Validity and inter-observer reliability of subjective hand-arm vibration assessments

Exposure to mechanical vibrations at work (e.g., due to handling powered tools) is a potential occupational risk as it may cause upper extremity complaints. However, reliable and valid assessment methods for vibration exposure at work are lacking. Measuring hand-arm vibration objectively is often difficult and expensive, while often used information provided by manufacturers lacks detail. Therefore, a subjective hand-arm vibration assessment method was tested on validity and inter-observer reliability.     

Evaluation of a sitting aid: the back-up

The effects of a portable back support, the Back-Up, were tested in 28 variables. Both subjective and objective physical load measures were recorded during sitting with and without Back-Up, most of them during VDU work. The main result was that the posture of the upper back and neck/head was improved by the Back-Up. However, the knee straps induced unacceptable high pressure and increased significantly the discomfort in the legs. Based on these results the Back-Up was modified: the contact area between the strap and the knee was enlarged. This modified Back-Up was tested again for 13 variables with 10 new subjects. The knee pressure turned out to be acceptable and the discomfort was equal to sitting without the Back-Up. Based on this research the Back-Up is considered as a possible addition to more fundamental ergonomic improvements such as adjustable furniture and variation between sitting, standing and walking tasks, especially for improvement of the neck load. However, the Back-Up should not replace proper ergonomic workstation and work organization design or a backrest on the chair. Furthermore, the Back-Up should not be made obligatory, and it should be worn only for a part of the day, because it limits variation in postures.     

The influence of music on mood and performance while driving

Mood can influence our everyday behaviour and people often seek to reinforce, or to alter their mood, for example by turning on music. Music listening while driving is a popular activity. However, little is known about the impact of music listening while driving on physiological state and driving performance. In the present experiment, it was investigated whether individually selected music can induce mood and maintain moods during a simulated drive. In addition, effects of positive, negative, and no music on driving behaviour and physiological measures were assessed for normal and high cognitive demanding rides. Subjective mood ratings indicated that music successfully maintained mood while driving. Narrow lane width drives increased task demand as shown in effort ratings and increased swerving. Furthermore, respiration rate was lower during music listening compared to rides without music, while no effects of music were found on heart rate. Overall, the current study demonstrates that music listening in car influences the experienced mood while driving, which in turn can impact driving behaviour. PRACTITIONERS SUMMARY: Even though it is a popular activity, little is known about the impact of music while driving on physiological state and performance. We examined whether music can induce moods during high and low simulated drives. The current study demonstrates that in car music listening influences mood which in turn can impact driving behaviour. The current study shows that listening to music can positively impact mood while driving, which can be used to affect state and safe behaviour. Additionally, driving performance in high demand situations is not negatively affected by music.     

Rapid Screening of Lectins for Multivalency Effects with a Glycodendrimer Microarray

Multivalency is an important phenomenon in protein–carbohydrate interactions. In order to evaluate glycodendrimers as multivalent inhibitors of carbohydrate binding proteins, we displayed them on a microarray surface. Valencies were varied from 1 to 8, and corrections were made for the valencies so that all surfaces contained the same amount of the sugar ligand. Five different carbohydrates were attached to the dendrimers. A series of fluorescent lectins was evaluated, and for each of them a binding profile was obtained from a single experiment showing both the specificity of the lectin for a certain sugar and whether it prefers multivalent ligands or not. Very distinct binding patterns were seen for the various lectins. The results were rationalized with respect to the interbinding distances of the lectins.     

Towards consistent modes of e‐health implementation: structurational analysis of a telecare programme's limited success

Telecare is the use of information and communication systems to facilitate care delivery to individuals in their homes. Although the expectations of telecare are high, its implementation has proved complex. This case study demonstrates this complexity through a structurational analysis of a telecare implementation process. The paper shows how structuration concepts enable a combined analysis of actors' interactions with a technology and of the interaction among these actors from different institutional contexts. In this example, fragmented multi‐actor agency induced an inconsistent implementation mode, leading to unsuccessful telecare appropriation. This paper concludes with a preliminary proposal for more consistent telecare implementation modes. These modes may better support the actors' reflexive monitoring and dialogue and inform further research.     

