Fatigue In Personnel Research Articles

Ergonomic design and efficiency of the innovative ambulance cabin for emergency medical services: operational indicators and impact on the quality of emergency care

The relevance of improving the efficiency of emergency medical care in the context of emergency medical services (EMS) necessitates the implementation of modern solutions. As part of the study, the ambulance cabin was optimized, ergonomic zoning was introduced, equipment placement was standardized, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) were developed.The purpose of the study. To compare the efficiency of emergency medical care provided in standard and optimized ambulance cabins, assessing the impact of ergonomic and zoning modifications on the time required for procedures, the quality of care, and the working conditions of medical personnel.Research objectives. An analysis of the impact of ambulance cabin ergonomics on the speed and quality of medical procedures, as well as an examination of the working conditions of medical personnel in the updated cabin to identify the advantages of implementing a systematic approach to space design.Materials and methods. The study focuses on designing a new ambulance cabin with an emphasis on ergonomics, zoning, and optimal equipment placement to enhance the efficiency of medical procedures. Methods of ergonomic and demographic analysis were applied to evaluate the functionality of cabin zones, alongside statistical data processing using Excel, specialized software packages, and Python.Results. Test data revealed that the use of the optimized ambulance cabin enhances the efficiency of emergency medical care. The time required for medical procedures in the updated cabin was reduced, improving the response speed of the team. A decrease in personnel fatigue and increased equipment accessibility were noted due to ergonomic zoning. The results also confirmed more comfortable working conditions for the medical team and a reduction in response times compared to the standard cabin.Conclusion. The results of the study hold significant scientific and practical value for emergency medical service professionals. The data obtained confirm the potential of implementing innovative solutions in ambulance design, enabling recommendations to improve working conditions for medical personnel and enhance the efficiency of emergency medical care delivery.

Future fire events are likely to be worse than climate projections indicate – these are some of the reasons why

Background Climate projections signal longer fire seasons and an increase in the number of dangerous fire weather days for much of the world including Australia. Aims Here we argue that heatwaves, dynamic fire–atmosphere interactions and increased fuel availability caused by drought will amplify potential fire behaviour well beyond projections based on calculations of afternoon forest fire danger derived from climate models. Methods We review meteorological dynamics contributing to enhanced fire behaviour during heatwaves, drawing on examples of dynamical processes driving fire behaviour during the Australian Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20. Results Key dynamical processes identified include: nocturnal low-level jets, deep, unstable planetary boundary layers and fire–atmosphere coupling. Conclusions The future scenario we contend is long windows of multi-day fire events where overnight suppression is less effective and fire perimeters will expand continuously and aggressively over multiple days and nights. Implications Greater overnight fire activity and multi-day events present strategic and tactical challenges for fire management agencies including having to expand resourcing for overnight work, manage personnel fatigue and revise training to identify conditions conducive to unusually active fire behaviour overnight. Effective messaging will be critical to minimise accidental fire ignition during heatwaves and to alert the community to the changing fire environment

Primena AHP i VIKOR metoda individualnog odlučivanja i Borda metoda grupnog odlučivanja pri izboru najefikasnijeg načina izvršenja pripremnog gađanja na rednom broju 1 dalekometnom puškom M-93 kalibra12,7 mm

