Occupational Field Research Articles

Designing Gestures of Robots in Specific Fields for Different Perceived Personality Traits.

Since their development, social robots have been a popular topic of research, with numerous studies evaluating their functionality or task performance. In recent years, social robots have begun to be regarded as social actors at work, and their social attributes have been explored. Therefore, this study focused on four occupational fields (shopping reception, home companion, education, and security) where robots are widely used, exploring the influence of robot gestures on their perceived personality traits and comparing the gesture design guidelines required in specific occupational fields. The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, an interactive script was developed; moreover, observation was employed to derive gestures related to the discourse on the fields of interest. The second stage involved robot experimentation based on human–robot interaction through video. Results show that metaphoric gestures appeared less frequently than did deictic, iconic, or beat gestures. Robots’ perceived personality traits were categorized into sociality, competence, and status. Introducing all types of gestures helped enhance perceived sociality. The addition of deictic, and iconic gestures significantly improved perceived competence and perceived status. Regarding the shopping reception robot, after the inclusion of basic deictic and iconic gestures, sufficient beats gestures should be implemented to create a friendly and outgoing demeanor, thereby promoting user acceptance. In the home companion, education, and security contexts, the addition of beat gestures did not affect the overall acceptance level; the designs should instead be focused on the integration of the other gesture types.

The role of work conditions on the functional decline in senior workers in the automotive industry.

The aging of the workforce is changing, but working conditions have not changed at the same exponential growth rate for senior workers. Such a situation can compromise the worker's physical and cognitive capability, reducing the ability to perform work activities. This study aims to understand the main functional capacity changes in senior workers in the automotive industry and to determine the contribution of working conditions on the decline of the functional capacity in senior workers. To achieve the objectives of the study, a set of questionnaires (Sociodemographic Data, COPSOQ, Nordic Questionnaire, and Par-Q) and a battery of 4 functional capacity tests were used. Work conditions, namely awkward postures, force demands and manual material handling, and age, were statistically associated to the functional decline in workers. Additionally, multiple linear regression showed that height, weight, seniority, and strength have predictive value to the handgrip decline (both positions HG2 and HG5). These results suggest that workers' handgrip assessment should be considered as a future measure as an indicator of strength ability in the occupational field.

The Work of Programme Managers in State-Funded Employer-Driven Swedish Higher VET

Context: Swedish Higher Vocational Education (HVE) is organised as state-funded programmes provisioned by both public and private education providers in close relation to employers. In HVE programme managers have responsibilities like those that often are vested in vocational teachers. They are responsible both for the day-to-day work of provision and the continuous development of the programme and its syllabi. This article presents a study investigating the work of programme managers, focusing on their work with creating and updating syllabi and on their work organising the students' training. Methods: Five programme managers responsible for five diverse HVE programmes have been interviewed and the syllabi of these programmes have been examined. The analysis is based on a Bernsteinian theoretical perspective focusing on recontextualisation of knowledge for pedagogic discourse by different stakeholders as agents who have different basis for their actions. The study first establishes what knowledge make up the programmes to inform the understanding of what training the programme managers are tasked with organising, then examines how the programme managers take part in selecting knowledge for course syllabi, and how they organise the teaching of these syllabi in in their programmes. Findings: The knowledge that has been recontextualised for pedagogic discourse in the studied programmes is most often vocationally specific or context bound in relation to a particular occupational field. The syllabi are related to clearly defined jobs. The findings highlight how practice thus in several ways may be difficult for programme managers without work experience in the relevant occupational field or knowledge in relation to it. Not only in the work of forming and updating curricula, but also as they must be able to navigate the relevant sector of business and industry to engage appropriate employers for collaborations and to hire teaching staff. Conclusion: The findings presented in this article show that local autonomy allows for major differences regarding knowledge in syllabi and the organisation of learning between programmes within the same nationally organised VET system. This is salient even with a small number of programmes having been studied. This strongly support the importance of examining what happens in autonomous local contexts of VET provision and asking who has influence over publicly funded education in this sort of contexts, and on what these stakeholders base their actions.

