Development of role-related minimum cardiorespiratory fitness standards for firefighters and commanders

A minimum cardiorespiratory fitness standard was derived for firefighters following a metabolic demands analysis. Design and minimal acceptable performance of generic firefighting task simulations (i.e. hose running, casualty evacuation, stair climb, equipment carry, wild-land fire) were endorsed by a panel of operationally experienced experts. Sixty-two UK firefighters completed these tasks wearing a standard protective firefighting ensemble while being monitored for peak steady-state metabolic demand and cardiovascular strain. Four tasks, endorsed as valid operational simulations by ≥90% of participants (excluding wild-land fire; 84%), were deemed to be a sufficiently valid and reliable basis for a fitness standard. These tasks elicited an average peak steady-state metabolic cost of 38.1 ± 7.8 ml kg^?1 min^?1. It is estimated that healthy adults can sustain the total duration of these tasks (~16 min) at ≤90% maximum oxygen uptake and a cardiorespiratory fitness standard of ≥42.3 ml kg^?1 min^?1 would be required to sustain work.

Practitioner Summary: A cardiorespiratory fitness standard for firefighters of ≥42.3 ml kg^?1 min^?1 was derived from monitoring minimum acceptable performance of essential tasks. This study supports the implementation of a routine assessment of this fitness standard for all UK operational firefighters, to ensure safe physical preparedness for occupational performance.     

Pack hike test finishing time for Australian firefighters: pass rates and correlates of performance

The pack hike test (PHT, 4.83 km hike wearing a 20.4-kg load) was devised to determine the job readiness of USA wildland firefighters. This study measured PHT performance in a sample of Australian firefighters who currently perform the PHT (career land management firefighters, LMFF) and those who do not (suburban/regional volunteer firefighters, VFF). The study also investigated the relationships between firefighters' PHT performance and their performance across a range of fitness tests for both groups. Twenty LMFF and eighteen age-, body mass-, and height-matched VFF attempted the PHT, and a series of muscular endurance, power, strength and cardiorespiratory fitness tests. Bivariate correlations between the participants’ PHT finishing time and their performance in a suite of different fitness tests were determined using Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient. The mean PHT finishing time for LMFF (42.2 ± 2.8 min) was 9 ± 14% faster (p = 0.001) than for VFF (46.1 ± 3.6 min). The pass rate (the percentage of participants who completed the PHT in under 45 min) for LMFF (90%) was greater than that of VFF (39%, p = 0.001). For LMFF, VO_2peak in L min⁻¹(r = −0.66, p = 0.001) and the duration they could sustain a grip ‘force’ of 25 kg (r = −0.69, p = 0.001) were strongly correlated with PHT finishing time. For VFF, VO_2peak in mL kg⁻¹ min⁻¹(r = −0.75, p = 0.002) and the duration they could hold a 1.2-m bar attached to 45.5 kg in a ‘hose spray position’ (r = −0.69, p = 0.004) were strongly correlated with PHT finishing time. This study shows that PHT fitness-screening could severely limit the number of VFF eligible for duty, compromising workforce numbers and highlights the need for specific and valid firefighter fitness standards. The results also demonstrate the strong relationships between PHT performance and firefighters’ cardiorespiratory fitness and local muscular endurance. Those preparing for the PHT should focus their training on these fitness components in the weeks and months prior to undertaking the PHT.     

Games for active ageing,well-being and quality of life: a pilot study

The goal of this study is to identify a set of psychosocial variables and design domains important for game designers to encourage active ageing, well-being and quality of life. Sixty adult learners at four universities of third age were randomly assigned to three groups: the experimental group (G1), who tested firstly a game-based learning platform (GBLP) and then a computer-assisted platform (CAP); the comparison group (G2), who tested firstly the CAP and then the GBLP and the control group (G3) that did not take part in the intervention. Participants were assessed on their health-related well-being and quality of life, using the SF36v2 and WHOQOL-BREF scales before and after each experiment. Findings suggest that there were differences between the group type and their perception on mental health (F(2,57)?=?3.771, p?=?.029) and general health-related well-being (F(2,57)?=?5.231, p?=?.008), in which the GBLP showed improvements relative to the CAP. The environment and mental health were some of the psychosocial domains that should be considered, whereas storytelling, context-aware challenges, game space, immediate feedback, role-playing and social engagement were relevant design domains for these games.     

