Addressing users' health issues in software development - an exploratory study

In this paper we argue that occupational health expertise should be directly involved in the software design process, and describe an exploratory study where health experts and users participated in the analysis, design and evaluation of a prototype. We addressed the problem of poor overview and control in electronic case handling. We used methods primarily from the participatory design field in combination with a framework describing some of the main risk factors for stress-related disorders in VDU work. We conducted observation interviews where the questions were based on the risk factors of high demand, low control and poor support. The interviews were the main lever for addressing these factors and making them 'visible' in the process. They could then be turned into requirements, design criteria and scenarios that we used as a basis for our design.     

基于层次灰色关联分析的舱室内环境HRA评价

舱室是操作者操纵和执行任务的工作空间,其内环境直接影响到操作者的工作状态和工作效率。为了在安全性要求较高的舱室设计中进行HRA（Ｈuman Reliability Analysis）分析,以人机工程学和认知心理学为基础,分析了影响人机交互效率的主要因素和认知失误原因,建立了人机交互综合认知模型,在此基础上改进了CPC（Common Performance Condition）评价因子,并采用层次分析法确定其权重。运用灰色关联分析改进CREAM（Cognitive Reliability and Error Analysis Method）方法计算出认知失误概率,实现了舱室内环境人因可靠性的定量评价。最后设计并编制了评价系统,使得评价决策过程数字化,并以石油钻机司钻控制室设计方案评价为例作为验证。     

Service,quality and human factors

As pressures on the service economy from globalisation increase, new techniques may be appropriate for designing service systems. This paper examines the tradition of service quality and argues that its unique characteristics, such as the joint production of offerings by operators and customers, could benefit from the techniques of human factors. The interaction between human factors and quality is reviewed and four issues are extracted that should be directly applicable to service encounters. These are interface design, the understanding of error causation, a design for operator well-being and human/automation function allocation. A framework is proposed for considering technology explicitly in the design of service systems.     

Cognitive task demands,self-control demands and the mental well-being of office workers

The cognitive task demands of office workers and the self-control demands of their work roles were measured in a sample of 196 employees in two different office layouts using a self-report questionnaire, which was circulated electronically. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that both factors were associated with mental well-being, but not with physical well-being, while controlling for exposure to psychosocial stressors. The interaction between cognitive task demands and self-control demands had the strongest association with mental well-being, suggesting that the deleterious effect of one was greater when the other was present. An exploratory analysis revealed that the association was stronger for employees working in a large open-plan office than for those working in smaller offices with more privacy. Frustration of work goals was the cognitive task demand having the strongest negative impact on mental well-being. Methodological limitations and scale psychometrics (particularly the use of the NASA Task Load Index) are discussed.

Statement of Relevance: Modern office work has high mental demands and low physical demands and there is a need to design offices to prevent adverse psychological reactions. It is shown that cognitive task demands interact with self-control demands to degrade mental well-being. The association was stronger in an open-plan office.     

Cognitive task demands, self-control demands and the mental well-being of office workers

The cognitive task demands of office workers and the self-control demands of their work roles were measured in a sample of 196 employees in two different office layouts using a self-report questionnaire, which was circulated electronically. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that both factors were associated with mental well-being, but not with physical well-being, while controlling for exposure to psychosocial stressors. The interaction between cognitive task demands and self-control demands had the strongest association with mental well-being, suggesting that the deleterious effect of one was greater when the other was present. An exploratory analysis revealed that the association was stronger for employees working in a large open-plan office than for those working in smaller offices with more privacy. Frustration of work goals was the cognitive task demand having the strongest negative impact on mental well-being. Methodological limitations and scale psychometrics (particularly the use of the NASA Task Load Index) are discussed. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: Modern office work has high mental demands and low physical demands and there is a need to design offices to prevent adverse psychological reactions. It is shown that cognitive task demands interact with self-control demands to degrade mental well-being. The association was stronger in an open-plan office.     

