The economic implications of equipment failure are called for effective maintenance techniques. The research investigates current maintenance practice in several New Zealand industries and the improvements that could be obtained by the use of predictive maintenance techniques. Initial research was undertaken in a series of case studies within New Zealand industries situated in Auckland. The first two cases studies were of preventative maintenance techniques of two conveyor lines in a biscuit manufacturing company. The results showed a well defined preventive maintenance schedules that was Systems Applications Products (SAP) programme was used to managed for daily, weekly, monthly and yearly maintenance activities. A third case study investigated current predictive maintenance technique involving Fast Fourier Transform analysis of shaft vibration to identify a bearing defect. The results diagnosed a machine with a ball bearing defect and recommendation was given to change the bearing immediately and install new one. The machine was opened up, a big dent was on one of the balls as predicted by the analysis and the bearing was changed. Research then looked at a novel technique called Cepstrum analysis that al lows the deconvolution of vibration spectra from separate sources. This allows identification of several defects from the monitoring of a single vibration signal . Experiments were carried out to generate transfer functions for different gear faults at two different loadings. Blind deconvolution of the signal using a homomorphic filter was used to separate the source forcing frequencies from the structure resonance effects of the two gear faults, indicating that the technique could be used successfully to monitor equipment for a range of gear faults occurring simultaneously.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--Kutztown University, 1996. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2937. Abstract precedes thesis as [3] preliminary leaves. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [3]).

Walden University College of Health Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral study by Maureen Barta has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Cheryl Holly, Committee Chairperson, Health Services Faculty Dr. Eric Anderson, Committee Member, Health Services Faculty Dr. Vincent Hall, University Reviewer, Health Services Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2015 â?? Increasing Knowledge About Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency in the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Population by Maureen Ann Wentink Barta MSN, Pacific Lutheran University, 1996 BSN, Pacific Lutheran University, 1992 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University November 2015 â?? The purpose of the project was to increase awareness about alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), particularly among those with a familial history of genetic factor AATD; an additional goal was to understand its relationship to COPD. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States, with more than half of COPD patients experiencing significant disabilities. Major causes for COPD include smoking, air pollution, secondary smoke, upper respiratory infections, hereditary factors, occupational factors, environmental factors, and socioeconomic factors. Genetic factors, however, also play a significant role in early onset COPD and in those who smoke and have the genetic factor related to COPD (AATD), symptoms are more severe and exacerbations more frequent. Undiagnosed AATD can result in under treatment and lack of planning for preventing COPD onset and exacerbation in these patients. COPD clients of a local pharmacy (n =31) were invited to complete a Likert survey and given materials on COPD exacerbation prevention and information on AATD. Results indicated that 38.7% of respondents had early onset symptoms, positive family history, and no improvement in symptoms with smoking cessation. The results support that targeting those family members with COPD and providing information on genetic factors for this condition could decrease the frequency and severity of exacerbations. This is in keeping with the health belief model that guided this study in that a perceived risk for harm has the potential to improve the use of preventative health measures in individuals.

This project examined the extent to which Nova Scotian adolescents’ counselling needs are being met with respect to physical, sexual, substance use, and psychosocial health by their family physicians. This was accomplished by assessing how well Nova Scotian physicians provide preventative advice consistent with the Guidelines for Adolescent Preventative Services (GAPS). Analyses were performed using pooled data from surveys carried out in 2003 and 2006. Descriptive analyses, Poisson and logistic regression were used to examine associations of sociodemographic characteristics, need, and the presence of school based health centres (SBHCs) with the provision of advice. Advice was not well provided and appeared to be need-driven. Females were significantly more likely to be provided advice and respondent access to a SBHC increased the likelihood of advice being provided. These results have implications for policy and practice, specifically, ways to refine preventative healthcare services for the province’s adolescents to ensure optimal care.

