Aviation Maintenance Technicians’ Perceptions of Safety Management System Implementation at Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Facilities

A safety management system (SMS) is challenging for an aviation maintenance facility and even more significant for the aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) entrusted to perform the work due to organizational, methodological, and consistency issues. The incorporation of an SMS is new in the United States for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities that operate under the Code of Federal Regulations Part 145. AMTs constitute the bulk of the workers in an MRO. By default, a safety culture and safety consciousness existed in MROs prior to an SMS, and this study was conducted to understand the perceptions of the AMTs in the MROs with an SMS and whether the SMS had an impact on safety culture and safety consciousness after implementation. General system theory grounded the theoretical framework in an effort to explain how all system elements interact with one another. Interviewed AMTs were questioned on perceptions of safety consciousness and safety culture since the implementation of the SMS in their MRO. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 12 AMTs. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data to produce an account of the phenomenon. Six themes were identified through this analysis: (a) positive aspects of SMS adoption and implementation, (b) strategies and considerations on SMS adoption and implementation, (c) improvements in reporting and safety measures, (d) increased participation and involvement, (e) positive changes in safety culture, and (f) increased accountability and oversight. The implications for positive social change include the potential for MRO leaders to implement SMS programs to improve facility safety for the public’s safety via change awareness in safety culture and the safety consciousness of AMTs in an MRO

An evaluation methodology for crowdsourced design

In recent years, the “power of the crowd” has been repeatedly demonstrated and various Internet platforms have been used to support applications of collaborative intelligence to tasks ranging from open innovation to image analysis. However, crowdsourcing applications in the fields of design research and creative innovation have been much slower to emerge. So, although there have been reports of systems and researchers using Internet crowdsourcing to carry out generative design, there are still many gaps in knowledge about the capability and limitations of the technology. Indeed the process models developed to support traditional commercial design (e.g. Pugh’s Total Design, Agile, Double-Diamond etc.) have yet to be established for Crowdsourced Design. As a contribution to the development of such a general model this paper proposes the cDesign framework to support the creation of Crowdsourced Design activities. Within the cDesign framework the effective evaluation of design quality is identified as a key component that not only enables the leveraging of a large, virtual workforces’ creative activities but is also fundamental to most iterative and optimisation processes. This paper reports an experimental investigation (developed using the cDesign framework) into two different Crowdsourced design evaluation approaches; free evaluation and ‘crowdsourced Design Evaluation Criteria’ (cDEC). The results are benchmarked against an evaluation carried out by a panel of experienced designers. The results suggest that the cDEC approach produces design rankings that correlate strongly with the judgements of an “expert panel”. The paper concludes that cDEC assessment methodology demonstrates how Crowdsourcing can be effectively used to evaluate, as well as generate, new design solutions

Evidence-based lead mitigation strategies: Are the DIY lead mitigation recommendations by health departments supported by research?

Background: Legislation outlawing leaded paint in 1978 and tetraethyl lead from gasoline in 1992 effectively decreased blood lead levels (BLLs), but the effects of lead are still felt in the United States to this day. There is no safe level of lead in the body, and even low level lead exposure can lead to cognitive and developmental delays such as learning delay and disabilities; low IQ; and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The CDC has determined that a BLL of 5 μg/dL or higher is cause for environmental and educational intervention. Today, the EPA estimates that there are approximately 24 million housing units containing significant lead hazards, with 4 million being home to children. Many of the families that are faced with lead hazards in their homes are minorities and low socioeconomic status. To assist families with possible lead hazards in the home, interim controls of lead hazards may be paramount to reducing lead levels in the household in a simple, cost effective manner. Methods: To that end, our research had two aims (a) conduct a systematic literature review to learn about do-it-yourself (DIY) interim controls that are evidence-based and effective in reducing lead hazards in the home and (b) conduct interviews with key personnel at each state health department to learn more about their lead prevention programs and the DIY mitigation strategies recommended to families. Results: Our provisional findings suggest there is an inconsistent, wide range of mitigation strategies recommended by the state health departments that often lack empirical evidence. . While our literature review identified effective interim controls, the literature is outdated. Conclusion and Potential Impact: We recommend more studies are needed to identify cost effective interim controls and the standardization of health department DIY interim controls across the nation

The Experience of Being an Older Online Graduate Student

The number of older adult online students (over age 30) has continued to grow over the past 10 years, but their perceptions of how the online experience affects their family and friendship relationships were unknown. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of 6 graduate students over the age of 30 years enrolled in an online program, using the lens of Bowen’s family systems theory and Elder’s life course theory. The research questions focused on the experiences of being an older online graduate student, including motivation, factors that helped or hindered adjustment, perceived stress, social supports, and coping skills. Data were collected using in-depth semistructured interviews and were analyzed based on Moustakas’s method. Results indicated that older online graduate students chose to be online students for convenience; however, they tended to feel isolated, and their supportive friendships tended to be exclusively online. Their motivation was primarily to earn a degree, and they believed that online graduate school was more stressful than brick-and-mortar programs. The majority of participants saw social support as instrumental in achieving their academic goals and cited this as their primary coping mechanism. The results of this study may be used by instructors and administrators to better understand the experiences of older online graduate students, and to develop ways to enhance social support for these students

Differential Roles of Hyperglycemia and Hypoinsulinemia in Diabetes Induced Retinal Cell Death: Evidence for Retinal Insulin Resistance

