recognition of augmented reality maintenance guiding system based on improved SVM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Shouwei; Zhang, Yong; Zhou, Bin; Ma, Dongxi

2014-09-01

Interaction is one of the key techniques of augmented reality (AR) maintenance guiding system. Because of the complexity of the maintenance guiding system's image background and the high dimensionality of gesture characteristics, the whole process of gesture recognition can be divided into three stages which are gesture segmentation, gesture characteristic feature modeling and trick recognition. In segmentation stage, for solving the misrecognition of skin-like region, a segmentation algorithm combing background mode and skin color to preclude some skin-like regions is adopted. In gesture characteristic feature modeling of image attributes stage, plenty of characteristic features are analyzed and acquired, such as structure characteristics, Hu invariant moments features and Fourier descriptor. In trick recognition stage, a classifier based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) is introduced into the augmented reality maintenance guiding process. SVM is a novel learning method based on statistical learning theory, processing academic foundation and excellent learning ability, having a lot of issues in machine learning area and special advantages in dealing with small samples, non-linear pattern recognition at high dimension. The gesture recognition of augmented reality maintenance guiding system is realized by SVM after the granulation of all the characteristic features. The experimental results of the simulation of number gesture recognition and its application in augmented reality maintenance guiding system show that the real-time performance and robustness of gesture recognition of AR maintenance guiding system can be greatly enhanced by improved SVM.

Self-reported work ability of Norwegian women in relation to physical and mental health, and to the work environment

PubMed Central

Gamperiene, Migle; Nygård, Jan F; Sandanger, Inger; Lau, Bjørn; Bruusgaard, Dag

2008-01-01

Objectives To examine the self-reported level of work ability among female employees and the relationship between work ability and demographic characteristics, physical health, mental health, and various psychosocial and organizational work environment factors. Methods Participants were 597 female employees with an average age of 43 years from urban and rural areas in Norway. Trained personnel performed a structured interview to measure demographic variables, physical health, and characteristics of the working environment. Mental health was assessed using the 25-item version of the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist (HSCL-25). Work ability was assessed using a question from the Graded Reduced Work Ability Scale. Results Of the 597 female employees, 8.9% reported an extremely or very reduced ability to work. Twenty-four percent reported poor physical health and 21.9% reported mental distress (≥ 1.55 HSCL-25 cut-off). Women, who reported moderately and severely reduced work ability, did not differ a lot. Moderately reduced work ability increased with age and was associated with physical and mental health. Severely reduced work ability was strongly associated only with physical health and with unskilled occupation. Of eight work environment variables, only three yielded significant associations with work ability, and these associations disappeared after adjustment in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion Results indicate that ageing, in addition to poor self-reported physical health and unskilled work, were the strongest factors associated with reduced work ability among female employees. Impact of work environment in general was visible only in univariate analysis. PMID:18430207

The impact of menopausal symptoms on work ability.

PubMed

Geukes, Marije; van Aalst, Mariëlle P; Nauta, Mary C E; Oosterhof, Henk

2012-03-01

Menopause is an important life event that may have a negative influence on quality of life. Work ability, a concept widely used in occupational health, can predict both future impairment and duration of sickness absence. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of menopausal symptoms on work ability. This was a cross-sectional study that used a sample of healthy working Dutch women aged 44 to 60 years. Work ability was measured using the Work Ability Index, and menopausal symptoms were measured using the Greene Climacteric Scale. Stepwise multiple linear regression models were used to examine the relationship between menopausal symptoms and work ability. A total of 208 women were included in this study. There was a significant negative correlation between total Greene Climacteric Scale score and Work Ability Index score. Total Greene Climacteric Scale score predicted 33.8% of the total variance in the Work Ability Index score. Only the psychological and somatic subscales of the Greene Climacteric Scale were significant predictors in multiple linear regression analysis. Together, they accounted for 36.5% of total variance in Work Ability Index score. Menopausal symptoms are negatively associated with work ability and may increase the risk of sickness absence.

Usefulness of an ability-based health model in work ability assessments provided by psychiatrists and psychology specialists writing social security certificates.

PubMed

Solli, Hans Magnus; Barbosa da Silva, António; Egeland, Jens

2015-01-01

To investigate whether adding descriptions of the health factors "ability," "environment" and "intentions/goals" to the officially sanctioned biomedical disability model (BDM) would improve assessments of work ability for social security purposes. The study was based on a theoretical design consisting of textual analysis and interpretation. Two further work ability models were defined: the mixed health model (MHM), which describes health factors without assessing a person's abilities in context, and the ability-based health model (AHM), which assesses abilities in a concrete context of environment and intention. Eighty-six social security certificates, written by psychiatrists and psychology specialists in a Norwegian hospital-based mental health clinic, were analysed in relation to the three work ability/disability models. In certificates based on the BDM, a general pattern was found of "gradual work training". The MHM added health factors, but without linking them together in a concrete way. With the AHM, work ability was assessed in terms of a concrete unified evaluation of the claimant's abilities, environments and intentions/goals. Applying the AHM in work ability assessments, in comparison with the BDM and the MHM, is useful because this foregrounds claimants' abilities in a context of concrete goals and work-related opportunities, as a unity. Implications for Rehabilitation A concept of health should include ability, environment and intentions/goals as components. When all three of these components are described in concrete terms in a work ability assessment, an integrated picture of the individual's abilities in the context of his/her particular intentions/goals and work opportunities comes to the fore. This kind of assessment makes it possible to meet the individual's needs for individual follow-up in a work environment.

The Extracellular Environment's Effect on Cellular Processes: An In Vitro Study of Mechanical and Chemical Cues on Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells and C17.2 Neural Stem Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casey, Meghan E.

Stem cells are widely used in the area of tissue engineering. The ability of cells to interact with materials on the nano- and micro- level is important in the success of the biomaterial. It is well-known that cells respond to their micro- and nano-environments through a process termed chemo-mechanotransduction. It is important to establish standard protocols for cellular experiments, as chemical modifications to maintenance environments can alter long-term research results. In this work, the effects of different media compositions on human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) throughout normal in vitro maintenance are investigated. Changes in RNA regulation, protein expression and proliferation are studied via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), immunocytochemistry (ICC) and cell counts, respectively. Morphological differences are also observed throughout the experiment. Results of this study illustrate the dynamic response of hMSC maintenance to differences in growth medium and passage number. These experiments highlight the effect growth medium has on in vitro experiments and the need of consistent protocols in hMSC research. A substantial opportunity exists in neuronal research to develop a material platform that allows for both the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells into neurons and the ability to quantify the secretome of neuronal cells. Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes are fabricated in a two-step anodization procedure where voltage is varied to control the pore size and morphology of the membranes. C17.2 neural stem cells are differentiated on the membranes via serum-withdrawal. Cellular growth is characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ICC and qPCR. ImageJ software is used to obtain phenotypic cell counts and neurite outgrowth lengths. Results indicate a highly tunable correlation between AAO nanopore sizes and differentiated cell populations. By selecting AAO membranes with specific pore size ranges, control of neuronal network density and neurite outgrowth length is achievable. To understand differentiation marker expressions in C17.2 NSCs and how material stiffness affects differentiation, cells are cultured on substrates of varying stiffness. qPCR is used to analyze neural stem cell, neural progenitor cell, neuron-restricted progenitor and differentiated post-mitotic neuronal cell RNA expression. Results suggest a relationship between material stiffness and neuronal development in C17.2 neural stem cells.

Multi-site pain and working conditions as predictors of work ability in a 4-year follow-up among food industry employees.

PubMed

Neupane, S; Virtanen, P; Leino-Arjas, P; Miranda, H; Siukola, A; Nygård, C-H

2013-03-01

We investigated the separate and joint effects of multi-site musculoskeletal pain and physical and psychosocial exposures at work on future work ability. A survey was conducted among employees of a Finnish food industry company in 2005 (n = 1201) and a follow-up survey in 2009 (n = 734). Information on self-assessed work ability (current work ability on a scale from 0 to 10; 7 = poor work ability), multi-site musculoskeletal pain (pain in at least two anatomical areas of four), leisure-time physical activity, body mass index and physical and psychosocial exposures was obtained by questionnaire. The separate and joint effects of multi-site pain and work exposures on work ability at follow-up, among subjects with good work ability at baseline, were assessed by logistic regression, and p-values for the interaction derived. Compared with subjects with neither multi-site pain nor adverse work exposure, multi-site pain at baseline increased the risk of poor work ability at follow-up, allowing for age, gender, occupational class, body mass index and leisure-time physical activity. The separate effects of the work exposures on work ability were somewhat smaller than those of multi-site pain. Multi-site pain had an interactive effect with work environment and awkward postures, such that no association of multi-site pain with poor work ability was seen when work environment was poor or awkward postures present. The decline in work ability connected with multi-site pain was not increased by exposure to adverse physical or psychosocial factors at work. © 2012 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters.

Work ability assessment in a worker population: comparison and determinants of Work Ability Index and Work Ability score.

PubMed

El Fassi, Mehdi; Bocquet, Valery; Majery, Nicole; Lair, Marie Lise; Couffignal, Sophie; Mairiaux, Philippe

2013-04-08

Public authorities in European countries are paying increasing attention to the promotion of work ability throughout working life and the best method to monitor work ability in populations of workers is becoming a significant question. The present study aims to compare the assessment of work ability based on the use of the Work Ability Index (WAI), a 7-item questionnaire, with another one based on the use of WAI's first item, which consists in the worker's self-assessment of his/her current work ability level as opposed to his/her lifetime best, this single question being termed "Work Ability score" (WAS). Using a database created by an occupational health service, the study intends to answer the following questions: could the assessment of work ability be based on a single-item measure and which are the variables significantly associated with self-reported work ability among those systematically recorded by the occupational physician during health examinations? A logistic regression model was used in order to estimate the probability of observing "poor" or "moderate" WAI levels depending on age, gender, body mass index, smoking status, position held, firm size and diseases reported by the worker in a population of workers aged 40 to 65 and examined between January 2006 and June 2010 (n=12389). The convergent validity between WAS and WAI was statistically significant (rs=0.63). In the multivariable model, age (p<0.001), reported diseases (OR=1.13, 95%CI [1.11-1.15]) and holding a position mostly characterized by physical activity (OR=1.67, 95%CI [1.49-1.87]) increased the probability of reporting moderate or poor work ability. A work position characterized by the predominance of mental activity (OR=0.71, 95%CI [0.61-0.84]) had a favourable impact on work ability. These relations were observed regardless of the work ability measurement tool used. The convergent validity and the similarity in results between WAI and WAS observed in a large population of employed workers should thus foster the use of WAS for systematic screening of work ability. Ageing, overweight, decline in health status, holding a mostly physical job and working in a large-sized firm increase the risk of presenting moderate or poor work ability.

Return to work from long-term sick leave: a six-year prospective study of the importance of adjustment latitudes at work and home.

