Assessment of workload in the microbiology laboratory

Workload measurement is necessary for laboratory management and planning. Adaptation of the College of American Pathologists' scheme to the requirements of a large clinical microbiology laboratory is described. Our method of applying basic work values is simpler and the calculation of workload is easily adapted to take account of alterations in laboratory method. The resulting system of workload measurement can be instituted without undue effort.     

EDP registration of the types of tests, working procedures and diagnosis in a department of histopathology. Minimum dataset for assessment of the workload

The aim of the study was to develop a computer-based system for measuring workload in a department of histo- and cytopathology using routine registration of a minimum dataset. A group with representatives from the laboratory technicians, the pathologists and the secretaries defined 18 types of specimens. By studying each step of specimen processing it was shown, that 14 items for technical details could cover all the work done in the department. This information was collected in a computer-based system connected to the hospital network. The measurement of workload is essential for the efficient management of laboratory services. The registration of specimen types and a minimum dataset for specimen processing describes the work done in a department of histo- and cytopathology.     

Factors influencing mental workload indexes

Several findings of the author's own mental workload research are reviewed. Especially, factors, except task demand, influencing mental workload indexes are discussed. First, an experiment using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA TLX) is reviewed and the effects of a prior task load on a subsequent subjective workload are described. In a physiological measures section, the low reliability of the heart rate variability (HRV) parameters when the subjects' respiration pattern are highly irregular, and the existence of low sweat respondent, although perspiration seems to be sensitive to the workload, are indicated. Furthermore, results of the task specific physiological responses and of a HRV parameter affected by the individual characteristics, like type A behavior pattern, are shown. Discrepancy between autonomic nervous system activity measures may be solvable by introducing a new concept of autonomic space (synergism of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system). Finally, the need for strategies of data management concerning the individual differences is emphasized.     

加料机PLC控制及大小车电气制动系统设计

介绍了将加料机原常规继电控制系统改造为PLC控制的无触点系统,将原机械制动系统改造为电气制动系统的设计实例。该设计可有效地提高系统的可靠性,减少日常维护工作量。     

高耐磨陶瓷衬板在高炉料车上的应用

高炉料车衬板磨损问题，是炼铁厂普遍存在的难题，它不仅影响炼铁系统的正常运行，而且增加日常维护的工作量。高耐磨陶瓷衬板的应用，成功地解决了料车磨损问题。     

Developing unit-specific credentialing

A systematic plan can streamline the certification process. A self-directed team identified, developed and implemented the components needed to make the workload manageable. The actual process for developing a unit-based credentialing system in a special care unit is described.     

Detecting short periods of elevated workload: A comparison of nine workload assessment techniques.

The present experiment tested the merits of 9 common workload assessment techniques with relatively short periods of workload in a car-driving task. Twelve participants drove an instrumented car and performed a visually loading task and a mentally loading task for 10, 30, and 60 s. The results show that 10-s periods of visual and mental workload can be measured successfully with subjective ratings and secondary task performance. With respect to longer loading periods (30 and 60 s), steering frequency was found to be sensitive to visual workload, and skin conductance response (SCR) was sensitive to mental workload. The results lead to preliminary guidelines that will help applied researchers to determine which techniques are best suited for assessing visual and mental workload. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of the relationship between workload and fatigue within and across consecutive days of work: Is the relationship static or dynamic?

Cognitive–energetical theories of information processing were used to generate predictions regarding the relationship between perceived workload and fatigue within and across consecutive days of work. Repeated measures were taken aboard a naval vessel from a sample of 20 Navy patrol vessel crew members during nonroutine and routine patrols. The hypotheses were tested through growth curve modeling. There was a nonmonotonic relationship between workload and fatigue in the routine patrol; moderate workload was associated with the lowest fatigue. The relationship between workload and fatigue changed over consecutive days in the nonroutine patrol. At the beginning of the patrol, low workload was associated with fatigue. At the end of the patrol, high workload was associated with fatigue. These results suggest that the optimal level of workload can change over time and thus have implications for the management of fatigue, particularly where prolonged operations are involved. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Heart rate and workload variations in actual and simulated flight

The monitoring of heart rate in aviation research provides a global index of pilot workload. Heart rate variability is a promising measure but more complex to assess and therefore less often used, especially in dynamic task environments. The application of spectral analysis techniques of heart rate for workload assessment in aviation is illustrated and discussed. Ideally, workload assessment includes real-time or continuous measures to reveal variations in workload as pilots accomplish their tasks. Four studies are discussed that used heart rate measures for the assessment of: (1) training effectiveness; (2) stress of flight instruction; (3) simulator realism; and (4) flight task difficulty. Results indicate that cardiovascular measures are well suited to index different mental states of pilots as well as their dynamic responses to variations in workload.     