Introduction/purpose: The paper presents the method of applying multi-criteria decision-making methods in order to improve shooting and select the most favorable conditions for shooting. Alternatives were ranked by individual multi-criteria decision-making methods AHP and VIKOR by experts, and then the most favorable alternative was selected using the Borda method of group decision making. The aim of the work is to select the most efficient way of shooting with minimal human fatigue, consumption of movable things and in the shortest possible time through a combination of multi-criteria decision-making methods, which will ensure the accuracy and precision of the rifle for subsequent shooting and other operations. Methods: The paper presents one of the ways of using multidisciplinary methods of multi-criteria decision making for a specific problem in the field of tactics with weapon systems. Experts from the field of armaments, using the AHP and VIKOR methods of individual multi-criteria decision making, selected the most favorable alternative in accordance with four given criteria. Then, by applying the Borda method of group decision making, the the most favorable alternative was selected - the most favorable conditions for the execution of preparatory shooting at serial number one with a 12.7 mm long range rifle. The alternatives are four shootings, namely, two ways of performing preparatory shooting with a 12.7 mm long range rifle at serial number one, one from the current Instructions and Program of Shooting with Infantry Weapons and the other newly proposed method, as well as two ways of realizing shooting for testing the accuracy and precision of a long range rifle. Results: The selection of the most effective conditions for the execution of the first initial preparatory shooting at serial number one with a long range rifle, which will ensure maximum accuracy of the weapon and the minimum consumption of resources - time, ammunition, targets, and personnel fatigue. Conclusion: The solution takes into account the simultaneous optimization of several criteria in order to select the most efficient way of performing preparatory shooting at serial number one in order to ensure rested and trained personnel as well as accurate and precise long range rifles for subsequent shootings, which leads to the maximum saving of resources, the satisfaction of personnel, and precise weapons.

Comparison of a Dynamic Model of Electric Arc Furnace with Actual Operation Data for Voltage Flicker Analysis in Electrical Power Network

Electric arc furnaces (EAFs) used in the iron and steel manufacturing industry for melting and refining scrap metals are one of the most disturbing loads that exhibit unbalanced and highly nonlinear characteristics. Serious voltage fluctuations occur in the power system as a result of the rapid change in the current drawn from the grid by the EAF. Voltage fluctuations lead to a power quality problem known as flicker, which is defined as observable changes in light sources that affect the production environment, cause eye fatigue in personnel, and lower the work concentration levels. To investigate the voltage flicker problem, an accurate mathematical model describing the behavior of the EAF load is required. In this study, a dynamic EAF model that can be adjusted to different operating conditions has been developed in the time domain. The electric arc voltage has been modeled as an externally controllable voltage source. The instantaneous arc voltage has been expressed as a function of the arc length independent of the current. The arc resistance, which varies with time and is nonlinear, has also been calculated with differential equations using the instantaneous arc voltage value. To measure the short-term flicker severity index caused by the EAF in the power system, a flicker meter in compliance with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61000-4-15 standard has been designed. The current-voltage characteristics of the EAF, its effect on the power system, and the flicker severity occurring at the point of common coupling (PCC) have been analyzed with simulation studies using the PSCAD/EMTDC software. Besides, the simulation results of the dynamic model of the EAF have been compared with the results obtained from the model based on the measured field data.

MAM Faster R-CNN: Improved Faster R-CNN based on Malformed Attention Module for object detection on X-ray security inspection

X-ray security inspection machine is currently the most widely used security inspection technology in our country. It is widely used in urban rail transit, railways, airports, key venues, logistics delivery and other scenarios. Using artificial intelligence technology to assist front-line security inspectors in X-ray security inspection can effectively reduce problems such as missed reports due to personnel fatigue or inattention. However, in actual scenes, the detection accuracy is not high due to the diversity of item types, the particularity of imaging angles, and the limitations of detection algorithms. In order to solve related problems, we propose MAM Faster R-CNN. First, in order to expand the receptive field of the feature map and effectively extract the regional features of the target object with shape distortion in the feature map, we propose the Malformed Attention Module (MAM). Secondly, the Large Kernel Attention (LKA) block is used to connect the corresponding backbone output feature layer to use the adaptive selection feature of self-attention module to better focus on the effective feature information in the feature map. Finally, for the neck part, we replace feature pyramid network (FPN) with path aggregation network (PAN), and add the Conv-MLP block to the bottom-up feature fusion part on the right side of the PAN network to reduce the loss of some low-level details. In this paper, the Faster R-CNN benchmark model with ResNet50 as the backbone network is used to evaluate our proposed MAM Faster R-CNN model on HiXray and OPIXray datasets, and the results show that it outperforms the SOTA detection method. We do ablation experiments on the HiXray dataset, and the results show that our proposed MAM Faster R-CNN improves about 2.0%, compared to baseline model (Faster R-CNN).