The European,Japanese and US protective helmet,gloves and boots for firefighters: thermoregulatory and psychological evaluations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological and subjective responses of the European, Japanese (JPN) and US firefighters' helmet, gloves and boots for international standardisation. Three experimental conditions were evaluated (clothing mass: 9.4, 8.2 and 10.1 kg for the three conditions, respectively) at the air temperature of 32°C and 60% relative humidity. The results showed that there was no significant difference among the three conditions in oxygen consumption, heart rate, total sweat rate, rectal temperature and mean skin temperature, whereas peripheral temperatures and subjective perceptions were lower in the JPN condition than in the other conditions (P < 0.05). These results indicate that a 0.5-kg reduction in helmet mass and a 1.1-kg reduction in boot mass during exercise resulted in a significant decrease in head and leg temperatures and subjective perceptions, while a 1.9-kg reduction in total clothing mass had insignificant influences on the metabolic burden and overall body temperature.     

Effective Fitness as an Alternative Paradigm for Evolutionary Computation II: Examples and Applications

In paper I of this series we reviewed the recent development of an alternative paradigm for evolution on a fitness landscape–effective fitness–which offers an intuitive way to understand population dynamics as flows on an effective fitness landscape when genetic operators other than reproductive selection play an important role. In this article we demonstrate the utility of the concept using several simple analytical models and some more complex models that we simulate numerically. In particular, we show that effective fitness offers a qualitative and quantitative framework within which the phenomenon of induced symmetry breaking of the genotype-phenotype map may be understood. As explicit examples we consider: the violation of the building block hypothesis in non-epistatic landscapes; self-adaptation of genetic algorithms in time-dependent fitness landscapes and the appearance of evolutionary robustness as an emergent property in the evolution of language. In all cases we demonstrate that effective fitness offers a framework within which these diverse phenomena can be understood and in principle quantitatively studied.     

OSI standards: application to data communication and telematic services and Italian strategy for their introduction

The demand for data communication services as well as the development of new telematic services in the TLC environment will find their benefit from the application of the OSI standards.

These standards have reached a sound degree of definition in the last years due both to continuous improvements in the standardization activity and to increasing realizations from various manufacturers.

There is no doubt that the effective application of the OSI standards represents the challenge of the next years, which will conditionate the whole development of distributed data processing and telematic applications.

The paper presents the strategy followed in Italy for the adoption of the OSI standards, which is based on a step by step approach, where each standard is introduced on the basis of its complete definition. Initial consideration is given to the application of the MHS Standards (X400).

After a general discussion on the OSI Standards application, the paper further details on the provision of the OSI Network Service (OSI-NS) by different public data networks and on the use of such service for interworking among networks of different type. Furtheron, cases of interworking scenarios with networks not providing the OSI-NS are also examined.

Finally the paper details on the activity being pursued in Europe for the harmonization of the OSI standards and their certification.     

Accredited online dispute resolution services: creating European legal standards for ensuring fair and effective processes

The aim of this article is to consider the need for regulation within the European Union (EU) in order to close the existing gap between the need for effective and fair online dispute resolution (ODR) mechanisms in electronic commerce and their actual use. At present, ODR relies on soft laws and self-regulation rather than legislative intervention. Yet, some aspects, such as mandatory ODR clauses included in electronic contracts and the enforceability of online awards, need to be supported by legislation and cannot be left exclusively to self-regulatory initiatives. This article suggests that establishing clear procedural standards in the ODR field will increase awareness as well as provide the necessary tools for promoting those ODR schemes that offer quality services by accrediting them with a pan-European trustmark. The article proposes that this can be achieved through a European directive, which will contribute to the development of ODR within the EU by allowing accredited ODR providers to offer mandatory services and issue enforceable decisions.

