Exploring simulated driving performance among varsity male soccer players

Background: 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.

Objective: The current study estimates the performance differences between varsity male soccer players and male undergraduate nonathletes on (1) a driving task and (2) three perceptual–cognitive tasks (associated with collision risk prediction; i.e., Useful Field of View [UFOV] test).

Methods: Thirty-five male undergraduate students (15 varsity soccer players, 20 undergraduate nonathletes) took part in this study. Driving performance was assessed during 14?min of urban commuting using a driving simulator. While completing the simulated driving task and UFOV test, the physiological responses were monitored using an electrocardiograph (ECG) to document heart rate variability (HRV).

Results: Varsity soccer players showed more risky behaviors at the wheel compared to their nonathlete student peers. Varsity soccer players spent more time over the speed limit, committed more driving errors, and adopted fewer safe and legal behaviors. However, no difference was observed between both groups on driving skill variables (i.e., vehicle control, vehicle mobility, ecodriving). For subtests 1 and 2 of the UFOV (i.e., processing speed, divided attention), both groups performed identically (i.e., 17?ms). The nonathlete group tended to perform better on the selective attention task (i.e., subtest 3 of UFOV test; 63.2?±?6.2?ms vs. 87.2?±?10.7?ms, respectively; this difference was not significant, P = .76).

Conclusion: Preventive driving measures should be enforced in this high-risk population to develop strategies for risk reduction in male team athletes.     

Pushing,pulling and manoeuvring an industrial cart: a psychophysiological study

One of the most frequent manual occupational tasks involves the pushing and pulling of a cart. Although several studies have associated health risks with pushing and pulling, the effects are not clear since occupational tasks have social, cognitive and physical components. The present work investigates a real case of a pushing and pulling occupational task from a manufacturing company. The study initially characterizes the case in accordance with Standard No. ISO 11228-2:2007 as low risk. An experiment with 14 individuals during three modalities of pushing and pulling was performed in order to further investigate the task with the application of electrophysiology. At the end, a simple questionnaire was given. The results show electrophysiological differences among the three modalities of pushing and pulling, with a major difference between action with no load and fully loaded with a full range of motions on the cart to handle.     

Characteristics and clinical outcomes of head-injured cyclists with and without helmets in urban and rural areas of Taiwan: A 15-year study

Objective: Bicycle riding is increasingly popular in Taiwan, but the number of cyclists injured and cyclists' death rates are both increasing. The aim of this study was to investigate the different characteristics and clinical outcomes of traffic accident–related head injuries among cyclists in urban and rural areas.

Methods: Records of 812 patients (533 urban and 279 rural) admitted to 27 hospitals in Taipei City and Hualien County as the result of a traumatic head injury while bicycling between 1998 and 2013 were retrieved for study. Demographics, details about the accident, protective helmet use, and clinical outcomes were then subjected to analysis.

Results: Urban victims were more likely to be injured during morning and early evening rush hours and rural victims during the day; most urban victims were between 19 and 34 years of age and injured in the slow lane; rural victims tended to be younger or older and were injured in the fast lane (all P ≤.001). Riders who wore a helmet were less likely to suffer loss of consciousness (odds ratio [OR] = 0.31), amnesia (OR = 0.069), neurological disorders (OR = 0.205), or facial fractures (OR = 0.369). Older age, more severe head injuries, and bicycle–motor vehicle collisions influenced the severity of symptoms on admission and the residual effects at discharge.

Conclusions: Differences in the characteristics of injuries in urban and rural areas and the utilization of protective helmets may help government authorities adopt appropriate policies to promote safer and more enjoyable cycling.     

Driver injury severity related to inclement weather at highway–rail grade crossings in the United States

Objective: Previous studies on crash modeling at highway–rail grade crossings were aimed at exploring the factors that are likely to increase the crash frequencies at highway–rail grade crossings. In recent years, modeling driver's injury severity at highway–rail grade crossings has received interest. Because there were substantial differences among different weather conditions for driver's injury severity, this study attempts to explore the impact of weather influence on driver injury at highway–rail grade crossing.

Method: Utilizing the most recent 10 years (2002–2011) of highway–rail grade crossing accident data, this study applied a mixed logit model to explore the determinants of driver injury severity under different weather conditions at highway–rail grade crossing.

Results: Analysis results indicate that drivers' injury severity at highway–rail grade crossings is strongly different for different weather conditions. It was found that the factors significantly impacting driver injury severity at highway–rail grade crossings include motor vehicle speed, train speed, driver's age, gender, area type, lighting condition, highway pavement, traffic volume, and time of day.

Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that crashes are more prevalent if vehicle drivers are driving at high speed or the oncoming trains are high speed. Hence, a reduction in speed limit during inclement weather conditions could be particularly effective in moderating injury severity, allowing more reaction time for last-minute maneuvering and braking in moments before impacts. In addition, inclement weather-related crashes were more likely to occur in open areas and highway–rail grade crossings without pavement and lighting. Paved highway–rail grade crossings with installation of lights could be particularly effective in moderating injury severity.     