A Review on Asura Graha Unmada with Contemporary View

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) causes problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, occupational field or financial affairs. Narcissistic personality disorder individual generally unhappy and disappointed. They believe they deserve admiration. According to Acharya Charak, Unnmad, is the Manasvyadhi is which understood as the disturbed condition of the Manas (mind), Buddhi (understanding), Samjna (consciousness), Gynana (perception), Smriti (memory), Bhakti (inclination), Sheela (character), Chesta (behaviour), and Achara (conduct). As a result, Citta gets disturbed and in turn causes impairment of Budhhi. Due to this, the individual person feels different sign and symptoms like loss of confidence, irrelevant talk, biased willing and thinking, deprived memory, decision and responsiveness. The signs and symptoms of Asura Graha Unmada (AG) such as Jihma Drishtim, Dushtaatmaanaam, Krodhanam, Atruptam, Sasweda Gaatram, Deva, Braahmana, Guru Dveshinam, etc show similarity with deceitfulness, exploitation, antisocial, aggressiveness, impulsivity, negative emotionality, grandiosity, dysphoria, alcohol abuse, and physical violence features commonly found in various personality disorders such as Anti-Social Personality Disorder (ASPD) , Bipolar Disorder (BD), and NPD and others personality disorder or comorbid condition among them. Manasa Vyadhi, Graha Rogas are less focused topic in Ayurveda. The aim of this article to explain Asura Graha Unmada and its correlation with contemporary view. After proper review it is concluded that the signs and symptoms of Asura Graha (AG) Unmada such as Jihma Drishtim, Dushtaatmaanaam, Krodhanam, Atruptam, Sasweda Gaatram, Deva, Braahmana, Guru Dveshinam, etc shows similarity with various personality disorders.

Women Making War: Female Confederate Prisoners and Union Military Justice by Thomas F. Curran

Reviewed by: Women Making War: Female Confederate Prisoners and Union Military Justice by Thomas F. Curran Elle Harvell (bio) Women Making War: Female Confederate Prisoners and Union Military Justice. By Thomas F. Curran. (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2020. Pp. 258. Paper, $26.50.) Thomas Curran’s Women Making War is a desperately needed addition to the fields of Civil War military occupation, treason, and women’s studies. Embracing the recent trend in Civil War scholarship to disentangle Civil War history from Lost Cause mythology, the author sets out to dispel the pervasive belief, plaguing both popular and academic literature on Confederate women, that “attributes no actual military offenses” to Confederate women arrested by Union military officials “that would warrant their arrests” (182). His examination of incarcerated “Southern partisan women” and the federal military prison complex in St. Louis during the war demonstrates clearly that some women did act in deliberately political and partisan capacities and suffered the consequences of arrest, imprisonment, and sometimes banishment for their rebellious activities (1–2). They were increasingly classified as dangerous to the Union war effort over the course of the conflict. The critical intervention of this study lies in its clear demonstration that the arrest and imprisonment of women for disloyalty was not an anomaly but a pervasive reality. This was especially true for the St. Louis area, where the author found evidence for the arrest of at least 440 women. He reveals the details of many of these cases and examines them in chronological order to emphasize “the escalation of partisan women’s wartime activities,” as well as “the evolution of the Union military response” (12). This approach makes clear that military officials gradually and reluctantly embraced a more punitive policy, placing greater and greater significance on the actions of rebellious, southern-sympathizing women and accelerating arrests during particularly tense periods of the war in Missouri, such as during General Sterling Price’s raid to recapture the state for the Confederacy in the fall of 1864. Union military officials believed the words, actions, and deeds of the accused to be deliberately and intentionally disloyal, and the firsthand testimony of the women gives credence to this judgement. The author relies heavily on the Union Provost Marshals’ Files as well as Record Group 109 of the National Archives, both of which contain a seemingly endless collection of documents relating to the arrests of civilians. In these documents, Curran uncovered evidence to support his argument that these women made “conscious decisions” to deliberately aid the Confederacy (3). Most convincing of all is the unflinching testimony of women under interrogation by Union provost marshals. Many of these women expressed similar [End Page 280] sentiments proclaimed by one woman during her interrogation: “[I] would do all I could to aid the Southern Confederacy” (5). The author’s stated purpose is to focus only on those women who aided the Confederate cause “with deadly earnest” (2), yet he also includes a few cases in which the female arrestee’s intentions and loyalties are uncertain or even variable. The best example of this is the riveting case of the detention of a woman with the alias Mary Ann Pitman, who went from being a female Confederate soldier to a rebel smuggler and spy and finally to a prisoner of war. She then pragmatically switched sides and served as a loyal U.S. informant. Then there are the cases of such women as Isabella and Melissa Fox and Susan Bass, all arrested for “harboring and feeding bushwhackers” (97), whose motivations and intentions along with their political loyalties are harder to discern and for whom coercion might help to better explain their compliance with guerrilla demands. Curran has revealed an area ripe for future exploration: female arrest-ees whose political views sat somewhere closer to the middle of the spectrum of wartime political ideology or resembled those of the northern “Peace Democrats.” The author does briefly detail a few women, such as Sarah Moss and Eliza Spencer, whose contempt for the Lincoln administration stemmed not from undying devotion to the Confederacy, but rather from disagreement with emancipation. Another interesting example is the case of Mary Byrne, arrested in May 1863. She...

