Maintenance Goals Research Articles

A fault mode identification methodology based on self-organizing map

One of the main goals of predictive maintenance is to be able to trigger the right maintenance actions at the right moment in time building upon the monitoring of the health status of the concerned systems and their components. As such, it allows identifying incipient faults and forecasting the moment of failure at the earliest stage. Many different data-driven methods are used in such approaches (Naderi and Khorasani in 2017 IEEE 30th Canadian conference on electrical and computer engineering (CCECE), Windsor, ON, IEEE, pp 1–6, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1109/ccece.2017.7946715; Sarkar et al. in J Eng Gas Turbines Power 1338(8):081602, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4002877; Svard et al. in Mech Syst Signal Process 45(1):170–192, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymssp.2013.11.002; Pourbabaee et al. Mech Syst Signal Process 76–77:136–156, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymssp.2016.02.023). This work uses the self-organizing maps (SOMs) or Kohonen map, thanks to its ability to emphasize underlying behavior such as fault modes. An automatic fault mode detection is presented based on a SOM network and the kernel density estimation with as less as possible prior knowledge. The different SOM development steps are presented and the suitable solutions proposed to structure the approach are accompanied by mathematical methods. The generated maps are then used with kernel density analysis to isolate fault modes on them. Finally, a methodology is presented to identify the different fault modes. The work is illustrated with an aircraft jet engines case study.

Application of TPM to Enhance Overall Equipment Effectiveness in Yarn Manufacturing

In an emergent and highly populated country like India, the Cotton Textile Industry is exceptionally important, to meet the demand for clothes and exports to other countries for the improvement of GDP. The Cotton Textile Industry accounts nearly 30% of the total value of exports and employs more than 55 million labors. In order to withstand the global competition, it is necessary to improve the productivity. Productivity can be ensured by availability of machines without any break downs. In the case, higher down time and break down due to lack of maintenance policies in the Carding process is observed in the Textile Industry where the work is carried out. Total Productive Maintenance is a tool which has been used here to improve the maintenance activities and to reduce the downtime. The main goal of the Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is to improve the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Prior to the implementation of TPM the company’s present status has been checked. By using the Root cause analysis (cause and effect diagram) various major causes for low OEE has been identified, analyzed and solutions to overcome those drawbacks have been discussed. Solutions are implemented and OEE has been calculated, improvements are recorded and discussed.

Signal Pre-Selection for Monitoring and Prediction of Vehicle Powertrain Component Aging

Predictive maintenance has become important for avoiding unplanned downtime of modern vehicles. With increasing functionality the exchanged data between Electronic Control Units (ECU) grows simultaneously rapidly. A large number of in-vehicle signals are provided for monitoring an aging process. Various components of a vehicle age due to their usage. This component aging is only visible in a certain number of in-vehicle signals. In this work, we present a signal selection method for in-vehicle signals in order to determine relevant signals to monitor and predict powertrain component aging of vehicles. Our application considers the aging of powertrain components with respect to clogging of structural components. We measure the component aging process in certain time intervals. Owing to this, unevenly spaced time series data is preprocessed to generate comparable in-vehicle data. First, we aggregate the data in certain intervals. Thus, the dynamic in-vehicle database is reduced which enables us to analyze the signals more efficiently. Secondly, we implement machine learning algorithms to generate a digital model of the measured aging process. With the help of Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME) the model gets interpretable. This allows us to extract the most relevant signals and to reduce the amount of processed data. Our results show that a certain number of in-vehicle signals are sufficient for predicting the aging process of the considered structural component. Consequently, our approach allows to reduce data transmission of in-vehicle signals with the goal of predictive maintenance.

Integrated of Static and Dynamic Modeling Workflow for Belimbing Oil Field Development of Talangakar Sandstone Reservoir, South Sumatra Basin

