Toyota Recall Essay Example for Free

Toyota Recall Essay They have concluded that a precision-cut steel reinforcement bar (Consumer FAQ, 2010) needs to be installed on the pedal for it to eliminate any unnecessary friction that is causing the pedals to stick. Toyota is ensuring that the installation of the steel reinforcement bar is a permanent fix and will eliminate the tension between the two surfaces and the pedals will no longer stick. Toyota has also done the following to reach their customers and take care of the recall issue: 1 . They have mailed letters to all owners of vehicles involved in the recall. The letter contains specific instructions on what to do to get their vehicles fixed. 2. Many Toyota dealerships have extended their service hours in order to meet the needs of the consumers. 3. Within those dealerships they are working to improve customer relations by expediting repairs, offering free car washes, oil changes and follow up maintenance service. 4. In order to support its dealerships Toyota has provided financial help to cover any additional costs related to the recalls. All with the end consumer in mind. They want their customers to be able to resolve the issue as quickly and conveniently as possible. 5. Toyota has put together informational videos, campaigns and press releases describing the problem and advising their customers of the risks associated with the recall and advising them of quick a solution. 6. They are working closely with CTS on future manufacturing processes to avoid any additional problems. Overall, yes I think Toyota is handling the problem to the best of their ability and ssues and are guaranteeing that their simple fix to their poor design is a permanent fix. They are working with CTS to improve the design and future manufacturing practices for their parts. They are supporting their dealerships, doing what they can to keep the customers involved and informed of new findings. They are putting their customers first. I do think their efforts are limited; they can only fix so many cars at a time, I believe Toyota will be more selective on who they choose to manufacture their parts from now on. Like the old saying says you live you learn Toyota was focused n becoming the number one automaker in the world and once it obtained the title it may have forgotten why they became the number one automaker in the world, which was quality. In my opinion they are handling the problem with class and integrity. Once you fall all you can do is get up and keep walking and that is exactly what Toyota is doing. This recall only affected 8 of their Toyota models, not any others or other lines such as their Lexus brand or their scion.

Principles of the Photoacoustic Effect

Principles of the Photoacoustic Effect photothermal and photoacoustic Photothermam science encompasses a wide range of techniques and phenomena based upon the conversion of absorbed optical energy into heat. Optical energy is absorbed and eventually converted into thermal energy by an enormous number of material –solids, liquids, and gases. In fact, the optical energy is absorbed, the excited states in atoms or molecules lose their excition energy by a series of non- radiative transitions that result in a general heating in the material. The underlying principles of the photoacoustic effect have been studied for more then a century. it was named photocoustic because the photothermal heating effect was detected by an indirect acoustic method in 1880. Alexander Grshsm Bell (cited in Favier J.P.1997) had discovered the early concept of the photoacoustic effect when he tried to explain the operation of his photophone. He had done a lot of experiments on photoacoustic effect with solids, gases and liquids, where modulated light was used to illuminate the sample. through the experiments, Bell discovered that when a periodically interrupted beam of sunlight shines on a solid in an enclosed cell, an audible sound could be heard by means of hearing tube attached to the cell. the photoacoustic effect discovered by Bell was regarded as a part of the family of photothermal phenomena encompassing many effect produced by the heat generated in a sample due to the absorption of electromagnetic energy. In 1881,both Tyndah and Withem Roentgen (cited in Favier J.P. 1997) confirmed Bells experiment on gases. they found that an acoustic signal could also be produced when a gas in an enclosed cell is illuminated with modulation light. But due to the limitation of hearing tubes as detectors in the early experiment, progress in the field of photoacoustic died down. therefore, the photoacoustic technique had lay dormant for almost 50 years, until the advent of a microphone 50 years later the photoacoustic effect with gases was reexamined. then it had become a well-established technique for gas analysis. photons in the photoacoustic cell absorbed by the gas was converted into kinetic energy of the gas molecules, thus it gives rise to pressure fluctuations within the cell. All the discoveries in the photoacoustic effect originate from 1938 was entirely limited to gases only. the phoyoacoustic effect on solid matter did not occur until the early of 1970. it is almost 90 years after Bells discovery, since 1973, photoacoustic effect has strongly reemerged on the solid sample. ti has revived with the development of a very useful technique spectroscopic investigation of solid material. The photoacoustic effect in condensed matter may be detected by microphone absorption of modulated light by a solid sample produce a modulated heating of the sample surface. This heating cause pressure waves to be created in a gas in contact with the sample, producing an acoustic signal in the gas, which may be detected by a microphone. the sample, coupling gas, and the microphone are enclosed in a gas light photoacoustic cell. the cell acoustically isolates the microphone from external noise and contains a window enabling the modulated light to illuminate the sample (Almond and Patel 1996) Bells first experiment on a condensed matter sample, revealed the fact that the loudest signal were produced by sample with the darkest colours. a few other experiments were performed in the years following, however condensed matter photoacoustic died out until the 1970 Parker (1073) carried out the experiment about to measure the phootoacoustic effect in solid when he tried to carry out the experiment on the photoacoustic effect in gases. in his experiment, he worked on gas phase photoacoustic, attributed an anomalously large PA signal to absorption of light by the windows of his cell. Three years later, Rosencwing and Gersho (1976) derived the one-dimensional theory for a photoacoustic effect from asolid material, which has become known as the R-G theory and which has basis for the most other theories on microphone photoacoustic detection from a solid sample. in his hypothesis, the primary source of the photoacoustic signal result from a periodic heat flow from the solid to the surrounding gas. these can be explained when the beam of light falls onto sample, the heat produced by the light absorbed in the sample will diffuse from the sample to the gas through the sample –gas interface. by modulating the light beam, we are actually causes the expansions of the gas layer which near to the sample and this will finally create a sound wave. The R-G theory has been shown to be agood model by subsequent experiment work. Therefore, it led to direct expansions in photoacoustic research in 1970. The publication of the R-G theory, stimulated work in photoacoutic and number of papers have been written on the subject, describing various light sources, sample, cells, modulation technique and