“Permissiveness, guiltiness, anxiety”: A qualitative study on emotional meanings of school task procrastination reported by occupational therapy students in South-eastern Brazil

IntroductionAccording to the Medical Subject Headings, the vocabulary used by PubMed, procrastination is ‘the deferment of actions or tasks to a later time, or to infinity’. Studies on procrastination are increasing, especially among university students, gaining prominence in academic literature. However, studies on the procrastination phenomenon have been mainly quantitative, correlating such experiences with clinical and behavioral manifestations. Specific research with occupational therapy students is lacking in the literature.ObjectivesTo interpret symbolic meanings related to life experiences of the procrastination phenomenon of school tasks as reported by occupational therapy undergraduate students, self-referred as procrastinators.MethodsClinical-qualitative design. Data collected through semi-directed interviews with open-ended questions in-depth. Clinical-Qualitative Content Analysis generated categories discussed in the light of the psychodynamic theoretical framework. This study was carried out in a private Brazilian university. The sample was closed by the information saturation criterion.ResultsSeven students were interviewed. Procrastination comes associated with anxiety as productivity, but not reported as an “executive drive”, that would imprison the individual in a vicious cycle. There are defense mechanisms referred to as self-preservation for not assume responsibilities for tasks. Ineffective strategies seem to be experienced by the students to avoid procrastination, but without resolving possible psychodynamic conflicts related to the task.ConclusionsStudents’ procrastination ambivalently affects their daily lives, although they can report the phenomenon as negative. It is suggested further qualitative studies that explore specifically meanings of procrastinating personal activities, in general, considering these individuals will work precisely in a therapeutic approach in the field of occupations of the people.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

K-Pop 교육의 질 제고 방안 연구

In this study, in order to improve the quality of K-Pop education(HEIs), we compare and analyze the training method of trainees of a large domestic planning company, which is a leading role in K-Pop globalization, and the major curriculum at K-Pop HEIs. By comparing and analyzing the subject processes of the top three universities that entrance exam students like most, this study points out problems with the K-Pop higher education course and presents improvement measures for them. The comparison and analysis of the educational process of large domestic planning companies and K-Pop HEIs were compared and analyzed based on three criteria: “operational goals”, “selection criteria and methods for educators”, and “educational content and methods”. By examining the management and educational goals of large domestic planning companies and K-Pop HEIs, it can be confirmed that the educational goals of both institutions are essentially different and that the educational methods must also be discriminatory. In addition, we were able to reset the image of human resources to realize the educational goals of K-Pop HEIs and present the selection criteria and the direction of selection methods for educators. As a result of the analysis of the subjects of the three K-Pop HEIs selected for analysis, it was confirmed that the contents of the K-Pop HEIs are not so different from the contents of the education of the domestic planning company. In other words, it was confirmed that realistic and specialized subjects are not operated to realize the educational goal of human resource development in the K-Pop industry presented by K-Pop HEIs. This scholar confirms the need for improved measures to improve the quality of education in K-Pop HEIs, and presents problems in education in K-Pop HEIs and solutions to them. The improvement measures presented to improve the quality of education in K-Pop HEIs are as follows. In order to realize the educational goals currently presented by K-Pop HEIs, the educational goals of “human resources development in the K-Pop industry” pursued by K-Pop HEIs and K-Pop major students’ Career goals must match. For this purpose, it is necessary to select major students who have the same goals as the educational goals of K-Pop HEIs, and to organize subjects that meet the educational goals. In addition, for differentiated education with domestic agencies, the curriculum was proposed based on the competency of each of the four K-Pop industries and occupational fields that meet the educational goals of K-Pop higher education institutions. This study presents improvement plans for improving the quality of such education at the present time when the teaching methods of Korean K-Pop HEIs will soon become the mainstay of K-Pop education around the world. We hope that it will be useful for the development of K-Pop HEIs and will be used as a meaningful material for the K-Pop education world.