The Belimbing Field S layer is a layer of the Upper Talangakar Formation (TRM) with a transition precipitation environment deposited in the syn-rift phase with the upper Oligocene lifetime up to the lower Miocene productively producing oil. This is a sandstone layer that contributes the largest production current with 645 bopd production (96% watercut) of OOIP 107 MMBBL. Water injection at Bel-10 wells and Bel-11 wells was first performed in October 1997 with an injection rate of 762 bwipd. The water injection is performed peripherally from the north flank of the star fruit structure (Central Belimbing block) with the initial goal of pressure maintenance even though the water is injected into the oil zone in the S layer. There is a significant increase in pressure and oil gain in the monitor wells in the injection area. With the last RF of 30% indicates that this layer still has a lot of potential to be developed by waterflood method. The BEL-19 injection in the Eastern Block from 2005 to 2015 was detected by success with increased pressure and increased production at BEL-12, BEL-14 and BEL-27 wells. As an effort to increase production, field development studies were conducted for GnG study and dynamic modelling. Limitations on the number of core data (SCAL and RCA) become obstacles in G & G and Reservoir modeling, so in determining rock typing used core data from the nearest field (LimauNiru) is L5A-240 well. In this method also performed synthetic data processing curve relative permeability and capillary pressure by evaluating production data. The distribution of artificial intellegent (AI) and wavefom is required to know the distribution of Facies and reservoir properties so as to get a more detailed description and heterogeneity of the reservoir. From the data above, we obtain rock typing to distribute reservoir property in 3D static and dynamic model. Through the initialization process, history matching and forecast is then processed the best scenario, the waterflood pattern in the form of inverted five spots and primary infill to optimize the recovery of oil recovery.

ТЕНДЕНЦІЇ ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ МОДЕРНІЗАЦІЇ СИСТЕМИ ВИКОНАННЯ МІСЦЕВИХ БЮДЖЕТІВ УКРАЇНИ В УМОВАХ ДЕЦЕНТРАЛІЗАЦІЇ

The main tendencies of development of the system of local budgets implementation in Ukraine in the conditions of decentralization of public administration are investigated. The emphasis is put on changing the approach to the role of the local budget in the context of systemic administrative transformations, its importance in ensuring the acceleration of sustainable self-development of territories.Important criteria for local budget expenditures efficiency measurement is the achievement of the balanced ratio of own funds and transfers provided from the state budget. The analysis of the structure of the revenue part of the local budgets of Ukraine shows that the revenues are not usually diversified, and the main part of tax revenues is formed by the only one type of income – the personal income tax. Accordingly, local taxes do not act as an effective fiscal instrument of public management. In the structure of non-tax revenues of local budgets of Ukraine, the largest part is accounted for by specialized fiscal institutions, but it is decreasing now. The second place belongs to administrative fees and payments, the share of which, according to the results of 2018, has shown as a tendency of growth. Obviously, it is necessary for Ukraine not only to improve the system of inter-budgetary relations, but also to realize that the whole system of budget relations should be guided by the implementation of the totality of interests of the state, business and citizen, not by the goal of the management apparatus maintenance. After all, it is the citizen with his natural business initiative and desire for self-development and realization could be the basis and the driving force for the development of the state. Although the first steps in reforming the budget sphere have already been made and the revenue base of local budgets has been expanded, but for a successful solution to the problem of providing Ukrainian communities with a sufficient amount of financial resources, it is not necessary to subsidize the territories of the state directly, but it is needed to create a favorable investment climate for encouraging and supporting the natural processes of community self-development.Accordingly, important priorities for the formation of a proper financial base for self-governing bodies should be the clear division of powers between central and local governments, the search for sustainable sources of local budget revenues, their income base, improvement of redistributive processes in the budget system, and the use of budgeting methods focused on social effect and economic result obtaining in the long-term perspective.Conclusions show the existence of budget imbalances caused, in particular, by poorly financial management, low level of economic activity and its effectiveness in communities. Prospects for improving this system which are seen in the implementation of administrative measures are given. These are: standardization of public services and the formation of a transparent organizational and economic mechanism for their providing; investing budget funds in the sectoral development of the local economy; appropriate diversification of sources of budget revenues; monitoring of budget implementing; development of the program-targeted method of using local budget funds on the basis of long-term planning; providing the ‘executive quality standards’ that will reflect the quality of local government, determine the quality and quantity of services provided; strengthening of the ‘managerialism’ in the budget management (professional development of employees of financial institutions, personal responsibility and motivation, orientation to the result); budget digitalization for ensuring absolute transparency and simplifying public control.Finally, in order to solve successfully the problem of providing the territorial communities with sufficient financial resources, proper internal financial and economic management, aimed at creating a favorable business and investment climate in the communities, we should abandon the practice of direct subsidization of territories, focusing attention on the local ‘points of growth’ and their needs.

The STARflo™ glaucoma implant: a single-centre experience at 24months.

