Ce mémoire décrit des essais de la micro et l'ultrafiltration dynamique effectués avec trois pilotes de laboratoire, un pilote MSD à disque membranaire rotatif sur deux arbres, un pilote à disque rotatif avec une membrane organique fixe, et un pilote à cylindre tournant avec une membrane concentrique. Le module MSD a été testé en microfiltration de suspensions de CaCO3 où nous avons comparé des membranes céramiques et organiques. Les essais ont confirmé l'importance du recouvrement des disques. Ensuite, nous avons appliqué le système de MSD aux traitements des effluents modèles de surfactants anioniques (solutions de SDBS et SDS), avec une comparaison au système à disque rotatif, qui permettait une pression plus élevée de fonctionnement. En terme de flux de perméat et de taux de rétention, ces deux systèmes possèdent des avantages par rapport aux systèmes de filtration tangentielle classique. Puis, les modules à disque rotatif et à cylindre tournant ont été employés à l'ultrafiltration des solutions d'albumine bovine (BSA) pour simuler l'hémofiltration (traitement de l'insuffisance rénale aiguë).

A naturally occurring disease involving hyperplasia of the thyroid gland and a consistent pattern of musculoskeletal deformities of newborn foals in western Canada was first described in 1981. This disease was an important cause of foal mortality and, therefore, reproductive loss throughout western Canada during the 1990s and has since been recognized in western Ontario and the northwestern United States. A series of investigations were conducted to describe, characterize, and attempt to determine the pathogenesis and cause of this syndrome. Affected foals were typically born after a long gestation (x = 360 days, range = 340 to 400 days), were diagnosed as hypothyroid based on a poor response to the administration of thyroid-stimulating hormone, and had various musculoskeletal lesions of which mandibular prognathism, flexural deformities and rupture of tendons of the limbs, and incomplete ossification of the carpal and tarsal bones were present most commonly. In spite of the normal to long gestation, foals had signs of immaturity, were usually weak and unable to stand, became septic, and died or were euthanatised. Similar histories, clinical findings, and lesions were present in surgically created hypothyroid foals that were thyroidectomized in utero at about 210 days gestation. These findings supported the conclusion that foals which naturally developed these lesions were also hypothyroid in utero and that all the lesions present in affected foals were the result of the hypothyroidism and not of an underlying concurrent disease process. A case-control study was conducted to identify risk factors for naturally occurring congenital hypothyroidism. Information from congenitally hypothyroid foals concerning foal and dam signalment, farm environment, and dam management was compared with that from normal foals. Pregnant mares fed greenfeed, not supplemented with mineral, that left their "home farm" during gestation, or grazed irrigated pasture, had a 13.1 (<i>P</i>=0.0068), 5.6 (<i>P</i>=0.0472), 4.3 (<i>P</i>=0.0076) and approximately 15.3 (<i>P</i>=0.0245) times greater odds, respectively, of producing a congenitally hypothyroid foal than mares not exposed to these factors. Greenfeed often contains high levels of nitrate (NO₃^-) which is known to impair thyroid gland function. In light of this, forage samples from participating farms were analysed for nitrate levels. The odds of one or more congenitally hypothyroid foal being born on a farm feeding forage with at least a trace of nitrate was 8.0 times greater (<i>P</i>=0.0873) than the odds of the disease occurring a farm that fed forage free of nitrate. Further, the odds of a mare producing an affected foal when fed forage containing at least a trace of nitrate was 5.9 times greater (<i>P</i>=0.0007) than a mare fed nitrate-free forage.This study suggests that congenital hypothyroidism in foals may result from diets containing nitrate or low in iodine being fed to pregnant mares. These results need to be confirmed through further field investigations and controlled experiments. However, if they are accurate, there is cause for concern that other livestock raised in areas where congenitally hypothyroid foals occur may be exposed to the same dietary risk factors and may suffer similar disease.

After the introduction of the term,  sustainable development, a variety of  academicians from different disciplines tried to conceptualize it in their own way, drawing on these views, many different degrees but with similar titles have been established in many universities all around the world. Masters  program in  Sustainable Development  (MSD) at Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is one the most recent ones. Before starting this study, it was investigated that the expectations of the different actors in this program are not fulfilled completely. Presence of many different ideas and perspectives in addition to the high number of actors involved in the situation made the situation too complex to be fixed easily. Therefore, the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), as an appropriate approach for improving complex problematic situations,  is  used to reform the organization of  the  MSD in coming years. The process of identifying the  challenges of this program and then  improving some of them in  practice  are described in this thesis. Alongside the  action phase, the applications of Systems Approach in transformation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) are explored.  It is investigated that three levels of learning, i.e. basic, meta-  and epistemic learning, and accordingly three levels of organizational change, i.e. the first, second and third order, need to be recognized, if an ESD program is to be different from the unsustainable trends of education.

