Evaluation of an intervention to reduce musculoskeletal hazards among fresh market vegetable growers

OBJECTIVES: We conducted an intervention to convince small, fresh market vegetable operations to adopt mesh bags and standard containers, two production practices that aid in crop handling and that are known to improve labor efficiency and reduce exposures to musculoskeletal injury hazards. METHODS: The intervention disseminated information about the practices to growers through trade publications, public events, university Extension, and growers already using the practices. A mail questionnaire was administered to vegetable growers (n=243 and 207) before and after the intervention. Strawberry growers were used as a comparison group and also received questionnaires (n=50 and 35). RESULTS: After the intervention, more vegetable growers reported seeing information about mesh bags in trade publications (37% vs. 59%) and information about standard containers at public events (33% vs. 49%). Levels of self-reported adoption increased for containers (38% vs. 54%) and approached significance for bags (8% vs. 17%). Aware, non-adopting grower perceptions of bag profitability improved (2.6 vs. 3.8). Strawberry grower control results were unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Better information flow to growers may be able to increase the speed with which agricultural practices with better ergonomics are adopted, especially when the practices are more profitable.     

Occupational musculoskeletal and mental health: Significance of rationalization and opportunities to create sustainable production systems – A systematic review

This literature review aims to identify occupational musculoskeletal and mental health effects of production system rationalization as well as organizational-level measures that may improve health outcome (“modifiers” in this review). A short review of the effect of ergonomic interventions is included as background and rationalization is discussed as a theoretical concept. Indicator variables for occupational musculoskeletal and mental health and related risk factors are presented. Variables with a generalized format were allowed in the literature searches (e.g., job satisfaction and absenteeism were accepted as risk factor and health indicator, respectively), suitable for the research fields of work sociology, organization science, human resource management (HRM) and economics research.One hundred and sixty-two studies of rationalization effects on health and risk factors and 72 organization-level modifier results were accepted into the final database. Entries were sorted by rationalization strategy and work life sector, and trends in outcome (positive, mixed, no effect, or negative effect on health and risk factors) were determined.Rationalizations have a dominant negative effect on health and risk factors (57% negative, 19% positive); the most negative effects were found for downsizing and restructuring rationalizations in general (71 studies negative, 13 positive) and for the health care sector in particular (36 studies negative, 2 positive). The rationalization strategy High Performance Work System (HPWS) was associated with the highest fraction positive outcome studies (6 of 10 studies). Other rationalization strategies (lean practices, parallel vs. serial production and mechanization level) reported intermediate results, in part dependent on work life sector, but also on the year when studies were carried out. Worker participation, resonant management style, information, support, group autonomy and procedural justice were modifiers with favourable influence on outcome.It is concluded that production system rationalization represents a pervasive work life intervention without a primary occupational health focus. It has considerable and mostly negative influence on worker health, but this can be reduced by attention to modifiers. The results create a basis for new priorities in ergonomic intervention research.     

Solution of the Skyrme HF + BCS equation on a 3D mesh

Over the years, the ev8 code has been a very useful tool for the study of nuclear mean-field theory. Its main characteristic is that it solves the Hartree-Fock plus BCS equations for Skyrme type functionals via a discretization of the individual wave-functions on a three-dimensional Cartesian mesh. This allows maximal flexibility in the determination of the nuclear shape by the variational process. For instance, the same mesh can be used to describe the oblate deformed, spherical, prolate deformed, superdeformed and fission configurations of a given nucleus. The quadrupole constraining operator yielding the deformation energy curve covering all these configurations is included in ev8. This version of the code is restricted to even-even nuclei.

Program summary

Title of program:ev8Catalogue identifier:ADWAProgram obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University of Belfast, N. IrelandProgram summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADWALicensing provisions: noneComputers on which the program has been tested: HP-RX4640, Compaq-Digital Alpha GS140, has run on several other platformsComputer for which the program is designed and others on which is has been tested:Unix, LinuxOperating systems or monitors under which the program has been tested:FORTRAN-90Programming language used:depends on problem; example given requires 60 MBMemory required to execute with typical data:yesNo. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.:11 524No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.:89 949Distribution format:tar.gzip fileNature of the physical problem:By means of the Hartree-Fock plus BCS method using Skyrme type functionals, ev8 allows a study of the evolution of the binding energy of even-even nuclei for various shapes determined by the most general quadrupole constraint.Solution method:The program expands the single-particle wave-functions on a 3D Cartesian mesh. The nonlinear mean-field equations are solved by the imaginary time step method. A quadratic constraint is used to obtain states corresponding to given values of the quadrupole tensor.Unusual features:The pairing correlations being included with the BCS method, a physically correct solution must not have any occupied single particle state in the continuum. This requires the Fermi energy of both nucleon species to be negative and their absolute value to be typically larger than twice the pairing gap.Running time:For the test case, which starts from Nilsson wave-functions, a deformed configuration of ⁸⁴Zr is obtained with an accuracy better than 0.1 keV in 157 s on a HP-RX4640. Starting from this solution, other deformed configurations are obtained in less than 1 min.     

In2O3 + xBaO (x = 0.5-5 at.%) - A novel material for trace level detection of NOx in the ambient

Indium oxide (In₂O₃) doped with 0.5-5 at.% of Ba was examined for their response towards trace levels of NO_x in the ambient. Crystallographic phase studies, electrical conductivity and sensor studies for NO_x with cross interference for hydrogen, petroleum gas (PG) and ammonia were carried out. Bulk compositions with x ≤ 1 at.% of Ba exhibited high response towards NO_x with extremely low cross interference for hydrogen, PG and ammonia, offering high selectivity. Thin films of 0.5 at.% Ba doped In₂O₃ were deposited using pulsed laser deposition technique using an excimer laser (KrF) operating at a wavelength of (λ) 248 nm with a fluence of ∼3 J/cm² and pulsed at 10 Hz. Thin film sensors exhibited better response towards 3 ppm NO_x quite reliably and reproducibly and offer the potential to develop NO_x sensors (Threshold limit value of NO₂ and NO is 3 and 25 ppm, respectively).