A Real-time Monitoring Method of Prestressed Tubular Piles Construction Based on Machine Vision

Prestressed tubular piles are a kind of workpiece commonly used in infrastructure construction of oil and other industries. The prestressed tubular piles shall be vertical to the ground at all times during installation. In engineering practice, professionals are usually required to monitor at all times. This method is easy to lead to personnel fatigue and error. Aiming to this, in this paper, a real-time monitoring method of prestressed tubular piles construction state based on machine vision is proposed and verified with the field data. The proposed method can realize the real-time vertical monitoring of prestressed tubular piles during installation. The research results can provide a reference for the assistance and automatic monitoring of the prestressed tubular piles installation process.

Identification of the flicker source in the power supply systems

THE PURPOSE. To consider issues related to the study of methods for determining the sources of violations of the quality of electrical energy in power supply systems, in particular consumers which create rapid voltage changes or voltage fluctuations that create rapid changes in the luminous flux in electric lighting installations. Show that electrical receivers with a sharply variable operating mode are sources of fluctuations in the consumed current and voltage in the electrical network of power supply systems, which in turn manifests itself in the form of unacceptable values of one of the indicators of the quality of electricity - flicker, defined as the subjective perception of fluctuations in the luminous flux of lighting devices. To study the possibilities of determining the places of occurrence of significant voltage fluctuations without the use of expensive and complex instruments for measuring flicker values in the electrical network. To develop a simplified method for determining the locations of electricity consumers that negatively affect the operation of electric lighting systems and, ultimately, the vision of personnel. Conduct a check on a computer model of a simplified method for determining the places of occurrence of voltage fluctuations that are inadmissible in their magnitude, which are expressed in the appearance of significant doses of flicker that exceed the standard values.METHODS. Solving the problem, a computer model was used, created in the Simulink extension package of the Matlab scientific and technical calculation system.RESULTS. The article describes the relevance of the problem, discusses the quality of electricity in power supply systems. It has been shown using experimental data that in electrical networks there is an excess of the standard values of flicker doses. The possibility of using interharmonic components of the mains voltage to determine the sources of unacceptable doses of flicker is considered. A simplified method for finding flicker sources based on obtaining the values of the derivatives of currents at various points of the electrical network is presented. Computer simulation of an electrical network diagram with electrical receivers, which have both calm and sharply variable nature of work, has been performed. It is shown that the use of the values of the derivatives of the current at various points of the electrical network makes it possible to identify the sources of the occurrence of unacceptable doses of flicker.CONCLUSION. The occurrence of significant rapid voltage changes in the electrical network negatively affects vision, which is inevitably accompanied by increased personnel fatigue and can lead to industrial injuries. The results obtained by the authors of the article show that it is possible to use it to determine the places of occurrence of large voltage fluctuations, which are manifested in unacceptable doses of flicker of the derivatives of currents. It should be taken into account when conducting surveys of power supply systems in order to use fairly simple hardware to identify sources of disturbance in the quality of electrical energy.

Is your physio tired? Exploring sleep deprivation in Irish physiotherapists

INTRODUCTION: Health professionals have been subject to increased levels fatigue when compared to population norms. It remains unknown if physiotherapists report high levels of sleep deprivation. This paper explores levels of sleep deprivation, and its potential impact on professional performance. METHODS: A survey was distributed through the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists. The survey explored work characteristics, sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, daytime sleepiness using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the professional and non-professional causes of sleep deprivation in the profession. Pearson correlation and independent t-tests were used on SPSS to explore relationship between variables. RESULTS: There was a total of 559 valid respondents. Females accounted for 82% and public sector employees accounted for 63% of respondents. Over half (50.1%) of respondents said they felt sleep deprivation impacted on their practice. Most physiotherapists (63.3%) of respondents said they did not feel that their practice impacted sleep. The PSQI global score was 5.6 indicating “poor” quality of sleep. The ESS global score was 6.0 indicating ‘higher normal daytime sleepiness’. Potential causes of sleep deprivation included professional issues relating to burnout and work-life balance, and non-professional reasons such as parenthood. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: A mismatch exists between self-reported sleep deprivation and validated measurements of sleep indicating poor self-awareness of the impact of sleep in optimising professional performance. A work-life balance is needed to facilitate a safe and efficient workforce. Individual and organizational efforts should be made to improve sleep quantity and quality to reduce personnel fatigue and enhance physiotherapists professional performance.

