Chair Support Research Articles

Analysis of Fire Simulation on Polyurethane Foam Using FDS in a University Meeting Room

The polyurethane foam material is commonly used and marketed in two forms, namely flexible and rigid. Flexible foam is used as a cushion, with various applications for commercial products such as chair support. Therefore, this study aims to describe the occurrence of a fire situation in a university room filled with many polyurethane foam chairs. It also aims to provide awareness regarding potential flame hazards, by using a fire modelling method with FDS. The results showed that fires on PU foam materials produced a high HRR and a wide spread of flame and smoke. From this context, the harmful effects of the fire on the room occupants were emphasized. The results obtained are expected to support the theory of compartment fire, flame distribution in solid materials, PU Foam inferno behaviour, etc. It is also expected to provide additional fire protection and evacuation training for room occupants.

Design Analysis and Structural Prediction of Bus Driver Chair Support: A Study Case using HOQ and FEM

The bus driver's comfort is crucial. The location of the driver's seat, which is correlated with the seat support design, is one of the elements supporting his comfort. The bus business chosen as a representative is PT Selamet Trans Abadi, which has its headquarters in Pati City, Central Java. By considering the Safety Factor, House of Quality (HOQ), weight, shape, and seat support dimensions, this study intends to ascertain how the characteristics of the bus seat support form after receiving a load or force. Conducting a field visit to gather the necessary data is the initial step in this research. The following stage is to decide on the design criteria based on the collected data. Next, use Solidwork to model the design. Using the Finite Element Method (FEM), this program can investigate design characteristics. The loading simulation under consideration includes clutch engagement, bus brake application, and clutch engagement, whether the support is static or stationary. The validation with two supporting journals is then run as the following step to validate the findings. The constant chair support fulfills the typical value, according to the study's findings, whereas support 1 is the most fracture-prone. The outcomes of supports 2 and 3 demonstrate that the support strength is weak since it is subjected to an unequal load.

Influence of the number of layers on the strength of beech laminated elements in the three-point flexural test,

A chair is a piece of furniture whose elements are loaded with relatively high forces. The strength of these elements is vital for the safety of using this type of furniture. The research aims to test the chair material system made of beech wood. The authors analyzed laminated elements with 9, 11, and 13 layers of veneers. The veneers were 1.23 mm thick, with perpendicular fiber directions in adjacent layers, and bonded with 220 g/m2 of PVAc adhesive. The moisture content of the elements was 6 ± 1%. A three-point bending flexural test was performed to determine the stress-strain response of the tested three variants. A complementary numerical analysis allowed a more precise comparison of the three analyzed laminated elements variants. It was confirmed that all variants exceed the desired minimal values in chair support design. Moreover, the average strength values for tested laminated elements, differing in the number of veneers, were sufficient even with a reduced number of veneer layers. The experiments and numerical analysis results confirmed the usability of the three tested types of beech laminated elements to be used as highly loaded chair elements.

A national assessment of residency wellness initiatives in emergency medicine.

Wellness is increasingly recognized as an important component of graduate medical education. However, there are limited data regarding how wellness initiatives are enacted in practice. This study aimed to survey emergency medicine (EM) residency programs to identify current, previous, and planned wellness initiatives as well as barriers to implementation and resources utilized. This was a cross-sectional survey study performed from November 2019 through January 2020. A literature search was performed to identify existing published wellness interventions and existing barriers, and these interventions and barriers were compiled to create a survey. The survey was piloted among five program directors and assistant program directors in person with feedback directly incorporated into the survey. The survey was sent to program leadership at all 223 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited EM residency programs across the United States. Of the programs surveyed, 95 (42.6%) were included. The most common current wellness interventions reported were resident retreats (91%), group events (90%), formal mentorship (74%), and wellness committees (66%). Reported factors that contributed to the successful implementation of wellness interventions were faculty involvement (78%), resident involvement (78%), department chair support (51%), institutional support (44%), and financial support (36%). Lack of financial support (65%) and limited time (62%) were the most commonly reported barriers that prevented the implementation of wellness interventions. Resident wellness is an important aspect of residency training. Survey respondents generally perceived that wellness interventions were associated with wellness improvement. Successful programs have financial, institutional, and chair support.