To evaluate the 24-month outcomes following STARflo™ implantation in patients with moderate or advanced open-angle glaucoma. We enrolled 32 patients (40 eyes) with high intraocular pressure (IOP) resistant to topical and systemic medical therapy. After baseline assessments, patients were implanted with STARflo™ implants with the goal of IOP reduction and long-term maintenance. Patients were followed for 24months. Complete success of implantation was defined as a restoration of normal IOP without topical glaucoma medications, while qualified success was defined as a restoration of normal IOP with implantation and topical glaucoma medications. STARflo™ did not satisfactorily reduce IOP at 24months. Twenty-eight eyes (70%) had elevated IOP at least once during the 24months post-implantation period. Five eyes (12.5%) developed corneal decompensation. The average IOP 24months after the surgery was 13.42 ± 6.03mmHg and was not significantly different than IOP at 12months (13.2 ± 5.59mmHg). Moreover, 45% of treated eyes needed additional glaucoma procedures after 1year and 2years to achieve these IOPs. STARflo™ did reduce the average number of topical glaucoma medications from 2.7 pre-implantation to 1.17 at 24months postoperatively in the rest 55% of the eyes. The STARflo™ implantation did not meet success criteria and so appears to be an ineffective alternative to filtering surgical procedures for patients with treatment-refractory open-angle glaucoma.

Applying an Improving Strategy that embeds Functional and Non-Functional Requirements Concepts

Organizations should set and reach business goals for varied purposes using the suitable strategies. Basically, a strategy specifies the activities, methods and another related resources that should be considered in order to achieve a given goal purpose. Goal purposes and their associated strategies can aim at evaluating, testing, developing, or maintaining some entity. Some concrete evaluation purposes such as to understand or monitor can be achieved by strategies embracing non-functional requirements definition, measurement, evaluation and analysis activities. Other specific evaluation purposes such as to improve or control also imply changing the target entity; therefore, strategies should embrace functional requirements definition activities as well. Moreover, specific development and maintenance purposes always involve functional requirements. In this work, we relate business and information need goals with functional and non- functional requirements concepts, which are paramount for well-defined strategies. Therefore, we specify vocabularies for them, and illustrate the applicability of an improving strategy –which embeds these concepts- in the context of a running example. Having well-structured vocabularies serving as common ground for diverse strategies may promote a more effective operationalization of projects dealing with evaluation, testing, development and maintenance goal purposes.

Argumentation-Based Reasoning about Plans, Maintenance Goals, and Norms

In a normative environment, an agent’s actions are directed not only by its goals but also by the norms activated by its actions and those of other actors. The potential for conflict between agent goals and norms makes decision making challenging, in that it requires looking ahead to consider the longer-term consequences of which goal to satisfy or which norm to comply with in face of conflict. We therefore seek to determine the actions an agent should select at each point in time, taking account of its temporal goals, norms, and their conflicts. We propose a solution in which a normative planning problem is the basis for practical reasoning based on argumentation. Various types of conflict within goals, within norms, and between goals and norms are identified based on temporal properties of these entities. The properties of the best plan(s) with respect to goal achievement and norm compliance are mapped to arguments, followed by mapping their conflicts to attack between arguments, all of which are used to identify why a plan is justified.

Consideration of sample source for establishing reliable genetic microsatellite data from mammalian carnivore specimens held in natural history collections

AbstractSpecimens from natural history collections (NHCs) are increasingly being used for genetic studies and can provide information on extinct populations, facilitate comparisons of historical and contemporary populations, produce baseline data before environmental changes, and elucidate patterns of change. Destructive sampling for DNA may be in disagreement with NHC goals of long-term care and maintenance. Differentiating quality among sample sources can direct destructive sampling to the source predicted to yield the highest quality DNA and most reliable data, potentially reducing damage to specimens, laboratory costs, and genotyping errors. We used the kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) as a model species and evaluated the quality and reliability of genetic data obtained from carnivoran specimens via three different sample sources: cranial bones, nasal bones, and toepads. We quantified variation in microsatellite amplification success and genotyping error rates and assessed the reliability of source-specific genic data. Toepads had the highest amplification success rates and lowest genotyping error rates. Shorter loci had higher amplification success and lower allelic dropout rates than longer loci. There were substantial differences in the reliability of resulting multilocus genotypes. Toepads produced the most reliable data, required the fewest replicates, and therefore, had the lowest costs to achieve reliable data. Our results demonstrate that the quality of DNA obtained from specimens varies by sample source and can inform NHCs when evaluating requests for destructive sampling. Our results suggest that prior to large-scale specimen sampling, researchers should conduct pilot studies to differentiate among source-specific data reliability, identify high performing loci, reduce costs of analyses, and minimize destructive sampling.