Whether many disputes will be resolved online is not a matter of ‘If’, but of ‘When’ and ‘How’. The question of exactly when is not of great importance; time will tell. The question of ‘How’ is what we should focus on. (Lodder 2006 Lodder, A. 2006. The third party and beyond: An analysis of the different parties, in particular the fifth, involved in online dispute resolution. Information and Communications Technology Law, 15(2): 143[Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar]: 153)     

The Virtual Service Grid: an architecture for delivering high‐end network services

This paper presents the design of a new system architecture, Virtual Service Grid (VSG), for delivering high‐performance network services. The VSG is based on the concept of the virtual service which provides location, replication, and fault transparency to clients accessing remotely deployed high‐end services. One of the novel features of the virtual service is the ability to self‐scale in response to client demand. The VSG exploits network and service information to make adaptive dynamic replica selection, creation, and deletion decisions. We describe the VSG architecture, middleware, and replica management policies. We have deployed the VSG on a wide‐area Internet testbed to evaluate its performance. The results indicate that the VSG can deliver efficient performance for a wide range of client workloads, both in terms of reduced response time and in the utilization of system resources. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Theory of Genetic Algorithms II: models for genetic operators over the string-tensor representation of populations and convergence to global optima for arbitrary fitness function under scaling

We present a theoretical framework for an asymptotically converging, scaled genetic algorithm which uses an arbitrary-size alphabet and common scaled genetic operators. The alphabet can be interpreted as a set of equidistant real numbers and multiple-spot mutation performs a scalable compromise between pure random search and neighborhood-based change on the alphabet level. We discuss several versions of the crossover operator and their interplay with mutation. In particular, we consider uniform crossover and gene-lottery crossover which does not commute with mutation. The Vose–Liepins version of mutation-crossover is also integrated in our approach. In order to achieve convergence to global optima, the mutation rate and the crossover rate have to be annealed to zero in proper fashion, and unbounded, power-law scaled proportional fitness selection is used with logarithmic growth in the exponent. Our analysis shows that using certain types of crossover operators and large population size allows for particularly slow annealing schedules for the crossover rate. In our discussion, we focus on the following three major aspects based upon contraction properties of the mutation and fitness selection operators: (i) the drive towards uniform populations in a genetic algorithm using standard operations, (ii) weak ergodicity of the inhomogeneous Markov chain describing the probabilistic model for the scaled algorithm, (iii) convergence to globally optimal solutions. In particular, we remove two restrictions imposed in Theorem 8.6 and Remark 8.7 of (Theoret. Comput. Sci. 259 (2001) 1) where a similar type of algorithm is considered as described here: mutation need not commute with crossover and the fitness function (which may come from a coevolutionary single species setting) need not have a single maximum.     

The embodied Web: embodied Web‐services interaction with an umbrella for augmented city experiences

This paper introduces the embodied Web, a new design paradigm for mobile devices. The embodied Web aims to provide an interface using real‐world embodied interaction to provide a computer‐augmented reality that accesses web services. This platform regards embodied interaction at three levels: operational level, activity level and social level; and is implemented with a combination of sensor, actuator and network connectivities. The platform is developed as a complex of hardware, software and network services. The implementation takes an approach of modularization of hardware, software and web services. As a practical prototype of the embodied Web, the Internet Umbrella Pileus was developed and tested. In contrast to the small screens of mobile devices, Pileus has a big screen on the underside of the umbrella, and it is operated by embodied interaction, including motion sensing of the device and location sensing of walking activities. Photo‐sharing and 3D map navigation is provided on the umbrella to expand the user's activity area. These services are provided by API hookups with Flickr and Google Earth. Pileus has been iteratively developed from user observations, design observations and intuitions and prototype evaluations. The umbrella was tested in a large urban environment (the city of Tokyo). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The software and information services sector in Argentina: The pros and cons of an inward-oriented development strategy