The Role of Teaching Self-Efficacy in Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Teaching Satisfaction

Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) faculty are crucial to the vitality of engineering education and the effectiveness of future generations of engineers. Teaching satisfaction has been identified as an important predictor of teaching performance and faculty retention. University support for teaching as well as support from the department chair have been identified as important predictors of teaching satisfaction. Further, previous investigations using self-determination theory (SDT) have identified competence (teaching self-efficacy) as an additional predictor of teaching satisfaction. Teaching support, chair support, and teaching self-efficacy were used as predictors of teaching satisfaction in attempt to better understand how administrators can foster teaching satisfaction among ECE faculty. ECE faculty (N = 43) from a large midwestern research institution were sampled to investigate the utility of these variables in predicting teaching satisfaction. Sequential regression modeling indicated teaching support was a positive predictor of teaching satisfaction. Further, teaching self-efficacy was found to predict teaching satisfaction after accounting for teaching support and chair support. Implications, future directions, and limitations are also presented.

Validation and practical implementation of seated position radiotherapy in a commercial TPS for proton therapy.

This work aims to validate new 6D couch features and their implementation for seated radiotherapy in RayStation (RS) treatment planning system (TPS). In RS TPS, new 6D couch features are (i) chair support device, (ii) patient treatment option of "Sitting: face towards the front of the chair", and (iii) patient support pitch and roll capabilities. The validation of pitch and roll was performed by comparing TPS generated DRRs with planar x-rays. Dosimetric tests through measurement by 2D ion chamber array were performed for beams created with varied scanning and treatment orientation and 6D couch rotations. For the implementation of 6D couch features for treatments in a seated position, the TPS and oncology information system (Mosaiq) settings are described for a commercial chair. An end-to-end test using an anthropomorphic phantom was performed to test the complete workflow from simulation to treatment delivery. The 6D couch features were found to have a consistent implementation that met IEC 61712 standard. The DRRs were found to have an acceptable agreement with planar x-rays based on visual inspection. For dose map comparison between measured and calculated, the gamma index analysis for all the beams was >95% at a 3% dose-difference and 3mm distance-to-agreement tolerances. For an end-to end-testing, the phantom was successfully set up at isocenter in the seated position and treatment was delivered. Chair-based treatments in a seated position can be implemented in RayStation through the use of newly released 6D couch features.

Assessment of balance, gait, lower limb strength and functionality in sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic elderlies

Background: Sarcopenia is the involuntary loss of muscle mass predicted by aging and is associated with an increased likelihood ofunfavorable results, such as falls, mortality and functional disabilities. Objective: Evaluate balance, gait speed, lower limb strength andfunctionality in sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic elderly. Methods: Cross-sectional study, carried out with 68 subjects aged 60 years orover, residents of the community and possessing an independent gait. The assessment instruments were bioimpedance, balance test,four-meter gait speed test, chair support test and SPPB. Results: The prevalence of sarcopenia in the population of the present studywas 43.3%. In the group of non-sarcopenic subjects, a correlation was found between all the variables evaluated. In the group ofsarcopenic subjects, a correlation was found between lower limbs strength and gait speed. Conclusion: The skeletal muscle mass ofa sarcopenic elderly is related to their lower limb strength and gait speed, but it does not present a significant correlation with balanceand functional performance. Further studies are needed to clarify the behavior of balance, gait speed, lower limb strength and functionalperformance variables when compared to the decrease in muscle mass inherent in aging.