Lack of conflict during food choice is associated with the failure of restrained eating

Restrained eaters tend to sustain a restriction in caloric intake to lose or maintain body weight; however, only a few restrained eaters can achieve the goal of restricting their caloric intake to lose or maintain body weight. Those who are effective restrained eaters habitually adhere to their intentions to avoid eating certain palatable foods, whereas those who are ineffective restrained eaters are generally unable to translate their intentions into behavior. To restrain eating regardless of temptation, an individual must first identify potential conflicts between achieving restrained eating and temptation to eat. Regarding food selections, the association between a lack of conflict between temptation, eating enjoyment, and weight loss or maintenance goals and the failure of restriction of caloric intake remains unknown. The present study used an eye-tracking technique to assess the degree of conflict experienced by effective and ineffective restrained eaters during food choice. Participants were required to choose between pairs of high- and low-calorie foods. The results showed that choosing the low-calorie food was associated with the experience of more conflict, measured by longer response times and more gaze switches, than choosing the high-calorie food. Ineffective restrained eaters experienced less conflict, exhibiting shorter response times and fewer gaze switches, than did effective restrained eaters, which suggests that a failure to restrain eating might be associated with a lack of experience of conflict.

French ‘Voluntary Gymnastics’ and the Quest for its identity (1954–2018)

ABSTRACTIn 1954, the founders of the Federation for Voluntary Gymnastics (VG) set the latter the goal of encouraging body maintenance for good health through physical exercise that was accessible to all. Although this rather original identity positioning that defined its institutional features and contributed to the construction of its social image appeared to be fairly clear on the surface, it has nonetheless continued to generate numerous questions, internal debates and realignments to this day. The Federation’s history may therefore be examined through its permanent construction of identity, expressing both a desire to place specific methods of practice at centre stage and question the relationship with the body, which should be affirmed and specified vis-à-vis other federations. One issue resurging regularly in the discussions and debates of federation leaders was the question ‘What is the VG spirit’? In other words, what united members of the Association, leaders, trainers and practitioners alike? How was the unity of this movement created and, more specifically, what made a ‘VG session’ unique? Three time periods can be identified, characterising three lines of positioning which may be linked to changing social, cultural and scientific contexts.

Physical activity goals among patients in a primary care setting.

One approach to increasing physical activity (PA) among adults is to develop interventions targeting PA goals that could be implemented in the primary care setting. However, there is little understanding of the types of goals that individuals bring with them into the primary care setting, which is a necessary first step in building interventions. There were three objectives of the study. One was to identify the types of PA goals held by primary care patients. Another was to examine whether there were racial differences among types of PA goals held by primary care patients. A final objective was to examine the relationship between PA goals and PA behaviors (e.g., meet PA guidelines, number of breaks taken from PA routine). Adults (N = 626; Mage = 51.47, SD = 16.32) were recruited from the waiting room of a primary care clinic over a 30-day span to complete a questionnaire on PA and goals. The most commonly endorsed PA goals included, weight maintenance, overall health benefits, weight loss, well-being, body tone and/or shape, stress reduction, cardiovascular health, and energy level. Black patients were more likely than White patients to report weight loss and weight maintenance goals. Weight maintenance, overall health, and stress reduction are the goals for which the greatest percentage of individuals reported meeting aerobic PA guidelines. Finally, number of breaks taken and average length of breaks were similar across type of PA goal. A relatively small number of goals reflected a majority of the goals pursued by participants in this study. Racial differences in adoption of weight loss and weight maintenance goals highlight the need for further investigation into such differences. Finally, future research should consider the role that goal setting plays in PA adherence, paying particular attention to disparate levels of PA across racial groups.

