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The association between working at a video display terminal (VDT) and development of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is not well?established. The study surveyed the prevalence of CTS symptoms, explored the risk factors and evaluated the clinical application of hand diagrams, physical tests and electrodiagnosis among male VDT workers.A cross?sectional study was performed in an information and communication technology company. Three?forty questionnaires were completed and 82 volunteers participated in the physical examination and nerve conduction study. The personal and occupational risk factors for CTS were analyzed.The prevalence of CTS symptoms was 3.8% among 340 subjects, while prolonged median motor distal latency (>4.2 msec) was disclosed in 3.7% of a subgroup receiving examination. Classic/probable CTS symptoms was associated with high body mass index (>28 kg/m2, odds ratio?=?4.1, P?=?0.029) and moderate job seniority (3–5 years, odds ratio?=?4.6, P?=?0.023). Prolonged median motor distal latency was associated with older age (>35 years old). We did not observe correlation between CTS symptoms, abnormal NCS, positive Tinel's sign or Phalen's test.The prevalence of CTS symptoms was not high among the group of male VDT workers studied. Job seniority, but not specific tasks, was associated with CTS symptoms. More reliable and valid methods to quantify the ergonomic exposure are needed to establish the association of VDT tasks and CTS. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50:1–7, 2007. © 2006 Wiley?Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of 3 different health promotion exercise programs for work-related shoulder and neck pain. Design: Comparative study design. Subjects: A total of 178 employees were recruited and grouped. Methods: Those in the "Self-exercise group" ( n = 56) were given a lecture about the exercise program and then performed the program by themselves during their office break. "Team-exercise group I" ( n = 69) performed the program once under the supervision of a physiotherapist after the lecture. "Team-exercise group II" ( n = 14) performed the program twice; once under a physiotherapist's supervision. A modified Nordic questionnaire, pain threshold and cervical range of motion were used to evaluate the effect of intervention. There were 39 subjects in the reference group. Results: When daily change of pain threshold (post-work - pre-work) was treated as an improvement index, the odds ratios for the self-exercise group, team-exercise group I and team-exercise group II were 1.39, 4.63 ( p < 0.05) and 7.06 ( p < 0.05), respectively, compared with the reference group. A dose-response effect of intervention intensity was demonstrated. Conclusion: An intensive team-exercise program is beneficial in reducing neck and shoulder symptoms in sedentary workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expectile-based Value at Risk (EVaR) has gained popularity as it is more sensitive to the magnitude of extreme losses than the conventional quantile-based VaR (QVaR). This paper applies the expectile regression approach to evaluate the EVaR of stock market indices of Australia and Japan. We use an expectile regression model that considers lagged returns and common risk factors to calculate the EVaR for each stock market and to evaluate the interdependence of downside risk between the two markets. Our findings suggest that both Australian and Japanese stock markets are affected by their past development and the international stock markets. Additionally, ASX 200 index has significant impact on Nikkei 225 in terms of downside tail risk, while the impact of Nikkei 225 on ASX is not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A new engineering intervention measure, an embracing air curtain device (EACD), was used to increase the capture efficiency of cooker hoods and reduce cooking oil fume (COF) exposure in Chinese restaurants. Methods An EACD was installed in six Chinese restaurants where the cooks complained of COF exposure. Before- and after-installation measurements were taken to compare changes in particulate matter (PM) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in kitchen air, and changes in levels of urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The association between PM and PAHs in air and 8-OHdG and MDA in urine was evaluated by linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results Results showed that geometric mean kitchen air levels of PM10, PM2.5, PM1.0 and total particulate PAHs were significantly reduced after the EACDs were introduced. Urinary levels of 8-OHdG and MDA in cooks were also significantly lower after EACD instalment. PM2.5, PM1.0 and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) levels were positively associated with urinary 8-OHdG levels after adjusting for key personal covariates. Urinary MDA levels in cooks were also positively associated with BaP levels after adjusting for key personal covariates. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the EACD is effective for reducing COF and oxidative stress levels in cooks working in Chinese kitchens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence that cryptocurrencies exhibit speculative bubble behavior is well documented. This evidence could trigger global financial instability leading to systemic risk. It is therefore crucial to quantify systemic risk and investigate its transmission mechanism across crypto markets and other global financial markets. We can accomplish this using the so-called multivariate conditional value-at-risk (MCoVaR), which measures the tail risk of a targeted asset from each market conditional on a set of multiple assets being jointly in distress and on a set of the remaining assets being jointly in their median states. In this paper, we aimed to find its analytic formulas by considering multivariate copulas, which allow for the separation of margins and dependence structures in modeling the returns of the aforementioned assets. Compared to multivariate normal and Student's t benchmark models and a multivariate Johnson's SU model, the copula-based models with non-normal margins produced a MCoVaR forecast with superior conditional coverage and backtesting performances. Using a corresponding Delta MCoVaR, we found the crypto assets to be potential sources of systemic risk jointly transmitted within the crypto markets and towards the S&P 500, oil, and gold, which was more apparent during the COVID-19 period encompassing the recent 2021 crypto bubble event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to popular opinion, this paper suggests that recent protests against the Taiwanese government's expropriation of farmland for high-tech development in Taiwan do not constitute a peasant movement. Based on Karl Polanyi's double-movement thesis and Ching Kwan Lee's analysis of workers' uprisings in the context of market reform, this paper shows that the local cause of such a mobilization is the labouring population's struggle to maintain a livelihood against increasing economic and employment insecurity. Moreover, the intensification of market despotism, economic insecurity and the relocation of firms to China have broken the various promises offered by high-tech development. As a result, local protestors have begun to question the necessity of expropriating farmland to make way for the construction of new science industrial parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote workers' health and boost corporate productivity and national competitiveness, workplace health promotion is an international trend and a vital part of national policies. Prior to 2000, Taiwan's workplace issues focused on industrial hygiene and safety improvements. Since 2003, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) at the Ministry of Health and Welfare has established coaching centers for workplace health promotion and dispatched trained experts for teaching health promotion skills; including promoting the tobacco control program, preventing important chronic diseases, driving comprehensive programs, advocating workplace health promotion with the Ministry of Labor, establishing certification mechanisms for workplace health promotion, recognizing outstanding health-promoting workplaces, and conducting a nationwide survey for monitoring the practices of healthy behaviors and health conditions of workers. Through 2014, 12,439 workplaces have been accredited.Since 2003, the efforts of the HPA in workplace health promotion projects has shifted society's focus on workplace health from occupational diseases and injury prevention to workplace health promotion, resulting in the revision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 2013 by the Ministry of Labor to detail employers' responsibilities in protecting and promoting employees' health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to identify the health hazards and possible exposure surveillance markers of workers exposed to nanoparticles during manufacturing and application in comparison to a group of unexposed workers. For this longitudinal study, we recruited 158 nanomaterial-handling workers and 104 non-exposed workers from 14 manufacturing plants in Taiwan (baseline). Among them, 124 nanomaterial-handling workers and 77 unexposed workers were monitored 6 months later. We investigated pulmonary and cardiovascular disease markers, inflammation and oxidative stress markers, antioxidant enzymes and genotoxicity markers. Antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase) and cardiovascular markers (vascular cell adhesion molecule, paraoxonase) were significantly associated with nanomaterial-handling during the 6-month follow-up period. In addition, the small airway damage marker (Clara cell protein 16) and lung function test parameters were also significantly associated with handling nanomaterials. The study markers and lung function tests are possible markers that could be useful for surveillance of nanomaterial-handling workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction This study aimed to examine the prevalence rates of both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression at 12 months in workers experiencing different types of occupational injury in Taiwan. Demographic and injury-related risk factors for psychological symptoms were also evaluated. Methods Our study candidates were injured workers in Taiwan who were hospitalized for 3 days or longer and received hospitalization benefits from the Labor Insurance program. A two-staged survey study was conducted. A self-reported