Turnover Intentions in the STEM Fields: The Role of Departmental Factors

The underrepresentation of women faculty in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) remains a persistent feature of academia, with turnover being a contributing factor. The departmental context is likely implicated in the decision to stay or leave, as it is one of the key defining features of faculty members’ work experiences. Using the job-demands resources theoretical approach, this study examines how four facets of university departments – department climate, department chair support, perceived injustice, and scholarly isolation – are related to turnover intentions among STEM tenure-system faculty, along with whether these relationships differ by gender. Data are from STEM tenure-system faculty at a mid-sized university located in the upper Midwest (N = 117 faculty members). The findings indicate each facet of the department is related to STEM faculty members’ turnover intentions, regardless of gender. Taken together, these findings suggest that improving the department atmosphere may enhance retention of men and women STEM faculty members alike.

Development of robotics wheel chair support to real environment barriers

Development of robotics wheel chair support to real environment barriers

Effects of Chair Support on Biomechanical Exposures on the Neck During Mobile Phone Use

The goal of this study was to evaluate how chair support (armrest and back support) affect the head/neck kinematics and muscle activity as compared to no chair support among four different phone positions (eye, chest, lap, and self-selected level). In a repeated-measures laboratory experiment with 20 subjects (10 males and 10 females), we measured head/neck flexion angle, gravitational moment and muscle activity in upper trapezius (TRAP) and splenius capitis (SPL). The results showed that chair support significantly reduced the head/neck flexion (p’s < 0.001), gravitational moment (p < 0.001), and muscle activity in TRAP and SPL (p’s < 0.001). With chair support, holding a phone at self-selected levels resulted in the largest reduction in head/neck flexion angle and gravitational moment while the eye-level location showed the lowest neck/shoulder muscle activity. The study findings indicate that the mobile phone use with adequate chair support may significantly reduce the physical stress in the neck and shoulder regions as compared to no chair support.

Armrests and back support reduced biomechanical loading in the neck and upper extremities during mobile phone use

Mobile phone use is known to be associated with musculoskeletal pain in the neck and upper extremities because of related physical risk factors, including awkward postures. A chair that provides adequate support (armrests and back support) may reduce biomechanical loading in the neck and shoulder regions. Therefore, we conducted a repeated-measures laboratory study with 20 participants (23 ± 1.9 years; 10 males) to determine whether armrests and back support during mobile phone use reduced head/neck flexion, gravitational moment, and muscle activity in the neck and shoulder regions. The results showed that the chair support (armrests and back support) reduced head/neck flexion (p < 0.001), gravitational moment (p < 0.001), and muscle activity (p < 0.01) in the neck and shoulder regions significantly compared to no chair support. These results indicate that a chair with adequate support can be an effective intervention to reduce the biomechanical exposures and associated muscular pain in the neck and shoulders during mobile phone use.

Chair support, faculty entrepreneurship, and the teaching of statistical reasoning to journalism undergraduates in the United States

Statistical reasoning is not the same as doing calculations. Instead, it involves cognitive skills such as the ability to think critically and systematically with data, skills important for everyday news work and essential for the era of data journalism. Twin surveys of the chairs of undergraduate journalism programs in the United States, conducted 11 years apart, revealed that those who perceived benefits from statistical reasoning instruction were more likely to reward entrepreneurship (faculty attempts to integrate this instruction into their classes), but with slow gains over time in the fairly small number of such faculty. Being consistent with university goals in statistical reasoning instruction appeared to motivate chairs’ reward decisions in both waves. Increasingly, they took into account what they saw as the general value of statistical reasoning for their students and the competitive edge it could give them in the journalism job market. Perceived constraints to teaching this content had no apparent overall impact on reward decisions.