frequencies, detection methods and signal processing apparatus. This theory will be discussed in detail in the next chapter The photothermal and photoacoustic research was investigated since 1970 due to three major factors. i) Devlopment of intense light sources, such as laser and high pressure  arc lamps,such as xenon arc lamps. ii) Development of sensitive detection equipment, such as condenser and electret microphones and piezoelectric detectors iii) Development of more sensitive signal processing equipment such as filters and sensitive lock -in amplifiers. The improvement in the above three areas enabled the photoacoustic effect to be studied and hence higher sensitivity photoacoustic spectroscopy could be performed. Schemes of Photoacoustic Detection. All photothermal system employ a modulated source of electromagnetic radiation usually a light source, to generate modulated heating in a sample medium. the system rely on the absorption by the medium of electromagnetic energy and its subsequent conversion into thermal energy. this heating result in a number of physical changes in  and around the sample, figure 1.1 is schematic illustration of the phenomena resulting from the exposure of sample surface to a localized periodically modulated light source. in addition to a change in the temperature of the sample, it is also produced infrared, acoustic waves, surface expansion, thermoelastic waves, surface reflectivity modulation and refractive index gradient in the medium in contact with the heated surface. all of these effects could be used to probe the photothermal response of an enormous number of materials –solids, liquids, and gases. the thermal wave detection method were classified in to acoustic and thermal detection techniques. acoustic detection technique employ either a gas condenser microphone for the detection of pressure variation in air or a piezoelectric transducer for the detection of thermoelastic waves in solid media. thermal detection method includes the use of thermocoupe or pyroelectric transducers (photopyroelectric detection, PPE)to detect waves directly. (Murphy et al. 1992) Incident Refractive index gradient Infrared emission Surface Reflectivity modulation Acoustic waves Surface expansion thermal thermoelastic waves waves sample figure 1.1 photothremal effect caused by illumination of a surface by a modulated beam of light (Almond and Patel 1997) 1.3 Objective of the present study. CHAPTER 2 THEORY 2.1 Introduction. In this chapter, will discuss the theory of photoacoustic effect in the condensed matter.the formulation of Rosencwaing -Gersho (R-G)theory from the acoustic detection technique employ a gas condenser microphone for the detection of pressure variation in air are described. According to R-G model,when heat is created by means of non radiative transition with a boundary layer of the gas in the cell. Since the light is chopped, the photoacoustic signal is generated due to an acoustic pressure disturbance at the sample -gas interface transferred from the gas medium to the microphone. 2.2 Rosencwaing -Gersho Theory The Rosencwaing -Gersho theory, known as R-G theory, is an one -dimensional analysis of the production of a photoacoustic (PA) signal in a simple cylindrical cell resulting from the absorbed light energy. The model is schematically shown in figure 2.1 from the figure, the photoacoustic cell has a diameter D and length L . It is assumed that the length L is small compare to the wavelength of the acoustic waves and the microphone detecte the average pressure produced in the cell. In the present case, they also assumed that the light is not absorbed by the gas and backing material. The sample has thickness and diameter D. The sample is mounted so that its front surface is expose to the gas (air)within the cell and back surface is against a backing material of thickness . the length. . Of the gas volume is given by. = When a sinusoidally chopped monochromatic high passing through are window of the cell and incident upon the solid sample, the intensity I at the depth x is given by

A Study On Office Ergonomics Management Essay

A Study On Office Ergonomics Management Essay Office ergonomics serve important functions in preparing for, and responding to, workplace critical incidents. Workplace critical incidents are sudden, unexpected events that often are significant enough to overwhelm normal coping responses. They vary in type and severity and can affect employees as well as management. Such incidents can seriously affect the psychological, emotional, and physical well-being of employees, employers, and the entire organization. Negative effects from the unresolved trauma of a critical incident in the workplace can contribute to overall lowered levels of productivity, poor performance, more frequent interpersonal conflict, increased absenteeism, increased use of physical and mental health benefits, increased workers compensation claims, higher turnover, higher rates of alcohol and other substance misuse and abuse, and lower overall employee satisfaction and morale. According to Jones (1985:11-12) it is recognized that no one is immune to problems. It is quite common that a problem in ones sphere of life will affect the other spheres, that is, it is possible that work related problems to have adverse effects on an employees relationship with his or her colleagues, friends, supervisors and family members while on the other side of the coin a person experiencing personal problem originating from home can have a negative impact on the individual performance at work. Already, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and media and entertainment industries find over 25 percent of their workforce engaged in knowledge generation, idea generation, and innovation. Professional knowledge workers share in the responsibility of generating the competitive edge of big enterprise. Bryan and Joyce (2005) report several statistics reinforcing how professionals experience interconnection. They cite that many large national and global organizations may employ as many as 10,000 professional knowledge generators within their corporations. These people may have as many as 50 million bilateral relationships. From these numbers, one can make out that 21st century workers do not perform in a traditional vertical or linear organizational design. Thus employee should be at the centre of every business activity and they should be integrated in a way that they deliver to the core strategy of the business. Employee should be regarded as a direct means of achieving the objectives of the company and they should be considered as an integral element of business practices in view to increase performance and brand name of the company. That why the social need and belonging is very important to present in companies so that employees can get a sense that they know they feel recognised in working in the company. Individuals facing both personal and work related problems do exist at Air Mauritius Ltd. These problems may have their origin with their work design, interpersonal relationships at work or at home, health problem, psycho-social problems, inability to meet family and social life expectations, poor personal financial management, lack of trust and communication with the organization or suffering from stress as a result of perceiving organizational practices as being unfair towards our person. In view that the social dimension of the enterprises in Mauritius is becoming more and more important, Air Mauritius Ltd should at all cost put its people at the heart of its economic and social progress by focusing on their needs for support when they face problem that can shatter both their personal and professional life. To