Ergonomic evaluation and redesign of children bicycles based on anthropometric data

Proper bicycle fit is very important for cycling performance, efficiency, comfort and injury prevention. This is especially true in the case of children cyclists that do not have the necessary cycling experience, balance and the fully developed musculoskeletal system of the adults. Bicycle fit depends on both the design and dimensions of the bicycle as well as on the anthropometric dimensions of the cyclist. In the present paper a case study concerning the ergonomic evaluation and redesign of a series of bicycles for children and teenagers 7-14 years old is presented. The study has been commissioned by a major Greek bicycle manufacturer who wanted to gain competitive advantage by introducing new anthropometrically-designed bicycles. Employing virtual modelling techniques and the method of Principal Component Analysis, bicycle affordance for selected representative cases and various bicycle sizes has been examined. Based on the results of the study redesign recommendations that improved bicycle fit for specific groups were proposed and a formal bicycle size selection method has been defined. The redesigned bicycles are now in full production and distribution is underway in many commercial outlets in Greece.     

Similarity assessment of design behavior data

Understanding the cognitive aspects of design behavior is important in understanding the nature of design ability, and various studies are being conducted to understand the underlying cognitive aspects of design abilities and to develop methods to enhance them. While simple visualization supports in graphical forms are helpful in finding characteristics in protocol analysis, similarity assessment of the protocol data of various designers and various design tasks and situations will also help to understand designers and design problem characteristics. In this paper, we propose similarity assessment methods of design behavior data as support tools for understanding and analysis of the nature of design ability.     

Development of anthropometric data for Bangladeshi male population

An anthropometric study of a group of people is important when designing ergonomic products and workstations for that group. This study surveys the anthropometric dimensions of the Bangladeshi male population between the ages of 15 and 64 years to compare these dimensions with male anthropometrics for different countries available in the literature.     

Review of anthropometric considerations for tractor seat design

Tractor driving imposes a lot of physical and mental stress upon the operator. If the operator's seat is not comfortable, his work performance may be poor and there is also a possibility of accidents. The optimal design of tractor seat may be achieved by integrating anthropometric data with other technical features of the design. This paper reviews the existing information on the tractor seat design that considers anthropometry and biomechanical factors and gives an approach for seat design based on anthropometric data. The anthropometric dimensions, i.e. popliteal height sitting (5th percentile), hip breadth sitting (95th percentile), buttock popliteal length (5th percentile), interscye breadth (5th and 95th percentile) and sitting acromion height (5th percentile) of agricultural workers need to be taken into consideration for design of seat height, seat pan width, seat pan length, seat backrest width and seat backrest height, respectively, of a tractor. The seat dimensions recommended for tractor operator's comfort based on anthropometric data of 5434 Indian male agricultural workers were as follows: seat height of 380 mm, seat pan width of 420–450 mm, seat backrest width of 380–400 mm (bottom) and 270–290 mm (top), seat pan length of 370±10 mm, seat pan tilt of 5–7° backward and seat backrest height of 350 mm.

Relevance to industry

The approach presented in this paper for tractor seat design based on anthropometric considerations will help the tractor seat designers to develop and introduce seats suiting to the requirements of the user population. This will not only enhance the comfort of the tractor operators but may also help to reduce the occupational health problems of tractor operators.     

Classroom furniture and anthropometric characteristics of Iranian high school students: Proposed dimensions based on anthropometric data

The study evaluated the potential mismatch between classroom furniture dimensions and anthropometric characteristics of 978 Iranian high school students (498 girls, 480 boys), aged 15-18 years. Nine anthropometric measurements (stature, sitting height, sitting shoulder height, popliteal height, hip breadth, elbow-seat height, buttock-popliteal length, buttock-knee length and thigh clearance) and five dimensions from the existing classroom furniture were measured and then compared together (using match criterion equations) to identify any potential mismatch between them. The results indicated a considerable mismatch between body dimensions of the students and the existing classroom furniture, with seat height (60.9%), seat width (54.7%) and desktop height (51.7%) being the furniture dimensions with a higher level of mismatch. The levels of mismatch varied between the high-school grade levels and between genders, indicating their special requirements and possible problems. The proposed dimensions of the classroom furniture more appropriate for the students were given. This additional information on students' anthropometry can be used by local furniture industries as a starting point for designing more appropriate furniture for school children, or used by schools to aid in furniture selection.     

