Relationship between occupational stress injury score and simulated patient-care scenario performance among experienced paramedics.

Background: It is well-known that psychosocial health status of paramedics may be altered by their job demands. However, it is unknown whether psychosocial health status can affect occupational performance.

Objective: The goal of this study was to explore whether a paramedic's symptom severity of Occupational Stress Injury (OSI) was related to simulated patient-care performance.

Extrinsic Point Defects in Low-Positive Thermal Expansion AlWO and Their Effects on Thermal and Optical Properties.

AMO-type ceramics are potentially useful in a variety of applications due to their peculiar thermal and mechanical properties. In addition, their intrinsic coefficients of thermal expansion can be finely tuned through different mechanisms. Despite the great influence of extrinsic point defects on physical properties, only a few reports have dealt with their relationship to thermal expansion and thermal conductivity.

Phase Transition and Coefficients of Thermal Expansion in AlInWO (0.2 ≤ ≤ 1).

Materials from theO family are known for their extensive chemical versatility while preserving the polyhedral-corner-shared orthorhombic crystal system, as well as for their consequent unusual thermal expansion, varying from negative and near-zero to slightly positive. The rarest are near-zero thermal expansion materials, which are of paramount importance in thermal shock resistance applications. Ceramic materials with chemistry AlInWO ( = 0.

Occupational health profile of Canadian Maritimes truck drivers.

Background: There are over 12,000 professional truck drivers in the Canadian Maritime provinces, with the majority being in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Previous studies have focused on the health of Canadian and American truck drivers but the occupational health status of truck drivers in the Maritime Provinces remains undocumented.

Objective: The objective of this cross-sectional study was to provide a general, occupational health and demographic characteristics description of professional truck drivers in the Maritimes.

Exploration of the health status of experienced New Brunswick paramedics.

Background: Literature reports that paramedics represent an at-risk occupation for the development of health problems. At least half of the paramedic population presents at least one risk factor associated with a negative health condition. These reports may suffer a "mono-method bias" where most reported outcomes are based on a single screening tool approach (may attenuate or inflate the prevalence).

Physiological responses during paramedics' simulated driving tasks.

Background: Most ambulance collisions happen in emergency driving conditions and are caused by human factors.

Objective: This study investigated the influence of human factors associated with time pressure, patient-care intervention, and health status on the physiological responses of simulated emergency driving tasks.

Methods: A cohort of seventeen experienced paramedics performed a battery of three simulated diving tasks.

Data supporting micromechanical models for the estimation of Young's modulus and coefficient of thermal expansion of titanate nanotube/YWO/HDPE ternary composites.

This article presents several micromechanical models to predict the Young's modulus and the coefficient of thermal expansion of titanate nanotube/YWO/HDPE composites. The equations and assumptions of the selected micromechanical models are described in detail for this ternary system. Data of the elastic constants, coefficient of thermal expansion of composite components and other associated parameters, obtained either by literature survey or processing of literature information, are compiled in this work.

Exploring simulated driving performance among varsity male soccer players.

It is documented that male athletes display riskier behaviors while driving (as well as in life in general) than female athletes and nonathletes. However, the literature has reported that athletes show better driving ability than nonathletes. This paradox between behaviors and abilities motivated the present study to further understand the collision risk of varsity athletes.

Quantitative feature analysis of continuous analytic wavelet transforms of electrocardiography and electromyography.

Theoretical and practical advances in time-frequency analysis, in general, and the continuous wavelet transform (CWT), in particular, have increased over the last two decades. Although the Morlet wavelet has been the default choice for wavelet analysis, a new family of analytic wavelets, known as generalized Morse wavelets, which subsume several other analytic wavelet families, have been increasingly employed due to their time and frequency localization benefits and their utility in isolating and extracting quantifiable features in the time-frequency domain. The current paper describes two practical applications of analysing the features obtained from the generalized Morse CWT: (i) electromyography, for isolating important features in muscle bursts during skating, and (ii) electrocardiography, for assessing heart rate variability, which is represented as the ridge of the main transform frequency band.

A pre/post evaluation of fatigue, stress and vigilance amongst commercially licensed truck drivers performing a prolonged driving task.

. The main purpose of this research study was to evaluate changes in fatigue, stress and vigilance amongst commercially licensed truck drivers involved in a prolonged driving task. The secondary purpose was to determine whether a new ergonomic seat could help reduce both physical and cognitive fatigue during a prolonged driving task.

Crystal Structure and Properties of Imidazo-Pyridine Ionic Liquids.

Computational studies were performed on novel protic ionic liquids imidazolium-[1,2-a]-pyridine trifluoroacetate [ImPr][TFA] synthesized by the reaction of imidazo-[1,2a]-pyridine (ImPr) with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), and on fused salt imidazolium-[1,2-a]-pyridine maleamic carbonate [ImPr][Mal] synthesized by reaction of ImPr with maleamic acid (Mal). Synthesis was performed as one-pot reactions, which applies green chemistry tenets. Both these compounds begin to decompose at 180°C.