The effect of a lumbar support pillow on lumbar posture and comfort during a prolonged seated task

BackgroundSeveral risk factors exist for the development of low back pain, including prolonged sitting and flexed spinal curvature. Several investigators have studied lumbar support devices and spinal curvatures in sitting, however few have investigated a pain population and reported a quantitative measure of comfort. The purpose of the current project was to determine whether a lumbar support pillow, outfitted with a cut-out to accommodate the bulk of posterior pelvic soft tissue volume, is more effective than a standard chair in promoting a neutral spinal posture and improving subjective and objective measures of comfort in healthy individuals and patients with low back pain.MethodsTwenty eight male participants with and without a history of low back pain sat in a standard office chair and in a chair with the lumbar support pillow for 30 minutes. Lumbar and thoracolumbar postures were measured through electromagnetic markers. Comfort was determined based on the least squares radius of centre of pressure shifting, measured at the buttock-chair interface as well as reported discomfort through visual analog scales. Chair support effects were assessed through ANOVA methods. The study was approved by the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College research ethics board.ResultsThere was a main effect of condition on lumbar posture (p = 0.006) and thoracolumbar posture (p = 0.014). In the lumbar region, the support and standard chair differed by 2.88° (95% CI; 1.01-4.75), with the lumbar support being closer to neutral than the standard chair. In the thoracolumbar region, the support and standard chair differed by -2.42° (95% CI; -4.22 to -0.62), with the standard chair being closer to neutral than the support device. The centre of pressure measure was significantly improved with the pillow (p = 0.017), however there were no subjective changes in comfort.ConclusionsA lumbar support pillow with a cut-out for the posterior pelvic tissues improved an objective measure of comfort in healthy individuals and patients with low back pain. Lumbar flattening was decreased and thoracolumbar curvature was increased. However, angular changes were small and future work is required to determine clinical relevance over the long term.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00754585

Predictors of pharmacy faculty work satisfaction

Evidence suggests that faculty member work satisfaction may be an important mediator of organizational commitment, job turnover, and certain aspects of productivity. The study objective was to determine the contribution of various organizational, situational, and demographic variables toward overall pharmacy academician work satisfaction and its various domains. A web-based survey targeted 4228 faculty whose e-mail addresses were acquired from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Faculty work satisfaction was measured on a previously validated, multifactorial scale. Independent variables measuring personal and institutional characteristics of the respondents were regressed over general (overall) satisfaction scores and over scores for each of six domains (i.e., factors) of the satisfaction construct in seven unique, forward-conditional regression procedures. From the 885 responses (21.7% response), faculty reported slight satisfaction with their jobs, overall. They reported being most satisfied with teaching issues and least satisfied with the availability of a graduate program and resources for scholarship. Significant in the regression model of overall satisfaction were the variables institutional support, department chair support, three domains of intradisciplinary consensus, type of employing institution (i.e., public vs. private), stress due to lack of time, male gender, and dean support. Many of the same variables were significant in additional regression procedures; however, the degrees of explanatory power differed in each. Research productivity, teaching effectiveness, and workload were not significant in any model. Understanding the underlying factors that contribute to an academician's satisfaction might lead administrators to develop more successful initiatives to improve faculty morale and, ultimately, engender faculty commitment and retention.

Job Turnover Intentions Among Pharmacy Faculty

To determine the primary reasons why pharmacy faculty intend to remain or leave their current institution and why they left their most recent academic institution, and the relative contribution of various organizational and individual characteristics toward explaining variance in turnover intentions. A survey instrument was e-mailed to pharmacy faculty members asking respondents to indicate up to 5 reasons for their intentions and up to 5 reasons why they left a previous institution. The survey also elicited perceptions on quality of work life in addition to demographic and institutional data, upon which turnover intentions were regressed using a forward-conditional procedure. Organizational commitment as a moderator of turnover intentions was regressed over the remaining variables not acting directly on employer intentions. Just over 1 in 5 respondents indicated intentions to leave their current academic institution. Excessive workload, seeking a new challenge, poor salary, and poor relationships with college or school administrators were frequently cited as reasons for leaving. Turnover intentions are influenced directly by department chair support and organizational commitment, which moderates various support and satisfaction variables. Pharmacy faculty members' decision to remain or leave an institution is dependent upon developing a sense of commitment toward the institution. Commitment is facilitated by support from the institution and department chair, in addition to a sense of satisfaction with the teaching environment.

