Trends in Wearable Technologies for Earth Science

2018 ◽  
pp. 1339-1360
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Woolman

In this chapter, we discuss the need for wearable technologies for earth science field research, a discipline that can be both extremely physically rigorous and even potentially dangerous at times. The field is also technically challenging because of environmental conditions as well as often being conducted in remote offline regions. Current trends in available wearable technology devices suitable for earth science applications are explored, in addition to describing possible modifications to existing wearable technologies in order to make them deployable, practical offline-capable geoscience systems. Offline Health and safety monitoring systems designed to operate on a low-powered personal body-area network system as well as offline (non-internet dependent) wearable communication technologies are particularly addressed. These types of wearable technologies represent some of the most complex aspects in this field as well being some of the most customizable systems with highly configurable components for remote back country fieldwork functionality.

Author(s):  
Thomas A. Woolman

In this chapter, we discuss the need for wearable technologies for earth science field research, a discipline that can be both extremely physically rigorous and even potentially dangerous at times. The field is also technically challenging because of environmental conditions as well as often being conducted in remote offline regions. Current trends in available wearable technology devices suitable for earth science applications are explored, in addition to describing possible modifications to existing wearable technologies in order to make them deployable, practical offline-capable geoscience systems. Offline Health and safety monitoring systems designed to operate on a low-powered personal body-area network system as well as offline (non-internet dependent) wearable communication technologies are particularly addressed. These types of wearable technologies represent some of the most complex aspects in this field as well being some of the most customizable systems with highly configurable components for remote back country fieldwork functionality.


Author(s):  
John MacDonald ◽  
Charles Branas ◽  
Robert Stokes

The design of every aspect of the urban landscape—from streets and sidewalks to green spaces, mass transit, and housing—fundamentally influences the health and safety of the communities who live there. It can affect people's stress levels and determine whether they walk or drive, the quality of the air they breathe, and how free they are from crime. This book provides a compelling look at the new science and art of urban planning, showing how scientists, planners, and citizens can work together to reshape city life in measurably positive ways. It demonstrates how well-designed changes to place can significantly improve the well-being of large groups of people. The book argues that there is a disconnect between those who implement place-based changes, such as planners and developers, and the urban scientists who are now able to rigorously evaluate these changes through testing and experimentation. It covers a broad range of structural interventions, such as building and housing, land and open space, transportation and street environments, and entertainment and recreation centers. Science shows we can enhance people's health and safety by changing neighborhoods block-by-block. The book explains why planners and developers need to recognize the value of scientific testing, and why scientists need to embrace the indispensable know-how of planners and developers. It reveals how these professionals, working together and with urban residents, can create place-based interventions that are simple, affordable, and scalable to entire cities.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prof. Nirav Halvadia ◽  
Prof. (Dr.) Ajay Joshi ◽  
Prof. Shekha Patel

E-governance system means the use of a range of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) such as Internet, Local Area Network, and Mobiles etc, by Government to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, service delivery and to promote democracy. Gujarat is a frontline state in the implementation of e-governance policies & projects and setting up of key infrastructure for e-governance. This article deals with role of Gujarat egovernance system in improving Government to Government, Government to Citizen and Government to Business communication. This article also gives overview of system, E-governance system and benefits of.


Author(s):  
Melike Şahinol ◽  
Gülşah Başkavak

AbstractThe conventional treatment of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is especially demanding for children, both physically and psychologically (Iversen et al. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being,13(1), 1487758, 2018). Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems (CGM) are an important aid for children and their families in dealing with the disease. In their work, however, Şahinol and Başkavak (2020) point out that CGM carry the risk of viewing T1D as a technologically solvable problem instead of considering the disease as a whole. This is mainly creating confidence in technology due to CGM experiences while neglecting significant dietary measures and exercises needed to be integrated into daily routines. During the current pandemic, this problem seems to take on a whole new level. Based on two periods of in-depth interviews and observations conducted with 8 families with T1D children aged 6 to 14 living in Istanbul and Ankara (Turkey) from May to November 2019 and again from May to June 2020, we compare and focus on the experiences prior to and during the pandemic time. We argue that despite the possibility of technological regulation of the disease, the vulnerability of children is increased and, more than ever, depends on socio-bio-technical entanglements.