In New Zealand, the highest incidence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) is found in meat processing, accounting for over half the injury compensation costs for the sector. This thesis reports on a two-year study of MSD in the New Zealand meat processing industry, with the aims of identifying MSD risk factors and interventions using an industry-level participative ergonomics approach. A review of the literature on occupational musculoskeletal disorders and participatory ergonomics identified gaps in knowledge, notably contextual factors for MSD and a limited scope for participatory ergonomics. The studies described in this thesis contribute to addressing these knowledge gaps. The first stage of the study established a profile of MSD injury data in the industry. Data were collected from four injury data sources for meat processing. A number of priority tasks were identified for beef and sheep processing, based on triangulation of these data, and findings were approved by the industry stakeholders, the Meat Industry Health and Safety Forum (MIHSF). The second stage of the study was the assessment of these tasks in a representative sample of processing plants, with the purpose of identifying risk factors that contribute to the occurrence of MSD, implementation barriers and MSD interventions. The study involved interviews with 237 workers, management, union and safety personnel in 28 meat processing sites. MSD risk factor data were separated into those concerning the high MSD-risk tasks (task-specific), and the wider work system (task-independent). From these data a list of contextual factors was developed which it is proposed may create conditions under which greater exposure to physical and psychosocial factors can occur in meat processing. Some 276 interventions were also identified. The third and final stage of the study involved working with the MIHSF in developing the interventions for use by the industry in reducing MSD risk. MSD intervention ideas were collated, summarised and prioritised. A document containing interventions, implementation barriers and risk factors was developed with the MIHSF and distributed to all levels of the industry. The thesis reflects on the effectiveness of an industry-level participative ergonomics approach to the achievement of the study aims, notably the identification of contextual risk factors and interventions for MSD.

No description available.

No description available.

One of the causes of work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) is the manual handling of heavy objects. To reduce the risk of such injuries, workers are instructed to follow general guidelines on how to lift and carry objects depending on their mass. Current ergonomic assessments using wearable sensors can differentiate correct from incorrect body postures but are limited. Being able to estimate the mass of an object during ergonomic assessment would be a great improvement. This work investigates a combination of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) and Electromyography (EMG) sensors for offline estimation of an object’s mass for different movements. 10 participants performed 26 lifting and carrying trials with loads from 0 to 19 kg, while wearing a 17IMU motion capture system and EMG sensors on both biceps brachii and both erector spinae. Two methods were considered to estimate the carried mass: (1) supervised machine learning and (2) musculoskeletal modeling. First, the data was used to select features, train, and compare regression models. The lowest Mean Squared Error (MSE) for 10-fold cross-validation for lifting and carrying combined was 5.8113 for a Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) model with an exponential kernel function. Then, a MSE of 4.42 and a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 1.63 kg were obtained also with a GPR for Leave-One-Subject-Out Cross-Validation (LOSOCV) only for lifting and frontal carrying trials. For the same trials, the upper-extremity musculoskeletal model, scaled to each participant, estimated the mass with a MSE of 1.78 and a MAE of 0.95 kg. The study was restricted to lifting and frontal carrying, but the combination of the two technologies showed great potential for object mass estimation.

Localized muscle fatigue (LMF) has been proposed as a surrogate measure to injury, since the onset of fatigue is rapid rather than months or years required to the onset of work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The objectives of this study were to estimate LMF and quantify muscle activity of select forearm muscles during simulations of high pressure cleaning lance tasks common in the chemical production industry. Twenty participants, twelve males and eight females, with no musculoskeletal injuries and meeting criteria for upper extremity fitness, performed the simulated task. Independent variables studied include work height (shoulder, waist, and knuckle), lance orientation (parallel to the operator and parallel to the ground), and duty cycle (33, 50, and 67%) based on task analyses of actual work tasks. Dependent variables included mean RMS and rates of change in mean RMS, mean and median power frequency, MVE, and subjective ratings of fatigue. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to test the main effects of the independent variables and appropriate interactions. In general it was found that working at waist height, at higher duty cycles, and with the lance oriented parallel to the operator resulted in higher fatigue measures. Subjective ratings of fatigue were not well correlated with objective measures, similar to findings in previous studies. The simulated task was found to be extremely fatiguing and modifications to task design or job rotation schedules are required to reduce risk associated with injury development. / Master of Science