questionnaire including the Brief Symptom Rating Scale and Post-traumatic Symptom Checklist was sent to workers at 12 months after injury. Those who met the criteria were recruited for the second-stage phone interview with a psychiatrist using the Mini-international Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Results A total of 1,233 workers completed the questionnaire (response rate 28.0 %). Among them, 167 (13.5 %) fulfilled the criteria for the MINI interview and were invited. A total of 106 (63.5 %) completed the phone interview. The estimated rate of either PTSD/PPTSD or major depression was 5.2 %. The risk factors for psychological symptoms were female gender, lower education level, loss of consciousness after occupational injury, injury affecting physical appearance, occupational injury experience before this event, life experience before and after this injury, length of hospital stay, self-rated injury severity, and percentage of income to the family. Conclusions These results showed that occupational injury can cause long-term psychological impact in workers. Key demographic and injury characteristics may enhance the identification of at-risk occupational injured workers who would benefit from targeted screening and early intervention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Shipbreaking workers are typically exposed to a wide range of hazardous chemicals. However, long-term follow-up studies of their mortality patterns are lacking. This study examined mortality among shipbreaking workers over a 24-year follow-up period. Methods A total of 4,962 shipbreaking workers were recruited from the database of the Kaohsiung Shipbreaking Workers Union. The data were then linked to the Taiwan National Death Registry from 1985 to 2008. The mortality ratios-standardized for age and calendar years-(SMRs) for various causes of deaths were calculated with reference to the general population of Taiwan. Results Among men workers, a statistically significant increased SMR was observed for all causes (SMR = 1.28), all cancers (SMR = 1.26; particularly noteworthy for lesions of oral and nasopharyngeal: SMR 2.03, liver: SMR 4.63, and lung: SMR 1.36), cirrhosis of the liver (SMR = 1.32), and accidents (SMR = 1.91). A statistically significant increase in mortality was observed for respiratory system cancer (SMR = 1.87) and lung cancer (SMR = 1.91) among workers with a longer duration of employment (≥7 years). The result also showed that among shipbreaking workers who were still alive, two people had mesothelioma and 10 people have asbestosis. Conclusions Those employed in shipbreaking industries experienced an increase in mortality from all causes. The increased SMR for lung cancer was probably related to asbestos, metals, and welding fume exposure. Am. J. Ind. Med. 56:701-708, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction This study aimed to investigate the impact of psychological symptoms on return to work (RTW) in workers after occupational injuries. Methods Our study candidates were injured workers who were hospitalized for 3 days or longer and received hospitalization benefits from the Labor Insurance. A self-reported questionnaire including Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-50) and RTW was sent to workers at 12 weeks after injury. At 1 year, all participants were contacted again to determine whether or not they had RTW. Results A total of 2001 workers completed the questionnaire (response rate 45.5 %) at 12 weeks after injury, among them, 1,149 had returned to work. Among the 852 who were unable to return to work at 12 weeks after injury, 225 reportedly returned to work by 1 year. A proportional hazards regression indicated that after adjusting for all possible risk factors, higher scores in BSRS-50 and BSRS-5 at 12 weeks after injury were significant risk factors for not return to work (NRTW) at 1 year after injury. Other risk factors were gender, education level, length of hospitalization, affected physical appearance, and injury type. Among 10 psycho-physiological symptoms of BSRS-50, a proportional hazards regression indicated that high score in phobic-anxiety scale was a risk factor for NRTW. Conclusions After considering all other factors, psychological symptoms further predicted poorer probability of returning to work after occupational injury, and phobic-anxiety was the most significant symptom predicting poor RTW. Development of preventive measures among injured workers according to the risk factors identified in this study is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to establish and identify the health effect markers of workers with potential exposure to nanoparticles (20-100 nm) during manufacturing and/or application of nanomaterials. For this cross-sectional study, we recruited 227 workers who handled nanomaterials and 137 workers for comparison who did not from 14 plants in Taiwan. A questionnaire was used to collect data on exposure status, demographics, and potential confounders. The health effect markers were measured in the medical laboratory. Control banding from the Nanotool Risk Level Matrix was used to categorize the exposure risk levels of the workers. The results showed that the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD) in risk level 1 (RL1) and risk level 2 (RL2) workers was