The design and delivery of crew resource management training: exploiting available resources

Despite widespread acceptance throughout commercial and military settings, crew resource management (CRM) training programs have not escaped doubts about their effectiveness. The current state of CRM training is an example of how an entire body of pertinent research and development has not had the impact on practice that it could. In this paper we outline additional resources (i.e., principles, information, findings, and guidelines) from the team training and training effectiveness research literatures that can be used to improve the design and delivery of CRM training. Some of the resources discussed include knowledge about training effectiveness, training teamwork-related skills, scenario design, and performance measurement. We conclude with a discussion of emerging resources as well as those that need to be developed. The purpose of this paper is to provide the CRM training developer with better access to resources that can be applied to the design and delivery of CRM training programs.     

Effect of breast feeding and psychosocial variables upon psychomotor development of 12-month-old infants

This study evaluates the participation of psychosocial variables in the relation between breast feeding (BF) and psychomotor development (PMD) in dyads with different BF duration. We assessed 138 mother-infant dyads, divided in two groups: 86 received BF as unique source of milk feeding for at least 6 months (prolonged BF group) and 52 were weaned before 45 days of age (early weaning group). General information about pregnancy, delivery and feeding was collected in a non experimental prospective design. At 6-7 months of age a milk feeding situation was observed at home, and mother-infant interactional patterns were recorded through a specially designed scale. At 12 months of age the PMD was assessed (Bayley Scales of Infant Development). Infant temperament, home stimulation, mother depression and family stress were also measured. Similar family characteristics were observed in both study groups. Early bonding and first feeding experiences were different, both reported as better in the prolonged BF group. Moreover, dyads of this group showed a higher variety and quality of mother-infant interactional patterns during feeding, with a higher synchrony and reciprocity in the relationship. Mean Mental Development Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) were similar in both groups. Explicatory variables for MDI and PDI are different in both study groups. Dyads who attained prolonged BF conform from a psychosocial perspective--a different group than the early weaned.     

Reliable indirect competitive ELISA used for a survey of ochratoxin A in green coffee from the North of Paraná State, Brazil.

The performance of an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) based on a monoclonal antibody (mAb) for ochratoxin A (OTA) detection was evaluated in a comparative study with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis using 68 freshly harvested coffee samples from the North of Paraná State, Brazil. The anti-OTA mAb showed high specificity and low cross-reactivity with OTA analogues (OTB and OTalpha), but cross-reacted with OTC. This ic-ELISA showed a detection limit of 3.75 ngg-1 sample, when compared to 0.80 ngg-1 by HPLC, with an ic-ELISA/HPLC correlation coefficient of 0.90. As regards OTA analysis of these coffee samples, natural contamination was detected in 10 samples (14.7%) by both methods, where the ic-ELISA values (range 3.9-7.3 ngg-1) were 1.1 to 1.6-fold higher than HPLC data (2.7-4.7 ngg-1). Five samples (7.4%) were OTA positive (range 0.84-1.30 ngg-1) only by HPLC assay, probably due to the higher detection limit reached by ic-ELISA. OTA was undetectable in 53 samples (77.9%) by both methods, while all positive samples (range 0.84-7.30 ngg-1) showed OTA levels lower than 8 ngg-1 (maximum limit recommended by the European Union). The matrix interference of green coffee was minimized by dilution of sample extracts before carrying out the ELISA assay. This mAb-based ic-ELISA can be effectively applied for OTA screening in coffee, because it is simple, sensitive and sample preparation is easy.     

The influence of cardiac frequency on the hemodynamic consequences of mitral stenosis (author's transl)

In eleven patients with isolated mitral stenosis and regular sinus rhythm a right cardiac catheterization was performed and the wedged pulmonary capillary pressure recorded at rest and during electrical pacing of the right atrium at successive frequencies of 100, 120, 140, and, occasionally, 160 and 180 beats/min, while cardiac output was estimated by the Fick's principle. In all cases a significant elevation of pulmonary capillary pressure with a simultaneous reduction in cardiac output was obtained. The rise of wedged pulmonary pressure was proportional to the increment in cardiac frequency and related also to the calculated area of the mitral valve. The influence of active atrial contraction upon pulmonary pressure and cardiac output is discussed and comparisons with other studies are made. Emphasis is made on the value of atrial pacing as a diagnostic method in mitral stenosis, especially in cases in whom classical effort manoeuvres can not be applied or are insufficient to rise cardiac frequency.     