Increased general practice workload due to a primary care led National Health Service: the need for evidence to support rhetoric

Recent policy initiatives have focused on shifts in the balance of care from secondary care to primary care. A consequence of such shifts is increased workload in primary care. The aim of this paper is to appraise the literature critically to assess whether changes in the balance of care have led to additional work for general practices. In particular, the implications of this literature for the measurement of workload in general practice are highlighted. After an extensive, systematic literature search, only 12 studies that met the review criteria were identified. Although the studies pointed to negligible effects on the number of general practitioner (GP) visits, they failed to capture the many other attributes of a practice's work that are likely to be influenced by a shift in the balance of care. These include both qualitative (e.g. stress and mental effort) and quantitative (i.e. the use of resources in the practice, such as GPs, nurses and other staff's time and administration) measures of workload. The studies may therefore have under-estimated the effect on practice workload. To identify correctly the impact on workload of shifts in the balance of care, studies evaluating shifts need to improve their measurement of general practice workload. Furthermore, an extended definition of workload needs to be developed and tested, and workload monitored over time.     

Relation between the level of E. coli gene expression and the structure of translation initiation region (TIR). III. Sites of complementary interaction of TIR with 16S rRNA

The addition of vertebral disc degeneration to the job-related disease register raises the question of vertebral disc degeneration patterns according to loading strain. The readings of the lumbar vertebra of construction workers and nurses were compared with those of a group without workload. In the groups examined, aged 35 to 50, monosegmental damage was found in only 17% of the patients with high workload, as opposed to 29% of those with no workload, mostly with monosegmental damage at level L5/S1. Damage to the upper segments of the lumbar spine with intact discs in between was found exclusively in patients with high workload. Multiple segment damage in the age range examined was found in subjects with activities that add to the load of the spinal column. The value of MRI in assessing and evaluating illness originating from the vertebral discs is currently being discussed.     

Inhibition of vinblastine efflux mediated by P-glycoprotein by grapefruit juice components in caco-2 cells

The authors describe a resource-allocation model developed in the Medical Care Clinical Center at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center (a part of the VA Maryland Health Care System) and implemented in 1989. This model is a computer-based system that tracks the workload of each of the clinical center's specialty sections (e.g., cardiology) and calculates each section's workload as a percentage of the total clinical center workload. As the basis of this calculation, six activities of each section are tracked by the model (e.g., inpatient attending physicians' rotations; inpatient consultations; etc.) to determine what percentage of each activity of the entire clinical center was provided by each section. Each of these percentages is then recalculated according to a weighted average based on the relative value of the activity to the department; these averages are revised periodically as needed. The model provides an incentive for the specialty sections to increase productivity by generating competition among sections for physician salary support. Communication among all concerned at the clinical center and its associated medical school and teaching hospital has been the key to success in implementing the model, which is periodically reviewed and has been revised several times after meetings with section chiefs and division heads. The authors are confident that the use of the model has been at least partly responsible for increased productivity of clinical center physicians, especially in the areas of visits per physician and funded VA research dollars per physician. Perhaps equally important is the future potential of the model. Because of its simplicity and because it is generally seen to be fair and effective, it will continue to be used to reward activities most important to the clinical center, especially now that the center operates under a fully capitated system, and in this way wil help ensure the financial viability of the center.     

济钢210t转炉SCADA系统的优化设计

针对SCADA系统存在工作负荷不稳定、历史查询易死机等问题,通过对系统结构、数据负荷和数据流向及数据控制等进行优化设计,从根本上优化了数据交换的机理,杜绝了SCADA系统中的不稳定因素,实现了济钢210t转炉SCADA系统无故障稳定运行。     

Harmful help: The costs of backing-up behavior in teams.