Ergonomic evaluation of a new truck seat design: a field study.

A postural evaluation of commercial licensed truck drivers was conducted to determine the ergonomic benefits of a truck seat prototype in comparison with an industry standard seat. Twenty commercially licensed truck drivers were recruited to perform a 90-min driving task. Postures were assessed using accelerometers and a backrest and seat pan pressure mapping system.

Biomechanical investigation of prolonged driving in an ergonomically designed truck seat prototype.

A postural evaluation during a prolonged driving task was conducted to determine the ergonomic validity of a new freely adjustable truck seat prototype. Twenty participants were recruited to perform two 2-h simulated driving sessions. Postures were assessed using motion capture, accelerometers and pressure pads.

Assessing heart rate variability through wavelet-based statistical measures.

Because of its utility in the investigation and diagnosis of clinical abnormalities, heart rate variability (HRV) has been quantified with both time and frequency analysis tools. Recently, time-frequency methods, especially wavelet transforms, have been applied to HRV. In the current study, a complementary computational approach is proposed wherein continuous wavelet transforms are applied directly to ECG signals to quantify time-varying frequency changes in the lower bands.

Effects of an aerobic exercise program on driving performance in adults with cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been linked to decreases in driving performance and an increased crash risk. Regular exercise has been linked to improved driving performance among healthy adults. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program and driving performance among individuals with CVD.

Origins of ultralow thermal conductivity in bulk [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM).

Bulk PCBM has exceptionally low thermal conductivity, 0.07 W m(-1) K(-1) at room temperature. We show that its ultralow thermal conductivity is an intrinsic property.

Effect of Low Frequency Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Glucose Profile of Persons with Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Study.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of low-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on glucose profile in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Eight persons with T2DM (41 to 65 years) completed a glucose tolerance test with and without NMES delivered to the knee extensors for a 1-hour period at 8 Hz. Three blood samples were collected: at rest, and then 60 and 120 minutes after consumption of a glucose load on the NMES and control days.

Driving performance on the descending limb of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in undergraduate students: a pilot study.

Young drivers are overrepresented in collisions resulting in fatalities. It is not uncommon for young drivers to socially binge drink and decide to drive a vehicle a few hours after consumption. To better understand the risks that may be associated with this behaviour, the present study has examined the effects of a social drinking bout followed by a simulated drive in undergraduate students on the descending limb of their BAC (blood alcohol concentration) curve.

Determination of phase stability of elemental boron.

Boron is an important element, used in applications from superhard materials to superconductors. Boron exists in several forms (allotropes) and, surprisingly, it was not known which form (α or β) is stable at ambient conditions. Through experiment, we quantify the relative stability of α-boron and β-boron as a function of temperature.

Magnetic phase transitions and magnetic entropy in the antiferromagnetic pyrochlores (Er Y )TiO.

We present the results of experimental determination of the heat capacity of the pyrochlore ErTiO as a function of temperature (0.35-300 K) and magnetic field (up to 9 T), and for magnetically diluted solid solutions of the general formula (Er Y )TiO (≤0.471).

Influence of guest loading on thermal properties of NaxSi136 clathrates.

Thermal properties of a series of type II clathrates of the formula NaxSi136 with 0 < x < 24 and Na guests occupying the Si cages have been investigated over the temperature range from 2 to 300 K. Heat capacity and thermal conductivity results show that the structure is remarkably responsive to the loading of Na guests. The response is phononic: the host lattice expands in a non-monotonic way, and first stiffens, then relaxes at low loading into the larger Si28 cages (x < 9), then stiffens again as the Na concentration increases further.

Body position differentially influences responses to exogenous and endogenous cues.

The influence of vestibular inputs on exogenous (Exp. 1) and endogenous (Exp. 2) orienting of visual attention was examined.

Investigating the autonomic nervous system and cognitive functions as potential mediators of an association between cardiovascular disease and driving performance.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) impacts the autonomic nervous system and cognitive functions related to activities of daily living, including driving an automobile. Although CVD has been linked to unsafe driving, mechanisms underlying this relationship remain elusive. The aim of this study was to examine the role of cognitive functions and the autonomic nervous system as potential mediators of driving performance.

Physiological responses to simulated and on-road driving.

Driving simulators have become an increasingly popular tool to study and assess drivers. Physiological measurements not only provide an important index of an individual's presence in the virtual environment, but they also permit us to compare simulated and on-road experiences. However, at this point, few studies examining the ecological validity of simulated driving have included physiological variables.

Novel method to produce single-walled carbon nanotube films and their thermal and electrical properties.

Single-walled carbon nanotube films are promising candidates for applications requiring transparent conductors due to their low sheet resistance and high transparency in the visible region. Vacuum filtration is a common and easy to implement technique to produce such films but it is complicated by the need to transfer the films to desired substrates. Here we report conditions under which single-walled carbon nanotube films produced by vacuum filtration detach from the filter membrane upon submersion into water, providing a facile method to transfer filtration-produced nanotube films to desired substrates.