A Comparative Ergonomics Postural Assessment of Potters and Sculptors in the Unorganized Sector in West Bengal,India

Potters and sculptors perform their work in very awkward postures. The purpose of this study was to analyse these postures. The modified Nordic questionnaire was used to analyse musculoskeletal discomfort. Rapid entire body assessment (REBA) and rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) were used to evaluate the subjects’ postures. There were no significant differences between times of discomfort and the group of subjects. However, there were significant differences in discomfort in different body parts. The analysis indicated that various body postures were harmful to the subjects and that there were profound deviations from natural curvature of various body parts due to awkward body postures. Ergonomics intervention was required to improve the quality of life.     

Spatial and temporal variation in the size at maturity of the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus George

The sizes at which female and male western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus become mature were examined over 32 years from records at six localities along the coast of Western Australia. The size of males at maturity was estimated from a subset of these data by a morphometric and a physiological method, with both producing statistically similar results. Males were larger at first maturity than females at the same sites. For both sexes, the sizes at first maturity at each location correlated (P<0.05) with the mean annual water temperature at that location, decreasing from south to north along the mainland coast and being smallest at the offshore Abrolhos Islands. Smaller sizes at maturity were recorded for both sexes than have been published previously. One certain explanation for these differences is that management measures protecting females with ovigerous setae have distorted size compositions and the ratio of immature to mature females, thereby increasing the likelihood of capturing small mature females. However, these fishing effects cannot fully account for the progressive decline in CL₅₀ observed over the past 20 years. Other possible hypotheses considered include increases in water temperature over this period, as well as whether this change could be consistent with a genotypic response caused by the selective removal of large lobsters combined with high exploitation rates.     

Car drivers with dementia: Different complications due to different etiologies?

Objective: Older drivers with dementia are an at-risk group for unsafe driving. However, dementia refers to various etiologies and the question is whether dementias of different etiology have similar effects on driving ability.

Methods: The literature on the effects of dementia of various etiologies on driving ability is reviewed. Studies addressing dementia etiologies and driving were identified through PubMed, PsychINFO, and Google Scholar.

Results and Conclusions: Early symptoms and prognoses differ between dementias of different etiology. Therefore, different etiologies may represent different likelihoods with regard to fitness to drive. Moreover, dementia etiologies could indicate the type of driving problems that can be expected to occur. However, there is a great lack of data and knowledge about the effects of almost all etiologies of dementia on driving. One could hypothesize that patients with Alzheimer's disease may well suffer from strategic difficulties such as finding a route, whereas patients with frontotemporal dementia are more inclined to make tactical-level errors because of impaired hazard perception. Patients with other dementia etiologies involving motor symptoms may suffer from problems on the operational level. Still, the effects of various etiologies of dementias on driving have thus far not been studied thoroughly. For the detection of driving difficulties in patients with dementia, structured interviews with patients but also their family members appear crucial. Neuropsychological assessment could support the identification of cognitive impairments. The impact of such impairments on driving could also be investigated in a driving simulator. In a driving simulator, strengths and weaknesses in driving behavior can be observed. With this knowledge, patients can be advised appropriately about their fitness to drive and options for support in driving (e.g., compensation techniques, car adaptations). However, as long as no valid, reliable, and widely accepted test battery is available for the assessment of fitness to drive, costly on-road test rides are inevitable. The development of a fitness-to-drive test battery for patients with dementia could provide an alternative for these on-road test rides, on condition that differences between dementia etiologies are taken into consideration.     

Availability estimation of a multi-state wind farm in fuzzy environment

Wind is one of the fastest growing renewable energy resources in the electric power system. Availability of wind energy is volatile in nature due to the stochastic behavior of wind speed and non-linear variation of the wind power curve of wind turbine generator. Because of this impression and uncertainty, the availability estimation of wind power has become a challenging issue. In this paper, Markov Fuzzy Reward technique has been proposed for finding out the reliability of wind farm by assessing the availability of wind power. According to this technique, availability of the wind power has been estimated considering wind farm and demand both as a multi-state system. In addition to the availability, different reliability indices such as the number of absolute failures, mean time to deficiency, and probability of failures of a wind farm have been assessed in a time horizon, which can provide useful information for the power system planner at wind farm installing stage. A comparison of this study reveals the efficacy of the proposed Markov Fuzzy Reward approach over the conventional Markov Reward approach.     

Effect of insolation and overhead canopy on macrozoobenthos of tropical freshwater ponds

Distribution and abundance of macrozoobenthic species were investigated in open and shaded sites of tropical freshwater pond ecosystems in Kolkata. Water temperature of open sites was higher than the shaded sites but transparency value was lower at the lighted sites presumably related with the production of phytoplankton in the presence of sunlight. Diversity of species was recorded highest (26 species) along with total benthos density (5999 no/m²) at slightly illuminated open site. Mean biomass was also highest at the slightly illuminated open site. Total benthos density of macrozoobenthos was lower at the fully shaded and fully lighted sites. The greater occurrence and abundance of most macrozoobenthic species-including total benthos density and biomass at the slightly illuminated open site was probably associated with microhabitat suitability supported by moderate presence of macrophytes. Higher quality food (algae and algal detritus) and thermal suitability as well as phototactic attraction of motile epibenthic gastropods and other organisms contribute to the greater abundance and production of biomass at this site.     