respond to these needs Mauritian airline company should adopt a holistic approach by putting in place broad and explicit structures for dealing with employee problems through early identification and referral, that is, professional attention so that the employee can be assisted to unleash his/her potential to cope with work and life events that may causing harm to his/her personal and professional life. Organisational Profile Air Mauritius Ltd which is one of the main drivers of the Mauritian economy was incorporated in June 1967 and started operations with a Piper Navajo to transport passengers to Rà ©union Island. Forty three (44) years later, the unique Mauritian airline company has grown with an actual fleet of 12 aircraft comprising of 8 wide bodied aircraft, 2 narrow bodied aircraft and 2 prop turbo aircraft and 3 helicopters. The different types of aircraft are illustrated below: Types of Aircraft Number Airbus A340-300 5 Airbus A340-300E 2 Airbus A319-100 2 ATR 72-500 2 Airbus A330-200 1 Total 12 Helicopter 3 Table 3.1-Types of Aircraft From a domestic airline carrier, Air Mauritius Ltd has become the leading scheduled international passenger airline in the Indian Ocean and also serves 28 destinations touching four (4) continents namely Africa, Asia, Australia Europe. It has also expanded its scope of service which includes operation of international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and ancillary services such as cargo. The greatest part of the revenue generation comes from the business and leisure travel with the latter being the main passenger segment which generated 86% of the revenue, 10.4% from cargo services and 4% from other activities conducted by its subsidiaries. During the past four financial years, the number of passengers carried by Air Mauritius Ltd has been fluctuating due to decrease in travel demand as a result of the world unprecedented financial crisis that hit countries where the mass of our passengers are located. Apart from operating aircraft, involved in air cargo services and other aviation ancillary activities, Air Mauritius Ltd has also diversified in other business activities through its subsidiaries namely: Mauritius Estate Development Corporation Ltd (MEDCOR) which is engaged in leasing of office and commercial space Pointe Cotton resort Hotel Co Ltd which owns Cotton bay Hotel in Rodrigues Island and provides hotel accommodation together with all hotel services Airmate Ltd which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Mauritius Ltd incorporated in 2006 to provide call centre and IT enabling services Air Mauritius (SA) (Pty) Ltd which acts as a travel agent for Air Mauritius in South Africa Organisational Structure Apart from its Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Office, Air Mauritius is made up of the following clusters: Flight Operations Cabin Operations Grounds Operations Technical Services Human Resources Organisational Development Internal Audit Finance Information Systems Strategic Planning Communication Corporate Affairs Commercial Procurement Cargo Manpower composition Air Mauritius has a total workforce of 2199 employees who work in Mauritius and it comprises of: Male 1406 Female 793 Total 2199 Table 3.3No of employees Human Resources Issues One of the mandates of the company is to manage and develop its human resources so as it can attained its corporate objectives. Air Mauritius Ltd through its mission statement and values, it demonstrates that they value their employees as one of its missions is to be a rewarding performance driven organistaion and a great place to work and promise to display professional and caring attitude and speak and act positively with our valued customers which include also the employees. Air Mauritius like other business enterprises is not immune of human resource issues that impact on corporate and financial performance. The most common features are labour turnover, termination of employment, sickness absenteeism, injuries at work, medical costs etc and a review of the data of associated with these problems reveal the following: For most people, work is a safe haven. But high-profile incidents/accidents at workplace and safety and health laws are compelling employers to develop preventive programs to mitigate these problems, resulting in the creation of a promising new niche for health and safety professionals. Improved personal control and comfort needs of employees triggered the concern among organisations to provide them with an environment and office design, which fulfill the employees needs and helps to improve their productivity. Most people spend fifty percent of their lives within indoor environments, which significantly influence their mental status, actions, abilities and performance. (Amina Hameed 2009 adopted from (Sundstrom 1994)). Better physical environment of office will boost the employees and ultimately improve their productivity. Various literature pertain to the study of multiple offices and office buildings indicated that the factors such as dissatisfaction, cluttered workplaces and the physical environment are playing a major role in the loss of employees productivity (Amina Hameed 2009 adopted from Carnevale 1992, Clements-Croome 1997). According to Betty G. Dillard (February 1997) the discipline of ergonomics emerged in United Kingdom in the late 1940s and was first officially recognised in the USA in 1957 through the Human Factors Society. In the 1960s and 1970s ergonomics became a familiar study to the field of industrial engineering, and by the late 1970s ergonomics was recognized as a multidisciplinary field at the University of Michigan School of Engineering. Ergonomics is an important factor in achieving and maintaining high levels of worker productivity. Jeffrey E. Fernandez (April 1995) defined ergonomics as the design of the workplace, equipment, machine, tool, product, environment, and system, while considering the humans physical, physiological, biomechanical, and psychological capabilities, and optimising the effectiveness and productivity of work systems while assuring the safety, health, and wellbeing of the workers. Ergonomics is a discipline concerned with all aspects of designing for people. The aim in ergonomics is to fit the task to the individual, not the individual to the task. Ann Brook (1998) further defined ergonomics as the practice of learning about human characteristics and then using that understanding to improve peoples interaction with the things they use and with the environments in which they do so Hundreds of millions of people around the world work in offices. Improving the quality of these environments through user-centered design would provide enormous health, social, and economic benefits to society. Office ergonomics provides an arbitrary framework for integrating a large body of research that is relevant to the design of office work environments to optimize the health, safety, comfort, and effectiveness of their human occupants. (Jay L. Brand 2009) Office ergonomics is an applied branch of human factors and ergonomics. At least 50% of the worlds population presently works in some form of office (Jay L. Brand, P.h.D.( 2009) adapted from Brounen, and Eichholtz 2004; Charles et al, 2004; Veitch et al 2007). To demonstrate this potential, at least 2% of the American workforce suffers from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WRMSD) annually (Jay L. Brand 2009 adapted from Faucett et al 2002). Within the European Union (EU), work-related musculoskeletal disorders (cumulative trauma disorders) constitute 40-50% of this (Jay L. Brand, P.h.D.