significantly ( p < 0.05) lower than in control workers. A significantly decreasing gradient was found for SOD (control > RL1 > RL2). Another antioxidant, glutathione peroxidase (GPX), was significantly lower only in RL1 workers than in the control workers. The cardiovascular markers, fibrinogen and ICAM (intercellular adhesion molecule), were significantly higher in RL2 workers than in controls and a significant dose-response with an increasing trend was found for these two cardiovascular markers. Another cardiovascular marker, interleukin-6, was significantly increased among RL1 workers, but not among RL2 workers. The accuracy rate for remembering 7-digits and reciting them backwards was significantly lower in RL2 workers (OR = 0.48) than in controls and a significantly reversed gradient was also found for the correct rate of backward memory (OR = 0.90 for RL1, OR = 0.48 for RL2, p < 0.05 in test for trend). Depression of antioxidant enzymes and increased expression of cardiovascular markers were found among workers handling nanomaterials. Antioxidant enzymes, such as SOD and GPX, and cardiovascular markers, such as fibrinogen, ICAM, and interluekin-6, are possible biomarkers for medical surveillance of workers handling engineered nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Employment insecurity and workplace injustice are important psychosocial hazards. However, few studies of these associations have been conducted in Chinese-speaking populations. Purpose: This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of employment insecurity and workplace justice scales, and examined their associations with the levels of workers' burnout status in Taiwanese workers. Method: Study subjects were participants in a national survey of employees in Taiwan, consisting of 9,636 men and 7,406 women. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess employment insecurity (six items) and workplace justice (nine items), as well as other psychosocial work characteristics. After the survey was completed, in-depth interviews with 10 employees were conducted for a qualitative evaluation. Results: Cronbach's α was 0.87 or greater for the workplace justice scale and 0.76 or greater for the employment insecurity scale, indicating satisfactory internal consistencies. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a factor pattern consistent with the theoretically assumed structure, except that the items with statements in reversed direction were loaded on separated factors. Higher levels of employment insecurity and lower levels of workplace justice were associated with higher burnout scores. However, results from the qualitative interviews suggested that some questionnaire items contained double-barreled questions, and some questions were misinterpreted or considered irrelevant by participants. Conclusion: The Chinese version of employment insecurity and workplace justice scales were found to have satisfactory reliability and validity. However, improvement of these scales is still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited land and insufficient technicians to operate a wastewater treatment system are main restrictions for many factories. Therefore, an ideal wastewater treatment method for a small or land-limited factory must possess merits such as high performance efficiency, high organic loading rate, little odor, simple operation, easy maintenance, and little land required (simultaneously). An entrapment technique to immobilize mixed microorganisms to treat organic wastewater, which was developed in the present work, possesses these characteristics. This project was done on a laboratory scale. The microorganisms were activated sludge (an undefined mixture of microorganisms obtained directly from a domestic wastewater treatment plan) and the mixed microorganisms were immobilized in cellulose triacetate by means of an entrapment technique to treat organic wastewater from food industry. After wastewater was treated by this system, the SCOD (soluble COD) removal efficiency of 81% evaluated samples exceeded 80% in 1.5 ± 0.9 g SCOD/L/d of the volumetric loading rate and 7-10 h for the hydraulic retention time. This wastewater treatment method can be applied to other organic industrial wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews two leading measures of financial risk and an emerging alternative. Embraced by the Basel accords, value-at-risk and expected shortfall are the leading measures of financial risk. Expectiles offset the weaknesses of value-at-risk (VaR) and expected shortfall. Indeed, expectiles are the only elicitable law-invariant coherent risk measures. After reviewing practical concerns involving backtesting and robustness, this article more closely examines regulatory applications of expectiles. Expectiles are most readily evaluated as a special class of quantiles. For ease of regulatory implementation, expectiles can be defined exclusively in terms of VaR, expected shortfall, and the thresholds at which those competing risk measures are enforced. Moreover, expectiles are in harmony with gain/loss ratios in financial risk management. Expectiles may address some of the flaws in VaR and expected shortfall—subject to the reservation that no risk measure can achieve exactitude in regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]