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Biomedical subjects

A Salmoni

Publications and source records attributed to A Salmoni.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Ergonomics of living environment for the people with special needs.

A safe, convenient, sound and healthy living environment is the prerequisite for a good house for the people with special needs. The intention of making a house in such a way that it solves basic problems of fixture and fittings. However the construction phase of a good house is a critical to design inside and outside structures. Often the builders do not know all the factors to be considered that can maintain a safe, hygienic and healthy environment. It is believed that when housing is ergonomically furnished, then a maximum benefit will be achieved. To meet with an individual's specific needs, an analysis of user's requirement is the most important factors to be considered in the design of special houses. Users' data such as anthropometric dimension, users' choices and preferences are also necessary to design a suitable living environment. In this regard, this paper illustrates some ergonomic features to design and develop good houses in terms of how people with restricted mobility and communication can truly be helped residing in their homes and performing their daily living activities. Users' social, medical and engineering needs are highlighted following the process of disability, ageing, or impairments to achieve the maximum level of benefits, and ensuring safe and sound living.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

HFs/ergonomics of assistive technology.

An assistive device is designed to accommodate the special needs of disability that can help people with physical, mental or cognitive challenges go through their day-to-day activities with less difficulty. An assistive device usually provide alternatives to functional limitations imposed by the client's disorder, and thereby minimising rehabilitation costs. It is therefore important to know about how assistive technology will function in all the possible aspects of such disabilities and impairements. When designing a technical device, particularly in conjunction with the target user group, ergonomic issues are therefore important to find out the extent to which an assistive device is convenient or not, and to check the quality performance of assistive technology. Since the question of the match or mismatch of an assistive device and a disabled person requires much attention, it is therefore suggested that paying attention on how an assistive device be ergonomically designed and developed is important. Ergonomic applications are to be applied for increasing motivation of prospective customers through innovative performance of AT. The authors believe that there are opportunities in ergonomic applications to manufacture an assistive device as unique, cost saving, and allows less exertation and reduces energy consumption when it is used. Hence this paper highlights human factors and/or ergonomics consideration in the process of design and development of assistive devices synchronising with gerontechnological research and development aiming to emphasise user's requirement.

Cost Savings↗
PubMed2001

Adaptation to night shifts and synchronisation processes of night workers.

Human beings are accustomed to being active and awake during the day, and asleep and rest at night. Since we live in a society which is organised predominantly along daytime activity, therefore working in the night shift may deeply disrupt our social and family life. It is also a well-known fact that night shift causes fatigue and circadian disruption. The basic manifestation of fatigue and circadian rhythm has been linked to health and safety problems, involving decrements in psychophysical and physiological functions, plus subjective complaints. In this context quantitative relationships between shift work and circadian rhythm need to be assessed to explore suitable time schedule, and to minimise sleep depth and fatigue. There is also a great need to discuss circadian disruption, sleepiness and the increasing cost of work related illness among night workers. In this regard, some aspects of fatigue and circadian disruption caused from night shift work are revealed in this paper aiming to increase workers' health, safety and well being as well as productivity. Light/dark cycle and social stimuli issues acting on the circadian timing systems are also explored to solicit opinions and discussion on the controversy of night work. Suggestions are therefore likewise given to enhance workers' adaptation to night shift and synchronization process.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1999

The effects of different knowledge of results spacing and summarizing techniques on the acquisition of a ballistic movement.

The present study crossed three knowledge of results summarizing techniques (single-trial KR, summary KR, and average KR) with two spacing conditions (KR on every fifth trial-20%- and KR on every trial-100%). Participants (n = 10 per group) performed 80 acquisition trials of a ballistic movement task involving both a temporal and spatial goal, followed by 30 immediate (10 min) and 30 delayed (2 days) no-KR transfer trials. For the spatial goal, performance was less accurate (absolute constant error) for the 20% spacing condition than the 100% condition during acquisition, but more accurate during delayed transfer. No effects were significant for variable error. For the temporal goal, performance was more accurate for the summary and average conditions than the single-trial KR condition; however, this effect was only present within the 20% spacing condition and only during Block 1 of acquisition. A similar effect held for variable error as well, except that the effect persisted for acquisition and transfer. It was concluded that the spacing of KR is more influential in promoting spatial accuracy than the summarizing of KR.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Perceived risks to independent living: the views of older, community-dwelling adults.

The purpose of the present study was to gather the perceptions of older, community-dwelling adults about factors they considered essential for them to remain living within the community. In-depth interviews were conducted with 103 men and women over the age of 65 years who were living in their own home or apartment, within an urban center. Factors such as finances, health, family support, a sense of identity, and a feeling of independence were perceived by older adults to contribute to their ability to remain living in the community. Importantly, older adults viewed threats to this continued independent living as both (a) factors connected to losses and maintenance of capability, but also (b) as impediments to further growth of their personal well-being.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1990

Perceived mood and exercise behaviors of cardiac rehabilitation program referrals.

The objective of this study was to examine how 65 clients referred to a cardiac rehabilitation program perceived their current mood, severity of illness, exercise behaviors, and hence, quality of life. The theoretical perspective for this study was derived from King's (1981) theory of goal attainment. The individual's perceptions are a fundamental element of goal attainment. A telephone survey was developed to gather data on demographics, exercise intensity and participation, severity of illness at time of hospital discharge and time of interview as well as responses to a mood adjective check list (Lubin, 1981). Analysis indicated that exercise was a valued behavior for the majority of subjects. All subjects perceived that the severity of their heart condition had changed from more to less severe. Furthermore, those who exercised felt healthy and merry, while those who did not exercise felt miserable.

Adult↗