( 2009) adapted from Drury et al., 2006). Several basic research areas inform office ergonomics body of knowledge and guide its practice, including anthropometry, biomechanics, work physiology, environmental science (e.g., indoor air quality, personal space/territoriality; Sommer, 1969), individual differences, visual and auditory perception, mental workload, information processing, and human motivation. A number of applied areas of interest also enrich office ergonomics research and practice, including macroergonomics, participative ergonomics, usability, job and task analysis, human-computer interaction, displays and controls, organizational design and behavior, and organizational development. Office ergonomics must not only provide design guidance to minimize or eliminate health and safety issues; increasingly, the discipline needs to deliver positive organizational outcomes such as enhancing employee recruitment, retention, and productivity (Jay L. Brand2009 adapted from Lahiri et al, 2005) Hughes (2007) surveyed 2000 employees pertain to various organizations and industries in multiple levels. The reported results of these survey showed that nine out of ten believed that a workspace quality affects the attitude of employees and increases their productivity. Employees in different organizations have different office designs. Every office has unique furniture and spatial arrangements, lighting and heating arrangements and different levels of noise. Office design Office design is defined by BNet Business Dictionary (2008) as, the arrangement of workspace so that work can be performed in the most efficient way. Office design incorporates both ergonomics and work flow, which examine the way in which work is performed in order to optimise layout. Office design is an important factor in job satisfaction. It affects the way in which employees work, and many organisations have implemented open-plan offices to encourage teamwork. Office design is very vital in employee satisfaction, and the broad concept of office design also includes the workflow. The work is analysed initially and it is identified that how it is accomplished and then the overall setting of the office is made according to that flow. This ensures the smooth running of work in the office without hindrances. Over the years, many organisations have devised new designs and techniques to construct office buildings, which can boost productivity, and magnetise more and more employees. Many researches have noted that, the physical layout of the workspace, along with well-organised management processes, is playing a significant role in increasing employees productivity and enhancing organisational performance (Amina Hameed 2009 adapted from Uzee, 1999; Leaman and Bordass, 1993; Williams et al. 1985). A study was conducted on US workplace environment by taking a sample size of 2013. The research was related to; workplace designs, work satisfaction, and productivity. 89 percent of the respondents rated design, from important to very important. Almost 90 percent of senior officials revealed that effective workplace design is important for the increase in employees productivity. The final outcome of the survey suggested that businesses can enhance their productivity by improving their workplace designs. A rough estimation was made by executives, which showed that almost 22 percent increase can be achieved in the companys performance if their offices are well designed. (Gensler, 2006). It is an undoubtedly fact that almost many organisations still do not give much importance to workplace design. As many as 40 percent of the employees believe that their companies want to keep their costs low that is why their workplaces have bad designs; and 46 percent of employees think that the priority list of their company does not have workplace design on top. When data was summarised, almost one out of every five employees rated their workplace environment from, fair to poor. 90 percent admitted that their attitude about work is adversely affected by the quality of their workplace environment. Yet again 89 percent blamed their working environment for their job dissatisfaction (Gensler, 2006). The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID, 1999) carried out an independent study and revealed that the physical workplace design is one of the top three factors, which affect performance and job satisfaction. The study results showed that 31 percent of people were satisfied with their jobs and had pleasing workplace environments. 50 percent of people were seeking jobs and said that they would prefer a job in a company where the physical environment is good. Brill et al. (1984) ranked factors, which affect productivity according to their importance. The factors are sequenced based on the significance: Furniture, Noise, Flexibility, Comfort, Communication, Lighting, Temperature and the Air Quality. Amina Hameed 2009 adapted from Springer Inc (1986) stated that an insurance company in a study revealed that the best ergonomic furniture improved performance by 10 to 15 percent. Leaman (1995) attempted to find the relationship between indoor environment, dissatisfied employees and their productivity. The results revealed that the productivity of the work is affected because the people were unhappy with temperature, air quality, light and noise levels in the office. The productivity level was measured by the method of self reported measurement, which is a 9 point scale from greater than -40 and less than +40 percent (loss/gain). The data collected was correlated and results said that the coefficient of correlation (r)=0.92 and the correlation exists between people who showed dissatisfaction with their indoor environment and those reporting that their productivity is affected by the office environment. Transition of closed offices to open offices. Open offices are distinguished from closed offices as having minimal floor-to-ceiling divisions inside the building shell other than structural or supporting elements. Problems with inadequate privacy and personal control have largely been replicated and extended by subsequent research to include impaired organizational performance, greater stress and cognitive workload, lower intrinsic motivation, more difficulty in concentrating, and less likelihood of adjusting so-called ergonomic furniture among workers in open-plan offices compared with those in enclosed offices (Jay L. Brand 2009 adapted from Banbury Berry, 2005) Maher and von Hippel (2005), measured 60 male and 49 female office workers in a field study of two open-plan office environments. Their results pointed to the importance of individual differences and salient job characteristics, as well as to a discrepancy between the visual-symbolic nature of partial enclosures and their actual effectiveness as acoustic barriers. These findings suggest that employees engaged in complex tasks or with low stimulus-screening ability prefer enclosed offices. Young office employees prefer to spend a greater proportion of their time working in groups or teams than individually. Based on the available literature, it must be concluded that any individual, group, or organizational advantages of moving from closed to open offices depend on a conceptual framework that links a number of merely interesting assumptions still lacking adequate empirical investigation. What appear on the surface to be compelling claims of improved communication, collaboration, community, creativity, and innovation among employees in open offices have received only mixed support at best. Factors affecting Office ergonomics The futureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦depends on how we develop human interfaces that create a match between the internal rhythms of the operator and the