PubMed

Dellve, Lotta; Fallman, Sara L; Ahlstrom, Linda

2016-01-01

The aim was to investigate the long-term importance of adjustment latitude for increased work ability and return to work among female human service workers on long-term sick leave. A cohort of female human service workers on long-term sick leave (>60 days) was given a questionnaire four times (0, 6, 12, 60 months). Linear mixed models were used for longitudinal analysis of the repeated measurements of work ability and return to work. Having a higher level of adjustment latitude was associated with both increased work ability and return to work. Adjustments related to work pace were strongly associated with increased work ability, as were adjustments to the work place. Having individual opportunities for taking short breaks and a general acceptance of taking short breaks were associated with increased work ability. At home, a higher level of responsibility for household work was related to increased work ability and return to work. Individuals with possibilities for adjustment latitude, especially pace and place at work, and an acceptance of taking breaks had greater increased work ability over time and a greater work ability compared with individuals who did not have such opportunities. This study highlights the importance of opportunities for adjustment latitude at work to increase work ability and return to work among female human service workers who have been on long-term sick leave. The results support push and pull theories for individual decision-making on return to work.

Multiple Award, Multiple Order Contracts - The Future of Navy Surface Maintenance Procurement

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

example, in October 2004, Australia’s North West Shelf Shipping signed a long-term maintenance and upgrade contract for its fleet of liquefied natural ...fuel tank during shipyard corrosion control activities (e.g., grinding and/or sanding) and there was already a work item in the contract for crack...is not related to items in the original contract. An example of new work is adding fuel tank repair to a combat systems equipment-specific

Demand-specific work ability, poor health and working conditions in middle-aged full-time employees.

PubMed

Nabe-Nielsen, Kirsten; Thielen, Karsten; Nygaard, Else; Thorsen, Sannie Vester; Diderichsen, Finn

2014-07-01

We investigated the prevalence of reduced demand-specific work ability, its association with age, gender, education, poor health, and working conditions, and the interaction between poor health and working conditions regarding reduced demand-specific work ability. We used cross-sectional questionnaire data from 3381 full-time employees responding to questions about vocational education, job demands and social support (working conditions), musculoskeletal pain (MSP) and major depression (MD) (poor health) and seven questions about difficulty managing different job demands (reduced demand-specific work ability). Reduced demand-specific work ability varied from 9% to 19% among the 46-year old and from 11% to 21% among the 56-year old. Age was associated with two, gender with four, and education with all measures of reduced demand-specific work ability. MSP was associated with four and MD was associated with six measures of reduced demand-specific work ability. We found no interaction between working conditions and poor health regarding reduced demand-specific work ability. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Determination of appropriate funding for maintenance : technical summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

Recent national studies of DOT maintenance funding indicate that Louisiana funding levels have not kept pace with the national average, and the level of road servicing has declined as a result. The focus of this work is on 1) evaluation of the curren...

38 CFR 39.62 - Space criteria for support facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 10 years. (a) Administrative building. The administrative building should be approximately 1,600 NSF.../work area); (5) Family/conference room; (6) Military honors team; (7) Refreshment unit; (8) Housekeeping aide's closet; and (9) Restroom facilities. (b) Maintenance/service building. The maintenance...

Computerized Fleet Maintenance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cataldo, John J.

The computerization of school bus maintenance records by the Niskayuna (New York) Central School District enabled the district's transportation department to engage in management practices resulting in significant savings. The district obtains computer analyses of the work performed on all vehicles, including time spent, parts, labor, costs,…

Accident characteristics at construction and maintenance zones in urban areas.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-01-01

Work zone safety is currently a major concern to transportation and highway engineers because of the relatively higher rates of accidents in these areas. There is a strong indication that during the next decade, emphasis will be placed on maintenance...

23 CFR 668.103 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... be primarily attributable to gradual and progressive deterioration or lack of proper maintenance. The... the disaster occurrence for the purpose of: (1) Minimizing the extent of the damage, (2) Protecting... maintenance. Work usually done by highway agencies in repairing damage normally expected from seasonal and...

23 CFR 668.103 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... be primarily attributable to gradual and progressive deterioration or lack of proper maintenance. The... the disaster occurrence for the purpose of: (1) Minimizing the extent of the damage, (2) Protecting... maintenance. Work usually done by highway agencies in repairing damage normally expected from seasonal and...

23 CFR 668.103 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... be primarily attributable to gradual and progressive deterioration or lack of proper maintenance. The... the disaster occurrence for the purpose of: (1) Minimizing the extent of the damage, (2) Protecting... maintenance. Work usually done by highway agencies in repairing damage normally expected from seasonal and...

Proposal for monitoring concrete painting as a preventive maintenance tool (Abutments and pier caps).

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-07-01

One of the growing number of preventive bridge maintenance activities conducted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is washing and applying thin film protective coatings to bridge abutments and piers. Previous work conducted by Kentucky Tra...

Performance of preventive maintenance treatments for flexible pavements in Texas.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-03-01

This report documents the work performed in the first year of the Texas Department of TxDOT Project 0-6878. : The main objective of this project is to quantify the effectiveness of various popular preventive maintenance : (PM) treatments under varyin...

Teleoperated systems for nuclear reactors: Inspection and maintenance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorokhov, V. P.; Dorokhov, D. V.; Eperin, A. P.

1994-01-01

The present paper describes author's work in the field of teleoperated equipment for inspection and maintenance of the RBML technological channels and graphite laying, emergency operations. New technological and design solutions of teleoperated robotic systems developed for Leningradsky Power Plant are discussed.

The importance of job control for workers with decreased work ability to remain productive at work.

PubMed

van den Berg, Tilja I; Robroek, Suzan J; Plat, Jan F; Koopmanschap, Marc A; Burdorf, Alex

2011-08-01

Workers with decreased work ability are at greater risk of reduced productivity at work. We hypothesized that work-related characteristics play an important role in supporting workers to remain productive despite decreased work ability. The study population consisted of 10,542 workers in 49 different companies in the Netherlands in 2005-2009. Productivity loss at work was defined on a 10-point scale by asking how much work was actually performed during regular hours on the last regular workday when compared with normal. Independent variables in the logistic regression analysis were individual characteristics, work-related factors, and the work ability index. Additive interactions between work-related factors and decreased work ability were evaluated by the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI). The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the likelihood of productivity loss at work were 2.03 (1.85-2.22), 3.50 (3.10-3.95), and 5.54 (4.37-7.03) for a good, moderate, and poor work ability, compared with an excellent work ability (reference group). Productivity loss at work was associated with lack of job control, poor skill discretion, and high work demands. There was a significant interaction between decreased work ability and lack of job control (RERI = 0.63 95% CI 0.11-1.16) with productivity loss at work. The negative effects on work performance of decreased work ability may be partly counterbalanced by increased job control. This suggests that interventions among workers with (chronic) disease that cause a decreased work ability should include enlargement of possibilities to plan and pace their own activities at work.

‘Activity-silent’ working memory in prefrontal cortex: a dynamic coding framework

PubMed Central

Stokes, Mark G.

2015-01-01

Working memory (WM) provides the functional backbone to high-level cognition. Maintenance in WM is often assumed to depend on the stationary persistence of neural activity patterns that represent memory content. However, accumulating evidence suggests that persistent delay activity does not always accompany WM maintenance but instead seems to wax and wane as a function of the current task relevance of memoranda. Furthermore, new methods for measuring and analysing population-level patterns show that activity states are highly dynamic. At first glance, these dynamics seem at odds with the very nature of WM. How can we keep a stable thought in mind while brain activity is constantly changing? This review considers how neural dynamics might be functionally important for WM maintenance. PMID:26051384

Estimation of work capacity and work ability among plantation workers in South India.

PubMed

Anbazhagan, Suguna; Ramesh, Naveen; Surekha, A; Fathima, Farah N; Melina; Anjali

2016-01-01

Work capacity is the ability to perform real physical work, and work ability is a result of interaction of worker to his or her work that is how good a worker is at present, in near future, and how able is he or she to do his or her work with respect to work demands and health and mental resources. To assess the work capacity and work ability and to study the factors associated with work capacity and work ability of workers at a tea plantation in South India. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tea plantation in Annamalai, South India, from March to May 2015. Data were collected using a structured interview schedule comprising of three parts as follows: sociodemographic data, work ability questionnaire, and work capacity assessment. Of the 199 subjects participated in the study, majority [90 (45.3%)] were in the age group of 46-55 years, and 128 (64.3%) were females. Of the 199 workers, 12.6% had poor aerobic capacity (by Harvard Step test), 88.4% had an endurance of more than 1 h, 70.9% had better work productivity and energetic efficiency, and the voluntary activity workers spent most time on household chores. Of the 199 workers assessed, only 9.6% had good work ability. There is negative correlation between work ability and body mass index (BMI). Our study found 12.6% workers with poor aerobic capacity and 9.6% of workers with good work ability. Periodic health examinations and other screening procedures should be made as routine in workplace to improve work ability and capacity.

Work disabilities and unmet needs for health care and rehabilitation among jobseekers: a community-level investigation using multidimensional work ability assessments

PubMed Central

Kerätär, Raija; Taanila, Anja; Jokelainen, Jari; Soukainen, Jouko; Ala-Mursula, Leena

2016-01-01

Objective Comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and quality of work disabilities and unmet needs for health care and rehabilitation to support return to work (RTW) among jobseekers. Design Community-level, cross-sectional analysis with multidimensional clinical work ability assessments. Setting Paltamo, Finland. Participants Unemployed citizens either participating in the Full-Employment Project or long-term unemployed (n = 230, 81%). Main outcome measures Based on data from theme interviews, patient records, supervisors’ observations of work performance and clinical examinations, a physician concluded the individual’s work ability, categorised into four groups: good work ability, good work ability expected after RTW support, able to transitional work only or unable to work. These groups were cross tabulated with primary diagnoses, types of plans to support RTW, as well as categories of social functioning and motivation, for which sensitivity and specificity scores in detecting work disability were calculated. Results Only about half of the jobseekers had good work ability, 27% were found unable to work in the open labour market and 15% even eligible for a disability pension. For 20%, care or rehabilitation was seen necessary to enable RTW. Poor supervisor- and self-rated performance at work or poor social functioning appeared as sensitive measures in detecting work disability. Conclusions Work disabilities and unmet needs for health care and rehabilitation are highly prevalent among jobseekers, as depicted using a multidimensional work ability assessment procedure inspired by the International Classification of Functioning (ICF). Further development of work ability assessment practices is clearly needed. KEY POINTSAlthough the association of unemployment with poor health is well known, evidence on the work ability of the unemployed remains scarce.Work disabilities are common among the unemployed.Multidimensional work ability assessment among the unemployed reveals unmet needs for care and rehabilitation to support return to work.Context sensitivity may add to the accuracy of the doctor’s conclusions on work ability. PMID:27804309

Work disabilities and unmet needs for health care and rehabilitation among jobseekers: a community-level investigation using multidimensional work ability assessments.