Feeling, Expressing, and Managing Emotions in Work-Family Conflict

The current paper examines the nuanced emotional experience of work-family conflict (WFC) events. We integrate theories of attributions and emotion management to investigate both felt and expressed emotions when work interferes with family and vice versa. We propose that, in addition to task goals, individuals seek to accomplish relational goals which influence the feeling and expression of emotions. To capture these experiences, we use an interpretive lens to conduct qualitative content and constant comparative analyses on narratives of WFC events. Our findings highlight the difference in emotional responses (including both negative and positive emotions) depending on whether conflict originates from work or family. Specifically, we find more emotions reported when work interferes with family than when family interferes with work. Moreover, different emotions are most frequently expressed depending on the originating domain of conflict. We also find evidence of emotion management in which suppression of negative emotions is used to preserve relationships with family member and supervisors. Research to date does not address differentiated emotional experiences of WFC depending on the originating domain of conflict. This study demonstrates that the social contexts of work and family domains influence emotional experiences and that the active process of managing emotions is not wholly negative and accomplishes social goals of relationship maintenance.

Possible selves of older adults entering a life plan community

ABSTRACTThis study examined the possible selves, goals, and perceptions of “time left” of older adults soon after they entered a life plan community as independent living residents. There has been little research regarding the effect of this life transition on older adults’ self-concept, hopes, and fears. Eighteen residents participated in one-hour personal interviews about their reasons for moving, their possible selves, goals, and perception of time left. Time left was measured in two ways: residents were asked to estimate the number of years they had left and were also asked to mark, on a novel visual analogue measure, how “limited” or “expanded” their time left felt to them. Residents were found to have an average of 6.18 possible selves in total, with more hoped-for possible selves (m = 4.39) than feared possible selves (m = 1.78). The majority of the goals were maintenance goals, followed by self-improvement goals and then avoidance goals. Residents estimated that they would live for 11.64 more years, and the majority reported that this felt like “a lot of time.” Based on their responses to the novel visual analogue measure of time left, two-thirds of the participants reported that their time left felt “expanded” rather than “limited.” Consistent with predictions based on socioemotional selectivity theory, participants with longer subjective life expectancies reported more self-improvement goals and more hoped-for selves. Participants identified more possible selves than documented in previous studies, including almost twice as many hoped-for possible selves.

Dietary Protein for Training Adaptation and Body Composition Manipulation in Track and Field Athletes.

Track and field athletes engage in vigorous training that places stress on physiological systems requiring nutritional support for optimal recovery. Of paramount importance when optimizing recovery nutrition are rehydration and refueling which are covered in other papers in this volume. Here, we highlight the benefits for dietary protein intake over and above requirements set out in various countries at ∼0.8-1.0g·kg body mass (BM)-1·day-1 for training adaptation, manipulating body composition, and optimizing performance in track and field athletes. To facilitate the remodeling of protein-containing structures, which are turning over rapidly due to their training volumes, track and field athletes with the goal of weight maintenance or weight gain should aim for protein intakes of ∼1.6g·kg BM-1·day-1. Protein intakes at this level would not necessarily require an overemphasis on protein-containing foods and, beyond convenience, does not suggest a need to use protein or amino acid-based supplements. This review also highlights that optimal protein intakes may exceed 1.6g·kg BM-1·day-1 for athletes who are restricting energy intake and attempting to minimize loss of lean BM. We discuss the underpinning rationale for weight loss in track and field athletes, explaining changes in metabolic pathways that occur in response to energy restriction when manipulating protein intake and training. Finally, this review offers practical advice on protein intakes that warrant consideration in allowing an optimal adaptive response for track and field athletes seeking to train effectively and to lose fat mass while energy restricted with minimal (or no) loss of lean BM.

Systematization of Nutritional Care In Endoscopic Treatment for Obesity.

Propose the systematization of nutritional care in the endoscopic treatment of obesity. This is a bibliographical review, since the initial proposal was a systematic review. This method became unfeasible due to the inexistence of studies that address this theme. Thus, a bibliographic survey was carried out, considering the endoscopic treatment as a restrictive treatment, as well as the information referring to case reports and multicentric studies. Nutrition participation involves nutritional assessment and diagnosis, dietary planning pertinent to the adequate evolution of food consistency, as well as the use of food supplements compatible with the Gastric Sleeve due to food restriction. The Bariatric Plate Model (BPM) can be useful in the nutritional education of the patient after gastric endosuture, associated with water consumption and the performance of scheduled physical exercise, as well as periodic monitoring with the multiprofessional team. Specialized nutritional care is necessary, through a protocol of nutritional assistance defined after gastric endosuture, in order to achieve long-term weight loss and maintenance goals. The BPM can be an excellent form of nutritional education, observing protein intake as a macronutrient base.