Physical workload consequent on wrist and finger positioning in dental hygienists

The study aims to assess the occupational risk of upper extremities’ biomechanical overload, thus developing upper limb musculoskeletal disorders (UL-MSD), in dental hygienists. The literature describes UL-MSD as a notable health issue for dental hygienists. A total of 210 dental hygienists completed a questionnaire based on the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method. Collected data were used to determine the physical load on each radiocarpal joint, based on three factors - joint posture deviation from longitudinal forearm axis combined with a twist and/or tilt, hand grip, type of effort (static phase length, repetition, fast and large posture changes). The forearm-hand angle was classified as detrimental (>15° tilt from the axis) in both right (37.1%) and left (43.8%) radiocarpal joints. Detrimental tilt and/or twist showed a higher prevalence of over 80% cases in both joints. Hand grip quality was reported as “good” in the majority of cases (79% right, 66.7% left), the rest being “satisfactory” or “bad”, with no “very bad” cases. Only 10% of respondents were not exposed to the adversely static, repetitive, or fluctuating activity. This study confirms the prevalence of strainful ergonomics among dental hygienists. More preventive strategies, with emphasis on day-to-day prophylaxis, need to be implemented to avoid UL-MSD persistence in this occupational field.

IMPLICITY: CITY MODELING FROM SATELLITE IMAGES WITH DEEP IMPLICIT OCCUPANCY FIELDS

Abstract. High-resolution optical satellite sensors, combined with dense stereo algorithms, have made it possible to reconstruct 3D city models from space. However, these models are, in practice, rather noisy and tend to miss small geometric features that are clearly visible in the images. We argue that one reason for the limited quality may be a too early, heuristic reduction of the triangulated 3D point cloud to an explicit height field or surface mesh. To make full use of the point cloud and the underlying images, we introduce IMPLICITY, a neural representation of the 3D scene as an implicit, continuous occupancy field, driven by learned embeddings of the point cloud and a stereo pair of ortho-photos. We show that this representation enables the extraction of high-quality DSMs: with image resolution 0.5 m, IMPLICITY reaches a median height error of ≈0.7m and outperforms competing methods, especially w.r.t. building reconstruction, featuring intricate roof details, smooth surfaces, and straight, regular outlines.

A potential wearable solution for preventing heat strain in workplaces: The cooling effect and the total evaporative resistance of a ventilation jacket

The increase in average seasonal temperatures has an impact in the occupational field, especially for those sectors whose work activities are performed outdoors (agricultural, road and construction sectors). Among the adaptation measures and solutions developed to counteract occupational heat strain, personal cooling garments represent a wearable technology designed to remove heat from the human body, enhancing human performance. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and the cooling power of a specific cooling garment, i.e. a ventilation jacket, by quantifying the evaporative heat losses and the total evaporative resistance both when worn alone and in combination with a work ensemble, at three adjustments of air ventilation speed.Standardised “wet” tests in a climatic chamber were performed on a sweating manikin in isothermal conditions considering three clothing ensembles (single jacket, work ensemble and a combination of both) and three adjustments of fan velocity.Results showed a significant increase (p < 0.001) in evaporative heat loss values when the fan velocity increased, particularly within the trunk zones for all the considered clothing ensembles, showing that fans enhanced the dissipation by evaporation. The cooling power, quantified in terms of percent changes of evaporative heat loss, showed values exceeding 100% when fans were on, in respect to the condition of fans-off, for the trunk zones except for the Chest. A significant (p < 0.01) decrease (up to 42.3%) in the total evaporative resistance values of the jacket, coupled with the work ensemble, was found compared to the fans-off condition.Results confirmed and quantified the cooling effect of the ventilation jacket which enhanced the evaporative heat losses of the trunk zones, helping the body to dissipate heat and showing the potential for a heat adaptation measure to be developed.