Holding Environment as Home

Holding Environment as Home

The Work That Remains at the Intersection of Gender and Career Development

Bickel J. The work that remains at the intersection of gender and career development. Building on the study by Wagner et al, this commentary opens with a discussion of the persistence of gender disparities in career development and the challenge of interpreting those disparities. Given the multifaceted challenges facing rehabilitation medicine, facilitation of the career and leadership development of women physiatrists is critical. I suggest 3 areas of targeted action to facilitate the realization of women physiatrists’ intellectual capital: (1) updated approaches to faculty and leadership development and mentoring, (2) more flexible faculty structures, and (3) chair support and accountability. Each member of the rehabilitation medicine community who cares about the future of the discipline is challenged to contribute to the dialogues that are necessary to carry these recommendations forward.

Social Support, Research Interest, Stress, and Research Productivity of Textiles and Apparel Faculty

This study examines the relationship between work stress and research productivity among faculty members in the field of textiles and apparel. Work stress and research productivity were studied in relation to four antecedent variables: collegial or institutional support, chair's support, professional organization support, and research interest. In addition, rank, institution type, position description, expertise, and degrees offered were examined in relation to the variables. Data from 173 members of the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) classified as assistant professors ( n = 63), associate professors ( n = 63), and professors ( n = 47) were analyzed. Results show research interests to be the only significant factor to influence research productivity. No variables in this study significantly influenced work stress. Respondents with higher research productivity were from 4-year, land-grant institutions with graduate programs and had a lower teaching load. Further investigation in examining research productivity of faculty members is recommended.

The position of the arm during blood pressure measurement in sitting position

Determining the influence of the position of the arm on blood pressure measurement in the sitting position. Blood pressure of 128 individuals (the majority being treated hypertensive patients) visiting the outpatient clinic was measured simultaneously on both arms with arms in two different positions. First, both arms were placed at the chair support level and blood pressure was measured three times on both arms after 10 min of rest. Subsequently, while still remaining in the same sitting position, five blood pressure measurements were made simultaneously at both arms with one arm placed on the desk and one arm placed and supported at heart level (mid-sternal). The arm placed at heart level served as the reference arm. The choice of which arm was placed at desk level and which arm was placed at heart level was randomized. Both at desk level and at chair support level, mean (+/-SD) systolic and diastolic blood pressures were higher than blood pressure at heart level by 6.1/5.7+/-4.6/3.1 and 9.3/9.4+/-5.4/3.4 mmHg, respectively. The effect of the height differences between the arm positions on the blood pressure readings was smaller than predicted (0.49 mmHg/cm systolic and 0.47 mmHg/cm diastolic). No significant correlation was found between blood pressure difference in the different arm positions (desk and heart level) and age, sex, weight or baseline blood pressure. Different arm positions below heart level have significant effects on blood pressure readings. The leading guidelines about arm position during blood pressure measurement are not in accordance with the arm position used in the Framingham study, the most frequently used study for risk estimations.

Influence of a shared leadership model in creating a school culture of inquiry and collegiality

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a Local Systemic Change (LSC) initiative (N = 216) at Year 2 in a 5-year plan. Key questions were: What is the extent of school and teacher involvement?; What is the impact on teacher preparedness, attitudes, and beliefs?; and What is the extent of institutionalization? The model of professional development used shared leadership (Lead Teachers & Study Groups) along with workshops in inquiry, content, and assessment. All teachers averaged 81 hours of participation by the end of Year 2; LTs averaged 161 hours. Longitudinal and episodic data were collected using multiple instruments, including Horizon Research Teacher Survey (Baseline and Year 2), SG and Lead Teacher surveys (Year 1 and Year 2), Context Beliefs About Teaching Science and Classroom Observation Protocol (Year 2). Gains in teachers' practices, beliefs, and professional culture (collegiality and department chair support) were measured at significance levels of .05. The results indicate that sustained and intensive professional development influences individuals and school culture. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 3–24, 2005