Fuzzy classification of young women's lower body based on anthropometric measurement

The traditional method of body classification is discrete, using crisp and rather dichotomous classification methods; there are many shortcomings for ergonomic design of clothing products by this method. This paper proposes a fuzzy method to classify lower body shapes based on triangular fuzzy numbers. By using factor analysis and correlation analysis, we found that the height, the waist girth, and the difference of hip-waist are crucial dimensions to represent lower body shape. We then classified the lower body shape into three categories according to the difference of hip-to-waist, and finally used the membership of triangular fuzzy numbers to represent the lower body shapes. Results show that the fuzzy method of body classification can more accurately represents body information than the traditional method without increasing the number of body types. Additionally, we established that the mean of the height, waist girth and hip girth of the young women of northeast China increased by about 0.8 cm, 1.5 cm and 1.4 cm respectively compared with ten years ago.Relevance to industry: Anthropometric data is the basis of garment pattern design, and body classification is a necessary precondition for developing a garment size system. These research achievements will add value to the pattern design of young women's lower body clothing, the development of new sizing systems and related industries.     

Gaussian radial basis function interpolant for the different data sites and basis centers

The present study introduces results about unique solvability of Gaussian RBF interpolation with the different data sites and basis centers. For \( N=2 \), we show that the interpolation matrix is singular only when the vector of difference between basis centers and the vector of difference between data sites are perpendicular to each other. For \(N>2\), we show certain states that the interpolation matrix is singular, then we provide several mild conditions which guarantee the interpolation matrix to be non-singular. We propose an algorithm to describe how to choose the basis centers and data sites. The results show that if the basis centers are chosen different from the data sites, the interpolation is uniquely solvable under mild conditions.     

Genetic design of discrete dynamical basis networks that approximate data sequences and functions

This paper extends research in the area of biologically inspired, discrete dynamical basis networks (DDBNs). While similar to locally recurrent globally feedforward (LRGF) networks (Tsoi and Back 1994 Tsoi, AC and Back, AD. 1994. Locally recurrent globally feedforward networks: a critical review of architectures. IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, 5: 229–239.  ), DDBNs operate at a lower level of abstraction and were inspired by research in the areas of Control Systems, Artificial Intelligence, and Neurobiology. As described previously, DDBNs can approximate data sequences and consist of networks of simple, bounded mathematical operators (Jones and Olmsted 2003 Jones KL Olmsted DL 2003 Genetic design of biologically inspired discrete dynamical basis networks to approximate data sequences 2003 Congress on Evolutionary Computation Proceedings (CEC2003) 3 1680 1687  ). This paper examines the characteristics of genetically designed DDBNs and compares them with tree-based genetic programs (TBGPs), biological neural networks, and backpropagation neural networks (NNs). Experimental evidence indicates that DDBNs are capable of computing simple logic functions in addition to approximating data sequences.     

A technique for estimating anthropometric data from the parameters of the distribution of stature

A variety of biological and social factors influence the anthropometric characteristics of any population. The ergonomist requires anthropometric data which are appropriate to the target population with whom he is concerned. Since formal surveys are both costly and time consuming, simple methods of estimation are commonly required. The purpose of this paper is to describe and validate one such method.

A collection of anthropometric sources dealing with adult European and North American populations was assembled. A selection of dimensions generally useful for the purposes of workspace design was made. The sources were divided into two groups (A and B). For each dimension in each group A source, two ratios were calculated, relating its mean and standard deviation to those of stature. These ratios were then averaged across the group A sources (taking male and female populations separately), to give scaling factors which could be used for predictive purposes.

For purposes of validation, the scaling factors derived from group A were used to predict the results of the six published surveys in group B. (Only the sex and the mean and standard deviation of stature of the group B surveys were used in the predictions.) Comparisons were made between the predicted 1st and 99th percentile value of each dimension and the ‘true’ values published in the surveys. Errors were normally distributed with a mean value of —3 mm and a standard deviation of 13 mm (136 comparisons).