PubMed

Kerätär, Raija; Taanila, Anja; Jokelainen, Jari; Soukainen, Jouko; Ala-Mursula, Leena

2016-12-01

Comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and quality of work disabilities and unmet needs for health care and rehabilitation to support return to work (RTW) among jobseekers. Community-level, cross-sectional analysis with multidimensional clinical work ability assessments. Paltamo, Finland. Unemployed citizens either participating in the Full-Employment Project or long-term unemployed (n = 230, 81%). Based on data from theme interviews, patient records, supervisors' observations of work performance and clinical examinations, a physician concluded the individual's work ability, categorised into four groups: good work ability, good work ability expected after RTW support, able to transitional work only or unable to work. These groups were cross tabulated with primary diagnoses, types of plans to support RTW, as well as categories of social functioning and motivation, for which sensitivity and specificity scores in detecting work disability were calculated. Only about half of the jobseekers had good work ability, 27% were found unable to work in the open labour market and 15% even eligible for a disability pension. For 20%, care or rehabilitation was seen necessary to enable RTW. Poor supervisor- and self-rated performance at work or poor social functioning appeared as sensitive measures in detecting work disability. Work disabilities and unmet needs for health care and rehabilitation are highly prevalent among jobseekers, as depicted using a multidimensional work ability assessment procedure inspired by the International Classification of Functioning (ICF). Further development of work ability assessment practices is clearly needed. KEY POINTS Although the association of unemployment with poor health is well known, evidence on the work ability of the unemployed remains scarce. Work disabilities are common among the unemployed. Multidimensional work ability assessment among the unemployed reveals unmet needs for care and rehabilitation to support return to work. Context sensitivity may add to the accuracy of the doctor's conclusions on work ability.

Cost Analysis of Maintenance Programs for Pre-Positioned War Reserve Material Stock (PWRMS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-06-01

perform electronic engine diagnosis and repair, complete engine and transmission rebuilding, powertrain and suspension work, bodywork , painting, and...cost is reimbursed by N44 • Any cost of breakdown maintenance such as transmission or engine failure. • Any cost of accident repair such as bodywork ...equipment in other TOA designators (TA10, P35, etc.) or any other maintenance such as corrective, breakdown, bodywork , or SLEP. Further studies need

The influence of psychosocial factors at work and life style on health and work ability among professional workers.

PubMed

van den Berg, T I J; Alavinia, S M; Bredt, F J; Lindeboom, D; Elders, L A M; Burdorf, A

2008-08-01

The purpose of this article is to explore the associations of psychosocial factors at work, life style, and stressful life events on health and work ability among white-collar workers. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among workers in commercial services (n = 1141). The main outcome variables were work ability, measured by the work ability index (WAI), and mental and physical health, measured by the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). Individual characteristics, psychosocial factors at work, stressful life events, and lifestyle factors were determined by a questionnaire. Maximum oxygen uptake, weight, height, and biceps strength were measured during a physical examination. Work ability of white-collar workers in commercial services industry was strongly associated with psychosocial factors at work such as teamwork, stress handling, and self-development and, to a lesser extent, with stressful life events, lack of physical activity, and obesity. Determinants of mental health were very similar to those of work ability, whereas physical health was influenced primarily by life style factors. With respect to work ability, the influence of unhealthy life style seems more important for older workers, than for their younger colleagues. Among white-collar workers mental and physical health were of equal importance to work ability, but only mental health and work ability shared the same determinants. The strong associations between psychosocial factors at work and mental health and work ability suggest that in this study population health promotion should address working conditions rather than individual life style factors.

The concept of `work ability' from the view point of employers.

PubMed

Jansson, Inger; Björklund, Anita; Perseius, Kent-Inge; Gunnarsson, A Birgitta

2015-01-01

Since work ability is manifested in working life and ``bought'' by employers, employers perceptions of the concept are important to understand. Studies have shown that people with health problems want to take part in the labour market, but experience difficulties in gaining access. Additionally, studies have demonstrated the doubt felt by employers when they consider hiring a person with a disability. The aim was to identify and characterise employers' conceptions of work ability. The study design was qualitative with a phenomenographic approach. Six male and six female employers from various workplaces and geographical areas in Sweden were interviewed. Three domains were identified: employees' contributions to work ability, employers' contributions to work ability and circumstances with limited work ability. Work ability was regarded as a tool in production and its output, production, was the main issue. The employees' commitment and interest could bridge other shortcomings. The employers highlighted their own contributions in shaping work ability in order to fit with work circumstances. Health problems were not the only limiting issues; other circumstances, such as individual characteristics and contextual factors, could limit work ability too. Knowing the importance of commitment and interest is valuable in work rehabilitation.

Individual differences in working memory, secondary memory, and fluid intelligence: evidence from the levels-of-processing span task.

PubMed

Rose, Nathan S

2013-12-01

Individual differences in working memory (WM) are related to performance on secondary memory (SM), and fluid intelligence (gF) tests. However, the source of the relation remains unclear, in part because few studies have controlled for the nature of encoding; therefore, it is unclear whether individual variation is due to encoding, maintenance, or retrieval processes. In the current study, participants performed a WM task (the levels-of-processing span task; Rose, Myerson, Roediger III, & Hale, 2010) and a SM test that tested for both targets and the distracting processing words from the initial WM task. Deeper levels of processing at encoding did not benefit WM, but did benefit subsequent SM, although the amount of benefit was smaller for those with lower WM spans. This result suggests that, despite encoding cues that facilitate retrieval from SM, low spans may have engaged in shallower, maintenance-focused processing to maintain the words in WM. Low spans also recalled fewer targets, more distractors, and more extralist intrusions than high spans, although this was partially due to low spans' poorer recall of targets, which resulted in a greater number of opportunities to commit recall errors. Delayed recall of intrusions and commission of source errors (labeling targets as processing words and vice versa) were significant negative predictors of gF. These results suggest that the ability to use source information to recall relevant information and withhold recall of irrelevant information is a critical source of both individual variation in WM and the relation between WM, SM, and gF. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

The effect of non-visual working memory load on top-down modulation of visual processing

PubMed Central

Rissman, Jesse; Gazzaley, Adam; D'Esposito, Mark

2009-01-01

While a core function of the working memory (WM) system is the active maintenance of behaviorally relevant sensory representations, it is also critical that distracting stimuli are appropriately ignored. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the role of domain-general WM resources in the top-down attentional modulation of task-relevant and irrelevant visual representations. In our dual-task paradigm, each trial began with the auditory presentation of six random (high load) or sequentially-ordered (low load) digits. Next, two relevant visual stimuli (e.g., faces), presented amongst two temporally interspersed visual distractors (e.g., scenes), were to be encoded and maintained across a 7-sec delay interval, after which memory for the relevant images and digits was probed. When taxed by high load digit maintenance, participants exhibited impaired performance on the visual WM task and a selective failure to attenuate the neural processing of task-irrelevant scene stimuli. The over-processing of distractor scenes under high load was indexed by elevated encoding activity in a scene-selective region-of-interest relative to low load and passive viewing control conditions, as well as by improved long-term recognition memory for these items. In contrast, the load manipulation did not affect participants' ability to upregulate activity in this region when scenes were task-relevant. These results highlight the critical role of domain-general WM resources in the goal-directed regulation of distractor processing. Moreover, the consequences of increased WM load in young adults closely resemble the effects of cognitive aging on distractor filtering [Gazzaley et al., (2005) Nature Neuroscience 8, 1298-1300], suggesting the possibility of a common underlying mechanism. PMID:19397858

Autocrine Semaphorin3A signaling is essential for the maintenance of stem-like cells in lung cancer

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

Yamada, Daisuke; Takahashi, Kensuke; Kawahara, Kohichi

Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) exist in tumor tissues composed of heterogeneous cell population and are characterized by their self-renewal capacity and tumorigenicity. Many studies demonstrate that eradication of CSCs prevents development and recurrences of tumor; yet, molecules critical for the maintenance of CSCs have not been completely understood. We previously reported that Semaphorin3A (Sema3a) knockdown suppressed the tumorigenicity and proliferative capacity of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells. Therefore, we identified Sema3a as an essential factor for the establishment or maintenance of CSCs derived from LLC (LLC-stem cell). shRNA against Sema3a was introduced into LLC cells to establish a LLC-stem cellmore » line and its effects on tumorigenesis, sphere formation, and mTORC1 activity were tested. Sema3a knockdown completely abolished tumorigenicity and the sphere-formation and self-renewal ability of LLC-stem cells. The Sema3a knockdown was also associated with decreased expression of mRNA for stem cell markers. The self-renewal ability abolished by Sema3a knockdown could not be recovered by exogenous addition of recombinant SEMA3A. In addition, the activity of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and the expression of its substrate p70S6K1 were also decreased. These results demonstrate that Sema3a is a potential therapeutic target in eradication of CSCs. - Highlights: • Sema3a enhances tumorigenic capacity of cancer stem-like cells. • Sema3a is essential for the maintenance of cancer stem-like cells. • Sema3a can be a therapeutic target to eradicate cancer stem-like cells.« less

Different Roles of Direct and Indirect Frontoparietal Pathways for Individual Working Memory Capacity.

PubMed

Ekman, Matthias; Fiebach, Christian J; Melzer, Corina; Tittgemeyer, Marc; Derrfuss, Jan

2016-03-09

The ability to temporarily store and manipulate information in working memory is a hallmark of human intelligence and differs considerably across individuals, but the structural brain correlates underlying these differences in working memory capacity (WMC) are only poorly understood. In two separate studies, diffusion MRI data and WMC scores were collected for 70 and 109 healthy individuals. Using a combination of probabilistic tractography and network analysis of the white matter tracts, we examined whether structural brain network properties were predictive of individual WMC. Converging evidence from both studies showed that lateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex of high-capacity individuals are more densely connected compared with low-capacity individuals. Importantly, our network approach was further able to dissociate putative functional roles associated with two different pathways connecting frontal and parietal regions: a corticocortical pathway and a subcortical pathway. In Study 1, where participants were required to maintain and update working memory items, the connectivity of the direct and indirect pathway was predictive of WMC. In contrast, in Study 2, where participants were required to maintain working memory items without updating, only the connectivity of the direct pathway was predictive of individual WMC. Our results suggest an important dissociation in the circuitry connecting frontal and parietal regions, where direct frontoparietal connections might support storage and maintenance, whereas subcortically mediated connections support the flexible updating of working memory content. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/362894-10$15.00/0.

20 CFR 220.178 - Determining medical improvement and its relationship to the annuitant's ability to do work.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... relationship to the annuitant's ability to do work. 220.178 Section 220.178 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD... improvement and its relationship to the annuitant's ability to do work. (a) General. Paragraphs (a), (b), and... ability to work and medical improvement that is related to the ability to work. How the Board will arrive...

20 CFR 220.178 - Determining medical improvement and its relationship to the annuitant's ability to do work.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... relationship to the annuitant's ability to do work. 220.178 Section 220.178 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD... improvement and its relationship to the annuitant's ability to do work. (a) General. Paragraphs (a), (b), and... ability to work and medical improvement that is related to the ability to work. How the Board will arrive...

20 CFR 220.178 - Determining medical improvement and its relationship to the annuitant's ability to do work.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... relationship to the annuitant's ability to do work. 220.178 Section 220.178 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD... improvement and its relationship to the annuitant's ability to do work. (a) General. Paragraphs (a), (b), and... ability to work and medical improvement that is related to the ability to work. How the Board will arrive...

[Occupational stress effects on work ability in chemistry workers].

PubMed

Yang, Huifang; Wang, Mianzhen; Wang, Zhiming; Lan, Yajia

2004-03-01

Investigating the status of work ability and occupational stress in 1030 chemistry workers at levels of chemical materials and explore their relationship and influence factors (481 workers of study group, 549 workers of control group). Work ability and occupational stress were measured with the work ability index (WAI) and occupational stress questionnaire (OSQ). The risk factors of work ability decline were evaluated. WAI and OSQ scores scores are significantly different between study group and control group (P < 0.01), and work ability correlated inversely with occupational stress (P < 0.01). The WAI scores are reducing with a higher of the OSQ. The work ability of chemistry-workers became lower with the increasing of age. Variables that influence work ability included the factors of disorder of musculoskeletal function (OR = 2.884), assessment of the current health (OR = 2.651), the diseases (OR = 2.498), emotion status (OR = 2.407), physical load (OR = 1.254) and lack of exercise (OR = 1.956). The stress levels and stress factors had affected work ability in chemistry-workers, and it was suggested that the findings could be helpful for the measures protecting and promoting of work ability on the health of workers.

