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A database of 10 years' worth of medical incident data gathered in an Edinburgh Intensive Care Unit was analyzed using the proposed cognitive error analysis approach. In the second live case study, the error analysis approach was evaluated in the field by applying it to incident reporting data that was collected with a newly implemented incident reporting scheme in a Glasgow Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The insights gained by analyzing the Edinburgh incident scheme were used to inform the design and implementation of the Glasgow incident scheme as part of the unit's existing safety management. Since both were local incident reporting schemes, it was seen as an important factor for its success to take the local context and conditions into account while situating the cognitive error analysis approach as part of these hospitals' safety management strategies. The evaluation of this incident reporting and analysis framework demonstrated the benefits of a structured, psychological “human error” analysis approach that centres on the human aspect of the incident, without isolating it from its context. It is argued that not only could the understanding of the underlying error mechanisms be improved for individual incidents, but the generation of safety recommendations could be supported, and these could then also be evaluated as to their impact on the human "in the loop". The resulting error analysis models could further be used as basis for comparing competing analyses, and also improve analysis traceability by documenting the analysis process and its resulting safety recommendations. Further work is needed in providing "best practices" for the application of the cognitive analytical framework. Further work is also needed in formalizing a way to situate the cognitive error analysis approach within the investigation of local work system factors in the search for the overall incident and accident causation. This thesis aims at demonstrating the benefits of grounding the analysis of human error as part of incident and accident reporting in a cognitive theoretical framework. This will provide the means and the vocabulary to reason about alternative causal hypotheses while also acting as a tool to document and communicate the psychological analysis of human error and its resulting safety recommendations. This approach is proposed as complementing the analysis of human error data by means of error taxonomies grounded in psychological theory.

Effective techniques for assessing soil environmental pollution are required to develop protective policy. Chemical methods have been traditionally used to determine total concentration of pollutants and biologically linked measurements have been used to assess the bioavailable fraction of pollutants. Bioluminescence-based microbial bioassays have been shown to respond to the bioavailable fractions. Growth and bioluminescence of lux-marked E. coli HB101 and P. fluorescens 10586r were characterised and optimised for freeze-drying culture. Freeze-drying cultures have been used effectively because of their ease of use, rapid assay response and sensitivity to a wide range of pollutants. An assessment of Zn and Cd amended soil was investigated. Two different techniques (centrifugation and Rhizon sampler) were used to obtain the interstitial pore water of soils. The concentrations of Zn and Cd were significantly higher in the soil solution extracted using the centrifugation technique compared to the Rhizon sampler technique. The biosensors responded to the free metal concentrations in the soil solution. An assessment of the toxicity of 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol, individually and in combinations, was tested in deionised water (pH 5.5), soil solutions, and soils using lux-marked E. coli HB101 and P. fluorescens 10586r. Toxicity interaction responses of the mixture chlorophenols were predicted using a model. Synergistic interactions were observed for the response of P. fluorescens 10586r pUCD60-7 to all combinations of chlorophenol tested, while the response of E. coli HB101 pUCD607 varied with the matrix solutions tested. Bioavailability of naphthalene was studied using cyclodextrin-based extractions caused to the luminescence response of Pseudomonas fluorescens KH44 pUTK21. Increasing the concentrations of beta-cyclodextrin (b-CD) and hydroxylpropyl-b-cyclodextrin (HPBC) in the extract solutions increased the apparent concentration of naphthalene in the soil solutions. The luminescence response of P. fluorescens HK44 was associated with bioavailable of naphthalene.

Benzene is a leukaemogenic and mutagenic agent, which may pose a risk to the general public even at low levels of exposure. Since petrol fuel contains a high concentration (1-5%) of benzene, there is the potential for exposure to man during car journeys. The main aim of this study was to develop and validate a sensitive method to detect urinary t,t-muconic acid (uMA) following low level environmental exposures to benzene. Subjects potentially exposed to benzene were divided into petrol (n= 9) and diesel groups (n= 7). The control group (n=14) consisted of individuals who were not exposed to benzene inside the car. The uMA method developed during this study involved butanol extraction instead of the traditional solid phase extraction followed by DV (259nm) detection. The method was reasonably precise (CV=1.5%) with >80% recovery from urIne. Air samples were collected on charcoal tubes and analysed for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes by GCMS following extraction with purified carbon disulphide. The benzene concentration of ambient air samples taken from inside the cabins of petrol fuelled cars (7.5 ppb) was about triple that found from diesel-fuelled cars (2.6 ppb)(P=O.Ol). The uMA of volunteers exposed to petrol increased (p<0.01) post-sample in compared to pre-exposure level (0.66mgMA/gCr and 0.38mgMA/gCr, respectively). There was no increase in uMA for volunteers exposed to diesel. The uMA level of samples collected from individuals 2h-7h after exposure to petrol showed a significant association with the air benzene (p=0.012) and toluene (p=0.042) concentrations taken inside the car cabins. Half of the 24h-profiles of individuals exposed to petrol had at least one urine with 1 mgMA/gCr or higher, while all of the profiles of controls were below 1 mgMA/gCr. The technique developed in this study for the determination uMA showed promise as a tool for monitoring levels of benzene arising from low-level environmental exposures to petrol.

M.W.P. Strandberg. / 3668776 Archives / Reprinted from Physical review, v. 106, p. 617-620, May 15, 1957. "June 26, 1959"--Cover. / Army Signal Corps Contract DA36-039-sc-78108. Dept. of the Army Task 3-99-20-001 and Project 3-99-00-000.

It was illustrated that Zn and Cu at or above 1000 and 800 mg kg^-1 respectively were highly toxic to the earthworm studied. Cu was found to be more toxic to the earthworm than Zn in respect to mortality, growth and reproduction parameters in all three different types of soils. The body burdens of earthworms exposed to metal amended soils increased corresponding to the increased concentrations of amended metals irrespective of soils used. It was found that the BCFs in earthworms decreased with the increased concentrations of metals in soils. The higher BCFs is the indication of uptake of higher proportion metals from soil by earthworms. The highest BCFs was found for Ni followed by Zn and Cu indicated their bioavailability to earthworms. The growth (weight) of the earthworms was most affected by Cu. The combined toxicity of Zn:Ni, Zn:Cu and Cu:Ni to reproduction (cocoon production) of earthworms was mainly antagonistic and to some extent additive in both the Insch and Boyndie soils. Zn was more toxic than Cu to the nematodes as the number of nematodes decreased with the increase of metal amendments to soil. It was also found that the number of nematodes increased at the exposure to some lower doses of Cu and Ni. The joint toxicity of Zn:Ni, Zn:Cu and Cu:Ni on the number of nematodes was mainly antagonistic in both the Insch and Boyndie soils. In some cases the combined toxicity of metals to nematodes was not possible to assess because the threshold level was not reached and also due to irregular and inconsistent data. Cruden Bay soil was more vulnerable than Insch and Boyndie soils in evaluating the toxicity of metals to nematodes. Zn was found to be toxic for the <i>lux</i>-marked bacterial biosensor <i>Escherichia coil</i> HB101 pUCD607 and <i>Pseudomonas fluorescens </i>10586r pUCD607 in different soils.