Knowledge of Egyptian faculty members about voice care: a national cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe university teaching faculty members are one of the occupational fields in education that are more exposed to voice disorders. The current study aimed to examine the association among vocal symptoms reported by faculty teaching professionals, impact of voice problems on daily activities, their vocal habits, and knowledge on vocal hygiene in relation to specialist consultation and to identify which of the assessed factors triggered the most for medical consultation. An online questionnaire was completed by 420 faculty teaching professionals from 7 universities in Egypt between November 2019 and December 2019.ResultsAll assessed vocal symptoms were significantly associated with specialist consultation (p-value <0.01). Most common bad vocal habits included increased voice loudness (71.2%), talking for long time (69.3%), and frequent throat clearance (54.0%). The most commonly reported preventive measures included avoid screaming (88.3%), stop smoking (87.1%), and taking periods of voice rest (86.4%). The strongest predictor of having specialist consultation was frequent throat clearance, recording an odds ratio of 23.809.ConclusionBased on information obtained from the current study, ideas are suggested for setting up vocal hygiene programs throughout a professional voice career for keeping a healthy voice. Avoid passive smoking and using microphones are considered remarkable adequate methods for healthy voice.

Occupational burnout and stress of nurses in Taiwan regarding COVID-19: An intervention with gong medication.

AimsThis study aimed to explore the effectiveness of gong meditation on nurses' perceived stress and occupational burnout during the COVID‐19 pandemic.BackgroundNurses play an important role in hospitals, and they currently encounter additional stress due to the COVID‐19 pandemic.Design and MethodsIn this experimental study, participants were provided intervention with seven sections of gong meditation, and each session lasted for approximately 50–60 min. Data were collected from July 2020 to February 2021. Eighty nurses were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group, and 79 completed all the processes of our protocol. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used in data analysis.ResultsCompared with the control group, the experimental group experienced significant improvements in stress and occupational burnout.ConclusionsGong meditation can effectively alleviate stress and occupational burnout among nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic.Implications for nursing managementGong meditation can be provided by hospital managers to all nurses to reduce their stress, occupational burnout and subsequent mental health problems. Additionally, we suggest that gong meditation can be used as an effective intervention for individuals in other occupational fields, as it is accessible and inexpensive intervention.

A Historical Review and Vision on Taiwan's Occupational Mental Health Development: Taking Government Policies as the Main Axis

&lt;p&gt;本研究嘗試回顧臺灣職場心理健康領域在實務場域之發展歷史，特別是以政府相關政策面向為主軸，輔以社會環境脈絡為參照。本研究先從美國的相關領域，即員工協助方案與職場健康心理學之發展歷史簡要描述作為相關背景。然後再進到臺灣職場心理健康領域之實務界與政策面做回顧與爬梳，結果發現除去早期缺乏政策引導的零星組織案例外，大約可分為四期，分別為勞工輔導期、導入員工協助方案期、政府積極落實EAP期以及多面向職場健康促進期等。基於過去歷史之發展，本研究提出未來臺灣職場心理健康領域發展方向包括：專業深化、跨領域合作整合以及本土化等。透過本研究之回顧可提供相關研究學者、政府部門、實務工作者未來推動職場心理健康之努力方向。&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This study attempted to review the history of the development of mental health in Taiwan’s workplaces, focusing mainly on the direction of government policies against the backdrop of social context as a reference. This study begins with a brief description of the development history of employee assistance programs and occupational health psychology in the related fields in the United States. Next up, the study segued into the field of mental health in Taiwan’s workplace practice and policy aspects to do a review, the findings, excluding some isolated cases without policy guidance in the early period, can be divided into four periods: labor counseling, the implementation of employee assistance programs, the EAP implementation by the government and multi-oriented occupational health promotion. Based on the development of history, this study provides the future development direction of Taiwan’s occupational mental health field, including professional deepening, cross-disciplinary cooperation and integration, and localization. It&amp;rsquo;s expected that by taking stock of the historical review in this study, the future direction of mental health in the workplace can be provided for scholars, public sectors, and workers in this regard.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

Human Biomonitoring Guidance Values (HBM-GVs) for Bisphenol S and Assessment of the Risk Due to the Exposure to Bisphenols A and S, in Europe.