光纤陀螺监测系统设计

为了监测光纤陀螺在运行过程中因电源电压、电流及陀螺环境温度变化而直接影响其使用精度甚至系统运行出现故障等问题,设计了一种基于DSP的实时自动数字监测系统,将监测到的陀螺运行状态数据通过LCD显示;将采集到的温度信号通过接口电路传递到温控系统;当监测到系统运行异常时可自动关闭系统以达到对陀螺的保护作用。本系统提高了光纤陀螺的可靠性及安全性。     

Towards viable, useful and usable human factors design guidance

This paper investigates the factors relevant to producing effective human factors design guidance, using the Engineering Data Compendium (EDC) as a research vehicle. A series of three exploratory experiments focusing on the factors that affect the usability, usefulness and viability of human factors handbooks was conducted. The results of these studies were interpreted in the context of the process by which the EDC was developed, leading to the following recommendations: (a) human factors guidance should be organized in a manner that is steeped in context; (b) human factors guidance should be based on an explicit requirements analysis; (c) the calibration of designers' perceptions of the cost of obtaining human factors information must be improved; (d) organizational policies must be changed to induce more effective information search behaviour.     

基于作业模式的提梁机有限元仿真分析

既有提梁机设计和结构分析多参考相关规范进行,未考虑走行轨道不平顺、大车 走行不同步等作业工况对整机结构的影响,不利于提梁机作业安全。针对这一问题,基于提梁 机作业模式分析了影响提梁机结构安全的5 种因素,并假定每种影响因素具有3 种取值方式, 采用正交试验设计方法,通过L9(34)正交表合理确定考虑影响因素的工况组合。结合试验结果 对MG450 型提梁机进行了有限元仿真分析,与传统方法进行了计算结果对比分析。研究表明： 作业模式对结构分析结果影响明显,基于作业模式的提梁机有限元分析结果更能够真实地反映 结构受力情况。     

Objective Job Difficulty,Behavioural Response,and Sector Characteristics in Air Route Traffic Control Centres∗

Abstract

Two thousand observations on 47 radar sectors in Boston and New York were used to determine the principal behavioural stressors in the air traffic control environment. Predictor variables included peak traffic. mean airspeed, sector area, sector type, radio-communication time, and theoretically derived control load factors.

Expert observers rated the degree of activity and behavioural arousal of ATCs working the 47 radar sectors at the same time the objective measures were made. These ‘pace’ ratings were significantly related to peak traffic count and duration of radio-communications.

The control load factors were not related to behavioural responses. Statistical analyses indicated several refinements for the definition and measurement of the control load factors, For example, airspace control load was reliably estimated by sector type and number of transitioning planes, while co-ordination control load was most appropriately estimated by duration of radio-communications

These results suggested that estimations of workload may be made by a relatively few objective measures, and that at least one estimate of individual's behavioural responses, i.e.. pace ratings, can be predicted by peak traffic counts.     

Weighting factors design in model predictive direct torque control based on cascaded neural network

An innovative control strategy is introduced in this paper for model predictive direct torque control (MPDTC) of a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) inverter, which is based on a cascaded neural network for the automatic selection and online tuning of weighting factors. Specifically, the lower network in the proposed two-stage cascaded network is trained by utilizing the weighting factors and the corresponding converter parameters under a specific working condition to establish data substitution models under that working condition and determine the fitness function for obtaining the optimal weighting factors. The upper network of the cascaded network is trained using various working conditions and their corresponding optimal weighting factors calculated by the lower network, with the goal of achieving real-time tuning of the weighting factors under variable working conditions. By employing a data-driven method to design the weighting factors at each working condition offline, this method reduces online tuning to a single calculation in the upper network and minimizes the online calculation burden. This approach enables the weighting factors to be adjusted in real-time according to changes in the working conditions, leading to enhanced accuracy of weighting factor optimization. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed strategy improves the overall performance of the inverters.     

