Comfort model for automobile seat

Comfort on automobile seats is lived daily by thousands of drivers. Epistemologically, comfort can be understood under the theory of complexity, since it emerges from a chain of interrelationships between man and several elements of the system. This interaction process can engender extreme comfort associated to the feeling of pleasure and wellbeing or, on the other hand, lead to discomfort, normally followed by pain. This article has for purpose the development of a theoretical model that favours the comfort feature on automobile seats through the identification of its facets and indicators. For such, a theoretical study is resorted to, allowing the mapping of elements that constitute the model. The results present a comfort model on automobile seats that contemplates the (physical, psychological, object, context and environment) facets. This model is expected to contribute with the automobile industry for the development of improvements of the ergonomic project of seats to increase the comfort noticed by the users.     

Organizational ergonomics of occupational health methods and processes in a Brazilian oil refinery

Organizational ergonomics refers to the optimization of social technical systems, including their organizational structures, policies and processes. The relevant topics include communications, management of resources, work projects, temporal organization of work, team work, participative project, new work paradigms, cooperative work, organizational culture, network organizations and quality management (IEA, 2000). The purpose of this study was the reorganization of the methods and processes of the occupational health sector (SMS/SO - Portuguese acronym of the area) of a petrochemical company. The work involved thirty professionals: a coordinator, two occupational physicians, one cardiologist, one occupational dentist, two occupational nurses, eleven occupational health technicians, one social worker, one nutritionist, one phonoaudiologist, one ophthalmologist, one biochemist, two ergonomists, three administrative assistants, one administrator and one psychologist, during a six-month period. The methodology that was used sought to establish a cooperative alliance focused on change, transformation and acquisition of skills, reflecting directly on the attitudes and performance of the leaderships and their work teams. In addition to the feedback practice, the following supporting tools were used for the study's success: "Functional Polyvalence Matrix", "Management of Failures", 5W2H", "6M", "5 Why" and "process mapping". The intended results after the organization ergonomics restructuring process will allow the leader to help his or her team to make a diagnosis of the problems, identify options, develop strategies, establish targets and action plans, remove barriers, review contexts and implement the business management fundaments: planning, organization, management, coordination and control. The transformation possibilities allow us to consider some hypothesis: Before: Focus only on results. After: Engage collaborators to create sustainable results. Before: Operating profile. After: Tactical/strategic profile. Before: Find errors. After: Value effort and development. Before: Listen to what is being said. After: Understand what is being said. Before: Create fears of the consequences. After: Create room for risk. Before: Be the one who approves and decides. After: Be the cooperative support.     

Cultivating Positive LGBTQA Identities: An Intervention Study with College Students

A brief intervention exercise focusing on positive experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning young adults and their young adult allies (LGBTQA) was hypothesized to increase positive LGBTQA identity, collective self-esteem, and individual self-esteem. Participants (N = 52) completed pretest, listened to a presentation on positive LGBTQA identities, and wrote personal narratives related to their own positive identity experiences. They then completed posttest and one-month follow-up surveys. Findings indicated that scores on all three outcomes significantly increased between the pre- and posttest but returned to baseline levels when reassessed one month later. Future research should explore ways to enhance the long-term impact of exposure to positive identity interventions on LGBTQA well-being in the current heteronormative cultural environment.     

Effects of Impact-Absorbing Flooring in Residential Care from the Perspectives of Enrolled Nurses

Falls are a daily occurrence in nursing homes and few interventions for reducing fall-related injuries have proven to be effective. Impact absorbing flooring (IAF) in residential care has shown promising results in reducing fall-injuries and in the process of developing and implementing IAF all aspects are valuable to explore. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative study is to describe the enrolled nurses (ENs) experiences of IAF. We carried out focus group interviews with ENs and used content analysis to process the data. The ENs experienced both negative and positive aspects with the IAF. Importantly, the ENs perceived the IAF as effective in preventing fall-injuries. They also appreciated the improvements in acoustics. Negative aspects were that the flooring initially was challenging to walk on and that it made it harder to maneuver heavy equipment. A significant and transferable finding in this study was the importance of the ENs' perceived difficulty in preventing fall-injuries amongst elderly people living in nursing homes. This seemed to be a driving force to accept the intervention. Although IAF affects the working conditions in a nursing home, ENs are willing to accept these issues given the perceived effectiveness of the intervention.     

A Focus on the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)

For over four decades, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) has been operated by nonprofit organizations. Research has demonstrated that nonprofit PACE provides quality, cost-effective community-based care to older adults who would otherwise require a nursing home level of care. Recently, the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services has authorized for-profit entities to operate PACE, contingent on their ability to demonstrate that they can provide care that is similar to nonprofit PACE with regard to access to care, quality of care, and cost-effectiveness. In 2013, a study was conducted to evaluate how PACE operates under for-profit versus nonprofit status. The results were presented to Congress which, in turn, authorized for-profit PACE providers. This article critiques the 2013 study, offers a comparison to for-profit hospice, and argues that at best there is not enough evidence to conclude that for-profit PACE provides the same quality of care as existing nonprofit operators.     

Truncated location-scale non linear regression models

We present a class of truncated non linear regression models for location and scale where the truncated nature of the data is incorporated into the statistical model by assuming that the response variable follows a truncated distribution. The location parameter of the response variable is assumed to be modeled by a continuous non linear function of covariates and unknown parameters. In addition, the proposed model also allows for the scale parameter of the responses to be characterized by a continuous function of the covariates and unknown parameters. Three particular cases of the proposed models are presented by considering the response variable to follow a truncated normal, truncated skew normal, and truncated beta distribution. These truncated non linear regression models are constructed assuming fixed known truncation limits and model parameters are estimated by direct maximization of the log-likelihood using a non linear optimization algorithm. Standardized residuals and diagnostic metrics based on the cases deletion are considered to verify the adequacy of the model and to detect outliers and influential observations. Results based on simulated data are presented to assess the frequentist properties of estimates, and a real data set on soil-water retention from the Buriti Vermelho River Basin database is analyzed using the proposed methodology.     

What is the right way to protest? On the process of justification of protest,and its relationship to the propensity to participate in different types of protest

This study explores how citizens in Spain perceive different tactics employed in anti-austerity protests in 2011–2013, and tests the model of the process of justification of protest. This model combines the elements of Gamson’s collective action frames theory (effectiveness, anger and grievances, operationalized as appraisal of harm) with the concept of legitimacy. It also links justification to the intention to participate. We empirically differentiate between three protest tactics: normative demonstrations, non-normative peaceful strategies, and non-normative violent actions. We find that demonstrations are perceived to be more legitimate, but less effective than non-normative peaceful protests. Violent strategies, on the other hand, are seen to be more effective than legitimate. We postulate and find that legitimacy and effectiveness partially or fully mediate the impact of political ideology, anger, and appraisal of harm on the probability of participation in non-normative protest. Finally, we establish meaningful differences in the predictors of the likelihood of joining normative, non-normative peaceful, or non-normative violent protests. Overall, our results suggest that the study of justification of collective action and especially, the inclusion of the notion of legitimacy, enriches our understanding of the popular approval of and propensity to participate in different forms of collective protest.     

Early onset of drinking as a predictor of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in college

A survey of 4,202 students enrolled in the State University System of Florida from 1986 to 1988 showed that 14 percent started drinking in elementary school, 34 percent started in middle school, 45 percent in high school, and 7 percent in college. A General Linear Models analysis of variance procedure showed that the time of first drink significantly predicted the quantity-frequency of alcohol consumption and the incidence of alcohol-related problems reported by students in college. Students who started to drink while in elementary and middle school reported significantly higher levels of consumption and problems than those who started drinking while in high school or college.     

Publication patterns of faculty in commision on accreditation for marriage and family therapy education programs

Journal articles published by faculty in Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) programs from 1998 to 2002 were analyzed to determine patterns regarding the amount and type of research conducted by this group. Fifty-eight percent of the articles were identified as research. Slightly more than 10% of these dealt with clinical processes and outcomes. Forty percent of studies reported a specific source of funding. Twenty-nine percent of research articles used qualitative methods, with percentages rising over the course of time. Results suggest the average number of publications per faculty member was relatively low, particularly for senior faculty. Implications for these findings are discussed.