Development of an injury prevention model for playing-related musculoskeletal disorders in orchestra musicians based on predisposing risk factors

IntroductionPlaying an instrument could lead to various disorders and several musicians report problems during their career. As there is no existing one, the aim of this study was to build a comprehensive model of injury prevention and risk factors in musicians by combining literature with interviews of musicians and experts.MethodsThe initial model has been based on literature. This model identified nine categories of risk factors. Then, interviews were conducted with 15 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra musicians and 9 experts in musicians’ health to develop the final version.ResultsEighty percent of the RLPO instrumentalists experienced at least once PRMDs in their career. Postural and workload issues were mentioned most frequently. Experts agreed broadly with the initial model and added interesting items that should be taken into account in assessing musicians’ health.DiscussionThis theoretical framework provides perspectives in terms of assessment, treatment and prevention in musicians, whether they are currently suffering from PRMDs or not.     

Conformance and nonconformance in segmentation-free X-ray computed tomography geometric inspection

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is changing the manufacturing paradigm as it makes it possible to generate complex geometries that are impossible using conventional technologies. However, conventional GPS/GD&T practices are inadequate both at specifying and verifying geometric tolerances. In both cases, they lack the required flexibility. Applying volumetric instead of surface representations helps to solve the problem of specifying tolerances and coheres with topological optimization. The verification paradigm must be modified, too, as AM allows an increase in part complexity without a corresponding increase of cost. Among measurement techniques, only X-ray computed tomography (XCT), which is volumetric, is capable of easily measure complex parts. Leaving the discussion of volumetric tolerance specifications to the future, the aim of this work is exploring a part geometric accuracy verification by direct comparison between its nominal geometry and geometric tolerance volumetric representation, and an XCT volumetric image of it. Unlike the conventional use of XCT for geometric verification, this is a segmentation-free verification. The method is based on the “mutual information” of the two, i.e. information shared by the measured and nominal representations. The output is a conformance statement that does rely on a measurement but nor on a specific measured value not rely on a measurement result. This makes defining a decision rule considering consumer's and producer's risks difficult: uncertainty does not exist in this case. Statistic and simulation techniques make it possible to estimate these risks, defining a numerical model of the distribution of the gray values in a specific portion of the XCT image. Finally, an additive manufacturing case study validates the methodology.     

高水差条件下内河沉管隧道健康监测系统研究

以建设中的国内最大内河沉管隧道——南昌红谷隧道为工程依托,针对其高水差、长大管节、地层条件复杂、隧道纵坡变化大等特点,设计了针对该沉管隧道的结构健康监测方案,并构建了一套健康监测评估系统。重点论述了管段接头张开和错位、管段不均匀沉降、剪切键受力的监测方法以及健康评估指标体系的构建过程。该监测系统可实现对隧道多项位移、内力等健康指标数据的实时全自动测取与传输,并可自动进行隧道健康状态评估,给出预警、报警、管理、养护建议。     

Lesson learned from the application of intersection safety devices in Edmonton

The City of Edmonton began its intersection safety device (ISD) program in 2009 with the installation of 50 cameras throughout the city. The ISDs are approach-specific and combine automated enforcement of red-light running and speed violations during the red and green phases of the intersection control. The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety performance of ISDs within the city of Edmonton, Canada and to identify factors that can lead to successful selection of future ISD sites. A before-and-after Empirical Bayes (EB) method is used to account for regression-to-the-mean and other confounding factors. A safety performance function and yearly calibration factors are developed using data from a set of reference intersections within Edmonton. The before-and-after analysis is applied at the overall intersection level and for each approach of the ISD intersections. The results showed significant reductions that ranged from 12% to 25% for total collisions, and from 33% to 43% for angle collisions. No significant reduction was observed for severe collisions at the intersection level, however significant reductions were found at the approach level at locations with a relatively higher collision history. The impact of site selection criteria on collision reduction was also evaluated. Greater reductions were found at sites with a higher collision frequency. Additionally, the impact of intersection characteristics on collision reduction was investigated. Speed limits, presence of separated right turn lane and the number of lanes were found to impact ISD collision reduction.     