Factors Supporting Knowledge Integration in Global Innovation Projects: An Exploratory Study

This exploratory study identifies the factors which contribute to effective knowledge integration in global innovation projects through an in‐depth analysis of two case studies. Knowledge integration is analysed in two components: knowledge (individual expertise), and integration (working together). Our analysis highlights three distinct ways that individuals think about individual expertise: individual knowledge and competence; feeling valued; and unfamiliar areas. We also identify four ways in which individuals think about working together: good social relations; cultural distance; negotiation skills; and better results through working with others. Using examples from the case studies, we discuss how these factors enable knowledge integration in globally distributed innovation projects. We also propose a model indicating how these factors impact on knowledge integration and innovation performance. This study contributes towards management guidance, which is currently lacking in the area of knowledge integration.     

An agent-monitored framework for the output-oriented design of experiments in exploratory modelling

Exploratory modelling is an approach for modelling under uncertainty based on the generation and analysis of computational experiments. The results of exploratory modelling are sensitive to the way that experiments are designed, such as the way that the uncertainty space is delineated. This article introduces an agent-monitored framework—i.e. a design metaphor of the interactions among modellers and stakeholders and the simulation process—for controlling the design of experiments based on monitoring model behaviour in the output space. To demonstrate the benefits of the suggested framework in the exploratory modelling process, the article shows how the use of the framework with an output-oriented approach informs the delineation of an appropriate uncertainty space with an illustrative example in the decision-making context. The article concludes that the design of experiments based on feedback from the output space can be a useful approach: to control simulations in exploratory modelling; to build more confidence in final results; and to inform the design of other aspects of experiments, such as selecting policy levers and sampling method.     

Working environment: Organizational,technological and social problems of computerization

This paper deals with the relations between technological, social, and human development. These relations can formally be described as the working environment. The total man-environment-system is analyzed and subdivided into its different constituents. The different factors influencing the working man are classified according to their significance for physical, psycho-physical and psycho-mental stresses on the human being.The author's main argument is that the working environment needs to be humanized. As this environment is a result of the design of social production systems, the systems designers have to not only feel the responsibility for designing more humanized systems, but need a more social education too. Hence, informatics should not be regarded only as a technical discipline but rather as an aspect of social sciences.The point is that we need computerization because we need the development of the productive forces - but that we want it on human conditions. Therefore the crucial question is which attitudes should the edp-specialist have rather than what knowledge they should have.     

Work organization, job stress, and work-related musculoskeletal disorders

Recent studies indicate potential links among work organization, job stress, and work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs). In this paper we propose several pathways for a theoretical relationship between job stress and WRMDs. These pathways highlight the physiological, psychological, and behavioral reactions to stress that can affect WRMDs directly and indirectly. One model stipulates that psychosocial work factors (e.g., work pressure, lack of control), which can cause stress, might also influence or be related to ergonomic factors such as force, repetition, and posture that have been identified as risk factors for WRMDs. In order to fully understand the etiology of WRMDs, it is important to examine both physical ergonomic and psychosocial work factors simultaneously. Smith and Carayon-Sainfort (1989) have proposed a model of the work system for stress management that provides a useful framework for conceptualizing the work-related factors that contribute to WRMDs. Practical applications of this research include practitioners taking into account psychosocial work factors and job stress in their efforts to reduce and control WRMDs.     

基于VC 的PC与PLC的通信软件设计

目前PLC已广泛应用于工业控制的各个领域,在现代化建设中发挥了重要作用。在PLC的实际应用中,人们需要对其工作状态进行实时监控,对不符合要求的参数进行及时修改,以提高产品的质量。正是根据这种需求设计了基于VC 的PC与PLC的通信软件。文中介绍了OMRON PLC与计算机之间的通信协议以及通信参数的设置,并用VC 6.0编写的串口通信软件实现了两者之间的通信,并给出了通信软件的设计方法。利用这个软件,人们可以方便直观地对PLC的工作状态进行随时监控。     

Revisiting and reframing use: Implications for the integration of ICT

This paper investigates the use of ICT by teachers in selected secondary schools. It considers both the extent and type of use and the factors that may influence such use through the statistical analysis of data from a 30-section survey containing 185 items. First, exploratory maximum-likelihood factor analysis was used to identify five distinct categories, or types of use. Second, path analyses assisted in determining ten antecedent factors which significantly impacted on use from a total of 16 factors considered. These factors were confirmed using scale analyses. Finally, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to determine whether demographic/context variables were related both to use and to those factors directly influencing usage. Findings suggest a variety of types of professional development, as well as a range of infrastructural options, are needed to meet not only the varying needs of individual teachers, but also the varying ways in which ICT can be used. The implication is that the key outcomes for any professional development must be to increase teacher confidence in their ability to facilitate student learning with computers, along with the provision of stronger pedagogical motivation for teachers to integrate ICT.     