Prior research on backing-up behavior has indicated that it is beneficial to teams (C. O. L. H. Porter, 2005; C. O. L. H. Porter et al., 2003). This literature has focused on how backing-up behavior aids backup recipients in tasks in which workload is unevenly distributed among team members. The authors of the present study examined different contexts of workload distribution and found that, in addition to the initial benefits to backup recipients, there are initial and subsequent costs. Backing-up behavior leads backup providers to neglect their own taskwork, especially when workload is evenly distributed. Team members who receive high amounts of backing-up behavior decrease their taskwork in a subsequent task, especially when a team member can observe their workload. These findings indicate that it is important to consider both the benefits and costs of engaging in backing-up behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

基于西门子PLC在精炼炉控制系统的优化设计(续)

针对精炼炉控制的工艺要求,设计了基于西门子的控制系统,提出应用西门子S7-400 PLC硬件及其编程软件STEP7的设计方案,对该控制系统的PLC组成、PLC硬件组态、程序设计做详细说明;并且使用STEP7软件的S7-PLCSIM仿真功能对控制系统的程序进行了调试和监控。该控制系统运用HMI操作系统,缩短了生产流程,减轻员工的工作量,大大提高了故障诊断和维护能力。     

基于西门子PLC在精炼炉控制系统的优化设计

针对精炼炉控制的工艺要求,设计了基于西门子的控制系统,提出应用西门子S7-400 PLC硬件及其编程软件STEP7的设计方案,对该控制系统的PLC组成、PLC硬件组态、程序设计做详细说明;并且使用STEP7软件的S7-PLCSIM仿真功能对控制系统的程序进行了调试和监控。该控制系统运用HMI操作系统,缩短了生产流程,减轻员工的工作量,大大提高了故障诊断和维护能力。     

Workload and the trajectory of marital satisfaction in newlyweds: Job satisfaction, gender, and parental status as moderators.

Stress, on average, is bad for relationships. Yet stress at work is not always associated with negative relationship outcomes. The premise of the current study was that associations between workload and trajectories of marital satisfaction depend on circumstances that may constrain or facilitate partners' ability to negotiate their multiple roles. We hypothesized that the covariance between changes in workload and marital satisfaction over time should be moderated by (a) the extent to which spouses like their work, (b) their parental status, and (c) their gender. Analyses drawing upon eight waves of data on workload, work satisfaction, and marital satisfaction from 169 newlywed couples assessed over four years confirmed these predictions. Specifically, across couples, demands at work covaried positively with marital satisfaction for spouses who were more satisfied with their jobs. For nonparent couples, increases in husbands' workload covaried with increases in marital satisfaction for both spouses. For parent couples, however, increases in husbands' workload covaried with declines in marital satisfaction for both spouses. Unexpectedly, for parent couples, increases in wives' workload corresponded with increased marital satisfaction. Finally, consistent with predictions, wives were more affected by their husbands' workload than vice versa. Thus, tension between work and marriage is not inevitable, instead depending on circumstances that facilitate or impair performance in multiple roles. Couples, employers, and practitioners should recognize the role that external circumstances play in determining how work and marital life interact. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

PROFIBUS在圆盘浇铸机系统中的应用

文章以圆盘浇铸机系统为背景,分析了PPROFIBUS的系统组成及其特点,重点研究了圆盘浇铸系统的硬件和软件组成以及PROFIBUS网络主站和从站的组成。采用PROFIBUS技术减少了现场电缆的数量和接线工作量,降低了系统故障率,有效保证了信息传输的及时性和安全性。     

高炉液压管道酸洗及油循环方法分析

高炉液压系统是高炉设备驱动的动力源,高炉建设时,高炉液压系统一般开工比较晚,工期短,工作量较大,液压系统能否按期完成是高炉能否按期投产的关键。而管道酸洗和油循环是液压系统能否尽快投入使用的重要环节。本文总结以往工作的实践,对高炉液压管道酸洗及油循环的工艺进行了系统研究,尽量缩短油循环周期,为高炉按预定的工期投产,起到指导性意义。