Within the European Joint Programme HBM4EU, Human Biomonitoring Guidance Values (HBM-GVs) were derived for several prioritised substances. In this paper, the derivation of HBM-GVs for the general population (HBM-GVGenPop) and workers (HBM-GVworker) referring to bisphenol S (BPS) is presented. For the general population, this resulted in an estimation of the total urinary concentration of BPS of 1.0 µg/L assuming a 24 h continuous exposure to BPS. For workers, the modelling was refined in order to reflect continuous exposure during the working day, leading to a total urinary concentration of BPS of 3.0 µg/L. The usefulness for risk assessment of the HBM-GVs derived for BPS and bisphenol A (BPA) is illustrated. Risk Characterisation Ratios (RCRs) were calculated leading to a clear difference between risk assessments performed for both bisphenols, with a very low RCR regarding exposure to BPA, contrary to that obtained for BPS. This may be due to the endocrine mediated endpoints selected to derive the HBM-GVs for BPS, whereas the values calculated for BPA are based on the temporary Tolerable Daily Intake (t-TDI) from EFSA set in 2015. A comparison with the revised TDI recently opened for comments by EFSA is also discussed. Regarding the occupational field, results indicate that the risk from occupational exposure to both bisphenols cannot be disregarded.

Application of three risk assessment methods to noise risk assessment in an automobile foundry enterprise

Objective: To explore the applicability of three different kinds of noise occupational health risk assessment methods to the occupational health risk assessment of noise exposed positions in an automobile foundry enterprise. Methods: In July 2020, the occupational-health risk assessment of noise-exposed positions was conducted by using the Guidelines for risk management of occupational noise hazard (guideline method) , the International Commission on Mining and Metals Guidelines for Occupational Health Risk Assessment (ICMM) method and the Occupational-health risk index method (index method) respectively, and the results were analyzed and compared. Results: Through the occupational health field investigation, the noise exposure level of the enterprise's main workstations was between 80.3 and 94.8 dB (A) , among which the noise of the posts of shaking-sand, cleaning and modeling was greater than 85 dB (A) ; The noise risk of each position was evaluated by the three methods, and the adjustment risk level was between 2 and 5 assessed using the guideline method, between 2 and 3 assessed using the index method, and 5 evaluated using the ICMM model. Conclusion: Each of the three risk assessment methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. The ICMM model has a large difference in value assignment, and values in the results are larger than expected. The evaluation results of the guideline method and the index method are consistent in some positions, there is certain subjectivity in the evaluation using the index method, and the guideline method is more objective.

Interference thresholds for active implantable cardiovascular devices in occupational low-frequency electric and magnetic fields: a numerical and in vitro study

In light of concerns regarding the occupational safety and health of workers wearing active implantable medical devices (AIMDs), this study aims to investigate the potential risks of electromagnetic interference (EMI) between AIMDs and low-frequency 50/60 Hz electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the workplace. A total of 58 AIMDs, consisting of pacemakers (PMs) and implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) of different brands, models, and configurations were tested to determine the immunity thresholds for high-voltage electric fields (EFs) and magnetic fields (MFs) at 50/60 Hz. The EFs and MFs at the levels in workplaces are reproduced by setups using Helmholtz coils and aluminum plates, respectively, to ensure that the EM/MF exposures are controllable and reproducible. The EMI thresholds were recorded by observing the occurrences of PM or ICD dysfunctions. In addition, numerical studies on anatomical models were carried out using CST® software. The results indicate that the recorded thresholds all exceed the EF and MF public exposure limits given in the ICNIRP 2010 guidelines. No dysfunction was observed among four ICDs tested under MF exposure up to 2750 µT at 50 Hz and 2480 µT at 60 Hz. However, among the 43 PMs and 11 ICDs tested under EF exposures, potential hazards may occur below the occupational exposure level proposed in the ICNIRP guidelines.