Effective and efficient operations management is the cornerstone of any company's success. Presently, because of cost-cutting pressures, all investors look out for companies' operations before making any investment commitment. The South African Government (through the Department of Public Enterprises), as an owner and investor in Eskom, is looking at optimising operational excellence within state-owned enterprises like Eskom. Eskom is presently experiencing problems with increased electricity consumption which it cannot meet due to the limited plant capacity it presently has. These challenges are forcing Eskom to be more efficient and effective in management of the present plant assets (like Matimba Power Station) it presently operates. Matimba Power Station has consistently shown improvement in the areas of plant, financial and operations performance over the last three years. It is presently the standard bearer for the whole Eskom in terms of plant and operational performance. Asset management (through maintenance and management thereof), especially preventative management with in a power utility like Eskom, is a critical factor because supply (generation of electricity) has to meet demand (consumption of electricity) instantaneously as electricity cannot be saved. The planning, scheduling and execution of maintenance (through a work management process) to ensure success of business operations are very critical. An Eskom document titled Routine Work Management Manual emphasised the criticality of preventative management and included a six-step process of work management within the power generation business. The Japanese success in ensuring that operations costs are limited by implementing total productive maintenance (which includes work management) is suggested in the study as a way to go for operational success at Matimba Power Station. Many of the research studies done at Eskom in regard to maintenance were based on and confined to a sampling population of senior staff members like managers, engineers and supervisors. Experience has shown that progress of implementing change (whether in systems or structures) is slow if there was no proactive involvement of all participants and stakeholders, especially employees at lower levels involved in operations. A work management process, which is one of the pillars of total productive maintenance, was recently implemented at Matimba and is currently experiencing teething problems which are being attended to. Employee involvement in making sure of the success of work management is critical. The study investigates the implementation of work management from the employees' perspective in order to address problems for possible full implementation of total productive maintenance. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

Effective and efficient operations management is the cornerstone of any company's success. Presently, because of cost-cutting pressures, all investors look out for companies' operations before making any investment commitment. The South African Government (through the Department of Public Enterprises), as an owner and investor in Eskom, is looking at optimising operational excellence within state-owned enterprises like Eskom. Eskom is presently experiencing problems with increased electricity consumption which it cannot meet due to the limited plant capacity it presently has. These challenges are forcing Eskom to be more efficient and effective in management of the present plant assets (like Matimba Power Station) it presently operates. Matimba Power Station has consistently shown improvement in the areas of plant, financial and operations performance over the last three years. It is presently the standard bearer for the whole Eskom in terms of plant and operational performance. Asset management (through maintenance and management thereof), especially preventative management with in a power utility like Eskom, is a critical factor because supply (generation of electricity) has to meet demand (consumption of electricity) instantaneously as electricity cannot be saved. The planning, scheduling and execution of maintenance (through a work management process) to ensure success of business operations are very critical. An Eskom document titled Routine Work Management Manual emphasised the criticality of preventative management and included a six-step process of work management within the power generation business. The Japanese success in ensuring that operations costs are limited by implementing total productive maintenance (which includes work management) is suggested in the study as a way to go for operational success at Matimba Power Station. Many of the research studies done at Eskom in regard to maintenance were based on and confined to a sampling population of senior staff members like managers, engineers and supervisors. Experience has shown that progress of implementing change (whether in systems or structures) is slow if there was no proactive involvement of all participants and stakeholders, especially employees at lower levels involved in operations. A work management process, which is one of the pillars of total productive maintenance, was recently implemented at Matimba and is currently experiencing teething problems which are being attended to. Employee involvement in making sure of the success of work management is critical. The study investigates the implementation of work management from the employees' perspective in order to address problems for possible full implementation of total productive maintenance. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

Children's mental health problems are a significant public health concern. They are costly to society in both human and financial terms. This thesis contributes to the 'science of prevention' by examining issues related to the identification of children at risk of mental health problems. In particular, it was of interest to determine whether 'at-risk' children could be identified before the development of significant behavioural or emotional problems. Three areas were explored: family risk factors that predict the development of children's mental health problems, teachers' ability to identify family risk factors, and parent- and teacher-report screening methods. Data were collected from the parents and teachers of over 1000 children in preschool to Year 3 as part of the Promoting Adjustment in Schools (PROMAS) Project. Parents and teachers each completed two questionnaires at two time points, one year apart. Parents completed the Family Risk Factor Checklist - Parent (FRFCP) and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and the equivalent instruments for teachers were, respectively, the Family Risk Factor Checklist - Teacher (FRFC-T) and the Teacher Report Form (TRF). The FRFC-P and FRFC-T were original to the current research and were designed to assess children's exposure to multiple family risk factors across five domains: adverse life events and instability (ALI), family structure and socioeconomic status (SES), parenting practices (PAR), parental verbal conflict and mood problems (VCM), and parental antisocial and psychotic behaviour (APB). Paper 1 investigated the psychometric properties of the FRFC-P and the potential for its use at a population-level to establish community risk factor profiles that subsequently inform intervention planning. The FRFC-P had satisfactory test-retest reliability and construct validity, but modest internal consistency. Risk assessed by the PAR domain was the most important determinant of mental health problem onset, while the PAR, VCM, and APB domains were the strongest predictors of mental health problem persistence. This risk factor profile suggests that, for the studied population, the largest preventive effects may be achieved through addressing parenting practices. Paper 2 examined teachers' knowledge of children's exposure to family risk factors using the FRFC-T. While teachers had accurate knowledge of children's exposure to risk factors within the ALI and SES domains, they had poor knowledge of children's exposure to risk factors within the PAR, VCM, or APB domains - the types of risk factors found in Paper 1 to be the most strongly related to children's mental health problems. Nevertheless, teachers' knowledge of children's exposure to risk factors within the ALI and SES domains predicted children's mental health problems at one year follow-up even after accounting for children's behaviour at the first assessment. Paper 3 investigated the potential of both the FRFC-P and FRFC-T for identifying individual, at-risk children. The accuracy of the FRFC in predicting internalising versus externalising disorders was compared against behavioural and simple nomination screening methods. For both parents and teachers, the behavioural screening methods were superior, however, the simple nomination method also showed promise for teachers. Both parents and teachers were more accurate at identifying children at risk of externalising mental health problems than children at risk of internalising problems. The performance of the FRFC and simple nomination methods in identifying children for selective interventions, before the development of significant behavioural or emotional problems, was also tested. Both the FRFC and simple nomination methods showed only modest predictive accuracy for these children. Combined, the results suggest that while on the one hand, the FRFC is useful for population level screening to inform intervention planning, on the other hand, it falls short of achieving good predictive accuracy for individual children. Future research should investigate ways to optimise predictive accuracy for individual children, particularly those at risk of developing internalising disorders. One option may be to use the FRFC in conjunction with behavioural screening methods. The challenge is to develop accurate screening methods that remain practical to complete at a population level. Finally, this body of research provides insight into the feasibility of offering selective preventive interventions within the school setting. While significant obstacles remain, there were several promising indications that using screening methods such as FRFC-T or simple nomination, teachers may be able to identify children earlier on the developmental pathway, before significant behavioural or emotional symptoms have developed.