Assessment of fatigue in personnel during sustained operations using ‘SOAP’ – Sustained Operational Assessment Profile

Introduction: Sustained operations are the future of any advanced Air Force, which involve round the clock flying operations over a prolonged period. Such operations have the potential of disrupting normal sleep cycle and may cause fatigue among aircrew and ground duty personnel. It is well known that fatigue among crew member is a significant risk to aerospace safety. The present study was hence undertaken to quantify the subjective fatigue and its effects, among the personnel involved in a simulated exercise using Sustained Operations Assessment Profile (SOAP). Material and Methods: SOAP questionnaire, a validated tool, was used for data collection. In the first phase, 1521 personnel involved in the exercise, including aircrew as well as ground duty tradesmen completed the SOAP questionnaires twice during the simulated sustained military operation. The subjective ratings were statistically analyzed using the Wilcoxon matched paired test. The two levels of repeated measures being mean SOAP scores on day 2 and that on day 5. In the second phase, to ascertain differences in the subjective ratings of SOAP among different streams of pilots, data were recorded during another simulated sustained operation after 6 months. A total of 140 aircrew responded to the SOAP questionnaire during 6 days of sustained operations. SOAP score was acquired on day 1 and day 6 of the operations in the second phase. Results: A total of 3042 completed SOAP responses were analyzed. There was a significant increase in ratings of the three cardinal dimensions of SOAP among all personnel. The aircrew rated the subjective effects higher than maintenance or administrative support group. Among the aircrew, the fighter pilots rated significantly higher as compared to transport or helicopter aircrew. Conclusion: The study revealed significant changes in the cardinal dimensions of SOAP among the aircrew who were routinely not involved in shift work (especially fighter pilots). Scientifically designed “shift work” may be an effective strategy to mitigate effects of fatigue during sustained operations, hence, needs to be practiced as a routine by combat Air Force units.

On the issue of ship personnel fatigue as one of the significant causes of accidents on transport vessels

On the issue of ship personnel fatigue as one of the significant causes of accidents on transport vessels

Multitasking scheduling and due date assignment with deterioration effect and efficiency promotion

We investigate a multitasking scheduling and due date assignment problem with position-dependent deterioration effect and efficiency promotion. Multitasking scheduling allows the processing of a primary job being interrupted by the waiting jobs that are available but unfinished. The duration of processing a primary job is comprised of three parts: the processing time of the remaining part of the primary job, the interruption time denoting the time of the partial processing of the waiting jobs, and the switching time denoting the time during which no jobs are processed when the primary job being scheduled. We consider two behavioral factors which may affect the production efficiency. One is the position-dependent deterioration effect on primary jobs, and the other is the linear efficiency promotion on waiting jobs. The position-dependent deterioration effect means that the productivity deteriorates over time due to personnel fatigue, thereby increasing the actual processing times of primary jobs depending on their scheduled positions. The efficiency promotion indicates that switching between different jobs can keep them from being bored, thereby leading to an increase in productivity when operators tackle the interruption parts of waiting jobs. The due dates of jobs are decision variables in two well-known due date assignment models, i.e., the common and unrestricted due date assignment models. We study several scheduling criteria including the makespan, the total completion time, and two due date-related criteria. For each considered problem, we design an efficient polynomial time algorithm, and present the structural properties of the optimal schedules under different conditions considering the relationships between deterioration effect and efficiency promotion.