1631. Made to Measure: Development of a Scoring Tool to Customize Antimicrobial Stewardship Goals Across a Large Health System

BackgroundThe 2015 National Action Plan for Combating Antimicrobial Resistance called for a 20% decrease in antibiotic use among inpatients. Atrium Health (AH), formerly Carolinas HealthCare System, established reductions in antibiotic use (determined by days of therapy [DOT] per 1,000 patient days [PD]) as a yearly system-wide quality goal since 2016. Hospitals in the AH inpatient network vary by size, scope, and antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) maturity. Prior to our third year, we recognized the need to develop an objective method for determining antibiotic use reduction goals (AURGs); understanding that as ASPs mature, opportunities for reduction stabilize over time and may eventually plateau with consistent ASP. We sought to develop a tool that would better identify hospitals in need of aggressive AURGs.MethodsA scoring tool was developed to assess ASP implementation and metric achievement at individual hospitals to determine AURGs. Tool components were developed from ASP best practices and consensus among a multi-disciplinary team. The tool yields a maximal score of 41.5 points, with higher scores corresponding to more established ASPs who require less aggressive AURGs. An additional 6 points could be earned for tracked intervention data.Figure 1. Scoring Tool Components The tool was applied and a score calculated for each of 27 hospitals. Achieved score placed each hospital into one of 4 AURG ranges: maintain, 1–2.5%, 2.5–5%, and 5–7.5% of DOT/1000 PD. Goals were determined in relation to the median and 75th percentile scores. A minimum score of 39.5, representing full implementation of ASP score components, was required for a maintenance goal.ResultsScores ranged from 3 to 34.5 points across facilities (median 27.5; 75th percentile 31). Twelve facilities scored below 27.5 points, 10 hospitals between 27.5 and 31 points, and 5 facilities between 31 and 39.5 points corresponding to 5–7.5%, 2.5–5% and 1–2.5% AURGs, respectively.Figure 2. Facility Scores and AURGs ConclusionScores and corresponding AURGs were generally well accepted by stakeholders at facilities within the AH network. Next steps include examining the feasibility of achieving AURGs and obtaining feedback from facilities to refine the tool. The tool will also be applied to other healthcare networks to assess external validity.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Attainment versus maintenance goals: Perceived difficulty and impact on goal choice

We argue that individuals monitor and evaluate attainment and maintenance goals differently. Attainment goals feature a salient current-end state discrepancy that is processed more than the corresponding match for maintenance goals. For maintenance goals, for which a salient discrepancy is absent, contextual influences on goal success/failure receive more processing than for attainment goals. Thus, objectively more difficult attainment goals may be judged as easier than maintenance goals, when they feature sufficiently small discrepancies, or when context information is unfavorable. Study 1 establishes this core effect. Study 2 shows that thought listings capturing the relative processing of the current-end state discrepancy (match) and context information mediate perceived goal difficulty. Study 3 shows that the favorability of context information moderates the effect. Study 4 establishes joint difficulty evaluations as a boundary condition. Studies 5 and 6 (and Appendix B) show that such goal difficulty judgments affect consequential goal choices in real-world financial, workplace, and shopping situations.

Attainment versus maintenance goals: Perceived difficulty and impact on goal choice

Attainment versus maintenance goals: Perceived difficulty and impact on goal choice

Environmental Physiology and Diving Medicine.

Man’s experience and exploration of the underwater environment has been recorded from ancient times and today encompasses large sections of the population for sport enjoyment, recreational and commercial purpose, as well as military strategic goals. Knowledge, respect and maintenance of the underwater world is an essential development for our future and the knowledge acquired over the last few dozen years will change rapidly in the near future with plans to establish secure habitats with specific long-term goals of exploration, maintenance and survival. This summary will illustrate briefly the physiological changes induced by immersion, swimming, breath-hold diving and exploring while using special equipment in the water. Cardiac, circulatory and pulmonary vascular adaptation and the pathophysiology of novel syndromes have been demonstrated, which will allow selection of individual characteristics in order to succeed in various environments. Training and treatment for these new microenvironments will be suggested with description of successful pioneers in this field. This is a summary of the physiology and the present status of pathology and therapy for the field.