This article describes a method of adapting workstations for workers with motion disability using computer simulation and virtual reality (VR) techniques. A workstation for grinding spring faces was used as an example. It was adjusted for two people with a disabled right upper extremity. The study had two stages. In the first, a computer human model with a visualization of maximal arm reach and...

Highly compacted sand-bentonite mixtures are often considered as possible engineered barriers in deep high-level radioactive waste disposals. In-situ, the saturation of these barriers from their initially unsaturated state is a complex hydro-mechanical coupled process in which temperature effects also play a role. The key parameter of this process is the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of th...

BACKGROUND Lead is a pollutant with numerous adverse effects on health. Since it can affect blood pressure, peripheral blood vessels, and the heart, the present study aimed to evaluate the relation between occupational exposure to lead and blood pressure. MATERIALS AND METHODS This cross-sectional study included male individuals working in battery firms in Isfahan. A questionnaire covering de...

OBJECTIVE Examined effects of prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) on tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and cocaine use by age 15. METHODS Adolescent (n=358; 183 PCE, 175 non-prenatally cocaine exposed; NCE) drug use was assessed using urine, hair, and/or blood spot samples and self-report (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System; YRBSS) at ages 12 and 15. Logistic regression assessed effects of PCE on ...

We would like to raise a concern regarding the mathematica l modelling study by Brooke Nichols and colleagues, which looked at the cost-effectiveness of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-1 prevention in the Netherlands. Specifically, we have found that we are unable to replicate their results using the methodology described in their paper. In their modelling study the authors divided the p...

ENSO (El Niño–Southern Oscillation) has a large influence on tropical cyclone activity. The authors examine how different environmental factors contribute to this influence, using a genesis potential index developed by Emanuel and Nolan. Four factors contribute to the genesis potential index: low-level vorticity (850 hPa), relative humidity at 600 hPa, the magnitude of vertical wind shear from ...

Constituents from products that are used in the flooring on a concrete slab such as carpets of plasticised PVC and water-based adhesives sometimes degrade in an alkaline and humid environment. The concrete itself could be such an environment. In order to examine the effect of different levels of alkalinity and humidity on the mentioned products a specialised procedure was developed. By this pro...