Chicken embryo fertility detection based on PPG and convolutional neural network

At present, when specific pathogen free(SPF) egg culture of viruses, a lot of manpower is needed to detect the fertility of chicken embryos, distinguish the three states of live, dead and weak, and then treat them separately. Moreover, due to personnel fatigue and other reasons, it is easy to cause misjudgment and omission, especially weak embryo is most prone to wrong judgment, resulting in resource waste. In this paper, a method based on PhotoPlethysmoGraphy(PPG) and convolutional neural network(CNN) is presented to determine the fertility of chicken embryo automatically, quickly and accurately, and the detection of weak embryo is proposed for the first time. In the experiment, 5000 samples are used as the training set and 1000 samples as the test set. After preprocessing, data are inputted into the independently designed convolutional neural network model to obtain classification results. The accuracy of chicken embryo classification reached 97.3 percent, including 100 percent live embryo, 98.33 percent dead embryo and 92.67 percent weak embryo. The experiment results show that the method of chicken embryo fertility detection based on PPG and convolutional neural network has high application value in the process of vaccine production.

Developing a Machine Vision Inspection System for Electronics Failure Analysis

Ball grid array (BGA) package components are widely used in various electronic products, as they shorten the conductive path and greatly reduce the interference during current transmission. The BGA component solder ball has little flexibility for distortion, which may cause stress concentration and solder joint cracking. Red ink dye stain analysis testing can visually analyze the cracking area and the interface of the solder joint. At present, most companies use failure analysis (FA) specialists to observe the components and circuit board end images with a microscope. As component packaging technology becomes more complex and the number of input–output (I/O) signals of the chip increases sharply, FA operations require a long time and may be misjudged due to personnel fatigue and subjective determination. This paper aims to develop a machine vision image recognition system for intelligent decision analysis to judge the severity of solder ball cracking and the cracking interface type. This system uses charge-coupled devices (CCDs) to obtain the image. First, this paper uses affine transformation compensation to perform horizontal correction, which recognizes the actual position coordinates of each solder joint, estimates the solder ball according to the Hough Circle to obtain the center and the radius of the solder ball, and then a 2-D vector map (Gerber) file is used to establish the mask, and the region of interest (ROI) in the image feature is obtained through the iterator of the pixel access program. Second, the color space is converted from red, green, and blue (RGB) to hue, saturation, and value (HSV) to reduce the effects of light variations during image capture. This paper develops the range analysis model (uses the multiple-threshold method to judge whether a particular pixel in an image has the cracking (color) feature, as well as its cracking interface), and uses a morphology filter to filter image noise (filter pixels of overlapping features). The verification results show that the system developed in this paper and FA specialists have a consistency of more than 85% in the judgment of the severity of the cracking, and the false alarm ratio and the escape ratio of the system are about 9% and 16%, respectively. Regarding the judgment result of the solder ball cracking interface type, the consistency reaches 98%, which shows that the automatic failure identification system for solder joints, as developed in this paper, can effectively assist red ink solder joint FA.

Guideline Implementation: Safe Patient Handling and Movement: 1.8 www.aornjournal.org/content/cme.

Physical stressors that occur with patient and equipment handling in the OR (eg, moving or lifting patients, carrying heavy instrument sets, prolonged standing) can contribute to musculoskeletal disorders for perioperative personnel. In addition to increasing patient safety, safe patient handling and movement (SPHM) programs have been shown to reduce the risk and severity of injuries, workers' compensation costs, and personnel fatigue and to increase health care workers' morale and quality of life. The AORN "Guideline for safe patient handling and movement" provides guidance for implementing an SPHM program. This article discusses key takeaways from the guideline, including forming an interdisciplinary team to oversee the SPHM program, selecting safe patient handling technologies and equipment, and assessing the unique needs of each patient to develop an individualized plan for SPHM. Perioperative RNs should review the complete guideline for additional information and for guidance when writing and updating policies and procedures.

A survey of the relationship between work schedule and its effect on the fatigue of rescue personnel in Isfahan with a standard method of CIS202.