computer. ( Harry C. Sweere (2002) Harry C. Sweere (2002) conducted a study to investigate on the ergonomics factors involved in optimum computer workstation design. He pointed out the factors that are involved in the design of a computer workstation. The goal of conducting his research was to offer a practical guide to interpret published ergonomic guidelines and the anthropometric data that can be used to create a user friendly, ergonomically correct computer work environment. According to Harry C. Sweere (2002) the factors involved in the design of a computer workstation are namely:- à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Visual display unit (VDU) adjustability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Keyboard placement/adjustability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Work surface adjustability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Chair design/adjustability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Foot rests à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Wrist rests à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Glare screens à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lighting, task lighting à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ease of adjustability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Accessibility to components à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Human Computer Interfaces (HCIs) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Space savings All of the above issues concern themselves with the reduction or elimination of a class of physical disorders associated with poor ergonomic design known as Musculoskeletal Stress Disorders (MSDs), which result in: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Eye, neck and back strain à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fatigue, headache à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Wrist, hand, elbow and shoulder diseases such as à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¾ Carpal Tunnel Syndrome à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¾ Tenosynovitis à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¾ Tendonitis à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¾ Synovitis Some of the main causes of eye, neck and back strain, which cause visual problems and wrist, hand, elbow and shoulder diseases are: Improper Visual Display Unit screen height and the inability to adjust the screen height to individual preferences Improper Visual Display Unit viewing distance and the inability to adjust the same Improper Visual Display Unit viewing angle and the difficulty of adjusting the viewing angle especially of larger monitors Improper keyboard vertical, fore and aft and tilt positioning. A good ergonomic design principle must be applied to give the operator or a range of operators the optimum man-machine interface and the adjustability required to prevent discomfort and prevent workplace injuries. In many cases the specialised video display mounting technology developed for these work environments can be applied to the desktop to provide ergonomic adjustability and space saving benefits for this environment as well. Screen Height The recommended screen height for VDT monitors is that the top of the monitor screen should be set at or slightly below (approximately 1-2) the eye height of the user when the user is sitting or standing in a comfortable, relaxed position. Whenever possible the screen height should be variable to accommodate personal preferences throughout the day. Harry C. Sweere (2002) Screen Tilt Ideally an upward tilt with the bottom of the screen tilted toward the operator provides optimum viewing because it provides a consistent focal length when scanning from the top of the screen to the bottom. A tilt range of 12 ° to 20 ° is ideal depending upon the size of the monitor. (Harry C. Sweere (2002) Screen Distance from Operator Normally the monitor screen should be placed as far away as possible from the operator, consistent with the ability to read the information presented on the screen. A good rule of thumb for most installations is that the monitor screen should be placed at arms length, with the provision to move the monitor back and forth to suit individual needs being the ideal. Keyboard Height/Positioning Keyboards should be placed at a height that allows the operator to operate the keyboard with the forearms level and hands sloping slightly downward. A negatively tilting keyboard, allowing the operator to keep the wrinkles out of the top of the wrists is ideal. Fore and aft positioning of the keyboard should be consistent with allowing the hands to move easily over the keyboard with forearms level and elbows at the sides, maintaining a 90 ° 110 ° angle between upper and lower arms. Screen/Keyboard Height Variance Anthropometric data for the average range of male to female operators indicates that the top of the monitor screen to centerline of the keyboard placement should range from 20 to 22 with 21 being a good set-up for most applications. Seating Although Lueder and Noro (1994) remains an excellent reference for most of the important considerations related to user-centered seating design, more recent work has enlarged on the importance of an integrative systems framework for predicting seated comfort and discomfort. User-centered seating evaluations tend to emphasize user outcomes associated with long-term sitting such as low back disorders (Jay L.Brand 2009 adapted from Corlett, 2006; George, 2002). Marras (2005) reviewed research that demonstrated interactions between basic tissue and musculoskeletal biomechanics with individual differences (e.g., personality and gender. In light of Marrass review, practitioners should at least realize that occupant-centered design principles that include user characteristics as well as organizational and task contexts are critical, in addition to seating design itself, for preventing or ameliorating low back disorders among office workers. Av. Female 59.4 44 Improving the Human Interface with Computers Ergonomic studies done years ago indicate that screen positioning and keyboard adjustability are some of the most important factors in providing a comfortable work environment and preventing a broad range of MSDs associated with computer use. Disorders such as eye, neck and back strain, fatigue, headaches, and wrist, hand, elbow and shoulder diseases such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can all be dramatically improved through use of good ergonomic design. The foregoing paper is based upon sound ergonomic ground rules and scientific anthropometric data, which can be used by computer workstation designers to help provide an optimum human interface for their computers. Workstation designers are urged to consult with a certified Ergonomist who is familiar with the applicable anthropometric data and computer workstation ergonomic standards for corroboration of the recommendations made for each application. In order to meet such ambitious demands, a broader, systems view for office ergonomics must be adopted (Jay L. Brand 2009) adapted from Bettendorf, 1998). Such a framework fully acknowledges the influence of additional psychosocial, socio-technical, and organisational layers beyond individual human-workstation interactions. Whether or not a foot rest should be recommended depends somewhat on seat height, seat back angle, and seat pan angle as well as on knee clearance considerations related to desk surface height, placement of input devices, and the relative position of these components to one another. (Jay L. Brand 2009) After all, maintaining neutral body postures in any particular limb or body