Anthropometric hand dimensions in a population of Iranian male workers in 2012

Background. The mismatch between the hand size of workers and the size of industrial instruments is a growing concern; it can lead to various musculoskeletal complications. Currently, there are few reliable studies available to address this concern in Iran. This study was conducted to measure 30 upper-extremity parameters in a group of Iranian industrial workers. Methods. This study is a cross-sectional study on 529 workers. The study population was randomly selected from male Iranian industrial workers who were referred to the Yazd hospital occupational medicine clinic for surveillance evaluations. Results. The M (SD) age of the participants was 30.13 (8.29) years. Statistical analysis was performed using the mean, standard deviation and 5th, 50th and 90th percentiles for each measured hand dimension. A considerable number of dimensions were significantly different between the measurements of right and left hands in each examinee. The results showed significant differences between Iranian hand size and that of other populations. Conclusion. This study provided a valuable databank of hand dimensions in a population of Iranian male workers. These data can be used by manufacturers in designing high-quality hand-tools and industrial gloves, taking into consideration Iranian worker characteristics.     

Fuel cell system with sodium borohydride hydrogen generator for small unmanned aerial vehicles

A 100 W proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system with a sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) hydrogen generator was investigated for small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The performance of a cobalt–phosphorous/nickel foam catalyst was evaluated to determine the change in catalytic activity under real operating conditions. The response time increased owing to oxidation of the metals and accumulation of sodium; however, the catalyst remained active at high reaction temperatures. A NaBH₄ hydrogen generator with the catalyst was developed for a 100 W PEMFC system. The hydrogen generation rate was stable for 3 h, and the conversion efficiency was 97.8%. Finally, a 100 W PEMFC system with the NaBH₄ hydrogen generator was investigated for small UAVs. The maximum power and energy density of the PEMFC system were 95.96 W and 185.2 Wh/kg, respectively.     

Prenatal diagnosis of smith–lemli–opitz syndrome is possible by measurement of 7-dehydrocholesterol in amniotic fluid

Amniocentesis was performed at 17.3 weeks in a pregnancy with severe intrauterine growth retardation. Cytogenetic studies on amniocytes were normal, 46,XX, and the pregnancy was continued. The diagnosis of Smith–Lemli–Opitz syndrome was suspected in the neonatal period and confirmed by the presence of 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) in the plasma (0.4 mmol/l, normal = not detectable) associated with a low total cholesterol concentration (0.4 mmol/l, normal = 2.56 ± 0.23). Retrospective analysis of the amniotic fluid sample revealed an elevated level of 7-DHC (0.022 mmol/l; normal = undetectable). Therefore measurement of 7-DHC levels in amniotic fluid during the second trimester of pregnancy is useful for the prenatal diagnosis of Smith–Lemli–Opitz syndrome in families at risk and should be considered in cases of severe growth retardation of unknown aetiology for which amniotic fluid is available and in which a normal chromosomal pattern in amniocytes is present.     

Second trimester prenatal diagnosis of the Jarcho-Levin syndrome

The Jarche–Levin syndrome (spondylothoracic dysostosis) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a short neck, short trunk and a constricted thorax due to multiple rib and vertebral defects; other visceral malformations are occasionally present. Most cases die in infancy due to respiratory failure. In this report we describe two cases in one family from the United Kingdom. Prenatal diagnosis by ultrasound examination during the second trimester was successfully accomplished in the second case.     

Increased incidence of cytogenetic abnormalities in chorionic villus samples from pregnancies established by in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF–ET)

We studied 201 pregnancies that were established by in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF–ET) and compared the frequency of cytogenetic abnormalities with that found in a large control population matched for indication group (advanced maternal age) and time of sampling. A total of 252 IVF–ET fetuses were cytogenetically analysed by either chorionic villus sampling (CVS; n = 80) or amniocentesis (n = 172). Eleven chromosome abnormalities were found in the CVS group (13·8 per cent); among them, a 45, X/46, X, dic(q11)/46, X, del(Y)(q11) mosaic that was found in an IVF pregnancy established by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), four cases of trisomy 21, and three cases of trisomy 7 confined to the placenta. The results indicate a statistically significant three-to five-fold increase in both confined placental abnormalities (P<0·008) and true fetal chromosome anomalies (P<0·04). In the amniocentesis group, identical rates (1·7 per cent) of chromosome abnormalities were found in the IVF–ET and control groups. It is concluded that late first trimester, but not early second trimester, IVF–ET pregnancies are characterized by an increased frequency of cytogenetic abnormalities found at prenatal diagnosis.     

曝气生物滤池（BAF）在处理蓝莓果酒废水中的应用

蓝莓果酒生产废水的水质、水量季节性差异很大,污染物浓度较高,属中浓度有机废水,直接排放将对环境造成严重污染。采用曝气生物滤池工艺废水中CODcr、BOD5、SS去除率分别可达95%、97%、89%,系统运行稳定,处理效果较好。