This paper analyzes the evolution, present situation, and prospects for the Argentine software and information services (SIS) sector. Argentina has some advantages to exploit in order to make significant inroads in this sector. It has a relative abundance of well-educated people, a sizeable domestic market, and a cultural influence in Spanish-speaking Latin America. The currency devaluation of 2002 dramatically reduced costs measured in U.S. dollars. Nonetheless, SIS firms in Argentina have focused primarily on the domestic accountancy and management market, where they enjoy advantages derived from the specific requirements of the domestic regulations and their knowledge of the business culture and the needs of their local clients. This concentration in the domestic market has caused SIS firms to pay insufficient attention to some key issues for competitiveness in this sector. Hence, it is no surprise to find that they lack marketing and management capabilities and that the diffusion of quality certifications is almost null. The domestic environment also poses some obstacles, since firms often have difficulties accessing investment and working capital. Business networking mechanisms are weak, both among SIS firms as well as between them and their customers, R&D institutions, etc. Increasing the competitiveness of this sector requires intelligent public policies and actions aimed at improving the SIS firms' capabilities and endowments. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The PC in an Indian urban slum: enterprise and entrepreneurship in ICT4D 2.0

This paper examines the embedding of information and communication technology (ICT) tools in everyday practices among underserved populations in urban India. Using ethnographic investigations of PC-aided micro- and small enterprises (MSEs) in a low-income slum neighborhood in Mumbai, it pursued three broad research goals: first, to etch out organic ICT immersions in underserved technology environments; second, to articulate a new and evolving socio-technical system in an urban slum ecology; third, to seek a fit between goals of ICT for development and impacts of PC-aided enterprise on ICT access and adoption. Based on the ICT4D 2.0 approach interrogating the technology-for-development discourse, this paper substantiates the need for a “new view of the world's poor: one that views the poor not as passive consumers but agile agents and innovative producers of ICT products and services.”     

The influence of familiarity,trust and norms of reciprocity on an experienced sense of community: an empirical analysis based on social online services

The growing use of social online services raises the question of what encourages members to participate actively and maintain accumulated social capital. Our research has particularly become aware of the relevance of familiarity, trust and reciprocity in understanding the members' sense of a virtual community (VC). Familiarity and trust are efficient criteria to assess and determine the extent to which one should engage in a virtual relationship. Furthermore, the effort of sharing experiences and knowledge must be based on the expectation of receiving certain returns. A structural equation modelling, specifically partial least squares, is proposed to assess the relationships between the constructs. Overall, the empirical results provided strong support for the hypotheses. Familiarity and trust lead the member to develop a growing perceived community support (PCS) and significantly influence the sense of a VC. Norms of reciprocity directly influence affective trust and PCS. Higher familiarity does not moderate the impact of affective trust on PCS, however. The results of this study could thus help social online service providers to create a successful business model and to determine the main drivers of the members' sense of a VC.     

The implications of cross-regional differences for the design of In-vehicle Information Systems: a comparison of Australian and Chinese drivers

The increasing global distribution of automobiles necessitates that the design of In-vehicle Information Systems (IVIS) is appropriate for the regions to which they are being exported. Differences between regions such as culture, environment and traffic context can influence the needs, usability and acceptance of IVIS. This paper describes two studies aimed at identifying regional differences in IVIS design needs and preferences across drivers from Australia and China to determine the impact of any differences on IVIS design. Using a questionnaire and interaction clinics, the influence of cultural values and driving patterns on drivers' preferences for, and comprehension of, surface- and interaction-level aspects of IVIS interfaces was explored. Similarities and differences were found between the two regional groups in terms of preferences for IVIS input control types and labels and in the comprehension of IVIS functions. Specifically, Chinese drivers preferred symbols and Chinese characters over English words and were less successful (compared to Australians) at comprehending English abbreviations, particularly for complex IVIS functions. Implications in terms of the current trend to introduce Western-styled interfaces into other regions with little or no adaptation are discussed.     