Study on power grid characteristics in summer based on Linear regression analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Jin-hui; Liu, You-fei; Liu, Juan; Liu, Qiang; Liu, Zhuan; Xu, Xi

2018-05-01

The correlation analysis of power load and temperature is the precondition and foundation for accurate load prediction, and a great deal of research has been made. This paper constructed the linear correlation model between temperature and power load, then the correlation of fault maintenance work orders with the power load is researched. Data details of Jiangxi province in 2017 summer such as temperature, power load, fault maintenance work orders were adopted in this paper to develop data analysis and mining. Linear regression models established in this paper will promote electricity load growth forecast, fault repair work order review, distribution network operation weakness analysis and other work to further deepen the refinement.

Medial prefrontal lesions in mice impair sustained attention but spare maintenance of information in working memory.

PubMed

Kahn, Julia B; Ward, Ryan D; Kahn, Lora W; Rudy, Nicole M; Kandel, Eric R; Balsam, Peter D; Simpson, Eleanor H

2012-10-16

Working memory and attention are complex cognitive functions that are disrupted in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Mouse models of such human diseases are commonly subjected to maze-based tests that can neither distinguish between these cognitive functions nor isolate specific aspects of either function. Here, we have adapted a simple visual discrimination task, and by varying only the timing of events within the same task construct, we are able to measure independently the behavioral response to increasing attentional demand and increasing length of time that information must be maintained in working memory. We determined that mPFC lesions in mice impair attention but not working memory maintenance.

Neuroplasticity of the Sensorimotor Cortex during Learning

PubMed Central

Francis, Joseph Thachil; Song, Weiguo

2011-01-01

We will discuss some of the current issues in understanding plasticity in the sensorimotor (SM) cortices on the behavioral, neurophysiological, and synaptic levels. We will focus our paper on reaching and grasping movements in the rat. In addition, we will discuss our preliminary work utilizing inhibition of protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ), which has recently been shown necessary and sufficient for the maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP) (Ling et al., 2002). With this new knowledge and inhibitors to this system, as well as the ability to overexpress this system, we can start to directly modulate LTP and determine its influence on behavior as well as network level processing dependent at least in part due to this form of LTP. We will also briefly introduce the use of brain machine interface (BMI) paradigms to ask questions about sensorimotor plasticity and discuss current analysis techniques that may help in our understanding of neuroplasticity. PMID:21949908

An Information Retrieval and Recommendation System for Astronomical Observatories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukund, Nikhil; Thakur, Saurabh; Abraham, Sheelu; Aniyan, A. K.; Mitra, Sanjit; Sajeeth Philip, Ninan; Vaghmare, Kaustubh; Acharjya, D. P.

2018-03-01

We present a machine-learning-based information retrieval system for astronomical observatories that tries to address user-defined queries related to an instrument. In the modern instrumentation scenario where heterogeneous systems and talents are simultaneously at work, the ability to supply people with the right information helps speed up the tasks for detector operation, maintenance, and upgradation. The proposed method analyzes existing documented efforts at the site to intelligently group related information to a query and to present it online to the user. The user in response can probe the suggested content and explore previously developed solutions or probable ways to address the present situation optimally. We demonstrate natural language-processing-backed knowledge rediscovery by making use of the open source logbook data from the Laser Interferometric Gravitational Observatory (LIGO). We implement and test a web application that incorporates the above idea for LIGO Livingston, LIGO Hanford, and Virgo observatories.

Cognitive Mechanisms in Chronic Tinnitus: Psychological Markers of a Failure to Switch Attention

PubMed Central

Trevis, Krysta J.; McLachlan, Neil M.; Wilson, Sarah J.

2016-01-01

The cognitive mechanisms underpinning chronic tinnitus (CT; phantom auditory perceptions) are underexplored but may reflect a failure to switch attention away from a tinnitus sound. Here, we investigated a range of components that influence the ability to switch attention, including cognitive control, inhibition, working memory and mood, on the presence and severity of CT. Our participants with tinnitus showed significant impairments in cognitive control and inhibition as well as lower levels of emotional well-being, compared to healthy-hearing participants. Moreover, the subjective cognitive complaints of tinnitus participants correlated with their emotional well-being whereas complaints in healthy participants correlated with objective cognitive functioning. Combined, cognitive control and depressive symptoms correctly classified 67% of participants. These results demonstrate the core role of cognition in CT. They also provide the foundations for a neurocognitive account of the maintenance of tinnitus, involving impaired interactions between the neurocognitive networks underpinning attention-switching and mood. PMID:27605920

Comprehensive Anti-error Study on Power Grid Dispatching Based on Regional Regulation and Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yunju; Chen, Zhongyi; Guo, Ming; Lin, Shunsheng; Yan, Yinyang

2018-01-01

With the large capacity of the power system, the development trend of the large unit and the high voltage, the scheduling operation is becoming more frequent and complicated, and the probability of operation error increases. This paper aims at the problem of the lack of anti-error function, single scheduling function and low working efficiency for technical support system in regional regulation and integration, the integrated construction of the error prevention of the integrated architecture of the system of dispatching anti - error of dispatching anti - error of power network based on cloud computing has been proposed. Integrated system of error prevention of Energy Management System, EMS, and Operation Management System, OMS have been constructed either. The system architecture has good scalability and adaptability, which can improve the computational efficiency, reduce the cost of system operation and maintenance, enhance the ability of regional regulation and anti-error checking with broad development prospects.

Virtual data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bjorklund, E.

1994-12-01

In the 1970s, when computers were memory limited, operating system designers created the concept of "virtual memory", which gave users the ability to address more memory than physically existed. In the 1990s, many large control systems have the potential of becoming data limited. We propose that many of the principles behind virtual memory systems (working sets, locality, caching and clustering) can also be applied to data-limited systems, creating, in effect, "virtual data systems". At the Los Alamos National Laboratory's Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF), we have applied these principles to a moderately sized (10 000 data points) data acquisition and control system. To test the principles, we measured the system's performance during tune-up, production, and maintenance periods. In this paper, we present a general discussion of the principles of a virtual data system along with some discussion of our own implementation and the results of our performance measurements.

A comparison of the relationships between psychosocial factors, occupational strain, and work ability among 4 ethnic teacher groups in China.

PubMed

Lian, Yulong; Xiao, Jing; Zhang, Chen; Guan, Suzhen; Li, Fuye; Ge, Hua; Liu, Jiwen

2016-01-01

The present study compared the level of occupational strain and work ability among Han, Hui, Uygur, Hui, and Kazakh teachers, and explored ethnic differences based on the associations of psychosocial factors at work, occupational strain, and work ability. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,941 teachers in primary and secondary schools in Xinjiang Province, China. Psychosocial factors, occupational strain, and work ability were measured using the Occupation Stress Inventory-Revised Edition (OSI-R) and Work Ability Index. Han and Hui teachers experienced reduced work ability compared with Uygur and Kazakh teachers, and this finding was caused, in part, by exposure to psychosocial factors at work. The vocational and psychological strains caused by these factors play an important role in reduced work ability among all ethnic teacher groups. The findings indicate the importance of taking action to reduce occupational strain for promoting teachers' work ability in multiethnic workplaces.

Improving work zone safety through speed management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-06-01

Safety hazards are increased in highway work zones as the dynamics of a work zone introduce a constantly changing : environment with varying levels of risk. Excessive speeding through work and maintenance zones is a common occurrence : which elevates...

U.S. Immigration Policy and the National Interest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fauriol, Georges

1984-01-01

The national security of the United States depends upon its domestic strength and international stability. This strength requires an ability to control national borders, the maintenance of an independent foreign policy, a prosperous economy, and a cohesive domestic political environment. Uncontrolled migration is undermining this strength. (RM)

Clarus multi-state regional demonstrations, evaluation of use case #3 : non-winter maintenance decision support system.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-05-26

This evaluation report documents benefits, challenges and the lessons learned from the demonstration of a new tool that offers state DOTs the ability to expand decision support beyond snow and ice control to incorporate Clarus data to assist maintena...

Automated vehicle location, data recording, friction measurement and applicator control for winter road maintenance.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-01

The first part of this project conducted a detailed evaluation of the ability of a new friction measurement system to : provide an accurate measure of road conditions. A system that records friction coefficient as a function of road : location was de...

Medical Surveillance Programs for Aircraft Maintenance Personnel Performing Nondestructive Inspection and Testing

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-11-01

visible and fl uorescent inspection techniques, while radiography relies on the individual’s ability to detect subtle differences in contrast either...binocular measurement of visual acuity may better predict a person’s functional capability in the workplace . However, measurement of monocular acuities

Preschool Children's Control of Action Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freier, Livia; Cooper, Richard P.; Mareschal, Denis

2017-01-01

Naturalistic goal-directed behaviours require the engagement and maintenance of appropriate levels of cognitive control over relatively extended intervals of time. In two experiments, we examined preschool children's abilities to maintain top-down control throughout the course of a sequential task. Both 3- and 5-year-olds demonstrated good…

Epigenetic regulation of memory formation and maintenance

PubMed Central

Zovkic, Iva B.; Guzman-Karlsson, Mikael C.; Sweatt, J. David

2013-01-01

Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the formation and maintenance of memories is a central goal of the neuroscience community. It is well regarded that an organism's ability to lastingly adapt its behavior in response to a transient environmental stimulus relies on the central nervous system's capability for structural and functional plasticity. This plasticity is dependent on a well-regulated program of neurotransmitter release, post-synaptic receptor activation, intracellular signaling cascades, gene transcription, and subsequent protein synthesis. In the last decade, epigenetic markers like DNA methylation and post-translational modifications of histone tails have emerged as important regulators of the memory process. Their ability to regulate gene transcription dynamically in response to neuronal activation supports the consolidation of long-term memory. Furthermore, the persistent and self-propagating nature of these mechanisms, particularly DNA methylation, suggests a molecular mechanism for memory maintenance. In this review, we will examine the evidence that supports a role of epigenetic mechanisms in learning and memory. In doing so, we hope to emphasize (1) the widespread involvement of these mechanisms across different behavioral paradigms and distinct brain regions, (2) the temporal and genetic specificity of these mechanisms in response to upstream signaling cascades, and (3) the functional outcome these mechanisms may have on structural and functional plasticity. Finally, we consider the future directions of neuroepigenetic research as it relates to neuronal storage of information. PMID:23322554

[Energy requirements of petroleum workers in Western Siberia].