segment should not require that other limbs or body segments assume awkward postures. Maintaining neutral postures and neutral loadings for users requires simultaneous design of the physical components of the environment, their spatial relationships to one another, the users behavioral interaction with each component, and task requirements. (Jay L. Brand 2009) Marshall et al (1999) investigated the influence of complex wrist and forearm postures on wrist range of motion (ROM). Although their results relate more to human functionality constraints than to awkward postures per se, they still illustrate the necessity of an interactive systems framework for applying basic ergonomics research to practical office design problems. Wrist postures cannot be evaluated independently of elbow position, and therefore the design of keyboards or mice cannot be optimized without also considering the design and placement of forearm or wrist suppor. (Jay L. Brand ( 2009)) Helander, Little, and Drury (2000) found that seat height and seat pan angle in particular were interdependent, even when participants adjusted a single chair in isolation-that is, adjustments of one influenced adjustments of the other. An applied example of interdependence among ergonomics principles given in Smith and Cohen (1997) involves the need for a headrest if people use a reclined posture, either to decrease spinal loading. Allie et al (2005) suggested that human-machine system outputs (performance/productivity), user symptoms ( pain, comfort, and discomfort ratings; workload) user preferences and expectations ( spontaneously adjusted settings/positions of office furniture and equipment), biomechanical/ musculoskeletal factors (awkward postures; muscle tension, sensory/perceptual conditions (visual acuity; visual accommodation responses; color responses individual differences ), and task requirements must be taken into consideration when managing office ergonomics. Training A related development since Smith and Cohens (1997) masterful review of the office ergonomics literature involves the importance of placing ergonomics findings within their larger psychosocial and organizational contexts. One relevant aspect of this higher-order context relates to the quality of education and training about the elements and importance of ergonomics design guidelines and other interventions (Smith Bayehi, 2003). The value of basic ergonomics information within applied settings often depends on the effectiveness of such training/orientation programs, as well as on individual differences (Levitt Hedge, 2006). Recent reviews have affirmed the well-known risk factors in the development of musculoskeletal difficulties among office workers: frequency/repetition, awkward or static postures, excessive muscle loads, inadequate recovery/ rest periods and cool temperatures. Ambient and Task Lighting The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (Jay L. Brand, 2009) adapted from IESNA, 2004) recommends maximum luminance ratios of 1:3 between central task materials and the immediate visual surround (approximately 25 ° visual angle, centered at fixation) and 1:10 between task materials and more remote surroundings. Unfortunately, in actual practice, the conditions relevant to these recommendations are rarely measured and anecdotal evidence suggests that luminance ratios often exceed this advice. In addition to their helpful review of previous lighting research that is salient for the design of office lighting, Sheedy, Smith, and Hayes (2005) employed a laboratory experiment featuring fixed head position to clarify and extend current design recommendations. Distinguishing between disability and discomfort glare they described transient adaptation effects from fixating back and forth between two disparate luminance levels-a frequent situation confronting employees in office work environments. Sheedy et al. compared younger (N = 20, mean age 27.9 years, range 23-39) and older (N = 17, mean age 55.5 years, range 47-63) participants performing a central task (presented at 91 cd/m2) at surround luminances of 1.4, 2.4, 8.9, 25.5, 50, 91, 175, 317, and 600 cd/m2. Disability glare was assessed with low-contrast (20%) visual acuity charts; discomfort glare was measured with a questionnaire and preferred (surround) luminance by the method of adjustment. Younger participants performed b est at a surround luminance of 50 cd/m2 and older ones at 91 cd/m2 (equivalent to task luminance). Surround luminance influenced transient adaptation at low but not high levels for both age groups. The design of lighting and day lighting has also experienced a shift from direct guidelines such as adjustable task lighting to provide adequate luminance and legibility/ contrast for work materials or the elimination of glare to the importance of the larger, perceptual context for understanding user-centered design. (Jay L. Brand 2009) However, some evidence paints a more optimistic picture of providing useful, objective guidelines for office lighting. Jay L. Brand (2009) (adapted from Newsham and Veitch (2001)) derived several practical guidelines, including the follow

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Asian Carp The Great Lakes system affects our lives in various ways. Not only does this water system affect people, it has an impact on the natural environment as well. The weather, climate, wildlife and habitat are all affected by this arrangement of five lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, and Erie. The lakes are huge and powerful, however they are very fragile when it comes to being mistreated. The ecosystem has been placed under stress in the past, and we now realize the importance of protecting and preserving our lakes. Years ago, a species of carp were brought into the United States to help our lakes, and now they run the risk of destroying them. Asian carp are a species of fish native to Siberia and China, but they were imported by fish farms in the southern United States to control algae and snail population. In the early 1990’s, aquaculture facilities in the southern United States were flooded and the carp escaped into the Mississippi River and spread into northern rivers. The carp moved north becoming the most abundant fish in some areas of the Mississippi river, triumphing over native fish and bringing hardship to the people who fished the river. The carps’ domination over the Mississippi is reason for concern in the Great Lakes region growing concern in the Great Lakes; the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal connect the Great Lakes to the Mississippi. Last month, a survey was taken that found Asian carp only 55 miles south of our very own Lake Michigan. Unless the Asian carp are deterred, they will infiltrate our great lakes, potentially bringing disastrous effects to the entire region.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Asian carp are a serious threat to the Great Lakes for a number of reasons; the primary concern being that they would become the dominant species after they enter the system. Asian carp can grow to the enormous size of four feet and weigh as much as 100 pounds. Their massive size results in a large appetite as well. In addition to this, Asian carp are a fast breeding species; upon entering the great lakes, it is likely that the carp will become the overwhelming majority of the fish population. Female carp carry up to one million eggs, allowing for this species to easily replace the local fish. These fast-growing Asian carp are not easy to get rid of. While smaller fish are scored and sold easily, this species of large fish are harder to process and score because their bones are big and difficult to remove.