The prospects for an evolutionary psychology: Human language and human reasoning

Evolutionary psychology purports to explain human capacities as adaptations to an ancestral environment. A complete explanation of human language or human reasoning as adaptations depends on assessing an historical claim, that these capacities evolved under the pressure of natural selection and are prevalent because they provided systematic advantages to our ancestors. An outline of the character of the information needed in order to offer complete adaptation explanations is drawn from Robert Brandon (1990), and explanations offered for the evolution of language and reasoning within evolutionary psychology are evaluated. Pinker and Bloom's (1992) defense of human language as an adaptation for verbal communication, Robert Nozick's (1993) account of the evolutionary origin of rationality, and Cosmides and Tooby's (1992) explanation of human reasoning as an adaptation for social exchange, are discussed in light of what is known, and what is not known, about the history of human evolution. In each case, though a plausible case is made that these capacities are adaptations, there is not enough known to offer even a semblance of an explanation of the origin of these capacities. These explanations of the origin of human thought and language are simply speculations lacking the kind of detailed historical information required for an evolutionary explanation of an adaptation.     

The use of models and methods for strategic planning: Towards an holistic view of strategy

Formulating manufacturing business strategy is often fragmented in as much as current tools address upstream and downstream vertical integration with product integration, or more recently, product and infrastructure integration. Rarely do tools address all of these dimensions in an holistic manner. The research described in this paper is that undertaken in the MAPSTRAT project: a scoping study with industrial partners, aiming to satisfy this business need. A comprehensive literature study is described which is contextualized using six case studies. The paper stresses the importance of ‘joined‐up thinking’ and outlines plans for an appropriate tool that is under development.     

The Rotorcraft Pilot''s Associate: design and evaluation of an intelligent user interface for cockpit information management

The US Army's Rotorcraft Pilot's Associate (RPA) program is developing an advanced, intelligent “associate” system for flight demonstration in a future attack/scout helicopter. A significant RPA component is the intelligent user interface known as the Cockpit Information Manager (CIM). This paper describes the high-level architecture of the CIM, with emphasis on its pilot-perceptible behaviors: Crew Intent Estimation, Page Selection, Symbol Selection/Declutter, Intelligent Window Location, Automated Pan and Zoom, and Task Allocation. We then present the subjective results of recent full mission simulation studies using the CIM to illustrate pilots' attitudes toward these behaviors and their perceived effectiveness.     

The technostress trifecta ‐ techno eustress,techno distress and design: Theoretical directions and an agenda for research

Technostress—defined as stress that individuals experience due to their use of Information Systems—represents an emerging phenomenon of scholarly investigation. It examines how and why the use of IS causes individuals to experience various demands that they find stressful. This paper develops a framework for guiding future research in technostress experienced by individuals in organizations. We first review and critically analyse the state of current research on technostress reported in journals from the IS discipline and the non‐IS disciplines that study stress in organizations (eg, organizational behaviour and psychological stress). We then develop our framework in the form of the “technostress trifecta”—techno‐eustress, techno‐distress, and Information Systems design principles for technostress. The paper challenges 3 key ideas imbued in the existing technostress literature. First, it develops the argument that, in contrast to negative outcomes, technostress can lead to positive outcomes such as greater effectiveness and innovation at work. Second, it suggests that instead of limiting the role of IS to that of being a stress creator in the technostress phenomenon, it should be expanded to that of enhancing the positive and mitigating the negative effects of technostress through appropriate design. Third, it lays the groundwork for guiding future research in technostress through an interdisciplinary framing that enriches both the IS and the psychological stress literatures through a potential discourse of disciplinary exchange.     

VirSchool: The effect of background music and immersive display systems on memory for facts learned in an educational virtual environment

Game technology has been widely used for educational applications, however, despite the common use of background music in games, its effect on learning has been largely unexplored. This paper discusses how music played in the background of a computer-animated history lesson affected participants’ memory for facts. A virtual history lesson was presented to participants with different background stimuli (music or no-music) to test the effect of music on memory. To test the role of immersion on memory and its possible relationship to the music, two different display systems (3-monitor display system or immersive Reality Center) were used in the study. Overall, participants remembered a significantly higher number of facts using the 3-monitor display system, particularly if no background music was played in the second half of the history lesson. Conversely, for participants using the Reality Center, significantly higher recall of facts was found when participants listened to music in the second half of the history lesson. Cognitive load/overload and (un-)familiarity with the technology are offered as explanations.