Activity analysis: contributions to the innovation of projects for aircrafts cabins

This article presents results obtained from some ergonomics intervention in the project for the conception of aircraft's cabins. The study's aim is to analyze the contribution of the method adopted in the passengers' activities analysis in reference situations, real-use situations in aircraft's cabins, applied to analyze typical activities performed by people in their own environment. Within this perspective, the study shows two analyses which highlight the use of electronic device. The first analysis has been registered through a shooting filming in a real commercial flight. In the second one, the use is developed within the domestic environment. The same method has been applied in both contexts and it is based on activity analysis. Starting with the filming activity, postures and actions analysis, self-confrontation interviews, action course reconstruction and elaboration of postures envelopes. The results point out that the developed method might be applied to different contexts, evincing different ways of space occupation to meet human personal needs while performing an activity, which can help us with the anticipation of the users' needs, as well as indicate some innovation possibilities.     

基于公交站点的客流OD预测

一般公交规划中公交客流OD预测方法都是基于交通小区的,所以在分配时的OD出发点和到达点都是交通小区形心,这与实际的公交乘客出行特征存在一定误差。该文在交通小区公交客流OD基础上提出了一种利用交通小区内公交站点性质的,基于公交站点OD的预测方法,可以预测站点公交客流分布和进行准确的公交分配。     

The role of local actors in transforming the urban fringe

In interpreting the transformation of rural space, much attention has been given to the macro scale processes shaping capitalist society, particularly those of accumulation and uneven development. Often, the role of the individual and of local agency generally is relegated to that of a pawn. However, with the retreat of the central state from many domains, the role of the individual and particularly the local community in shaping development processes has received more and more attention. Proactive roles have been recognized increasingly for communities and individuals in relatively depressed regions as being an integral part of the emerging ‘new economy’, but the urban fringe has received little attention from this perspective. Glimpses of the role for local agency come partly from research into urban fringe agriculture over the past 20 years which has profiled the role of the individual farmer and farm family, but little progress has been made in the appreciation of locality, or socially constructed localized action space, in the urban fringe, particularly in its manifestation through the actions of local groups, organizations and communities. A conceptual framework is proposed to advance our understanding of local agency in the processes of differentiation within the urban fringe. Local agency acts upon the transformation of the local environment to become one of the driving forces behind the process of uneven development and, more generally, differentiation of urban fringe space.     

Ergonomic evaluation of a wheelchair transportation securement system

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) specifies guidelines covering the securement system and environment for wheeled mobility device (WhMD) passengers on the public bus system in the United States, referred to as the wheelchair tiedown and occupant restraint system (WTORS). The misuse or disuse of the WTORS system can be a source of injury for WhMD passengers riding the buses. The purpose of this study was to quantify the risks posed to the bus driver while performing the WTORS procedure using traditional ergonomic analysis methods. Four bus drivers completed the WTORS procedure for a representative passenger seated in three different WhMDs: manual wheelchair (MWC), scooter (SCTR), and power wheelchair (PWC). Potential work-related risks were identified using the four most applicable ergonomic assessment tools: PLIBEL, RULA, REBA, and iLMM. Task evaluation results revealed high levels of risk to be present to drivers during the WTORS procedure. The securement station space design and equipment layout were identified as contributing factors forcing drivers to adopt awkward postures while performing the WTORS task. These risk factors are known contributors to injury and the drivers could opt to improperly secure the passengers to avoid that risk.     

Configuring Action in Objects: From Mutual Space to Media Space

It has long been recognized that the material environment is an essential feature of the organization of social action and interaction. It is only recently, however, that we have witnessed a burgeoning body of empirical studies, from within both the social and cognitive sciences, that has begun to delineate the ways in which objects are socially constructed and feature in social relations and activities. Despite this growing interest in the object in social life, there remains a paucity of research concerned with how objects are reflexively constituted in and through social interaction. In this article, we consider how aspects of the material environment are rendered momentarily intelligible in and through interaction and the ways in which objects provide a resource for the recognition of the actions and activities of others. We examine interaction in both conventional working environments and new experimental spaces created through advanced telecommunication and communication technologies to reveal the ways in which the sense and significance of social actions and activities are embedded in, and inseparable from, the local ecology.     