L’objectif de cette recherche est double. Etudier les causes et conséquences du Burnout des soignants, dans un premier temps, et comprendre l’effet de la présence d’un jardin dans un secteur gériatrique hospitalier dans un second temps. Les infirmiers et aides-soignants de neuf services de gériatrie ont répondu à un questionnaire construit à partir des théories et échelles de Karasek et Theorell (1990), Siegrist (1996), Shirom (2004) et Kurorinka (1987). Ainsi, le Burnout est confronté aux facteurs psychosociaux, à la Vigueur (bien être) et aux douleurs physiques pour extraire les causes et conséquences de ce trouble psychologique. Ces mêmes équipes ont également participé à des entretiens de type « focus groups » et à des entretiens individuels semi-dirigés afin de s’exprimer sur leurs conditions de travail, ainsi que sur leur vécu et leur ressenti de la présence ou l’absence d’un jardin aménagé ou non aménagé dans leur environnement de travail. Ces équipes de soins appartenaient à trois types de services gériatriques : unité cognitivo-comportementale, soins palliatifs, soins de réadaptation. Les résultats principaux du questionnaire mettent en cause le manque de soutien de la hiérarchie comme aspect augmentant les risques de Burnout. Ce résultat est par la suite confirmé par les entretiens. De plus, le Burnout semble moins présent dans les services avec jardin que sans jardin, et il existe également une amplification de ce bénéfice dans les jardins thérapeutiques. On observe une sensation de Vigueur, tant physique que psychologique, plus importante dans les services avec jardin, et une tendance à l’augmentation des T.M.S. dans les services avec jardin thérapeutique. Cette constatation amène à s’interroger sur l'ergonomie du travail dans ce type d'environnement. En conclusion, le jardin apparaît comme un dispositif systémique favorable aux interactions de travail dans un lieu spécifiquement aménagé, permettant par là-même de combattre les sources de Burnout et de défendre la Vigueur. Il favorise l’épanouissement des soignants et la réduction du Burnout mettant tout de même en lumière un principe de précaution sur la charge physique et l’ergonomie de ce lieu à explorer / The aim of this research was twofold. Study the causes and consequences of Burnout caregivers, initially, and understand the effect of the presence of a garden in a hospital geriatric sector in a second time. Nurses and caregivers of nine geriatric services answered a questionnaire constructed from the theories and scales of Karasek and Theorell (1990), Siegrist (1996), Shirom (2004) and Kuorinka (1987). So, the Burnout is faced with psychosocial factors, the vigor (wellness) and physical pain to extract the causes and consequences of this psychological disorder. These same teams also participated in such conversations "focus groups" and semi-structured individual interviews to speak about their working conditions, as well as their experience and felt the presence or absence a arranged garden or undeveloped in their work environment. These care teams belonged to three types of geriatric services: cognitive behavioral unit, palliative care, rehabilitation care. The main results of the questionnaire involve lack of support from the hierarchy appearance as increasing the risk of Burnout. This result is confirmed by interviews. In addition, Burnout was a lesser incidence of Burnout in care services with a garden that those without a garden, and and there is also with an amplification of the benefit with specially-designed gardens. The feeling of strength, both physical and psychological, was less present when the care services did not have a therapeutic garden. A trend toward an increase in musculoskeletal disorders in services with a therapeutic garden versus no garden was observed. Upon analyzing the results, the authors recommend particular attention in the designing of hospital gardens in order to facilitate the ergonomics of nursing work. In conclusion, the overall results advocate the use of the garden as a systemic structure conducive to work interactions in a specially designed area by allowing the same to combat the sources of Burnout and defend Vigor. It encourages the development of nursing and reducing Burnout highlighting a precautionary principle on the physical load and ergonomics of this place to explore.

Diplomová práce popisuje metodiku výpočtů částí náchylných k rozvoji mnoho-ohniskového únavového poškození (WFD). Nejdříve se práce zabývá rozborem předpisů letové způsobilosti souvisejících s WFD pro letadla certifikovaných podle FAR 23 v kategorii commuter. Následuje popis metodiky únavového výpočtu a predikce šíření trhliny. Dále jsou popsány řešení pro výpočet faktoru intenzity napětí pro základné konfigurace trhliny, tam kde to bylo možné v uzavřeném tvaru, jinak ve formě tabulky. Hlavní částí práce je návrh algoritmu AIMA schopného provést kompletní analýzu části náchylné k rozvoji únavového poškození na více místech (MSD). Model se validoval únavovou zkouškou vzorku přeplátovaného spoje dolního panelu křídla. Následně byla analyzována reálná konstrukce spoje dolních panelů křídla letounu L 410 NG.