Context:Fatigue is a factor that can have negative effects on family life, social relationship and work. Work schedule is one of the affective factors on personnel's fatigue in different jobs. In this study, the work schedule and its effect on rescue personnel in Isfahan are explored.Aims:The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between work schedules and fatigue among rescue personnel.Settings and Design:This study is periodical and has been conducted on 72 employees of rescue personnel in Isfahan.Materials and Methods:Random sampling was done and the primary data that was collected through fatigue assessment questionnaire after being conducted as a pilot study on 10% of samples were collected to confirm the validity of this study. Finally, the data was given to SPSS11.5 software and were analyzed by descriptive statistics and linear digression.Results:The results showed that from the statistical point of view some parts of work schedules like work hours satisfaction, resting time and work order on total fatigue are effective in linear and inverse way but the item “predictibility of work conditions” does not have a meaningful relationship with total fatigue. Furthermore, the results showed that there is a meaningful and inverse relationship with work hours, resting time and work order with mental fatigue and also the work schedule has a meaningful, linear and inverse relation with mental fatigue and total fatigue.Conclusions:By increasing the satisfaction of working hours, increasing resting time and also with an increase of work order the total fatigue of rescue personnel will decrease.

Assessment of the Productivity of Nighttime Asphalt Paving Operations

AbstractPerforming highway construction operations during nighttime hours has emerged as a response to traffic congestions caused by daytime lane closures. Work zone conditions at night may be different from those during the day, and nighttime factors that affect project metrics (i.e., safety, quality, and productivity) should be carefully considered during the planning of nighttime projects. Currently, there is no methodology for quantifying the effects of nighttime factors on the productivity of construction operations. The objective of this study therefore is to create such a methodology, specifically for asphalt paving projects, focusing on visibility, personnel fatigue, and glare. The methodology is demonstrated using an example case. First, nighttime qualitative (subjective) factors affecting the productivity of asphalt paving operations are identified. A productivity index (PI) is then estimated to account for these factors. The PI value is subsequently used to modify the baseline productivity simu...

Effect of lumbar protective belt on prevention of low back fatigue in personnel during simulated driving

To observe low back fatigue of subjects before and after simulated driving, and to study the role of the belt used in prevention of low back fatigue of drivers during driving. To assess the changes in median frequency (MF), mean power frequency (MPF) of surface electromyogram (SEMG), and flicker frequency, visuognosis persistence of drivers with and without protective belt in simulated driving. There were significant differences in MF [(47.35 +/- 6.07), (39.26 +/- 5.79), (47.21 +/- 6.02), (43.44 +/- 6.26) Hz respectively], MPF [(69.86 +/- 7.08), (59.12 +/- 7.19), (69.86 +/- 7.08), (63.88 +/- 7.49) Hz respectively] between before and after simulated driving without or with the special belt (P < 0.01). But no differences in MF or MPF between without and with the belt before simulated driving were found (P > 0.05). The flicker frequency [(35.64 +/- 2.82), (42.31 +/- 4.68), (35.96 +/- 3.05), (39.79 +/- 3.36) Hz], visuognosis persistence (65.77% +/- 3.94%, 56.83% +/- 5.68%, 65.88% +/- 3.92%, 62.27% +/- 2.91%) had some changes too. Simulated diving could induce fatigue of back muscle in drivers. However, the protective belt can effectively prevent low back fatigue of drivers in simulated driving.

Rolling Fours: Novel Work Schedule

Rolling fours is a work scheduling scheme that will shorten the duration of the construction phase of a project by approximately 30–45%. It calls for working every calendar day, but avoids personnel fatigue by cycling two different groups of employees every four days. The history, application, terminology, work-hours, scheduling, wage and salary rates, and pertinent statutes related to rolling fours are discussed. Organization and management of an actual project are presented. Actual progress employing two ten-hour shifts per day under a rolling fours schedule is compared to the originally planned two ten-hour shifts, five days per week schedule. 46% more work was performed using rolling fours than would have been performed under the original schedule.

Negative-pressure flexible film isolator for work with class IV viruses in a maximum security laboratory

Summary A negative-pressure flexible film isolator for laboratory use and suitable for work with dangerous viruses is described. It has been used for working with Ebola, Lassa and Congo Krim viruses during a 10 month period. Supplying and unloading of the isolator through the supply port with a plastic bag system has proved successful. Most routine virological procedures can be carried out. The type of gloves, the elbow support and the metal base plate inside the isolator have all contributed in reducing fatigue in personnel while they were using the apparatus. Using an inverted microscope standing outside the isolator has enabled cell culture reading to be carried out comfortably.