PubMed

Bondarev, G I; Vissarionova, V Ia; Dupik, V S; Zemlianskaia, T A

1982-01-01

Energy requirements of drillers, derrick mounters and maintenance workers belonging to dispersed collectives were defined on the basis of materials available at the oil field Surgutneft named for the 50th anniversary of October. Energy requirements of the team workers were studied by the method of Douglas-Haldane during autumn-winter in the course of performing various production processes. Energy requirements were established as regards the operations made in the course of the basic technological processes. The budget of the working time was calculated in accordance with a rate-qualification manual. Energy consumption during out-of-work time was established by the method of individual questionnaires, followed by energy consumption calculation during various types of the work according to the generally accepted energy equivalents. The daily energy consumption with regard to the eight-hour work was found to constitute 3100-3660 kcal for drillers and the first assistant drillers, and 3700-3900 kcal for the second and third assistant drillers. The oilmen were distributed into groups in terms of the work intensity: group II--drillers, first assistant drillers and maintenance workers; group III--the second and third assistant drillers, assistant maintenance workers, and derrick mounters.

Working memory plasticity in old age: practice gain, transfer, and maintenance.

PubMed

Li, Shu-Chen; Schmiedek, Florian; Huxhold, Oliver; Röcke, Christina; Smith, Jacqui; Lindenberger, Ulman

2008-12-01

Adult age differences in cognitive plasticity have been studied less often in working memory than in episodic memory. The authors investigated the effects of extensive working memory practice on performance improvement, transfer, and short-term maintenance of practice gains and transfer effects. Adults age 20-30 years and 70-80 years practiced a spatial working memory task with 2 levels of processing demands across 45 days for about 15 min per day. In both age groups and relative to age-matched, no-contact control groups, we found (a) substantial performance gains on the practiced task, (b) near transfer to a more demanding spatial n-back task and to numerical n-back tasks, and (c) 3-month maintenance of practice gains and near transfer effects, with decrements relative to postpractice performance among older but not younger adults. No evidence was found for far transfer to complex span tasks. The authors discuss neuronal mechanisms underlying adult age differences and similarities in patterns of plasticity and conclude that the potential of deliberate working memory practice as a tool for improving cognition in old age merits further exploration. Copyright (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Rapid Forgetting Results From Competition Over Time Between Items in Visual Working Memory

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Working memory is now established as a fundamental cognitive process across a range of species. Loss of information held in working memory has the potential to disrupt many aspects of cognitive function. However, despite its significance, the mechanisms underlying rapid forgetting remain unclear, with intense recent debate as to whether it is interference between stored items that leads to loss of information or simply temporal decay. Here we show that both factors are essential and interact in a highly specific manner. Although a single item can be maintained in memory with high fidelity, multiple items compete in working memory, progressively degrading each other’s representations as time passes. Specifically, interaction between items is associated with both worsening precision and increased reporting errors of object features over time. Importantly, during the period of maintenance, although items are no longer visible, maintenance resources can be selectively redeployed to protect the probability to recall the correct feature and the precision with which cued items can be recalled, as if it was the only item in memory. These findings reveal that the biased competition concept could be applied not only to perceptual processes but also to active maintenance of working memory representations over time. PMID:27668485

Remote Education Using Web Conference System in a Company of Coin Parking Business

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshioka, Yoshio; Mito, Hiroyuki; Azuma, Kouji

Maintenance jobs at coin parking places (CP) are very important for keeping trouble free operation. Such maintenance jobs include special inspection at the initiation of new CP and ordinal maintenance works. In order to level up the skill of maintenance people in the company, education of the basic knowlege of electricity, facility and maintenance skills are required. We made an original text for maintenance people, and practiced education by use of web conference system, because they are distributed in whole country, This paper describes a content of text on fundamental knowledge of electricity, facility of coin parking system and trouble experiences, and also a practice of remote education using web conference system. Problems of remote education which were found by practice and the future education plan of practical skill are also described.

Interaction of lifestyle and work ability index in blue collar workers.

PubMed

Mohammadi, Saber; Ghaffari, Mostafa; Abdi, Alireza; Bahadori, Baharak; Mirzamohammadi, Elham; Attarchi, Mirsaeed

2014-11-17

Early labor force exit is one of the major problems worldwide. The present study investigates the relationship between work ability and lifestyle. This study was conducted at a manufacturing plant in Tehran in 2012. All 851 male workers in this plant were included into the study and their work ability was assessed using the Work Ability Index (WAI). Based on the obtained scores, the participants were then classified into four work ability groups (poor, moderate, good, or excellent). Moreover, the participants' lifestyles were studied in three areas, including physical activity, cigarette smoking, and Body Mass Index (BMI). The average work ability index score was 42.07, ranging from 7-48. Among the participants, 6.4% (43), 6.5% (44), 38.3% (259), and 48.8% (330) were in the groups with poor, moderate, good, and excellent work ability, respectively. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between work ability and lifestyle (cigarette smoking, BMI, and physical activity) even after adjustment for confounding variables (P<0.05). According to the results of the present study, there might be a relationship between work ability and lifestyle (physical activity, BMI, cigarette smoking). Therefore, it is recommended to implement a lifestyle quality enhancement program to improve work ability in working environments.

Balanced cortical microcircuitry for spatial working memory based on corrective feedback control.

PubMed

Lim, Sukbin; Goldman, Mark S

2014-05-14

A hallmark of working memory is the ability to maintain graded representations of both the spatial location and amplitude of a memorized stimulus. Previous work has identified a neural correlate of spatial working memory in the persistent maintenance of spatially specific patterns of neural activity. How such activity is maintained by neocortical circuits remains unknown. Traditional models of working memory maintain analog representations of either the spatial location or the amplitude of a stimulus, but not both. Furthermore, although most previous models require local excitation and lateral inhibition to maintain spatially localized persistent activity stably, the substrate for lateral inhibitory feedback pathways is unclear. Here, we suggest an alternative model for spatial working memory that is capable of maintaining analog representations of both the spatial location and amplitude of a stimulus, and that does not rely on long-range feedback inhibition. The model consists of a functionally columnar network of recurrently connected excitatory and inhibitory neural populations. When excitation and inhibition are balanced in strength but offset in time, drifts in activity trigger spatially specific negative feedback that corrects memory decay. The resulting networks can temporally integrate inputs at any spatial location, are robust against many commonly considered perturbations in network parameters, and, when implemented in a spiking model, generate irregular neural firing characteristic of that observed experimentally during persistent activity. This work suggests balanced excitatory-inhibitory memory circuits implementing corrective negative feedback as a substrate for spatial working memory. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/346790-17$15.00/0.

Prognostic factors for work ability in women with chronic low back pain consulting primary health care: a 2-year prospective longitudinal cohort study.

PubMed

Nordeman, Lena; Gunnarsson, Ronny; Mannerkorpi, Kaisa

2014-05-01

To investigate prognostic factors for future work ability in women with chronic low back pain (CLBP) consulting primary health care. A 2-year prospective longitudinal cohort study of female patients with CLBP within the primary health care was conducted. Patients were assessed at the first assessment and after 2 years. Prognostic factors for work ability (yes/no) were analyzed by multivariate regression. A total of 130 patients were included at first assessment. After 2 years, 123 patients (95%) were followed up. The 6-minute walk test, depression, and earlier work ability predicted work ability at the 2-year follow-up. A nomogram was constructed to assess the probability of future work ability. The 6-minute walk test, work ability, and depression predicted work ability for women with CLBP after 2 years.

Work ability and associated factors of Brazilian technical-administrative workers in education.

PubMed

Godinho, Marluce Rodrigues; Greco, Rosangela Maria; Teixeira, Maria Teresa Bustamante; Teixeira, Liliane Reis; Guerra, Maximiliano Ribeiro; Chaoubah, Alfredo

2016-01-02

Studies about work ability have grown in importance owing to the worldwide aging of active populations. Research has shown that measuring work ability has a predictive value in cases of long-term sickness absence and early retirement. Our goal was to analyze the work ability and associated factors of civil servants from a higher education institution in Brazil. The participants in this cross-sectional study were 600 technical-administrative workers at a public university. Work ability was measured using the work ability index. The participants were as follows: 51.8% male; mean age of 45 years (SD = ±11); married or in a stable union (61.5%); holding a graduate degree (56.7%); having only one job (83.3%), working 40 h a week or less (78.6%); not working evenings (79.8%); and having direct contact with the public (58.3%). The prevalence of reduced work ability was 13.9%. The following factors were found to be associated with reduced work ability: age 50 years old or above (PR = 2.58; 95% CI 1.25-5.09); female (PR = 2.77; 95% CI 1.25-3.60); education up to secondary school (PR = 2.37; 95% CI 1.13-3.59); overall poor self-assessed health (PR = 2.96; 95% CI 1.32-3.93); signs and symptoms of depression (PR = 4.86; 95% CI 2.23-6.55); sedentariness (PR = 3.00; 95% CI 1.38-4.68) and poor social support at work (PR = 4.01; 95% CI 1.66-4.37). Most of the participants showed good work ability, but some subjects had reduced work ability. This study makes a contribution to expanding the discussion about the factors associated with work ability toward proposing actions for maintaining that ability or helping recovery in the case of diminished ability. Such actions can help reduce work absenteeism and early retirement, both of which have a social and economic impact in Brazil. Studying the determinants of work ability and recommendations to address those determinants will help efforts to improve the quality of life of individuals, both at work and personally, and promote healthy aging.

40 CFR 61.12 - Compliance with standards and maintenance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Provisions § 61.12 Compliance with standards and maintenance requirements. (a) Compliance with numerical... otherwise specified in an individual subpart. (b) Compliance with design, equipment, work practice or... pollution control, in a manner consistent with good air pollution control practice for minimizing emissions...

Analysis, comparison, and contrast of two primary maintenance contracting techniques used by the Florida Department of Transportation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

The Florida Department of Transportations (FDOT) Asset Maintenance Contracting Program (AMC) was analyzed during this study to determine if it reduced cost or affected work quality when compared with more-traditional contracts. A survey was conduc...

14 CFR 135.433 - Maintenance and preventive maintenance training program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... OPERATIONS OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: COMMUTER AND ON DEMAND OPERATIONS AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD... personnel) who determines the adequacy of work done is fully informed about procedures and techniques and new equipment in use and is competent to perform that person's duties. ...

The achievement of thermal balance and its maintenance during environmental stress.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1966-06-01

The paper describes in some detail the means, both physical and physiological, available to man for maintenance of thermal balance. It is also concerned with some aspects of thermal balance and performance when work is performed in hot or cold enviro...

Staying Secure for School Safety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Youngkin, Minu

2012-01-01

Proper planning and preventive maintenance can increase school security and return on investment. Preventive maintenance begins with planning. Through careful planning, education institutions can determine what is working and if any equipment, hardware or software needs to be replaced or upgraded. When reviewing a school's safety and security…

Prediction accident triangle in maintenance of underground mine facilities using Poisson distribution analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khuluqi, M. H.; Prapdito, R. R.; Sambodo, F. P.

2018-04-01

In Indonesia, mining is categorized as a hazardous industry. In recent years, a dramatic increase of mining equipment and technological complexities had resulted in higher maintenance expectations that accompanied by the changes in the working conditions, especially on safety. Ensuring safety during the process of conducting maintenance works in underground mine is important as an integral part of accident prevention programs. Accident triangle has provided a support to safety practitioner to draw a road map in preventing accidents. Poisson distribution is appropriate for the analysis of accidents at a specific site in a given time period. Based on the analysis of accident statistics in the underground mine maintenance of PT. Freeport Indonesia from 2011 through 2016, it is found that 12 minor accidents for 1 major accident and 66 equipment damages for 1 major accident as a new value of accident triangle. The result can be used for the future need for improving the accident prevention programs.