Educational Plans of Applicants of the Russian Province

The article is based on the materials of a field study conducted in the framework of the research project “Admission to a university in 2020: factors of choice, trends and prospects of the admission campaign (on the example of the Volgograd region).” The purpose of the article is to determine the trends in the professional plans of school graduates in the Volgograd region. The article discusses the results of a questionnaire survey of school graduates of the regional center and municipal districts of the Volgograd region. The study showed that school graduates in the Volgograd region are focused on getting education in Volgograd, and graduates of Volgograd schools – at the universities in major cities. Educational migration is carried out in stages: first from rural areas and small towns to large cities, and then from large cities to major cities and capital cities. The region’s school graduates are characterized by the first stage of migration, and the Volgograd school graduates – the second. The choice of the city of study depends on the area of residence. However, the geographical factor is not dominant. Information technology is one of the most attractive fields of professional occupation for school graduates in Volgograd whilst school graduates in the Volgograd region are much less focused on choosing IT educational programs. The main internal parameters that influence the choice of an educational institution by applicants in Volgograd and Volgograd region, are equal. They are the number of budget places, USE passing score and the quality of education at university. At the same time, regional applicants pay relatively more attention to the cost of education, which is associated with a lower level of material prosperity among families in municipal districts, in comparison with families in the regional center.

ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE LEVELS OF CLEANING PRODUCT MANUFACTURING FACTORY WORKERS TO ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS.

Determination of the levels of the electromagnetic field of frequency between 0Hz and 300GHz bands in the working area and the evaluation of the results measured in terms of international standards is now essential according to the regulation of working safety and health. In this study, electromagnetic field measurements were performed in a cleaning product manufacturing factory with 400 workers. Electric and magnetic field measurements were performed at 10 different departments of the factory with extremely low-frequency and broadband (radiofrequency) frequencies. Obtained values are shown and analysed with graphs and compared by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and National Information Technology and Communication Authority (Turkey) limits. Also, an assessment is made for the occupational electromagnetic field levels in the factory and recommendations are suggested for the lowest risk occurrence and providing a healthier working environment for workers.

Job-field underemployment and its impact on the demand for higher education at the Israeli labor market

ABSTRACT This article explored the impact of the match between Israeli academics’ educational field and occupational field (job-field underemployment) on their decision-making regarding acquiring further academic degree. It found a greater willingness for further higher education acquirement among those whose educational and occupational fields are matched. The article’s unique contribution lies in showing job-field underemployment to be a very significant factor in the individual’s career decision-making process. As such, it underscore the importance of informed educational decisions for generating a resilient career path to cope with potential future career setbacks.

Algorithm to assess neutron HP(10) with estimation of uncertainties using Alnor albedo dosemeters: application in Brazilian nuclear power plants

The Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria (IRD) is implementing an automatic neutron individual monitoring system, which uses albedo dosemeters from the Alnor manufacturer. For practical purposes, the occupational neutron fields have been divided into four application areas, named N1, N2, N3 and N4, as recommended in the German standard DIN 6802-4. For each area, specific Workplace Correction Factor (WCF), as a function of the ratio between photon dose responses measured in the incident and albedo component of the albedo dosemeter (Di/Da), must be used. This study proposes an algorithm for evaluating the photons and neutrons HP(10) values for the Alnor albedo system. It uses WCF × Di/Da curves previously defined by the authors, using MCNPX code simulations of the neutron dosemeter response for several occupational neutron fields. The methodology for calculating all uncertainties involved in the photon and neutron HP(10) assessment is also shown. Before the routine use of this system at IRD, several tests and calibrations are being carried out. This manuscript presents a case study carried out at the Angra I and Angra II power plants in 14 different fields (N1 application area). The results of the Alnor system are compared with those from the albedo system currently in routine use at the IRD. The average value of the ratio between the measurements with the Alnor system and the IRD system was 0.97 for photon HP(10), and 0.84 for neutron HP(10). Considering an expanded uncertainty to 95% confidence level, all results agree with each other.