Knockouts of Se-glutathione peroxidase-1 and Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase exert different impacts on femoral mechanical performance of growing mice

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of knockout of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and Se-glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPX1) on murine bone biomechanical properties. Femora samples were collected from wild-type (WT), SOD1-knockout [SOD1(-/-)] and GPX1-knockout [GPX1(-/-)] female mice (9-wk old, n = 7-8 per genotype) to assay for bone enzyme activities and mechanical properties in three point bending. Prior to testing, all mice were fed a torula yeast diet supplemented with 0.4 mg Se/kg as sodium selenite. Compared with the WT mice, SOD1(-/-) mice displayed a series of reductions (p < 0.05): 24% in body mass, 8% in femoral length, 43% in femoral structural strength, and 32% in bending stiffness. When differences in body size were accounted for, femoral failure moment in SOD1(-/-) mice remained lower (p < 0.05) than that of WT. Femoral tartrate resistant acid phosphatase activity in SOD1(-/-) was 47% greater (p < 0.05) than the WT. In contrast, GPX1(-/-) mice showed no significant differences in femoral mechanical properties from those of WT mice. In conclusion, knockout of SOD1 exerted a greater impact on femoral mechanical characteristics than that of GPX1 in growing mice.     

Shaping a buyer's software selection process through tendering legislation

Tendering legislation aims to enhance competitiveness by promoting equality, proportionality, transparency, and non‐discrimination. Such legislation applies to the procurement of software packages by public institutions in many countries. This study explores how tendering legislation shapes a buyer's software selection process through the lens of competing decision‐making rationalities. From the literature, 3 rationalities enacted in software selection are deduced that we relate to the software selection literature regarding tendering legislation. Through this lens, we subsequently examine how a large health care provider selected a supplier for an electronic health record system after an extensive tendering process. Many health care professionals within this organization were in favour of a particular software package. Yet, the organization purchased a different package from a relatively unknown supplier, the implementation of which failed. The actors involved experienced shaping on 5 decision‐making themes, the implications of which are evaluated against the functional, economic, and political rationality norms derived from the literature. The findings suggest that compliance with tendering legislation over the public procurement of software results in increased legal complexity, greater linearity and objectivity, more extensive formalization, and less relational communication. Functional norms of rationality are stressed, seemingly to balance the enforced economic norms of rationality and to compensate for the decreased room for political rationality. Even so, the shaping by the tendering legislation threatens functional rationality. Ultimately functional and economic norms of rationality win over political rationality, yet the latter still dribbles through, albeit in a different guise than reported for software selection in general.     

Exploring the potential of recovering 1‐butanol from aqueous solutions by liquid demixing upon addition of carbohydrates or salts

BACKGROUND: Fermentative production of 1‐butanol yields dilute aqueous solutions. Recovery of the butanol from these solutions is most commonly performed by energy‐intensive distillation. This work investigated the liquid‐liquid (L‐L) phase behavior of mixtures of butanol and water to explore the potential of using L‐L phase separation as a recovery possibility for 1‐butanol. The phase behavior is preferably influenced by compounds already present in the fermentation, such as carbohydrates and salts. RESULTS: The L‐L phase equilibria of butanol and water were determined in the presence of glucose, fructose, sucrose, NaCl, LiCl and CaCl₂. The aqueous and organic phase split is more pronounced in the presence of salts than in the presence of carbohydrates. Demixing is achieved with about 0.3 kg salt kg^?1 aqueous phase containing 40 g of butanol. CONCLUSION: Operation of L‐L based recovery using salts or carbohydrates requires extreme concentrations of those compounds. For feed material containing 40 g kg^?1 butanol, the tested carbohydrates do not influence the phase equilibria sufficiently to allow butanol separation. Fermentative butanol concentrations up to 70 g kg^?1 are required to create an effective L‐L phase split. The remaining residual aqueous carbohydrate solution might be used as feed for a following fermentation. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Hapten Design for Antibody-Catalyzed Decarboxylation and Ring-Opening Reactions of Benzisoxazoles

Three benzisoxazole haptens designed to elicit antibody binding sites with widely differing polarity have been synthesized and used to induce antibodies in mice. Monoclonal antibodies were prepared using hybridoma technology, and screened for catalysis of the ring-opening isomerization and/or decarboxylation of a series of related benzisoxazoles and their 3-carboxy-derivatives. No catalysis of decarboxylation was observed, but 4 of a total of 47 antibodies obtained against the three haptens catalyzed the isomerization process. Of 12 antibodies raised against the 3-acetylbenzisoxazole structure 5 none was catalytically active; but one of 24 raised against a 3-isopropenylbenzisoxazole 6 increased the rate of ring-opening of 6-nitrobenzisoxazole, and 5 of 11 antibodies raised against a benzisoxazole 7 with a 3-amidinium group were moderately active against either 6-nitro or 6-acylaminobenzisoxazoles. Competitive binding studies suggest that at least some of the antibodies induced by the isopropenyl hapten do possess a recognizably hydrophobic binding site.