Troubleshooting of signal power supply system for Shanghai metro line 7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Kaixia; Xiao, Jie

2018-03-01

With the rapid development of Urban Rail Transit Signal Technology, the demand of signal power supply system for signal equipment is higher and higher. The signal intelligent power supply panel is the main component of the urban rail traffic signal power supply system. Whether the intelligent power supply panel working or not is directly related to traffic safety. The maintenance of intelligent signal power supply panel is particularly important. Line 7 of Shanghai Metro adopts PMZG Signal Intelligent Power Supply Panel, which is produced by Beijing Jinyujiaxin Polytron Technologies Inc. Maintenance of power supply system mainly includes routine maintenance and troubleshooting. This article will make clear the routine maintenance contents of PMZG Signal Intelligent Power Supply Panel, and put forward the common fault information and troubleshooting methods of PMZG Signal Intelligent Power Supply Panel. In accordance with the steps of fault handling, the faults can be eliminated in the shortest possible time, and PMZG Signal Intelligent Power Supply Panel can be quickly restored to normal working state.

Analyses in support of risk-informed natural gas vehicle maintenance facility codes and standards :

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

Ekoto, Isaac W.; Blaylock, Myra L.; LaFleur, Angela Christine

2014-03-01

Safety standards development for maintenance facilities of liquid and compressed gas fueled large-scale vehicles is required to ensure proper facility design and operation envelopes. Standard development organizations are utilizing risk-informed concepts to develop natural gas vehicle (NGV) codes and standards so that maintenance facilities meet acceptable risk levels. The present report summarizes Phase I work for existing NGV repair facility code requirements and highlights inconsistencies that need quantitative analysis into their effectiveness. A Hazardous and Operability study was performed to identify key scenarios of interest. Finally, scenario analyses were performed using detailed simulations and modeling to estimate the overpressure hazardsmore » from HAZOP defined scenarios. The results from Phase I will be used to identify significant risk contributors at NGV maintenance facilities, and are expected to form the basis for follow-on quantitative risk analysis work to address specific code requirements and identify effective accident prevention and mitigation strategies.« less

Browns Ferry turbine team-it`s all in the planning

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

NONE

1995-05-01

This article illustrates a good example of how a project was creatively completed ahead of schedule and under budget. When the Brown`s Ferry turbine maintenance team took on the task of servicing unit 2`s turbine, the work was like building a ship in a bottle. {open_quotes}We had no room in which to work and only standard tools for the maintenance{close_quotes}, said Jim Roche, turbine manager. The big problem on the turbine floor is that there is only one single overhead crane for lifting the turbine components. All the major turbine components and support equipment are on the same floor. Eachmore » one requires a crane, and there is only one crane. There is limited laydown space. To do the maintenance properly, the team had to have a maintenance schedule it felt comfortable with, industry experience, tools yet to be invented, and money. The design method for this schedule is presented.« less

The association between loss of work ability and depression: a focus on employment status.

PubMed

Lee, Sang Ah; Ju, Yeong Jun; Han, Kyu-Tae; Choi, Jae Woo; Yoon, Hyo Jung; Park, Eun-Cheol

2017-01-01

Work-related factors are one of the known risk factors for depression. Given that the ability to work is considered an important aspect of well-being and health status, we investigated the association between the loss of work ability and depression. We further examined the association stratified by employment status. We used data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study. The dependent variable of the present study was depression, which is measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Work ability transition from the previous year was divided into three categories: maintained, loss, and complete loss. A linear mixed-effects model was performed for the analysis. The work ability loss group (β = 2.071, p < 0.0002) and the work ability completely loss group (β = 2.651, p = 0.015) had higher depression scores compared to those who maintained their work ability from the previous year. Specifically, those who lost their work ability and their job (β = 3.685, p = 0.0068) had the highest depression scores compared to those who maintained their work ability and job. We found that those who lost their ability to work may be at risk of depression, and this finding was particularly prominent among those who also became unemployed. Therefore, psychological support is needed for these individuals to overcome the negative influence of the loss of work ability.

Work Ability and Its Related Factors Among Workers in Small and Medium Enterprises: Comparison Among Four ASEAN Countries.

PubMed

Kaewboonchoo, Orawan; Isahak, Marzuki; Susilowati, Indri; Phuong, Toai Nguyen; Morioka, Ikuharu; Harncharoen, Kitiphong; Low, Wah Yun; Ratanasiripong, Paul

2016-07-01

Work ability is related to many factors that might influence one's capacity to work. This study aimed to examine the work ability and its related factors among small and medium enterprises (SME) workers in 4 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. The participants in this study included 2098 workers from food and textile industries in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. A cross-sectional survey of anonymous self-administrated questionnaire was designed to collect information on sociodemographic factors, work environment and ergonomic condition, musculoskeletal disorders, and work ability. Bivariate correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression analyses were used to predict the work ability. Results of this study confirm that work ability in 4 ASEAN countries was similar to that in European countries, and that the sociodemographic factors, work environment and ergonomic condition, and musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) were associated with work ability. These factors are important for considering occupational health and safety policy to promote work ability in food, textile, and other SME workers. © 2016 APJPH.

Analysis of work ability and work-related physical activity of employees in a medium-sized business.

PubMed

Wilke, Christiane; Ashton, Philip; Elis, Tobias; Biallas, Bianca; Froböse, Ingo

2015-12-18

Work-related physical activity (PA) and work ability are of growing importance in modern working society. There is evidence for age- and job-related differences regarding PA and work ability. This study analyses work ability and work-related PA of employees in a medium-sized business regarding age and occupation. The total sample consists of 148 employees (116 men-78.38% of the sample-and 32 women, accounting for 21.62%; mean age: 40.85 ± 10.07 years). 100 subjects (67.57%) are white-collar workers (WC), and 48 (32.43%) are blue-collar workers (BC). Work ability is measured using the work ability index, and physical activity is obtained via the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Work ability shows significant differences regarding occupation (p = 0.001) but not regarding age. Further, significant differences are found for work-related PA concerning occupation (p < 0.0001), but again not for age. Overall, more than half of all subjects meet the current guidelines for physical activity. Work ability is rated as good, yet, a special focus should lie on the promotion during early and late working life. Also, there is still a lack of evidence on the level of work-related PA. Considering work-related PA could add to meeting current activity recommendations.

Who is Using Telehealth in Primary Care? Safety Net Clinics and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs).

PubMed

Coffman, Megan; Moore, Miranda; Jetty, Anuradha; Klink, Kathleen; Bazemore, Andrew

2016-01-01

Despite rapid advancements in telehealth services, only 15% of family physicians in a 2014 survey reported using telehealth; use varied widely according to the physician's practice setting or designation. Users were significantly more likely than nonusers to work in federally designated "safety net" clinics and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) but not more likely than nonusers to report working in a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) or accountable care organization. © Copyright 2016 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

The plant cell wall integrity maintenance mechanism--a case study of a cell wall plasma membrane signaling network.

PubMed

Hamann, Thorsten

2015-04-01

Some of the most important functions of plant cell walls are protection against biotic/abiotic stress and structural support during growth and development. A prerequisite for plant cell walls to perform these functions is the ability to perceive different types of stimuli in both qualitative and quantitative manners and initiate appropriate responses. The responses in turn involve adaptive changes in cellular and cell wall metabolism leading to modifications in the structures originally required for perception. While our knowledge about the underlying plant mechanisms is limited, results from Saccharomyces cerevisiae suggest the cell wall integrity maintenance mechanism represents an excellent example to illustrate how the molecular mechanisms responsible for stimulus perception, signal transduction and integration can function. Here I will review the available knowledge about the yeast cell wall integrity maintenance system for illustration purposes, summarize the limited knowledge available about the corresponding plant mechanism and discuss the relevance of the plant cell wall integrity maintenance mechanism in biotic stress responses. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The influence of psychosocial factors at work and life style on health and work ability among professional workers

PubMed Central

van den Berg, T. I. J.; Alavinia, S. M.; Bredt, F. J.; Lindeboom, D.; Elders, L. A. M.

2008-01-01

Objectives The purpose of this article is to explore the associations of psychosocial factors at work, life style, and stressful life events on health and work ability among white-collar workers. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among workers in commercial services (n = 1141). The main outcome variables were work ability, measured by the work ability index (WAI), and mental and physical health, measured by the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). Individual characteristics, psychosocial factors at work, stressful life events, and lifestyle factors were determined by a questionnaire. Maximum oxygen uptake, weight, height, and biceps strength were measured during a physical examination. Results Work ability of white-collar workers in commercial services industry was strongly associated with psychosocial factors at work such as teamwork, stress handling, and self-development and, to a lesser extent, with stressful life events, lack of physical activity, and obesity. Determinants of mental health were very similar to those of work ability, whereas physical health was influenced primarily by life style factors. With respect to work ability, the influence of unhealthy life style seems more important for older workers, than for their younger colleagues. Conclusion Among white-collar workers mental and physical health were of equal importance to work ability, but only mental health and work ability shared the same determinants. The strong associations between psychosocial factors at work and mental health and work ability suggest that in this study population health promotion should address working conditions rather than individual life style factors. PMID:18175140

Work ability among Finnish workers with type 1 diabetes.

PubMed

Hakkarainen, P; Moilanen, L; Hänninen, V; Heikkinen, J; Räsänen, K

2016-08-01

Work ability represents the balance between individual resources, health status and job demands. As far as we are aware, these issues have not been examined in working people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). To examine how work-related and diabetes-related factors are associated with work ability among male and female workers. Questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of 2500 people with T1D from the Medication Reimbursement Register of The Social Insurance Institution of Finland. The associations of the predictors of poor work ability were examined in a logistic regression analysis. The final sample comprised 767 working people aged 18-64 with T1D; overall response rate 49%. One in every three working men and women with T1D had poor work ability. High job demands and low job control were associated with poor work ability in both genders. Physical work and low worktime control were significantly associated with poor work ability in men but not in women with T1D. A self-reported high value of glycosylated haemoglobin was the only diabetes-related variable associated with poor work ability in both men and women. Work-related factors and poor glycaemic control were associated with poor work ability in individuals with T1D. Thus, job control and worktime control should be taken into account in supporting the work ability of workers with T1D. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Global Analysis of Photosynthesis Transcriptional Regulatory Networks

PubMed Central

Imam, Saheed; Noguera, Daniel R.; Donohue, Timothy J.

2014-01-01

Photosynthesis is a crucial biological process that depends on the interplay of many components. This work analyzed the gene targets for 4 transcription factors: FnrL, PrrA, CrpK and MppG (RSP_2888), which are known or predicted to control photosynthesis in Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) identified 52 operons under direct control of FnrL, illustrating its regulatory role in photosynthesis, iron homeostasis, nitrogen metabolism and regulation of sRNA synthesis. Using global gene expression analysis combined with ChIP-seq, we mapped the regulons of PrrA, CrpK and MppG. PrrA regulates ∼34 operons encoding mainly photosynthesis and electron transport functions, while CrpK, a previously uncharacterized Crp-family protein, regulates genes involved in photosynthesis and maintenance of iron homeostasis. Furthermore, CrpK and FnrL share similar DNA binding determinants, possibly explaining our observation of the ability of CrpK to partially compensate for the growth defects of a ΔFnrL mutant. We show that the Rrf2 family protein, MppG, plays an important role in photopigment biosynthesis, as part of an incoherent feed-forward loop with PrrA. Our results reveal a previously unrealized, high degree of combinatorial regulation of photosynthetic genes and significant cross-talk between their transcriptional regulators, while illustrating previously unidentified links between photosynthesis and the maintenance of iron homeostasis. PMID:25503406

Resveratrol Enhances Self-Renewal of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells.