Doctor of Philosophy / Grossarth-Maticek and Eysenck (1988) demonstrated that personality type as measured by the 70-item Grossarth-Maticek Personality Stress Inventory (GMPSI), predicts mortality and its cause with remarkable accuracy. Further, various forms of autonomy training, such as bibliotherapy and short individual treatment that were designed to reduce the toxic personality features (such as emotional dependence) effectively improved long-term health outcomes. However, several aspects of their theory and research were either insufficiently explicated or require further investigation. For example, the researchers did not thoroughly investigate the psychometric properties of the inventory, and they did not sufficiently examine the mechanisms that may mediate the personality-health relationship. Further, the autonomy training was inadequately described, and perhaps could have been briefer and had the same impact. Three studies were run to investigate these issues further. Study 1 (Chapter 2) investigated the internal consistency, test-retest reliability and convergent, discriminant and concurrent validity of the GMPSI in 312 first-year students, using a variety of statistical techniques (e.g., structural equation modeling, confirmatory factor analysis, and simple correlations). In addition, the psychometric properties of this scale were compared to those of three revised versions of the scale, which were theorised to be psychometric improvements of the original version from basic principles. The revised versions contained reverse-worded items (of different types) to monitor and disrupt acquiescence response sets, and/or an extended response scale to improve internal consistency and stability. Psychometric effects of reverse-wording and the extended response scale on scale reliability were examined via the analysis of construct reliability estimates, personality subscale model fit of congeneric measurement models (a form of structural equation modeling), and test-retest reliability estimates. The original version of the scale appeared to be the most reliable and valid scale of the four versions. This improved reliability of the original version was not an artifact of an acquiescence response set, because this form of responding was not prevalent in the reverse-worded versions. In contrast, it appeared that the incorporation of reverse-wording degraded the internal consistency of the scale as participants appeared to respond to the positive and negative-worded items as if they were measurements of independent constructs, rather than measurements of constructs on opposite ends of a particular dimension. Predicted correlations between the GMPSI and concurrent validity measures offered support for Grossarth-Maticek's theory, and suggest that the GMPSI is an effective and reliable tool for the measurement of these personality types. However, experimental evidence supporting the link between personality, mediating mechanisms and disease is required to further substantiate these findings. The second and third studies (Chapters 3 and 4, respectively) were investigations of the utility of an information pamphlet discussing stress, assertiveness and relaxation, in improving GMPSI personality type stress responses in a student and a community sample (Studies 2 and 3 respectively), and provided an opportunity to investigate the mechanisms mediating the personality-health relationship via experimental manipulation. Specifically, Study 2 investigated the effectiveness of the pamphlet in improving personality scores, mood, coping strategies, health behaviours, and salivary cortisol levels (measured at pre-treatment, 1-month post-treatment and 5-months post-treatment) in 200 first-year university students. Further, two modes of administration of the pamphlet were compared: pure selfadministration versus instruction accompanied by self-administration. Group differences in mood and cortisol reactivity to a visualisation stress task were also assessed. Very few significant differences were found between the two pamphlet administration forms. Both pamphlet forms were effective in improving mood states, some lifestyle habits (e.g., exercise), and salivary cortisol responses to the acute stress task compared to the control group. The strength of these effects ranged from small to medium, and all significant differences were between pre-treatment and the 1-month post-treatment session. The failure to observe differences at the 5-months post-treatment session may have been due to inadequacies of the treatment, or low statistical power for detecting effects from the final session due to the large attrition rate that had occurred by this session. Overall, while large treatment effect sizes were not found, the results could be construed as "clinically" significant when taking into account the low costs of implementing an information pamphlet in the larger community, and the potential benefits on individuals' stress responses and health behaviours. Study 3 aimed to investigate the treatment effects of the same self-administered pamphlet in 77 participants from the general community, who varied largely in age (19 - 77 years). Treatment and control groups were compared in terms of treatment compliance, cortisol levels, health behaviours, personality scores, perceived stress, mood, and coping styles (measured at pre-treatment, 2 weeks posttreatment, 3 months post-treatment, and 6 months post-treatment). In addition, group differences in cortisol reactivity to an acute cognitive stress task were examined. Home visits were arranged for each session to reduce sample attrition. Further, an intervention evaluation form was administered at each post-treatment session to