Changing things for the better: the use of children and young people’s reference groups in social research

The use of reference groups made up of members of the population being researched has been encouraged within the qualitative research literature. This paper describes the use of reference groups made up of children and young people and promotes them as a space within which co-reflexive activities can help researchers reconsider their research approaches and assumptions, their methodologies and methods and the new knowledge created. The paper uses three case studies to highlight the benefits the authors have encountered as well as those identified by children and young people themselves.     

Responsive expression in living bodies: The power of invisible ‘real presences’ within our everyday lives together

In the past, in our talk of meanings, we have been used to thinking of them as working in terms of inner mental representations, and to thinking of such representations as passive objects of thought requiring interpretation in terms of shared rules, conventions or principles if their meaning is to be understood. This view of communication and understanding as ‘information processing’ has been hegemonic in social theory now for quite some time. Here, however, this paper will explore an alternative to it: the realm of expressive-responsive bodily activities occurring spontaneously between people in their meetings with each other. The spontaneous understandings occurring in this sphere ‘pre-date’, so to speak, the more self-conscious understandings we have as autonomous individuals. In this realm, in such meetings, direct and immediate, non-interpretational physiognomic or gestural forms of understanding can occur. Indeed, central to activities occurring between us in this sphere, is the emergence of dynamically unfolding structures of activity – ‘real presences’ in Steiner’s terms – in which all involved participate in ‘shaping’, and to all involved must be responsive in giving shape to their own actions. It is the agentic influence of these invisible but nonetheless felt presences that is explored in the paper. Their influence can be felt as acting upon us in a way similar to the expressions of more visible, and authoritative beings – in that they can directly ‘call’ us into action, issue us with ‘action guiding advisories’ and judge our subsequent actions accordingly with their ‘facial’ expressions or ‘tones’ of voice. This paper will explore how this form of participatory thought and understanding can help us to understand the ‘inner’ nature of our social lives together and the part played by our expressive-responsive activities in their creation.     

Approaches to gender-awareness raising: experiences in a government education project in Nepal

This article describes some of the main cultural influences on gender and education in Nepal and the fact that geographical and cultural factors determine the enrollment access of children, which is relatively high for both sexes at the primary level and very low for girls at the secondary level. Next, the paper summarizes the Nepal Secondary Education Development Project, which seeks to improve access to and quality of secondary education and introduced two distinct but complementary training initiatives to address gender-related inequalities: 1) the inclusion of a relatively conventional gender training unit within an in-service teacher-training unit to address the problems caused by the lack of women teachers, by exclusionary teaching styles, and by expectations that girls will not perform as well as boys in some subjects and 2) participatory gender-training workshops held in each of Nepal's development regions. The workshop outcomes are then considered in light of the gap that exists between awareness and action, suggestions that arose to promote change through decentralizing and democratizing the education process, and actions that have taken place since the workshops occurred. The article concludes with a consideration of the nature of gender training given that the very different activities described had similar results because participants were able to identity gender disparity themselves instead of having "gender" applied as a label to their training activities.     

The importance of networking in development co‐operation: A social network analysis‐based evaluation of an international development programme

This article aims to demonstrate that networking activities, if properly planned, applied and monitored, can help increase the long‐term impact of development co‐operation actions. We demonstrate the added value of networking within development actions, focusing on dynamics of trust and reciprocity and on the rationales beyond different collaboration patterns, demonstrating the impact of networking on program effectiveness, intercultural learning and sustainability. Using social network analysis coupled with participant observation, it was possible to trace the development of a large multi‐stakeholder development programme and to understand a number of dynamics not considered by the donor when evaluating the action, thereby reaching a better understanding of the challenges and success of the programme.     