The Ethics of Terraformation Essay -- Space Technology Science Essays

The Ethics of Terraformation What is Terraformation? The point of terraforming is to change an uninhabitable terrestrial planet into one that can support human life on the surface. Terraforming is a massive undertaking, and it involves altering a whole planet's climate, geology, and life. It entails the destruction of land masses and geological features billions of years old, elevating the global temperature, and flooding the surface with vast oceans. The most relevant to this discussion is the releasing of thousands of species from another planet to live and breed, altering the atmospheric makeup with every breath. [1] Ever since terraformation was imagined years ago, people began to ask if it was ethical. Changing a whole planet to fit our desires seemed like a religious authority that doesn’t fit in the hands of humans. Science has developed since then and with it, changes in bioengineering. We are "playing God" to a degree that not even science fiction could imagine. But have we actually changed? We read in the news or see on the television everyday about parties of environmental protesters lobbying for protection of natural resources or preservation of our national parks. The majority of the public believes that our environment requires our immediate attention.[2] On Mars it will be the same. There will be individuals who are pro-terraforming and those who are against it. There will be extremists and neutralists. In Red Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson, the sides are designated by colors. "Greens", or terraforming supporters, are in constant conflict with the "Reds".[3] These have become the most common terms for describing people involved in terraformation debates. Why Mars? People have been captivated wit... .... [6] Hamilton [7] Hamilton [8] Hamilton [9] Hamilton [10] NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mars Exploration Rover Mission, 2004, California Institute of Technology, 10 Feb. 2004, <http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040112a.html > [11] NASA. [12] NASA. [13] Graham. [14] Graham [15] Graham [16] Moore [17] DeVincenzi, D. L., P. Stabekis, and J. Barengoltz, Refinement of Planetary Protection Policy for Mars Missions, Adv. Space Res., 1996 Vol. 18, No. 1 <http://library.thinkquest.org/11967/ppp4m.html?tqskip1=1> [18] DeVincenzi [19] Terraforming Mars, 2002, Science Forum, 13 Feb. 2004, <http://www.sciencegroups.com/viewtopic.php?t=9915> [20] Barbour, Ian G., Ethics is an Age of Technology, (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1991) 66. [21] Barbour, 64. [22] Barbour, 69. [23] Barbour, 79.

Using Material from Item a and Elsewhere

Using material from item A and elsewhere assess the view that social class differences in educational achievement are the result of school processes such as labelling. Social class is typically known as social grouping or hierarchy based on differences in wealth, income or occupation. In the UK there are mainly two social classes; working class and middle class. 33% of students who are currently on free school meals achieve 5A*-C at GCSE, however 61% of students who are not on free school meals also achieve 5A*-C grades. 0% of the failing school are from deprived areas, and 79% of children from a higher professional family are more likely to go to university, whilst only 15% of children from unskilled and manual backgrounds go to work. Sub cultures are a group of people within society who share the same norms, values, beliefs and attitude that go against the main stream in society. This is usually different from or opposed to the main stream culture, for instance an anti-school subcu lture is more likely to be formed by pupils in lower streams.This is backed up by â€Å"They have examined the way in which labelling is linked to other processes within schools that result in class differences in achievement† (Item A) â€Å"These processes include self-fulfilling prophecy, streaming and the formation of pupil subcultures† (Item A) Therefore working class children will underachieve and middle class children will continue to progress. This can disadvantage working class children because of the use of home and school contracts.The education triage for working class are labelled as â€Å"hopeless cases† which then produces a selffulfilling prophecy and failure, which then leads to working class children going under stereotypical ideas. However, some labelled students go against their label to prove teachers wrong, which pushes them to do just as well as middle class children. Labelling is to attach a meaning or definition. Typically teachers label students as, bright, thick or hardworking. This usually affects working class students as they are labelled ‘thick’.This is backed up from item A â€Å"some sociologists explain social class differences in achievement in terms of school processes such as labelling† According to Cicourel and Kitsuse teachers judge students according to their ability, social class and race. Labelling can lead to self fulfilling prophecy where the student will accept the label and do what is expected of that particular label. However, this can advantage working class children to work against their label and achieve the best possible grades.According to the Sutton Trust 80% of ethnic minority pupils aspire to go to university. This goes on to show that labelling working class children can affect their final grade. Another process that school use that affect educational achievement is streaming. This process is when students are put into groups according to capability. â€Å"These pr ocesses include the self-fulfilling prophecy, streaming and the formation of pupil subcultures† (Item A). Becker begins to believe that the capability groups are those who will pass, those who might pass and those who will not pass.However, Stephen Ball takes the analysis a step further to abolish banding, in favour of teaching mixed ability groups. This has created new opportunities for schools and teachers. This is to differentiate between pupils on the basis of their class, ethnicity or gender and to not treat them unequally. Therefore showing that streaming is a major factor in underachievement. Finally Self-fulfilling prophecy can affect educational achievement. This process consists of a prediction that comes true simply by virtue of it having it being made.This can affect those less able because it foes against the main stream. This is backed up by â€Å"Gilbourn and Youdell have examined the role of educational policies in creating the context for such school processe s to take place† (Item A) Gilbourn and Youdell shows how teachers notions of ability conclude to their decisions of which pupils have the potential to achieve 5A*-C grade gcse’s. Neil Keddie then argues that the more intelligent students get taught more complex and advanced information and methods while the students in the lower sets are not recognised and being left behind.However Rosenthal and Jacobson performed an experiment where they picked random students from the class who were also working class and told teachers they are able to improve, this later resulted in teachers spending more time with these ‘selected’ students which made them improve and achieve better. Therefore showing that self-fulfilling prophecy can have an effect in education underachievement. To conclude sub cultures, labelling, streaming and self-fulfilling prophecy can effect education underachievement, due to social class, gender and race.Being labelled tends to be based on your s ocial class, where you will be labelled between smart and dumb. Streaming is typically based on your ability on whether you’re smart or dumb. Also, sub cultures and self-fulfilling prophecy is known to go under all social class, gender and race as it is a group of people who tend to go against the norms, beliefs and values of mean stream sub culture. However education underachievement cannot just be a social class difference, it has internal factors as well as external factors.