Managing the village-level open-access water resources in a region facing rapidly declining water availability

Growing population, human settlements, industrialization and intensification in groundwater-based cultivation have resulted in severe onslaught on underground aquifers in West Bengal, an eastern province of India with high population density. The present paper focuses on this water resource management issue. The study shows that traditional, village-level surface water reservoirs which for centuries had supplemented irrigation in addition to providing water for all sorts of domestic needs are now in doldrums. Through statistical analysis, the study shows that for all practical purposes, there is very little effective management of these precious open-access water resources. The situation calls for paradigm shift in policy on water resource management that entails development of community-based management catalyzed by government intervention, external agencies and NGOs under supervision and control of local elected bodies.     

Road and Rail Side Vegetation Management Implications of Habitat Use by Moose Relative to Brush Cutting Season

Plants cut at different times produce resprouts that vary in their nutritional value relative to when they are cut. To determine how vegetation management in transportation (road and rail) corridors at different times of the year could influence browse quality in the years following cutting, and how this could potentially influence encounters between herbivores and vehicles, we undertook a 3-year study. In 2001, at a wildlife viewing area near Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, we established a control area and treatment areas where shrubs and trees that are used as food by moose (Alces alces) were cut at the beginning of June, July, August, September, and October. In the fall, moose were most often observed browsing the resprouts of plants cut in August (years 1 and 2 post-treatment) and September (year 3). Cumulative winter track counts were highest in the uncut control area in the years following cutting. Spring pellet counts revealed that most pellets were deposited in the uncut (years 1 and 2) and August-cut (year 3) areas during winter. With the exception of the first year after cutting, browse removal by moose was highest for plants cut later in the growing season. Overall, our findings suggest that following cutting, plants cut later in the year are selected more often by moose relative to those cut earlier. To reduce browse use of corridor vegetation in areas where concerns for moose-vehicle collisions exist, we recommend that vegetation maintenance activities be conducted in the early summer months of June and July.     

Interaction between co‐solvents and algae in the residue dynamics of fenitrothion

Abstract

Fresh and estuarine water algae maintained in laboratory microcosms simulating river‐lake/estuary‐bay systems were exposed to ¹⁴C‐fenitrothion formulated with Atlox and tank mixed with Aerotex or Dowanol (11.5:1.5:1.5 w/v/v). Generally, the tank mix co‐solvents determined the amount of uptake and the array of derivatives formed by the algae. Typically, exposed to an Aerotex mix the ratio of ethyl acetate extractable (NP) fraction : ethyl acetate unextractable (P) fraction was as 3.5:1.0, exposed to a Dowanol mix the ratio was as 1.5:1.0. Within any comparable time period, fresh water algae turned over more of the C‐ring of fenitrothion than the estuarine genera. Turn‐over was enhanced when Aerotex was the tank mix co‐solvent.     

Influence of Cutting Time on Brush Response: Implications for Herbivory in Linear (Transportation) Corridors

An experiment was conducted to determine the influence the time of brush-cutting can have on plant regrowth and attractiveness to herbivores that browse in linear corridors. The influence of cutting time on leaf flush and senescence, shoot morphometry, and biomass was measured for 3 consecutive years after initial brush-cutting. Results indicate that morphological and phenological attributes of three woody deciduous plants were influenced by the timing of brush-cutting for up to 3 years after initial cutting. Brush-cutting generally stimulated plants to produce larger than normal shoots and delay leaf senescence. The degree to which plants were affected, however, varied with the timing of initial cutting and the species in question. Generally, plants cut later in the year resprouted more vigorously and were taller in the third year after cutting but produced less overall biomass than when cut earlier. In the years following brush-cutting, plants cut earlier flushed leaves earlier in the spring but delayed leaf senescence in the fall when compared to uncut controls. Results of these trials suggest that brush-cutting time influences plant response and several plant attributes known to influence plant attractiveness to moose and other herbivores. We therefore recommend that roadside and railside vegetation management plans consider the influence of cutting time on plant regrowth. Such considerations can ensure that brush is cut to reduce the attractiveness of plant regrowth in these linear corridors, reduce the utilization of such brush by herbivores, and, as such, mitigate collision risk between motorists and herbivores such as moose.     

Modeling of indoor air treatment of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans using high-efficiency particulate air-carbon filtration

A high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)-carbon filtration system was developed by the Access Business Group, LLC, to reduce the indoor levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). The HEPA filter removes the particle-bound PCDD/Fs, and the carbon filter removes the gaseous fraction. Because of the toxicity of PCDD/Fs, it is very difficult to handle them in the laboratory. In this study, mathematical modeling was performed to evaluate the performance of the HEPA-carbon filtration system for PCDD/Fs removal and to optimize its design and operation. The model was calibrated with experimental data conducted with toluene in a sealed room. Model simulations with four selected congeners demonstrated that it takes approximately 1 hr for the indoor air treatment system to reach the maximum removal efficiency and that the carbon air filter has a life time of 10(7) yr for dioxin removal. Given a zero emission from the HEPA filter, the overall removal efficiency is 78.7% for 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro dibenzo-p-dioxins, 89.8% for octa-chlorodibenzodioxin, 78% for tetra-chlorodibenzofuran, and 89.8% for octa-chlorodibenzofuran. The larger the mass emission from the HEPA filter, the lower the overall removal efficiency, and the larger the ratio of the filter flow rate (Q(f)) to the room flow rate (Q), the higher the overall removal efficiency. When the ratio of Q(f)/Q is 15, an overall removal efficiency of 90% can be reached for all four of the selected compounds. The removal of the four selected compounds does not change as the relative humidity increases < or = 90%.