Reports of the DAS02 working groups

This document is a collection of four working group reports in the areas of digital libraries, document image retrieval, layout analysis, and Web document analysis. These reports were the outcome of discussions by participants at the Fifth IAPR International Workshop on Document Analysis Systems held in Princeton, NJ on 19-21 August 2002.Published online: 16 March 2004     

Occupant deaths in large truck crashes in the United States: 25 years of experience

There is public concern about the magnitude of the problem of large truck crashes in the US. Fatalities in large truck crashes have not declined much; however, more large trucks are driving more miles than ever before while fatalities per mile driven have dropped substantially. This study examined how the public health burden of large truck crashes versus the risk per unit of travel has changed over 25 years.The present study focused on the US vehicle occupants in fatal crashes involving a large truck during 1975-1999. Occupant fatalities per 100000 population, per 10000 licensed drivers, per 10000 registered trucks and per 100 million vehicle-miles of travel (VMT) were calculated to determine trends in occupant deaths in large truck crashes.In 1999, large truck crashes resulted in 3916 occupant deaths in passenger vehicles and 747 in large trucks. Passenger vehicle occupant deaths in large truck crashes per 100000 population have increased somewhat since 1975 (1.28 in 1975 and 1.44 in 1999). There have been appreciable declines in occupant deaths per truck VMT since 1975, but the percentage reduction has been greater for occupants of large trucks (67%) than for passenger vehicle occupants (43%). However, truck drivers are at elevated risk of dying relative to their numbers in the workforce. Overall large truck involvements in fatal crashes per truck VMT decreased more than passenger vehicle involvements per passenger VMT (PVMT; 68% versus 33% decreases for single-vehicle crashes and 43% versus 23% for multiple-vehicle crashes). Large truck involvement in fatal crashes has dropped substantially when measured per unit of travel, but the public health burden of large truck crashes, as measured by deaths per 100000 population, has not improved over time because of the large increase in truck mileage. Research is needed on measures to better protect both occupants of large trucks and passenger vehicle occupants colliding with them.     

Shoe Last Machining Using Virtual Digitising

Shoe lasts are the moulds used in the footwear industry in order to mount the shoe. Most of the machines used in the sector to make lasts are simply mechanical copiers. CAD/CAM systems have just arrived in the shoe last market but their accuracy and efficiency is no better than traditional machines, and so it is difficult to persuade the industry to adopt new systems. A tool-path generation algorithm that takes advantage of traditional copier systems that do not fulfil the CNC standards is presented in this paper. The tool path is computed from a "virtually digitised" model of the last surface. The algorithm is then analysed in terms of computing cost and accuracy, and refined by applying a series of optimisations. Some computer architectures are proposed in order to reduce the computation time. The proposed algorithm has been successfully implemented in a commercial CAD/CAM system specialised for shoe-last making. Finally, some illustrative examples are given.     

Characterisation of SiOxCyHz thin films deposited by low-temperature PECVD

SiO_xC_yH_z thin films were deposited from hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO)/O₂ mixtures in a parallel plate, capacitively coupled, RF plasma reactor. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Si(1 0 0) wafers and KBr tablets were chosen as substrates. Effect of HMDSO/O₂ ratio, total treatment pressure and power input on the properties of the deposited films were investigated. The structure and bondings were studied by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Wettability characteristics of the deposited thin films were investigated by means of water droplet contact angle measurements. Surface morphology was investigated with atomic force microscopy. Barrier properties of the SiO_xC_yH_z thin films were investigated by measuring the water vapour transmission rate of the coated PET substrates. Correlations between the characteristics of the deposited film and their barrier properties were discussed.     

Study of heavy metal contamination in river floodplains using the red-edge position in spectroscopic data

One of the major environmental problems resulting from the regular flooding of rivers in Europe is the heavy metal contamination of soils. Various studies have shown that soil contamination may influence plant physiology and, through changes in leaf pigment concentrations, influence reflectance spectra. The main objective of this case study was to study whether the red-edge position (REP) of vegetation spectra may provide information on soil contamination by heavy metals in river floodplains. The use of the maximum first derivative, smoothing methods (like polynomial fitting and the inverted Gaussian function) and interpolation methods based on just a few spectral bands were evaluated for a test site in the floodplain of the river Waal in the Netherlands. On selected transects, heavy metal concentrations of soil samples and reflectance spectra of the growing vegetation using a field spectroradiometer were measured. A significant negative correlation between the REP and heavy metal concentration was found using the maximum first derivative method (R ²=0.64). The first derivative spectra in this study showed the presence of more than one peak within the red-edge region, as found by other authors. This phenomenon requires further detailed research using very fine spectral measurements.