Broadening the lens for the governance of emerging technologies: Care ethics and agricultural biotechnology

In this paper we argue that insights from feminist perspectives, particularly in the form of an ethics of care, have a number of advantages when used as a lens through which to consider questions relevant to the governance of emerging technologies. We highlight how an emphasis on central themes of importance in feminist theory and care ethics such as relationality, contextuality, dependence, power, affect, and narrative can shine a light on a number of salient issues that are typically missed by the dominant and largely consequentialist risk assessment frame. We argue that the care ethics lens is a better fit when technologies are understood not simply as devices designed to create a certain end experience for a user but as transformative systems that smuggle in numerous social and political interests. The advantages of these care ethics themes for emerging technologies are illustrated through a detailed consideration of agricultural biotechnology. We show how the feminist care ethics lens might have anticipated the very questions that have proved themselves to be the sticking points for this technology. We therefore suggest that applying a care ethics lens can significantly broaden the frame of appraisal processes used for the governance of emerging technologies and usefully grant legitimacy to questions and concerns that are prominent in public discourse but typically left out of practices of risk assessment.     

横石水治理方案实施过程中存在问题思考

横石水治理工程治理方案从设计到实施过程中，不但要符合中小河流的治理理念原则，在实施中，还要从施工措施、当地的具体情况和群众要求等多方面思考对治理方案合理的优化与调整，工程施工才能顺利开展和实施，治理后的河流满足当地管理和行洪要求。     

浅谈谱质心对弹拨乐单音悦耳度的影响

探讨了民族弹拨乐器声学特性的客观参数中,衡量能量分布的谱质心参数与主观听觉悦耳度之间的联系.挑选了一些常见的民族弹拨乐器的单音进行音质主观评价,利用多元统计分析方法将整理的主观评价数据与谱质心的客观参数进行拟合,较全面地了解谱质心对民族弹拨乐单音悦耳度的影响.对民族乐器客观分析研究做了初期探究基础,为专家学者广泛研究民族乐器声学领域提供参考.     

Simulating Déjà Vu: What happens to game performance when controlling for situational features?

Video games offer a unique and flexible virtual environment in which to study human performance in response to virtual situational characteristics. In an experimental design, participants in the current study were presented with two conditions in an action video game environment. In Condition 1, the same virtual situation was presented on three occasions. In Condition 2, three different virtual situations were presented. Results revealed that person × situation interactions were of a notable magnitude, regardless as to whether the same or different situations were presented to participants, suggesting the presence of intraindividual effects across occasions. However, a general performance effect was only identifiable to a meaningful extent when different situations were presented (i.e., in Condition 2 only), suggesting that the presence of different situations is necessary in order for participants to exhibit general performance variability.     

Fire risk perception and building evacuation by vulnerable persons: Points of view of laypersons,fire victims and experts

Fire risk perception and its influence on building evacuation were studied in order to improve building evacuation processes. The sample adopted in this study consisted of (i) laypersons, mostly elderly; (ii) healthcare professionals working with vulnerable individuals who live with disability on an everyday basis, for their point of view on disabled persons; (iii) fire victims for their experience (persons who suffered burns in a fire).Qualitative research was used to study fire risk perception and to understand the attitudes and behaviours of individuals. The information was collected during interviews following a questionnaire that combined questions of a general nature, questions referring to the fire and questions focused on the experience of evacuating a building.Results of this inductive, exploratory and qualitative method showed differences between the analysis of experts, the point of view of laypersons and the experience of fire victims. They also showed that risk perception is influenced by psychological, social, physical, political (here regulatory and normative) and cultural factors. Fire risk perception is based on the individual-environment-risk paradigm. Among the factors characterising risk perception, we noted the preponderant role of trust emerges, as well as that of the human environments (daily and emergency), the physical environment (building) and the climate of safety in which the event takes place. These different dimensions of fire risk perception show that it is a combination of psychometric and cultural paradigms. Building evacuation is seen as a psychological process involving both emotion and cognition.The resulting model aims to improve the understanding of a building evacuation process and to provide tools to anticipate crises.