An ergonomic approach to improve work conditions of older employees in social housing

French companies are legally required to develop action plans to improve employment and work conditions for older workers ("plans seniors"). These plans contain measures oriented towards recruiting, career evolution, skills developme1nt, knowledge transmission and improvement of work conditions. A tool for assessing work situations experienced by council buildings caretakers ("gardiens") was used in such a plan on behalf of the main agency of council housing in Paris, and we developed. This assessment tool was developed after ergonomic work analysis on a sample of 36 older caretakers (age > 57 y.o). The technical inspectors in charge of technical interventions on buildings and managing caretakers were trained to use the assessment tool and apply it to all caretakers aged 50 and over.     

Ergonomic basket design to reduce cumulative trauma disorders in tea leaf plucking operation

Work related musculoskeletal disorders are seen as an indicating parameter of occupational stress among the women workers engaged in tea leaf plucking operation. The hand plucking (no mechanized plucking is practiced in Assam) being a highly repetitive task requires forceful exertions to reach to the distant periphery of the tea bushes and mechanical compression (pressing against hard surfaces). Specifically it aggravates with awkward positions adopted. The current research addresses to minimize the risk factors associated with CTDs and to ascertain the role of ergonomic design development in improving the situation. Women workforce engaged in tea industry in Assam suffer from back, shoulder, arm and finger pains. Workers perform the activity for 440 minutes in the entire shift with one hour lunch break in between in the garden itself. An ergonomic investigation aiming at studying the strain index of plucking operation in tea industry was conducted. While performing the operation workers were found to assume unnatural posture which is static as well as highly dynamic with a load (tea leaf collecting basket up to weight of 30 kg when filled with plucked leaves) at back. With gradual increment of load and pain though the load is released intermittently the strain level found to remain at a high level. The total QEC scores found for plucking activity was 110 out of 138. To improve the situation and to reduce the work related upper limb disorder (WRULD) an ergonomically designed basket was conceived and trial results showed improvements. The newly designed plucking basket fits the back curvature of the workers well, which keeps the basket in place unlike the existing round basket. The new basket is light in weight having more leaf capacity. Significant reduction in energy expenditure and MSDs suffered was observed while using improved basket over existing basket.     

Designing the safety of healthcare. Participation of ergonomics to the design of cooperative systems in radiotherapy

This communication deals with the involvement of ergonomists in a research-action design process of a software platform in radiotherapy. The goal of the design project is to enhance patient safety by designing a workflow software that supports cooperation between professionals producing treatment in radiotherapy. The general framework of our approach is the ergonomics management of a design process, which is based in activity analysis and grounded in participatory design. Two fields are concerned by the present action: a design environment which is a participatory design process that involves software designers, caregivers as future users and ergonomists; and a reference real work setting in radiotherapy. Observations, semi-structured interviews and participatory workshops allow the characterization of activity in radiotherapy dealing with uses of cooperative tools, sources of variability and non-ruled strategies to manage the variability of the situations. This production of knowledge about work searches to enhance the articulation between technocentric and anthropocentric approaches, and helps in clarifying design requirements. An issue of this research-action is to develop a framework to define the parameters of the workflow tool, and the conditions of its deployment.     

中国城市经济效率的测度与影响因素分析

文章采用基于对数柯布-道格拉斯生产函数的异质性随机前沿分析模型,利用2015年我国285个地级及以上城市横截面数据,测度了我国城市(市辖区)的经济效率,测度结果显示,我国地级及以上城市的经济效率水平普遍较低,超过80％的城市经济效率低于0.5.并对经济效率的相关影响因素进行了实证分析,发现政府对经济的干预程度对城市经济效率的影响显著为负;对外经济开放程度、科技活跃程度、市场化水平和人口规模对城市经济效率则具有显著的正向影响.     

基建投资绩效与经济增长集约化的溢出效应分析

文章借助DEA方法和空间杜宾模型,比较分析全国与丝绸之路经济带国内段沿线地区硬软性基础设施投资绩效及其对经济增长集约化的空间效应.研究显示:丝绸之路经济带硬性基础设施投资处于较高的技术效率水平;区域经济增长集约化呈明显的空间相关性;与全国比较,硬性基础设施投资绩效对经济带的效应明显,尤其是对西北地区产生的本地和溢出效应最大;软性基础设施投资绩效虽然明显提高整个经济带的集约化水平,但对西北地区产生负向溢出效应.     

别让他人改变你的愿望

一所小学的一节作文课上,老师给学生们布置的作文题目是《我的愿望》。 一位小学生非常喜欢这个题目,便在作文本上飞快地写下了他的愿望。他希望将来能拥有一座占地十余公顷的庄园,在广阔的土地上植满如茵的绿草。庄园中有无数的小木屋,以及一座休闲旅馆。除了自己居住,还可以与前来参观的游客分享……     

维吾尔族大学生的民族刻板印象

本研究采用问卷调查法,对维吾尔族大学生的民族刻板印象进行了调查。被试对汉族人和泉古族人形成的刻板印象以正面与中性的印象为主。被试认为,汉族人最主要的10项特征是爱吃菜、勤劳、团结、小气、自私、爱国、朴实、节俭、爱喝酒和追求享受;蒙古族人最主要的10项特征是勇敢、凝聚力强、游牧、爱喝酒、野蛮、高大强壮、擅长摔跤、好客、好斗和能歌善舞。     

吐鲁番学学术研究事业在吐鲁番的发展

吐鲁番学与敦煌学是密不可分的,是不同名称的同一研究对象的学问。解放以来有关敦煌学方面召开的各种性质的会议比较多,但是吐鲁番学方面的会议几乎没有。主要原因在于没有一个适当的关心和组织吐鲁番学学术研究事业的组织机构。直到新疆吐鲁番学学会成立以后,这种不关心吐鲁番学学术研究事业的情况才彻底有了改观。