“THE WAR FOR THE FARE”: HOW DRIVER COMPENSATION AFFECTS BUS SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

Prior to 2007, two systems of bus driver compensation coexisted in Santiago, Chile: one paid drivers per passenger transported, while the other paid a fixed wage. Per‐passenger drivers engaged in “The War for the Fare,” altering their driving patterns to compete for passengers. Examining these systems on similar routes in Santiago, we observed two key findings. Compared with the fixed‐wage system, the per‐passenger system leads to (1) 13% shorter passenger wait times, via reduced bunching of buses and (2) 67% more accidents per kilometer driven, via more aggressive driving. We discuss implications for the design of incentives in public transit. (JEL L92, M52, R41)     

Enforcement is the Name of the Game: An Essay on the Immigration Inspector at Work

Abstract

This article concerns the work of immigration inspectors who inspect parties entering the country to determine if they merit entry according to law. Focusing on aspects of their working environment, this paper discusses ways inspectors have sought to organize daily activities. Faced with an uncertain decision-making process, lacking adequate preparation to deal with an unpredictable public, and working within a decentralized administrative structure, inspectors are nonetheless confronted by strong bureaucratic pressures for uniformity and consistency in their actions. Attempting to reconcile these conflicting demands, personnel have utilized various strategies for reducing overall risks associated with their work. This analysis casts doubt on the applicability of such theoretical constructs as “formal” or “informal” organizational processes when examined through an action perspective.     

The World Social Forum and the challenges of global democracy

Abstract Protests against economic globalization helped give birth to the World Social Forum (WSF) as a space for civil society groups to coordinate actions and articulate shared visions for global change. Since 2001 the WSF has brought together hundreds of thousands of activists from all parts of the world. But creating an inclusive political space that is also effective at generating unified action has proved challenging. In this article I explore the central tensions in the 2004 WSF and explore the possibilities for the Forum to overcome these obstacles and expand global democracy.     

‘We need to get together and make ourselves heard’: everyday online spaces as incubators of political action

This article examines to what extent, and how, people engaging in political talk within ‘non-political’ discussion forums – online lifestyle communities – leads to political (or personal) action or calls-to-action. The analysis is framed in the context of wider questions of citizenship, civic engagement and political mobilization. To capture everyday political talk amongst citizens requires us to move beyond the now widely analysed online spaces of formal politics. Instead, we focus on online third spaces concerning lifestyle issues such as parenting, personal finance and popular culture. Drawing on a content analysis of three popular UK-based discussion forums over the course of five years (2010–2014), we found that (for two of the three cases) such spaces were more than just talking shops. Rather they were spaces where political actions not only emerged, but where they seemed to be cultivated. Discussions embedded in the personal lives of participants often developed – through talk – into political actions aimed at government (or other) authorities. The article sheds light on the contributing factors and processes that (potentially) trigger and foster action emerging from political talk and provides insight into the mobilization potential of third spaces.     

Tracing Differentiation in Gendered Leadership: An Analysis of Differences in Gender Composition in Top Management in Business,Politics and the Civil Service

The aim of this article is to discuss the relationship between the gendering of leadership positions and sector‐specific structures within politics, business and the civil service in Denmark in the context of differences between the Nordic countries and other western countries. The analysis is based on data from a survey of top male and female leaders within the three sectors. The theoretical point of departure of this article is constructivist. It looks at gender as constituted by actions in social space, orchestrated by structural processes and a symbolic order of gender. This constitutes a cultural discourse on gender reflected in gender conventions in society and in a range of possibilities of gender positioning. Expressions of this are discussed in the analysis of the patterns of difference in structural conditions for women and men in leadership positions to be found within the three sectors. The structural conditions encompass access conditions and conditions for gendered positioning and are analysed on the basis of data on social background, education, career course, family, children and distribution of housework. The analysis shows that there is a correlation between gender composition of leadership and possibilities of gendered positioning within a sector. The results are finally discussed as possible expressions of an egalitarian culture.     

Do 8‐Month‐Old Infants Consider Situational Constraints When Interpreting Others’ Gaze as Goal‐Directed Action?