verify and maintain treatment involvement. Several significant treatment effects were observed, including changes in personality scores and non-productive coping strategies, and the strength of these effects ranged from medium to very large. Most participants reported that they found the information pamphlet very appealing and helpful. In addition to the examination of intervention effects in the second and third studies, a path model that aimed to identify direct and mediating relationships between personality and concurrently measured disease was examined for the two samples (Chapter 5). This path model was based on a new integrative theory of personality-disease, which was developed. Eysenck's (1991) proposed personality-disease model formed the foundation of this new theory, and elements of several other generic personality-disease models were also incorporated. This theory was empirically tested using path analysis on the student and community data separately. Common pathways in the two models were then tested for invariance. Overall, most paths proposed by the integrative model were identified in one or both samples; thus, the model was generally supported. All common direct paths were statistically invariant (i.e., equivalent) in the two samples. While personality did not appear to directly predict illness, several significant indirect pathways were identified by which personality appears to affect disease incidence, such as via perceived stress, mood, coping styles, and physical risk factors. These findings appear to support Grossarth-Maticek's theory that personality affects disease incidence via stress responses, as well as other generic approaches (i.e., the personality-induced hyperreactivity model and the stress moderator model) that emphasise the stress-moderating effects of personality on health. However, support for the dangerous behaviours model was not found, which posits that certain personality dispositions seek risky behaviours (e.g., poor health behaviours such as smoking and alcohol consumption) that fit their personality. The final Chapter 6 directly compares the results of these three studies, and discusses their practical and theoretical significance in terms of Grossarth-Maticek's theory and research, views of critics, and other personality-health perspectives and research. In summary, the current studies appear to suggest that the GMPSI is a reliable and valid scale for the measurement of particular personality traits. Further, there appears to be evidence to suggest that personality traits can be changed by an intervention pamphlet. This information pamphlet also appears to be effective in significantly improving responses to stress, and these effects are more prominent in high-risk groups (i.e., subjects with extreme personality trait scores). Moreover, there is some evidence to suggest that personality may have direct effects on several mechanisms involved in the development of disease. Overall, this thesis demonstrates the importance of recognising the role of personality and stress in disease prevention and prediction by providing independent evidence for the benefits of treatment and mechanisms by which benefits may occur.

According to World Health Organization 1.5 million people die every year due to diarrhoeal diseases. Diarrhoeal diseases may be caused by a multitude of different reasons, though WHO highlights the fact that 58% of these, are caused by lack of clean water, sanitation and hygiene. A qualitative study conducted with nurses working at different departments at a hospital in Tanzania. Semi-structured interviews were performed with ten nurses and the interviews were analysed through content analysis. The purpose was to describe nurses' experiences of working with self-care for patients suffering from gastroenteritis. Nurses experience that patients need more self-care knowledge, and the common perception is that patients are happy to receive the nurses’ advice regarding basic hygiene. It appears that the nurses find that there are no social structures that can help people maintain good health, despite their own efforts to maintain good health, there is not always prerequisite to maintain it. The community health workers are considered important for all people entitled to experienced health, for human rights and for people to get the right care when they need it. / Titel: Egenvård vid gastroenterit i Tanzania - Sjuksköterskors perspektiv. Enligt Världshälsoorganisationen dör 1,5 miljoner människor varje år på grund av diarrésjukdomar. Diarrésjukdomar kan bero på flera olika orsaker, däremot framhäver Världshälsoorganisationen att 58% av dessa orsakas av brist på rent vatten, sanitär utrustning och hygien. En kvalitativ studie utförd med sjuksköterskor som arbetar vid olika avdelningar på ett sjukhus i Tanzania. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med 10 sjuksköterskor och intervjuerna analyserades med en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskors upplevelse av arbetet med egenvård för patienter som är drabbade av gastroenterit. Sjuksköterskor beskriver att de upplever att patienter behöver mer kunskaper gällande egenvård, och den gemensamma uppfattningen är att patienterna är tacksamma för att få sjuksköterskans råd angående basal hygien. Det framkommer att sjuksköterskorna upplever att det saknas samhälleliga strukturer som kan hjälpa människor att kunna bibehålla en god hälsa, trots deras egna försök att upprätthålla en god hälsa så finns inte alltid förutsättningen att underhålla den. De lokala hälsoarbetarna som finns anses vara viktiga för alla människors rätt till upplevd hälsa, för mänskliga rättigheter och för att människor ska få rätt vård när de behöver det.

