Improving health, safety, and profits in extended hours operations (shiftwork).

Circadian Technologies, Inc. (CIRCADIAN) is an international consulting firm that for over 20 yr has helped employees better cope with shiftwork, while ensuring their employers reduce costs and maximize profits. This paper describes two of the methods employed to reduce accidents, absenteeism, and turnover, while improving morale and productivity in extended hour operations (shiftwork).

Propagation of surface fissures in articular cartilage in response to cyclic loading in vitro.

Background: Mechanical overloading of synovial joints can damage the articular cartilage surface and may lead to osteoarthritis. However, causal links between mechanical and biological events in cartilage are poorly understood.

Objectives: To test the hypothesis that surface fissures in cartilage can propagate mechanically if the joint surface is subjected to vigorous cyclic loading.