They Say More About You Than You Think

They say More About You Than You Think The term â€Å"homophobia† brings to mind individuals that hate those who are homosexual. Most of us arent ignorant to the fact that homophobia is a problem in America. These homophobic people call homosexuals faggots- or â€Å"dykes† with no regard as to if these people are actually gay or not. We often believe this is as far as it is taken. Carmen Vazquez's argument in her 1992 essay -Appearances†, slightly changes the definition ot homophobia (Goodreads).Her argument is effective because she offers convincing evidence of these events, uses a tone that does not ttack those she is standing up against and uses pathos to gain readers emotionally. Vazquez brings the issues going on today that many of us may not be aware of to the readers' attention; the people who are commonly abused for being lesbian, gay, b', transgender, or simply appear so. In the paragraph before the essay begins, an important question is Introduced: †Å"Have you ever gone for a walk in the evening, ridden a city bus, or gone out dancing?Did these activities make you fear for your lifer Most of us would be dble to answer â€Å"rid' to this (Blumenfeld 489). Vazquez's one and language throughout the essay was appropriate and effective. She targets an audience of those who are heterosexual to inform them of the issues she presents. Many good examples of figurative language are used to paint vlvld pictures of what it Is like for the LGBTQ community. An example of this is â€Å"The straight Jacket of gender roles suffocates many lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals, forcing them into closets without an exit and threatening our very existence when we tear the closet open† (Blumenfeld 493).Vazquez's persona and tone increases the audience's dherence to the claim by not attacking or criticizing those who are homophobic In her attempt to raise awareness and persuade people attected by homophobia to take action. The author uses satire to effectively show how serious about the topic she is Through her use of satire, Vazquez starts out by setting up the scene for her use ot logos. She sets up the scene tor a place called the Castro located in San Francisco, which is a key location for her essay where most of the violence she describes takes place.The way she sets up the scene in San Francisco enables the reader to picture he way Castro looks if they have not been there before. She describes what the homophobic people are doing as a type of â€Å"fun. † This implies they do not see any harm In the actions they are making. Her quoting the obscene use of name calling they use such as â€Å"fucking cocksucking faggots†, â€Å"dyke cunts†, and â€Å"diseased butt fuckers† takes readers back for a moment, making them think â€Å"who would use this language toward another person? (Blumenfeld 490). She Incorporates the use of pathos as she includes these phrases to show the reader the strong la nguage and he emotional damage the people of the LGBTQ community are suffering from. while Vazquez Incorporates her use of pathos, she also uses logos, strengthening this essay. She describes an Incident that includes someone named Brian who was badly beaten, almost taking away his ability to walk, because others on the bus just simply percelvea ne was gay.Vazquez Includes tne statement mace Dy Brain's lawsuit, â€Å"As claimant lay crumpled and bleeding on the floor of the bus, the bus driver tried to force claimant off the bus so that the driver could get off work and go home† (Blumenfeld 490). This is an effective use of logos because it shows the neglect toward those who appear or are homosexual, thus backing up her argument. She wants the reader to feel frustration toward those who are being harmed because of their sexual orientation. At the same time she wants them to feel sympathetic for these people who take on the everyday struggles of being openly gay.Vazquez then i ntroduces another incident including another man who was harmed almost losing his life because he was presumed gay. In this incident Mickey had an ice pick immersed into his neck leaving him with thirty-six stitches and an lmost severed spinal cord. Mickey was also not gay; he was at a club with his girlfriend. Vazquez says â€Å"Dress like a homo, dance like a homo, must be a homo†¦ evidence of sexual orientation, however, is not necessary for someone to qualify as a potential victim of deadly fury. Appearances will do† (Blumenfeld 491).This quotation strengthens her argument because it backs up the claim she is making: there is no guaranteed method for identifying sexual orientation. She does this by taking two circumstances including straight men that were harmed simply because they appeared to be gay with no actual evidence. This also provides a strong basis for the rest of her essay. After Vazquez provides a strong basis, she then establishes her ethos. She states t hat these events were reported to the Community United Against Violence, also known as CUAV, and the San Francisco police.She states that she worked at this agency for four years. This gives her the credentials for the reader to form respect for her opinions and information presented making her someone worth listening to. She says in the essay, â€Å"The great majority of these incidents go unreported,† referring to those who are victims of hate crimes (Blumenfeld 491). In 2013 CUAV released a report of hate crimes in 2012 against the LGBTQ community. It was found that only 56% of the surviving victims reported their incidents to the police (National 19).This strengthens her essay because it shows that these events aren't Just something she made up and that she worked with these incidents long enough to understand what was going on. Along with Vazquez's use of ethos, she effectively used pathos. The author wants the reader to feel frustration and sympathy towards those who ar e effected by homophobia by saying things like, â€Å"Enforced heterosexism and pressure to conform o aggressive masculine and passive feminine roles place fag bashers and lesbian baiters in the same psychic prison with their victims, gay or straight† (Blumenfeld 495).The author relies on the values she assumes the audience has about equality. The author says, â€Å"We ask that you embrace your daughter's desire to swing a bat or be a carpenter, that you nurture your son's efforts to express affection and sentiment† (Blumenfeld 496). These are effective because she reaches out to the audience's emotions, gaining more respect from the readers because she does not belittle anyone, but simply asks for their help. The help she asks for is because she is openly a lesbian. In an interview by Kelly Anderson, Vazquez talks about being lesbian among many other topics.She says † tnls Is lesDlan. I'm Dutcn ana I Ilke tne Temme women† (Vazquez 21). I nls also establish es some ethos because it shows that she understands the struggles that come from homophobia. Readers gain more respect for her because it shows that she has experienced some events peculiar to most people who are not homosexual. While Vazquez is a lesbian, she still makes an attempt to mention the counter- argument. She talks about how homophobic people view others that are gay or esbian. She refers to the reason why so many resort to using violence as â€Å"gender betrayal† (Blumenfeld 492).When talking about the many presentations she has done the most common response she has gotten about why being homosexual bothers people is because â€Å"they act like girls† and â€Å"they think that theyre men† (Blumenfeld 493). This is effective because it shows that she tried hearing out other people's opinions but simply does not understand why they think this way. In the end of her essay, she lists a variety of ways that we can act as a whole to end homophobia. Vazquez changes the definition of â€Å"homophobia† to: individuals ho hate those who appear or are homosexual.In her effective use of ethos, pathos, logos, and the counter-argument, she makes the reader more aware; gay men look like straight men, Just as straight women look like lesbians. Homophobia is more than just calling people names. Next time you think of using derogatory terms such as â€Å"faggot† or â€Å"dyke†, even if you don't intend any harm, think about the many who have suffered from hate crimes because of their sexuality.