Some actions of agents are ambiguous in terms of goal‐directedness to young infants. If given reasons why an agent performed these ambiguous actions, would infants then be able to perceive the actions as goal‐directed? Prior results show that infants younger than 12 months can not encode the relationship between a human agent’s looking behavior and the target of her gaze as goal‐directed. In the present experiments, 8‐month‐olds responded in ways suggesting that they interpreted an agent’s action of looking at object‐A as opposed to object‐B as evidence for her goal directed toward object‐A, if her looking action was rational given certain situational constraints: a barrier separated her from the objects or her hands were occupied. Therefore, the infants seem to consider situational constraints when attributing goals to agents’ otherwise ambiguous actions; they seem to realize that within such constraints, these actions are efficient ways for agents to achieve goals.     

Patterns of correlation between vehicle occupant seat pressure and anthropometry

Seat pressure is known as a major factor of seat comfort in vehicles. In passenger vehicles, there is lacking research into the seat comfort of rear seat occupants. As accurate seat pressure measurement requires significant effort, simulation of seat pressure is evolving as a preferred method. However, analytic methods are based on complex finite element modeling and therefore are time consuming and involve high investment. Based on accurate anthropometric measurements of 64 male subjects and outboard rear seat pressure measurements in three different passenger vehicles, this study investigates if a set of parameters derived from seat pressure mapping are sensitive enough to differentiate between different seats and whether they correlate with anthropometry in linear models. In addition to the pressure map analysis, H-Points were measured with a coordinate measurement system based on palpated body landmarks and the range of H-Point locations in the three seats is provided. It was found that for the cushion, cushion contact area and cushion front area/force could be modeled by subject anthropometry, while only seatback contact area could be modeled based on anthropometry for all three vehicles. Major differences were found between the vehicles for other parameters.     

Old scissors to industrial automation: the impact of technologic evolution on worker's health

To cut a fabric, the professional performs different jobs and among them stands out the cut. The scissors has been the instrument most used for this activity. Over the years, technology has been conquering its space in the textile industry. However, despite the industrial automation able to offer subsidies to answer employment market demands, without appropriate orientation, the worker is exposed to the risks inherent at the job. Ergonomics is a science that search to promote the comfort and well being in consonance with efficacy. Its goals are properly well defined and clearly guide the actions aimed at transforming the working conditions. This study aimed to analyze the activity of cut tissues with a machine by a seamstress and the implications on their body posture. The methodology used was the observation technique and application of the Protocol RULA, where the result obtained was the level 3 and score 5, confirming that "investigations and changes are required soon". Conclude that using the machine to tissue cut should be encouraged, but in conjunction with orientations for improving posture while handling it. It seeks to prevent dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system that prevents employees from performing their work tasks efficiently and productively.     

The manual transport of load and the commercial aviation in Brazil

The Brazilian commercial aviation industry has grown strongly in the last decades, increasing passenger capacity and operational safety. While several studies focus on flight safety and passenger comfort, few are dedicated to the manual transport of loads. Although apparently this sector has low relevance, every year nearly 9% of their workers are injured. It is estimated that these injuries cost more than 10 million dollars a year to the companies involved. This study assesses quantitatively the risk of injury on employees. NIOSH method was used to evaluated the possibility of injury in different tasks. Factors such as the pace of activity, horizontal and vertical displacement, and asymmetries were evaluated during loading and unloading of luggage. This study showed that the frequency of repetitions of loading was excessive in all cases analyzed. However, the use of conveyors reduced the risk of employee injury, reducing this possibility to acceptable levels. The study shows that simple measures can help reduce the number of injuries and hence the cost that this entails.     

城市生态绿化项目的政府投资方式改革——基于绿地建设与房产开发商的利益互动关系研究

通过对公共产品的内涵分析表明，仅由政府提供公共产品经常会出现不经济现象；只要解决外部性问题，公共产品是可以由私人提供的。以上海公共绿地为例，在分析目前公共绿地政府投资方式的基础上，研究绿地建设与房产开发商的利益互动关系，探讨城市绿地外部效应内部化的投资方式改革，提出房产与绿地联合开发建议，以期减轻政府建设城市绿地的资金压力，为实现城市公共绿地的最优投资提供理论上的依据。