Enhancing Discontinuous Innovation through Knowledge Combination: The Case of an Exploratory Unit within an Established Automotive Firm

The literature on innovation management underlines the necessity to separate the exploratory unit that builds new businesses on the basis of radical innovation from the exploitation unit that emphasizes continuous improvement. However, little research focuses on the exploratory unit in itself: the very nature of its activity, its composition, etc. The aim of this article is to analyse the exploratory unit in mobilizing results highlighted by research on organizational creativity. It is argued that in order to enhance discontinuous innovation, knowledge combination should occur and be facilitated in the exploratory unit. Hence, the research question is what organizational design at a fine‐grained level and creativity processes are likely to enhance knowledge combination and thus discontinuous innovation? Based on an in‐depth study of an exploratory unit created in an established multidivisional firm pursuing the development of discontinuous innovation and which generated several actual breakthroughs, we highlighted four key factors that enhanced knowledge combination: (i) the definition of the scope of the unit, (ii) the composition of the unit and the dual roles of its members, (iii) the boundary objects that supported the interactions between these members during the creativity process, and (iv) the arenas where new knowledge was further created.     

如何避免单片机控制系统的干扰因素

目前,主要是在机械设备中或者是工业生产现场应用到单片机控制系统的,但是单片机控制系统所处的工作环境比较恶劣,所遭受的干扰因素也比较多。那么在设计单片机控制系统时,如何才能有效地避免干扰因素是至关重要的。抗干扰是一个不能回避的问题。本文主要针对如何避免单片机控制系统的抗干扰因素进行了分析。     

DEEP: Design-Oriented Evaluation of Perceived Usability

Existing perceived usability questionnaires detect the appearance of usability issues rather than the underlying design generating those issues. This limits the capability of existing instruments to directly inform design recommendations. To address this problem, a usability questionnaire structured around the analytical composition of the design was created and validated. A four-stage process was followed. First, 3 usability experts refined 54 questions from highly cited usability questionnaires and structured them around 6 design dimensions. Second, 12 raters scored the questions by their relevance to assess usability. Third, questions and dimensions were then improved through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (N?=?196) and, fourth, further enhanced through confirmatory factor analysis (N?=?362). The result is DEEP, a 19-question usability questionnaire based on 5 main design dimensions (content, information architecture, navigation, layout, and visual guidance). DEEP can be used to capture detailed usability feedback that more directly relates to specific aspects of design requirements.     

A manufacturing-oriented model for evaluating the satisfaction of workers – Evidence from Turkey

Job satisfaction, in terms of worker's satisfaction, is one of the intensively studied areas in human resource and management. However, there is little information available on how ergonomics and the manufacturing environment affect job satisfaction. This study analyzes the extent of the relationship between job satisfaction and work and workplace related conditions. A conceptual model is proposed to evaluate job satisfaction that considers 34 elements in four categories: manufacturing systems, facility design, safety and ergonomics, and human resources and management. A survey of 169 blue-collar workers working in the automotive industry was conducted to investigate the applicability of the model. A comprehensive exploratory factor analysis was used to determine inter-related elements, their underlying factors and their effects on job satisfaction. The analysis revealed 6 factors with 18 related elements. From a multi linear regression analysis, we develop a job satisfaction model built on factors of human resource policies, safety, ergonomics, air quality, thermal comfort and disturbing equipment. The results reveal that ergonomics plays the most important role in workers' satisfaction for the respondent Turkish automotive workers. In contrast, human resource policies seem not play a critical role in job satisfaction because of higher standards in automotive industry compared to other industries in Turkey.