The actual percentiles which the predicted 1st and 99th percentiles represented were calculated. On average, these included 96% of the population (as against 98% for a perfect prediction) Many of the predictions fell within the confidence limits for the 1st and 99th percentiles of the published surveys. These inaccuracies are modest in comparison with those which may occur, for example, in correcting for clothing, shoes or ‘sitting slump’. It is concluded therefore that anthropometric data estimated by this technique are sufficiently accurate for many practical purposes.     

Optimal design of radial basis function neural networks for fuzzy-rule extraction in high dimensional data

The design of an optimal radial basis function neural network (RBFNF) is not a straightforward procedure. In this paper we take advantage of the functional equivalence between RBFN and fuzzy inference systems to propose a novel efficient approach to RBFN design for fuzzy rule extraction. The method is based on advanced fuzzy clustering techniques. Solutions to practical problems are proposed. By combining these different solutions, a general methodology is derived. The efficiency of our method is demonstrated on challenging synthetic and real world data sets.     

Macroergonomics intervention programs: Recommendations for their design and implementation

The purpose of this article is twofold: 1) to consider the intervention programs that emerged before ergonomic research, and 2) to develop a methodology for design and implementation of a macroergonomics intervention program in a manufacturing organization. A design that has been used is shown, which allows subsequent specialists' actions to achieve the expected results and avoid mistakes during implementation. A case study in the shoe industry is used to validate the procedure and illustrate the results, which include improvement in the quality of work processes (from 6.14% to 1.54% defects) and in quality of work life (from 58.03% to 93.33%). The conclusions highlight the need to carry out intervention programs relating to both micro and macro levels to achieve optimization of work systems. The recent increase in research activity in this area and the positive results encourage the future development of such macroergonomics intervention programs. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The validity of computer-based personality assessment products: Recommendations for the future

The use of computers in psychological assessment is now well established. A central aspect of this field, computer based interpretations of personality and psychodiagnostic tests, has been the subject of widespread criticism due to the lack of demonstrated validity. The present paper separates methodological issues in validation research from technical issues in the development of objective interpretation rules and in the computer application of these rules, and makes six basic recommendations for future development: (a) attend to the reliability of all variables, especially predictors; (b) focus on specific (narrow-band) predictions; (c) simply restate the empirical findings in their raw and perhaps contradictory form; (d) apply each system only to populations that resemble the derivation population; (e) use the “no interpretation” option; and (f) consider building in a capacity to accomodate varying base rates. Use of these guidelines would result in simpler, more specific systems, which would be viewed as tools for the assessment psychologist and not as finished products in their own right.     

基于WSNs的压缩频谱感知稀疏基设计

研究了现有利用无线传感器网络(WSNs)进行区域压缩频谱感知的算法,针对其运算量大,准确性有限的问题,设计了以子带基作为稀疏基进行压缩感知(CS)的算法;证明了子带基作为稀疏基的正交性和完备性;同时计算表明子带基满足重构的约束等距条件.仿真结果显示:以子带基进行重构可以准确给出频谱的占用位置和幅值,比传统的边缘检测算法提高了压缩频谱感知的准确性和鲁棒性,同时具有更高的压缩比,运算量小,适于在WSNs中实施.     

Recommendations for mass spectrometry data quality metrics for open access data (corollary to the Amsterdam principles)

Policies supporting the rapid and open sharing of proteomic data are being implemented by the leading journals in the field. The proteomics community is taking steps to ensure that data are made publicly accessible and are of high quality, a challenging task that requires the development and deployment of methods for measuring and documenting data quality metrics. On September 18, 2010, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) convened the "International Workshop on Proteomic Data Quality Metrics" in Sydney, Australia, to identify and address issues facing the development and use of such methods for open access proteomics data. The stakeholders at the workshop enumerated the key principles underlying a framework for data quality assessment in mass spectrometry data that will meet the needs of the research community, journals, funding agencies, and data repositories. Attendees discussed and agreed up on two primary needs for the wide use of quality metrics: (i) an evolving list of comprehensive quality metrics and (ii) standards accompanied by software analytics. Attendees stressed the importance of increased education and training programs to promote reliable protocols in proteomics. This workshop report explores the historic precedents, key discussions, and necessary next steps to enhance the quality of open access data. By agreement, this article is published simultaneously in Proteomics, Proteomics Clinical Applications, Journal of Proteome Research, and Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, as a public service to the research community. The peer review process was a coordinated effort conducted by a panel of referees selected by the journals.