Diabetes pathology derives from the combination of hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia or insulin resistance leading to diabetic complications including diabetic neuropathy, nephropathy and retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is characterized by numerous retinal defects affecting the vasculature and the neuro-retina, but the relative contributions of the loss of retinal insulin signaling and hyperglycemia have never been directly compared. In this study we tested the hypothesis that increased retinal insulin signaling and glycemic normalization would exert differential effects on retinal cell survival and retinal physiology during diabetes. We have demonstrated in this study that both subconjunctival insulin administration and systemic glycemic reduction using the sodium-glucose linked transporter inhibitor phloridzin affected the regulation of retinal cell survival in diabetic rats. Both treatments partially restored the retinal insulin signaling without increasing plasma insulin levels. Retinal transcriptomic and histological analysis also clearly demonstrated that local administration of insulin and systemic glycemia normalization use different pathways to counteract the effects of diabetes on the retina. While local insulin primarily affected inflammation-associated pathways, systemic glycemic control affected pathways involved in the regulation of cell signaling and metabolism. These results suggest that hyperglycemia induces resistance to growth factor action in the retina and clearly demonstrate that both restoration of glycemic control and retinal insulin signaling can act through different pathways to both normalize diabetes-induced retinal abnormality and prevent vision loss

Assessment of the roughness factor effect and the intrinsic catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction on Ni-based electrodeposits

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was studied in 30 wt.% KOH solution at temperatures ranging between 30 and 80 °C on three type of electrodes: (i) rough pure Ni electrodeposits, obtained by applying a large current density; (ii) smooth NiCo electrodeposits; (iii) smooth commercial Ni electrodes. By using steady-state polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) the surface roughness factor and the intrinsic activities of the catalytic layers were determined. These techniques also permitted us to determine the mechanism and kinetics of the HER on the investigated catalysts. Different AC models were tested and the appropriate one was selected. The overall experimental data indicated that the rough/porous Ni electrode yields the highest electrocatalytic activity in the HER. Nevertheless, when the effect of the surface roughness was taken into consideration, it was demonstrated that alloying Ni with Co results in an increased electrocatalytic activity in the HER when comparing to pure Ni. This is due to an improved intrinsic activity of the material, which was explained on the basis of the synergism among the catalytic properties of Ni (low hydrogen overpotential) and of Co (high hydrogen adsorption).Isaac Herraiz-Cardona is grateful to the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (Spain) for a postgraduate grant (Ref. AP2007-03737). This work was supported by Generalitat Valenciana (Project PROMETEO/2010/023)Herraiz Cardona, I.; Ortega Navarro, EM.; Garcia-Anton, J.; Pérez-Herranz, V. (2011). Assessment of the roughness factor effect and the intrinsic catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction on Ni-based electrodeposits. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 36(16):9428-9438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2011.05.047S94289438361

Use of radiolabelled choline as a pharmacodynamic marker for the signal transduction inhibitor geldanamycin

There is an urgent need to develop non-invasive pharmacodynamic endpoints for the evaluation of new molecular therapeutics that inhibit signal transduction. We hypothesised that, when labelled appropriately, changes in choline kinetics could be used to assess geldanamycin pharmacodynamics, which involves inhibition of the HSP90 molecular chaperone→Raf1→Mitogenic Extracellular Kinase→Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 1 and 2 signal transduction pathway. Towards identifying a potential pharmacodynamic marker response, we have studied radiolabelled choline metabolism in HT29 human colon carcinoma cells following treatment with geldanamycin. We studied the effects of geldanamycin, on net cellular accumulation of (methyl-14C)choline and (methyl-14C)phosphocholine production. In parallel experiments, the effects of geldanamycin on extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 phosphorylation and cell viability were also assessed. Additional validation studies were carried out with the mitogenic extracellular kinase inhibitor U0126 as a positive control; a cyclin-dependent kinase-2 inhibitor roscovitine and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 as negative controls. Hemicholinium-3, an inhibitor of choline transport and choline kinase activity was included as an additional control. In exponentially growing HT29 cells, geldanamycin inhibited extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 phosphorylation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. These changes were associated with a reduction in (methyl-14C)choline uptake, (methyl-14C) phosphocholine production and cell viability. Brief exposure to U0126, suppressed phosphocholine production to the same extent as Hemicholinium-3. In contrast to geldanamycin and U0126, which act upstream of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2, roscovitine and LY294002 failed to suppress phosphocholine production. Our results suggest that when labelled with carbon-11 isotope, (methyl-11C)choline may be a useful pharmacodynamic marker for the non-invasive evaluation of geldanamycin analogues

Potent interaction of flavopiridol with MRP1

The multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) is an ATP-dependent transport protein for organic anions, as well as neutral or positively charged anticancer agents. In this study we show that flavopiridol, a synthetic flavonoid currently studied in phase 1 trials for its anti-proliferative characteristics, interacts with MRP1 in a potent way. Flavopiridol, as well as other (iso)flavonoids stimulate the ATPase activity of MRP1 in a dose-dependent way at low micromolar concentrations. A new specific monoclonal antibody against MRP1 (MIB6) inhibits the (iso)flavonoid-induced ATPase activity of plasma membrane vesicles prepared from the MRP1 overexpressing cell line GLC4/ADR. The accumulation of daunorubicin in GLC4/ADR cells is increased by flavopiridol and by other non-glycosylated (iso)flavonoids that interact with MRP1 ATPase activity. However, flavopiridol is the only tested compound that affects the daunorubicin accumulation when present at concentrations below 1 μM. Glycosylated (iso)flavonoids do not affect MRP1-mediated transport or ATPase activity. Finally, MRP1 overexpressing and transfected cells are resistant to flavopiridol, but not to other (iso)flavonoids tested. These findings may be of relevance for the development of anticancer therapies with flavopiridol. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig