Ergonomic assessment among radiology technologists: a survey in a hospital

This article is the result of an Ergonomic Diagnosis in a study for a Specialization Course in Ergonomics. The research is being done in a public hospital in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where the target system is the radiology sector. For diagnosis purposes, subjective techniques were used, such as an open-ended survey, Corlett questionnaire and techniques for evaluating ergonomic risk such as Owas and Rula. Systematic observation was emphasized using photos and films. Preliminary observations made to the radiographers found that these professionals suffer risks of physical and verbal harassment, as well as sexual harassment. Most of them feel discriminated against in terms of race and accumulate activities demanding a lot of attention, as the medical diagnosis and subsequent procedures will depend on the outcome of this task. They accumulate tension due to the weight of responsibility, since there are cases where the patient has risk of death.     

Ergoecology: evolution and challenges

This work details the conceptual and methodological evolution of 'Ergoecology' and its relationship to certain comparable disciplinary proposals and standards, with a view to making its current status known and fostering discussion and development of it in a broader context. 'Ergoecology' is a discipline which relates the ergonomic system to 'environmental factors', stressing the relationships between ecological-geographical aspects and human activities. After analyzing previously-developed and partially-validated methods, strengths are established, together with areas where there is room for improvement, based on conceptual validity. The objectives, principles, and premises of 'Ergoecology' will be revised and therefore it will be able to be compared with other disciplinary and regulatory developments. Finally, new concepts and notions are proposed, together with basic principles and axioms that will enable 'Ergoecology' to advance in both, the theoretical and the practical dimensions, leaving the door open to be disseminated and applied.     

Assessment method of accessibility conditions: how to make public buildings accessible?

The enforcement of accessibility today has faced several difficulties, such as intervention in historic buildings that now house public services and cultural activities, such as town halls, museums and theaters and should allow access, on equal terms to all people. The paper presents the application of a method for evaluating the spatial accessibility conditions and their results. For this, we sought to support the theoretical foundation about the main issue involved and legislation. From the method used--guided walks--it was possible to identify the main barriers to accessibility in historic buildings. From the identified barriers, possible solutions are presented according to the four components of accessibility: spatial orientation, displacement, use and communication. It is hoped also that the knowledge gained in this research contributes to an improvement of accessibility legislation in relation to the listed items.     

An assessment of the statistical methods used to analyse toxicology studies

The Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry Toxicology Special Interest Group has collated and compared statistical analysis methods for a number of toxicology study types including general toxicology, genetic toxicology, safety pharmacology and carcinogenicity. In this paper, we present the study design, experimental units and analysis methods.     

Multicriteria decision making applied to waste recycling in Brazil

Waste management, like other environmental issues, tends to be a suitable topic for problem solving using multicriteria decision-making techniques when uncertainty is involved. This paper presents two cases where the decision makers had different preferences. In the first case, social agents required an evaluation of different disposal alternatives for plastic waste. In the second case, existing construction and demolition waste recycling facilities required a performance evaluation.     

Development and Validation of the ADAS Scale and Prediction of Attitudes Toward Affective-Sexual Diversity Among Spanish Secondary Students

Violence against non-heterosexual adolescents in educational contexts remains a worrying reality, but no adequate attitudes toward affective-sexual diversity (AtASD) measure exists for Spanish adolescent students. We developed a 27-item scale including cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects, which was completed by 696 secondary school students from the Madrid area. Factor analyses suggested a unidimensional model, Cronbach’s alpha indicated excellent scale scores reliability, and item calibration under the item response theory framework showed that the scale is especially informative for homophobic attitudes. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that variables traditionally related to AtASD (gender, age, religion, nationality, perceived parental/peer attitudes, direct contact with LGB people) also were so in our sample. Moreover, interest in sexuality topics and perceived center’s efforts to provide AtASD education were related to better AtASD. Our scale was reliable and valid, and it may also prove useful in efforts to detect those students with homophobic attitudes and to guide interventions.     

Midwives experiences of participating in a midwifery research project: A qualitative study

Problem and background

In an earlier research project midwives were asked to perform women-centered care focusing on the assumption that the physiological process in the second stage of labour could be trusted and that the midwives role should be encouraging and supportive rather than instructing. There is no knowledge about how midwives participating in such a research project, uses their skills and experience from the study in their daily work.

Visiting the Allotment Garden—A Complete Experience

This study explored the experiences of healthy elderly regularly visiting the allotment gardens (AGs) in a large city of Norway. Semistructured interviews with eight elderly visitors were analyzed by applying Malterud's strategy for systematic text condensation. Three main themes evolved: AG as a context for social experience; AG as a context for restorative experiences; and AG as a context for reminiscence experiences. The findings underline the importance of AGs as a natural and cultural context and may encourage politicians and planners to take into consideration the importance of neighborhood outdoor contexts offering social, nature, and reminiscence experiences for elderly people.     

Labor market transitions of immigrants with emphasis on marginalization and self-employment

In developed countries, immigrants are more likely to be nonemployed and self-employed compared to natives. Based on register data of male immigrants in Denmark, we performed a detailed investigation of the immigrant–native difference in transition patterns across labor market states. We find that a high proportion of immigrants from non-Western countries tend to be marginalized relative to natives, and they tend to use self-employment to escape marginalization.