A presente dissertação objetiva analisar a definição de prevenção em matéria de segurança e saúde no trabalho proposta pela Convenção 187 da Organização Internacional do Trabalho (OIT), a fim de identificar elementos que possam contribuir para o aprimoramento da tutela à saúde do trabalhador no Brasil. Essa Convenção, aprovada em junho de 2006 durante a 95ª Conferência Internacional do Trabalho, representa a mais recente atuação normativa da OIT para a prevenção de acidentes do trabalho e de doenças ocupacionais. Trata-se de um marco normativo promocional de uma nova estratégia global em prol do meio ambiente do trabalho seguro e saudável. Neste sentido, defende-se a ideia de que a Convenção 187 da OIT constitui-se em um importante campo de juridicidade que poderá colaborar, caso seja ratificada, para a promoção da saúde do trabalhador no Brasil. Depreende-se que o Brasil, por meio da Constituição Federal de 1988 e das normas infraconstitucionais posteriores (especialmente a Lei 8080/90), já iniciou uma normatização em que a prevenção à saúde do trabalhador deve ser realizada levando-se em conta todos os fatores intervenientes no meio ambiente do trabalho. Tal prevenção está em consonância com um novo paradigma de tutela, o qual preconiza a proteção ao meio ambiente do trabalho em sentido integral (paradigma emergente). No entanto, identifica-se que o atual modelo brasileiro apresenta obstáculos, vistos como desafios, para uma plena proteção ao meio ambiente do trabalho. Esses obstáculos são representados, especialmente, pelos limites de tolerância; pela culpabilização da vítima e pela cultura do EPI. Através da pesquisa, identificam-se quatro elementos na Convenção 187 da OIT que poderão contribuir para aperfeiçoar a tutela à saúde do trabalhador no Brasil, e, consequentemente, para uma transição de paradigmas na prevenção. São eles: 1) respeito a um meio ambiente do trabalho seguro e saudável; 2) participação ativa dos trabalhadores; 3) sistema de direitos com responsabilidades e deveres definidos; 4) máxima prioridade ao princípio da prevenção. / This thesis aims to analyze the definition of preventative occupational safety and health proposed by Convention 187 of International Labour Organization (ILO), to identify elements that may contribute to the improvement of tutelage for occupational health in Brazil. This Convention, approved in June 2006 during the 95th International Labor Conference, is the latest normative work of the ILO for the preventative occupational accidents and occupational diseases. This is a promotional normative framework of a new global strategy for the safe and healthy work environment. In this sense, it is defended the idea that the Convention 187 of the ILO is an important legality field that will be able to contribute, if ratified, to promote occupational health in Brazil. This infers that Brazil, through the Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil and subsequent infra-constitutional laws (especially Law 8080/90), it has already initiated a standardization in which the prevention of occupational health should be carried out taking into account all the factors involved in the work environment. Such a prevention is in line with a new tutelage paradigm, which advocates the protection of the work environment in its full sense (emerging paradigm). However, it is identified that the current Brazilian model presents obstacles, seen as challenges, to a full protection of the work environment. These obstacles are mainly represented by the threshold limit values, the victim-blaming and the culture of PPE. Through the research, four elements can be identified in the ILO Convention 187 that may contribute to improving the tutelage for occupational health in Brazil, and consequently for a transition of paradigm in prevention. They are: 1) respect to a safe and healthy work environment, 2) active participation of workers, 3) rights system with defined responsibilities and duties, 4) highest priority to the principle of prevention.