PubMed

Li, Na; Du, Zhaoyu; Shen, Qiaoyan; Lei, Qijing; Zhang, Ying; Zhang, Mengfei; Hua, Jinlian

2017-07-01

Resveratrol (RSV) has been shown to affect the differentiation of several types of stem cells, while the detailed mechanism is elusive. Here, we aim to investigate the function of RSV in self-renewal of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and the related mechanisms. In contrast with its reported roles, we found unexpectedly that differentiated ESCs or iPSCs treated by RSV would not show further differentiation, but regained a naïve pluripotency state with higher expressions of core transcriptional factors and with the ability to differentiate into all three germ layers when transplanted in vivo. In accordance with these findings, RSV also enhanced cell cycle progression of ESCs via regulating cell cycle-related proteins. Finally, enhanced activation of JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway and suppressed activation of mTOR were found essential in enhancing the self-renewal of ESCs by RSV. Our finding discovered a novel function of RSV in enhancing the self-renewal of ESCs, and suggested that the timing of treatment and concentration of RSV determined the final effect of it. Our work may contribute to understanding of RSV in the self-renewal maintenance of pluripotent stem cells, and may also provide help to the generation and maintenance of iPSCs in vitro. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 1928-1935, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Water Purification Characteristic of the Actual Constructed Wetland with Carex dispalata in a Cold Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuji, Morio; Yamada, Kazuhiro; Hiratsuka, Akira; Tsukada, Hiroko

Carex dispalata, a native plant species applied in cold districts for water purification in constructed wetlands, has useful characteristics for landscape creation and maintenance. In this study, seasonal differences in purification ability were verified, along with comparison of frozen and non-frozen periods' performance. A wetland area was constructed using a “hydroponics method” and a “coir fiber based method”. Results show that the removal rates of BOD, SS, and Chl-a were high. On this constructed wetland reduces organic pollution, mainly phytoplankton, but the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus was insufficient. The respective mean values of influent and treated water during three years were 26.6 mg/L and 12.2 mg/L for BOD, and 27.9 mg/L and 7.5 mg/L for SS. The mean value of the BOD removal rate for the non-frozen period was 2.99 g/m2/d that for the frozen period was 1.86 g/m2/d. The removal rate followed the rise of the BOD load rate. The removal rate limits were about 4 g/m2/d during the frozen period and 15 g/m2/d during the non-frozen period. For operations, energy was unnecessary. The required working hours were about 20 h annually for all maintenance and management during operations.

Global analysis of photosynthesis transcriptional regulatory networks.

PubMed

Imam, Saheed; Noguera, Daniel R; Donohue, Timothy J

2014-12-01

Photosynthesis is a crucial biological process that depends on the interplay of many components. This work analyzed the gene targets for 4 transcription factors: FnrL, PrrA, CrpK and MppG (RSP_2888), which are known or predicted to control photosynthesis in Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) identified 52 operons under direct control of FnrL, illustrating its regulatory role in photosynthesis, iron homeostasis, nitrogen metabolism and regulation of sRNA synthesis. Using global gene expression analysis combined with ChIP-seq, we mapped the regulons of PrrA, CrpK and MppG. PrrA regulates ∼34 operons encoding mainly photosynthesis and electron transport functions, while CrpK, a previously uncharacterized Crp-family protein, regulates genes involved in photosynthesis and maintenance of iron homeostasis. Furthermore, CrpK and FnrL share similar DNA binding determinants, possibly explaining our observation of the ability of CrpK to partially compensate for the growth defects of a ΔFnrL mutant. We show that the Rrf2 family protein, MppG, plays an important role in photopigment biosynthesis, as part of an incoherent feed-forward loop with PrrA. Our results reveal a previously unrealized, high degree of combinatorial regulation of photosynthetic genes and significant cross-talk between their transcriptional regulators, while illustrating previously unidentified links between photosynthesis and the maintenance of iron homeostasis.

Changes in work situation and work ability in young female and male workers. A prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Boström, Maria; Sluiter, Judith K; Hagberg, Mats

2012-08-24

Good work ability is very important in young workers, but knowledge of work situations that influence work ability in this group is poor. The aim of this study was to assess whether changes in self-reported work factors are associated with self-reported work ability among young female and male workers. A sample of 1,311 (718 women and 593 men) was selected from a Swedish cohort of workers aged 21-25 years. At baseline and at 1-year follow-up, participants completed a self-administrated questionnaire including ratings of physical and psychosocial work factors and current work ability. Prevalence ratios were calculated to assess univariate and multivariate associations between changes in work factors and changes in work ability. Decreased job control (PR 1.7, 95% CI 1.49-2.12) and increased negative influence of job demands on private life (PR 1.5, 95% CI 1.25-1.69) were associated with reduced work ability for both female and male workers in the multivariate analyses. Among female workers, an association was found between improved work ability and increased social support at work (PR 2.4, CI 1.43-3.95). For male workers, increased job control (PR 2.3, 95% CI 1.21-4.54) and decreased negative influence of job demands on private life (PR 2.1, 95% CI 1.10-3.87) were associated with improved work ability in the multivariate analyses. Decreased job control and increased negative influence of job demands on private life over time seem to be the most important work factors associated with reduced work ability among young workers of both sexes. Increased social support at work, increased job control, and decreased negative influence of job demands on private life were also found to be the main work factors associated with improved work ability, although with possible gender differences.

The Impact of Work Ability on Work Motivation and Health: A Longitudinal Study Based on Older Employees.

PubMed

Feißel, Annemarie; Swart, Enno; March, Stefanie

2018-05-01

Work participation is determined by work motivation and work ability with health as a significant component. Within the lidA-study, we explore the impact of work ability on work motivation and health with consideration of further influencing factors. Four thousand one hundred nine older employees were interviewed two times (t0 = 2011, t1 = 2014). Two multivariate analyses were performed regarding the influence of work ability on work motivation (Model 1) and health (Model 2). Within the multivariate analysis, of all the influencing factors, work ability has the strongest effect on work motivation (F = 37.761) and health (F = 76.402). It appears as a decisive determinant for both dimensions. Regarding the results, it is useful to focus on the work ability of older employees in order to maintain and boost their work motivation and health.

The relationship between work ability and oxidative stress in Japanese workers.

PubMed

Ohta, Masanori; Kumashiro, Masaharu; Eguchi, Yasumasa; Morita, Yusaku; Konno, Yoshimasa; Yamato, Hiroshi

2014-01-01

Work ability is based on the balance between personal resources and work demand. This study focused on the personal resources component of work ability. The aims of this study were to elucidate the association between work ability and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, particularly oxidative stress, and to estimate the effect of a community-implemented lifestyle modification programme on work ability and CV risk factors. Urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α), a biomarker of oxidative stress, was negatively correlated with psychological resources, as measured by the Work Ability Index (WAI). Overall WAI score was unchanged following the programme, while CV risk factors and antioxidative activity improved. A reduction in PGF2α levels was correlated with an improvement in subjective work ability relative to job demands, as assessed by a WAI item. Taken together, the results suggest that lifestyle modification programmes enhance the personal resources component of work ability and are associated with a reduction in oxidative stress.

Predictors of work disability after start of anti-TNF therapy in a national cohort of Swedish patients with rheumatoid arthritis: does early anti-TNF therapy bring patients back to work?

PubMed

Olofsson, T; Petersson, I F; Eriksson, J K; Englund, M; Nilsson, J A; Geborek, P; Jacobsson, L T H; Askling, J; Neovius, M

2017-07-01

To examine predictors of work ability gain and loss after anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) start, respectively, in working-age patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with a special focus on disease duration. Patients with RA, aged 19-62 years, starting their first TNF inhibitor 2006-2009 with full work ability (0 sick leave/disability pension days during 3 months before bio-start; n=1048) or no work ability (90 days; n=753) were identified in the Swedish biologics register (Anti-Rheumatic Treatment In Sweden, ARTIS) and sick leave/disability pension days retrieved from the Social Insurance Agency. Outcome was defined as work ability gain ≥50% for patients without work ability at bio-start and work ability loss ≥50% for patients with full work ability, and survival analyses conducted. Baseline predictors including disease duration, age, sex, education level, employment, Health Assessment Questionnaire, Disease Activity Score 28 and relevant comorbidities were estimated using Cox regression. During 3 years after anti-TNF start, the probability of regaining work ability for totally work-disabled patients was 35% for those with disease duration <5 years and 14% for disease duration ≥5 years (adjusted HR 2.1 (95% CI 1.4 to 3.2)). For patients with full work ability at bio-start, disease duration did not predict work ability loss. Baseline disability pension was also a strong predictor of work ability gain after treatment start. A substantial proportion of work-disabled patients with RA who start anti-TNF therapy regain work ability. Those initiating treatment within 5 years of symptom onset have a more than doubled 3-year probability of regaining work ability compared with later treatment starts. This effect seems largely due to the impact of disease duration on disability pension status. 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/.

Evidence for a double dissociation of articulatory rehearsal and non-articulatory maintenance of phonological information in human verbal working memory.

PubMed

Trost, Sarah; Gruber, Oliver

2012-01-01

Recent functional neuroimaging studies have provided evidence that human verbal working memory is represented by two complementary neural systems, a left lateralized premotor-parietal network implementing articulatory rehearsal and a presumably phylogenetically older bilateral anterior-prefrontal/inferior-parietal network subserving non-articulatory maintenance of phonological information. In order to corroborate these findings from functional neuroimaging, we performed a targeted behavioural study in patients with very selective and circumscribed brain lesions to key regions suggested to support these different subcomponents of human verbal working memory. Within a sample of over 500 neurological patients assessed with high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging, we identified 2 patients with corresponding brain lesions, one with an isolated lesion to Broca's area and the other with a selective lesion bilaterally to the anterior middle frontal gyrus. These 2 patients as well as groups of age-matched healthy controls performed two circuit-specific verbal working memory tasks. In this way, we systematically assessed the hypothesized selective behavioural effects of these brain lesions on the different subcomponents of verbal working memory in terms of a double dissociation. Confirming prior findings, the lesion to Broca's area led to reduced performance under articulatory rehearsal, whereas the non-articulatory maintenance of phonological information was unimpaired. Conversely, the bifrontopolar brain lesion was associated with impaired non-articulatory phonological working memory, whereas performance under articulatory rehearsal was unaffected. The present experimental neuropsychological study in patients with specific and circumscribed brain lesions confirms the hypothesized double dissociation of two complementary brain systems underlying verbal working memory in humans. In particular, the results demonstrate the functional relevance of the anterior prefrontal cortex for non-articulatory maintenance of phonological information and, in this way, provide further support for the evolutionary-based functional-neuroanatomical model of human working memory. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The effects of work-related and individual factors on the Work Ability Index: a systematic review.