Author(s):  
Mohammad Istiak Hossain ◽  
Jan I. Markendahl

AbstractSmall-scale commercial rollouts of Cellular-IoT (C-IoT) networks have started globally since last year. However, among the plethora of low power wide area network (LPWAN) technologies, the cost-effectiveness of C-IoT is not certain for IoT service providers, small and greenfield operators. Today, there is no known public framework for the feasibility analysis of IoT communication technologies. Hence, this paper first presents a generic framework to assess the cost structure of cellular and non-cellular LPWAN technologies. Then, we applied the framework in eight deployment scenarios to analyze the prospect of LPWAN technologies like Sigfox, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, LTE-M, and EC-GSM. We consider the inter-technology interference impact on LoRaWAN and Sigfox scalability. Our results validate that a large rollout with a single technology is not cost-efficient. Also, our analysis suggests the rollout possibility of an IoT communication Technology may not be linear to cost-efficiency.


Author(s):  
Helmut Strasser

AbstractMutual adaptation and inter-changeability of system elements are very important prerequisites for machines, technical devices and products. Similar to that technical compatibility which can be achieved by standards and regulations, optimum design of human-oriented workplaces or a man-machine system cannot be attained without, e.g., a compatible arrangement of connected displays and controls. Over and above those stimulus/response relations, all technical elements and interfaces have to be designed in such a way that they do not exceed human capacity in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. Compatibility between the properties of the human organism on the one hand, and the adaptable technical components of a work system on the other hand, offers a great potential of preventive measures. Examples of ergonomically designed working tools show that compatibility is capable of reducing the prevalence of occupational diseases and repetitive strain injuries as well as leading to lower physiological cost in such a way that the same output results from a lower demand of human resources or even a higher performance will be attained. Compatibility also supports the quick perception and transmission of information in a man-machine system, and as a result of lower requirements for decoding during information processing, spare mental capacity may enhance occupational safety. In the field of software, compatibility also helps to avoid psychological frustration. All in all, the center core competency, which reflects the major significant function of the ergonomist in work design, consists in determining the compatibility of human capacity and planned or existing demands of work. In order to provide efficient working tools and working conditions as well as to be successful in occupational health and safety, ergonomics and industrial engineering in the future are expected to pay more attention to the rules of compatibility. Applied in an appropriate way, these rules may convince people that ergonomics can be a powerful means for reducing prevalence of occupational diseases and complaints, and has a positive effect on overall system performance. Besides presenting examples of work design according to the principle of compatibility, also methods will be shown which enable the assessment of the ergonomic quality of hand-held tools and computer input devices.


ILAR Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-126
Author(s):  
John Bradfield ◽  
Esmeralda Meyer ◽  
John N Norton

Abstract Institutions with animal care and use programs are obligated to provide for the health and well-being of the animals, but are equally obligated to provide for safety of individuals associated with the program. The topics in this issue of the ILAR Journal, in association with those within the complimentary issue of the Journal of Applied Biosafety, provide a variety of contemporary occupational health and safety considerations in today’s animal research programs. Each article addresses key or emerging occupational health and safety topics in institutional animal care and use programs, where the status of the topic, contemporary challenges, and future directions are provided.


SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A285-A285
Author(s):  
Odalis Garcia ◽  
Danica Slavish ◽  
Jessica Dietch ◽  
Brett Messman ◽  
Ateka Contractor ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Nurses may experience frequent nightmares due to stressful work environments. Some studies estimate that 35% of nurses experience nightmares related to experiences at work. Nightmares may also exacerbate stress among nurses, although this has yet to be tested empirically. We examined daily bidirectional associations between stress severity and nightmare occurrence and severity, and whether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms moderated those relationships. Methods 392 nurses (mean age = 39.54 years; SD = 11.15; 92% female; 78% White) were recruited for a larger study on sleep and vaccine response. For 14 days, upon awakening, nurses completed daily sleep diaries to assess previous-day stress severity (0 = not at all, 4 = extremely), as well as nightmare occurrence (0 = no nightmare, 1 = nightmare occurred) and nightmare severity (0 = not at all, 3 = very). PTSD symptoms were assessed at baseline using the PTSD Checklist of DSM-5 (PCL-5). Multilevel models were used to examine bidirectional, within-person associations between daily stress and nightmares, and cross-level moderation by baseline PTSD symptoms. Results Approximately 10.5% of nurses met criteria for PTSD based on PCL-5 scores. 47.2% of nurses reported at least one nightmare across the two weeks. Days with greater stress severity were associated with higher odds of experiencing a nightmare (OR = 1.22, p = 0.001), as well as greater nightmare severity that night (b = 0.09, p = 0.033). Nightmare occurrence (b = 0.15, p < 0.001) was associated with greater next-day stress severity. PTSD symptoms did not moderate daily stress and nightmare associations. Conclusion Nurses face intense occupational demands and frequent exposure to potentially traumatic events. Our results indicated nightmares and stress may occur in a bidirectional fashion among nurses. Results were similar regardless of nurses’ PTSD status. Future studies should explore whether targeting nightmares and stress may improve nurses’ health and well-being. Given the essential role that nurses play in maintaining patient health and safety, it is critical to understand the causes and consequences of their sleep-related disturbances. Support (if any):


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43
Author(s):  
H Potockova ◽  
P Kusnierik ◽  
J Dohnal

Medical devices form a large heterogeneous group of products ranging from simple tools to medical testing and implants, the safety and efficacy of which are strictly regulated in all developed countries. Thanks to the health and cost benefits, medical devices have also found their way into veterinary medicine but, surprisingly, the regulation of these products is far less complex or, in some cases, missing altogether. Given the complexity and potential hazards of certain veterinary devices, the current state of affairs may lead to health and safety risks, both for animals and personnel involved. This review is the first to systematically map the current situation in the EU, revealing health and safety risks in practice for both animals and personnel involved and discussing them in a broader context. Only six out of the EU's 28 member states (Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia) were found to have at least a degree of regulation of veterinary devices. As a result, a single product may be regulated as a veterinary medicinal product, a veterinary medical device or not be regulated at all, depending on the particular EU member state in question. As things stand, veterinary medicine makes use of all kinds of medical devices, including human products, regardless of their regulatory status and (pre-market) control. However, the use of such devices may influence the health and well-being of animals. Several measures are therefore suggested to attain the required levels of safety and efficacy surveillance for veterinary medical devices without creating excessive administration.


First Monday ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rishi Sabarigirisan ◽  
Aditi Biswas ◽  
Ridhi Rohatgi ◽  
Shyam KC ◽  
Shekhar Shukla

The COVID-19 pandemic has induced a cloud of uncertainty over the mega sports event, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Cancelling or re-scheduling the event could have serious repercussions on the economic, social and environmental well-being for the involved stakeholders. Thus, it becomes critical to conduct events of this magnitude by adopting appropriate public health measures. In this research, we primarily focus on two main premises relative to public health and safety, contact tracing and crowd management. We explore and evaluate the usability of blockchain based decentralized apps in crowd management and contact tracing for the Tokyo Olympics using value-focused thinking (VFT). A VFT framework aids in narrowing fundamental and strategic objectives that need to be addressed for smooth contact tracing and crowd management by understanding stakeholder viewpoints. We established an equivalence of the objectives identified through VFT with blockchain technology properties. Further, we also present a conceptual ideation of contact tracing and crowd management through blockchain based decentralized apps for the Tokyo Olympics. This work could potentially assist decision-makers, researchers and stakeholders involved in organizing the Tokyo Olympics in understanding and analysing the utility of blockchain based decentralized apps for crowd management and contact tracing.


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