PubMed

van den Berg, T I J; Elders, L A M; de Zwart, B C H; Burdorf, A

2009-04-01

This paper systematically reviews the scientific literature on the effects of individual and work-related factors on the Work Ability Index (WAI). Studies on work ability published from 1985 to 2006 were identified through a structured search in PubMed, and Web of Science. Studies were included if the WAI was used as measure of work ability and if quantitative information was presented on determinants of work ability. In total, 20 studies were included with 14 cross-sectional studies and six longitudinal studies. Factors associated with poor work ability, as defined by WAI, were lack of leisure-time vigorous physical activity, poor musculoskeletal capacity, older age, obesity, high mental work demands, lack of autonomy, poor physical work environment, and high physical work load. The WAI is associated with individual characteristics, lifestyle, demands at work, and physical condition. This multifactorial nature of work ability should be taken into account in health promotion programmes aimed at maintaining and promoting the participation of the labour force and improvement of the performance at work.

Plant maintenance and plant life extension issue, 2008

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

Agnihotri, Newal

The focus of the March-April issue is on plant maintenance and plant life extension. Major articles include the following: Exciting time to be at the U.S. NRC, by Dale Klein, Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Extraordinary steps to ensure a minimal environmental impact, by George Vanderheyden, UniStar Nuclear Energy, LLC.; Focused on consistent reduction of outages, by Kevin Walsh, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy; On the path towards operational excellence, by Ricardo Perez, Westinghouse Electric Company; Ability to be refuelled on-line, by Ian Trotman, CANDU Services, Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd.; ASCA Application for maintenance of SG secondary side, by Patrick Wagner, Wolfmore » Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, Phillip Battaglia and David Selfridge, Westinghouse Electric Company; and, An integral part of the landscape and lives, by Tyler Lamberts, Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. The Industry Innovation article is titled Steam generator bowl drain repairs, by John Makar and Richard Gimple, Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation.« less

Individual and Work Factors Related to Perceived Work Ability and Labor Force Outcomes

PubMed Central

McGonagle, Alyssa K.; Fisher, Gwenith G.; Barnes-Farrell, Janet L.; Grosch, James W.

2015-01-01

Perceived work ability refers to a worker's assessment of his or her ability to continue working in his or her job, given characteristics of the job along with his or her personal resources. Perceived work ability is a critical variable to study in the U.S., given an aging workforce, trends to delay retirement, and U.S. policy considerations to delay the age at which full Social Security retirement benefits may be obtained. Based on the Job Demands-Resources Model, cognitive appraisal theory of stress and push/pull factors related to retirement, we proposed and tested a conceptual model of antecedents and outcomes of perceived work ability using three independent samples of U.S. working adults. Data regarding workers’ job characteristics were from self-report and O*NET measures. Results from relative importance analysis indicated that health and sense of control were consistently and most strongly related to work ability perceptions relative to other job demands and job resources when perceived work ability was measured concurrently or two weeks later in samples with varying occupations. Job demands (along with health and sense of control) were most strongly related to work ability perceptions when perceived work ability was measured in a manufacturing worker sample 1.6 years later. Perceived work ability also predicted lagged labor force outcomes (absence, retirement, and disability leave) while controlling for other known predictors of each. Consistent indirect effects were observed from health status and sense of control to all three of these outcomes via perceived work ability. PMID:25314364

Individual and work factors related to perceived work ability and labor force outcomes.

PubMed

McGonagle, Alyssa K; Fisher, Gwenith G; Barnes-Farrell, Janet L; Grosch, James W

2015-03-01

Perceived work ability refers to a worker's assessment of his or her ability to continue working in his or her job, given characteristics of the job along with his or her resources. Perceived work ability is a critical variable to study in the United States, given an aging workforce, trends to delay retirement, and U.S. policy considerations to delay the age at which full Social Security retirement benefits may be obtained. Based on the job demands-resources model, cognitive appraisal theory of stress, and push/pull factors related to retirement, we proposed and tested a conceptual model of antecedents and outcomes of perceived work ability using 3 independent samples of U.S. working adults. Data regarding workers' job characteristics were from self-report and Occupational Information Network measures. Results from relative importance analysis indicated that health and sense of control were consistently and most strongly related to work ability perceptions relative to other job demands and job and personal resources when perceived work ability was measured concurrently or 2 weeks later in samples with varying occupations. Job demands (along with health and sense of control) were most strongly related to work ability perceptions when perceived work ability was measured in a manufacturing worker sample 1.6 years later. Perceived work ability also predicted lagged labor force outcomes (absence, retirement, and disability leave) while controlling for other known predictors of each. Consistent indirect effects were observed from health status and sense of control to all 3 of these outcomes via perceived work ability. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Effects of bench step exercise intervention on work ability in terms of cardiovascular risk factors and oxidative stress: a randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Ohta, Masanori; Eguchi, Yasumasa; Inoue, Tomohiro; Honda, Toru; Morita, Yusaku; Konno, Yoshimasa; Yamato, Hiroshi; Kumashiro, Masaharu

2015-01-01

Work ability is partly determined by physical and mental fitness. Bench step exercise can be practiced anywhere at any time. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a bench step exercise on work ability by examining cardiovascular risk factors and oxidative stress. Thirteen volunteers working in a warehousing industry comprised the bench step exercise group (n=7) and the control group (n=6). The participants in the step exercise group were encouraged to practice the step exercise at home for 16 weeks. The step exercise improved glucose metabolism and antioxidative capacity and increased work ability by reducing absences from work and improving the prognosis of work ability. The improvement in work ability was related to a reduction in oxidative stress. These results suggest that a bench step exercise may improve work ability by reducing cardiovascular risk factors and oxidative stress.

Applying Strategies of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation to Maintain Work Ability-A Psychosocial Resource Complementing the Job Demand-Control Model? Results From the Representative lidA Cohort Study on Work, Age, and Health in Germany.

PubMed

Riedel, Natalie; Müller, Andreas; Ebener, Melanie

2015-05-01

To investigate whether aging employees' selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) strategies were associated with work ability over and above job demand and control variables, as well as across professions. Multivariable linear regressions were conducted using a representative sample of German employees born in 1959 and 1965 (N = 6057). SOC was assessed to have an independent effect on work ability. Associations of job demands and control variables with work ability were more prominent. The SOC tended to enhance the positive association between decision authority and work ability. Individual strategies of selection, optimization, and compensation could be considered as psychosocial resources adding up to a better work ability and complement prevention programs. Workplace interventions should deal with job demands and control to maintain older employees' work ability in times of working population shrinkage.

The Consequence of Combined Pain and Stress on Work Ability in Female Laboratory Technicians: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Jay, Kenneth; Friborg, Maria Kristine; Sjøgaard, Gisela; Jakobsen, Markus Due; Sundstrup, Emil; Brandt, Mikkel; Andersen, Lars Louis

2015-12-11

Musculoskeletal pain and stress-related disorders are leading causes of impaired work ability, sickness absences and disability pensions. However, knowledge about the combined detrimental effect of pain and stress on work ability is lacking. This study investigates the association between pain in the neck-shoulders, perceived stress, and work ability. In a cross-sectional survey at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark 473 female laboratory technicians replied to questions about stress (Perceived Stress Scale), musculoskeletal pain intensity (scale 0-10) of the neck and shoulders, and work ability (Work Ability Index). General linear models tested the association between variables. In the multi-adjusted model, stress (p < 0.001) and pain (p < 0.001) had independent main effects on the work ability index score, and there was no significant stress by pain interaction (p = 0.32). Work ability decreased gradually with both increased stress and pain. Workers with low stress and low pain had the highest Work Ability Index score (44.6 (95% CI 43.9-45.3)) and workers with high stress and high pain had the lowest score (32.7 (95% CI 30.6-34.9)). This cross-sectional study indicates that increased stress and musculoskeletal pain are independently associated with lower work ability in female laboratory technicians.

Analysis, comparison, and contrast of two primary maintenance contracting techniques used by the Florida Department of Transportation [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-01

A common method of government contracting is seeking the lowest bid that meets project specifications. While this assures that money is saved upfront, it may not ensure other project values, such as delivery time, ability to address unforeseen situat...

Learning Others' Point of View: Perspective Taking and Prosocial Behaviour in Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cigala, Ada; Mori, Arianna; Fangareggi, Francesca

2015-01-01

Perspective taking, defined as the ability to assume another's perspective, can be considered a multidimensional construct which is composed of three different components: cognitive, visual and affective. This study wanted to verify the possibility of promoting perspective taking in preschoolers using ecological training. The maintenance of…

What Constitutes Maintenance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, J. Thomas

2011-01-01

In most cases the facilities inventory of an educational institution is its largest fiscal asset. The physical plant or facilities management department is the steward for keeping that asset from becoming a liability. Its principal charge is to make sure that the building inventory maintains its ability to function as intended, that it is safe and…

Creating Global Networks through an Online Engineering Graduate Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, M. H.

2011-01-01

Internationally, the railway industry is facing a severe shortage of engineers with high-level, relevant, professional and technical knowledge and abilities, in particular amongst engineers involved in the design, construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure. A unique graduate level programme has been created to meet that global need via…

Supporting Professional Learning in a Massive Open Online Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milligan, Colin; Littlejohn, Allison

2014-01-01

Professional learning, combining formal and on the job learning, is important for the development and maintenance of expertise in the modern workplace. To integrate formal and informal learning, professionals have to have good self-regulatory ability. Formal learning opportunities are opening up through massive open online courses (MOOCs),…

Testing Selected Behaviors to Reduce Indoor Air Pollution Exposure in Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, B. R.; Mathee, A.; Krieger, L.; Shafritz, L.; Favin, M.; Sherburne, L.

2004-01-01

Indoor air pollution is responsible for the deaths and illness of millions of young children in developing countries. This study investigated the acceptability (willingness to try) and feasibility (ability to perform) of four indoor air pollution reduction behaviors (improve stove maintenance practices, child location practices, ventilation…

Cockpit control system conceptual design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meholic, Greg; Brown, Rhonda; Hall, Melissa; Harvey, Robert; Singer, Michael; Tella, Gustavo

1993-01-01

The purpose of this project was to provide a means for operating the ailerons, elevator, elevator trim, rudder, nosewheel steering, and brakes in the Triton primary flight trainer. The main design goals under consideration were to illustrate system and subsystem integration, control function ability, and producibility. Weight and maintenance goals were addressed.

Reiter performs TVIS maintenance

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-12-14

ISS014-E-09897 (14 Dec. 2006) -- European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Reiter, STS-116 mission specialist, works with the Treadmill Vibration Isolation System (TVIS) in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station during in-flight maintenance (IFM) while Space Shuttle Discovery was docked with the station.

Does Your Technology Support Measure Up?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abramson, Paul

1998-01-01

Provides tips on ways to keep computer systems in colleges and universities from failing while also controlling costs. Trinity College (Hartford) is used to illustrate how proper staffing, system maintenance, hardware purchasing decisions, technician compensation, and the use of students for maintenance work can effectively support a school's…

33 CFR 104.260 - Security systems and equipment maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Security systems and equipment... systems and equipment maintenance. (a) Security systems and equipment must be in good working order and inspected, tested, calibrated and maintained according to the manufacturer's recommendation. (b) The results...

33 CFR 105.250 - Security systems and equipment maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... systems must be regularly tested in accordance with the manufacturers' recommendations; noted deficiencies... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Security systems and equipment... systems and equipment maintenance. (a) Security systems and equipment must be in good working order and...