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[Purpose] To clarify the effect of asymmetrical buttock pressure on the shear forces exerted on a buttock. [Participants and Methods] Sixteen healthy adult males participated in this study. A cushion 0 or 2 cm high was placed on the left side of the seat for all participants. The 0- and 2-cm height conditions were called "without difference condition" and "difference condition", respectively. The back support was inclined at increasing angles, starting at the upright position, to a fully reclined position, and back to the upright position. [Results] With the "difference condition", the force on the left buttock was 147.4% body weight and that on the right buttock was 105.6% body weight. In contrast, with the "without difference condition", there was no significant difference in the force on the left buttock and right buttock in terms of percent body weight. [Conclusion] Our results suggest that asymmetrical buttock pressure while in the sitting position causes a difference in shear force exerted on the left and right buttocks when using a reclining chair.

A fit and well man in his 60s presented to the dermatology urgent assessment clinic with a 4 week history of a worsening pruritic eruption, limited to his elbows and posterior legs. In view of the limited distribution, further questioning was directed towards identifying potential contact factors. In the 1-2 weeks before the rash onset, the patient identified having acquired a new reclining chair made of tanned leather. He reported daily morning episodes of running in his garden to the point of perspiration before lying in T-shirt and shorts upon his new leather recliner for 8 hours a day. Examination revealed a substantial follicular eruption comprising papules and pustules in a strikingly restricted distribution on both legs (fig 1). The distribution and the follicular …

Firefighters and EMS providers continue to be challenged when lifting heavy patients in their homes. This study investigated the biomechanical efficacy of four devices that could be used by two-person teams when lifting patients from the floor, from a reclining chair, or from a Simulated Inflatable Seat at chair height. Fourteen firefighter-paramedics, working in two-person teams, were instrumented with motion capture and electromyographic sensors. The Binder Lift™, the Simple Strap, and the Slip Preventer were used to lift patient actors, and were compared to current lifting methods. Postural data and the peak dynamic spine shear forces at the L5/S1 level were reduced when using the Simple Strap, the Binder Lift, and the Simulated Inflatable Seat. The Slip Preventer reduced spine flexion when the Binder Lift was not used. In summary, the tested devices can potentially reduce the biomechanical loads experienced by EMS providers as they lift and move patients.

The location of the pivot between the backrest and seat pan of a reclining chair should be identical to the hip joint center to prevent unpleasant user experiences during tilting motion. However, mechanical friction occurs in the pin-in-slot joints that are installed under the seat pan as an alternative to the hinge joint. This reduces the reaction force between the backrest and the occupant`s back when reclining and returning to an upright position, which causes the occupant`s discomfort. In this study, bearings, rollers, and sliders were suggested as alternatives for the pin component, and the percentage of the reaction force on the backrest was measured while reclining the backrest and subsequently returning it to an upright position. The results show when bearings, rollers, and sliders were used for the pin-in-slot joint, the percentages of the reaction force were , , and , respectively, indicating that the friction of the bearing was the lowest among the three pin components. Because the three alternatives have different manufacturing costs, synthetic judgment requires the consideration of not only mechanical friction but also user experience.

All of a sudden there was a disastrous wrenching. It was as if something had been sacrificed. I awoke in my reclining chair and looked around. The room seemed the same, but it wasn’t clear if it was night or day. It seemed to be one of those in-between times. I walked downstairs, opened the front door, and walked outside. The sky was strange, covered with clouds but dimly glowing. You were standing there looking up, too. “It could be any time of day,” I said. You agreed.

The purpose of this study is to establish a methodology for evaluating the discomfort induced by odors using a biochemical marker such as salivary α-amylase. Odor evaluation device, consisting of an odor presentation dome, three sets of metal oxide semiconductor-type gas sensors, three sets of nebulizers, a hand-held salivary α-amylase activity (sAMY) monitor, a reclining chair, an A/D converter and a personal computer for data collection, was fabricated for the study. The subjects were 12 healthy young male adults (22.3 ± 1.7 years). Ethanol and ammonia were used as olfactory stimuli in order to reproduce the air environment found in a hospitals. For ethanol, no significant difference in sAMY was observed before, during and after inhalations in 1, 10 and 50 ppm. In ammonia, a significant difference in sAMY was observed before, during and after inhalation at 5 ppm. It was demonstrated that the effect of the odor on the sympathetic nervous system could be rapidly and quantitatively evaluated using the sAMY and the odor evaluation device in a laboratory-based investigation.

As a graduation project at a design school in Stockholm, a piece of furniture to be used for retreats in the public space was exhibited. It was named ‘The Cocoon’ and was a reclining chair covered with a bubble-like construction made out of cloth and steel. The exhibition was a starting point for a number of journeys. In the years to come, the Cocoon reached museums, exhibition halls, newspapers and magazines throughout the world. In this article, we track the travels and illustrate the transformations of the Cocoon. We seek to understand spacing activities behind the travels and view the travels from a spatial perspective focusing on the relation between transportation and transformation, of emptiness, form and content.

Higashi T, Funase K, Kusano K, Tabira T, Harada N, Sakakibara A, Yoshimura T. Motoneuron pool excitability of hemiplegic patients: assessing recovery stages by using H-reflex and M response. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2001;82:1604-10. Objectives: To compare the excitability of the motoneuron pools of both the spastic and the unimpaired sides of patients with hemiplegia with a new method by using H-reflexes and M responses. The method determines the ratio of the developmental slope of the H-reflex (Hslp) to the slope of the M response (Mslp). We also examined the relation between the Brunnstrom stages and the Hslp/Mslp. Design: Experiment. Setting: Electrophysiologic experimental laboratory in a Japanese medical school. Patients: Fifteen hemiplegic patients (9 men, 6 women; age range, 48–71yr; mean, 60yr) with spasticity caused by a stroke. Interventions: The subject was instructed to relax while seated in a reclining chair with his foot fixed on an immobile pedal. After the soleus H-reflex and M responses on one side were recorded, the same experimental procedures were carried out on the other side. Main Outcome Measures: Hslp/Mslp Brunnstrom stages. Results: Hslp/Mslp had better predictive value than conventional indicators of motoneuron pool excitability. Hslp/Mslp appeared to be a better match for the bell-shaped pattern of the Brunnstrom stages. Conclusion: Hslp/Mslp is the preferred index for evaluating the motoneuron pool excitability of the spastic side of hemiplegic patients. © 2001 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

In many eye departments it is routine to ask patients to lie completely flat for cataract surgery. However, many patients prefer not to lie completely flat, if given the choice. It is our practice to ensure patients are in a comfortable position before commencing surgery. We conducted a prospective observational study of our routine practice comprising 125 consecutive cataract operations conducted by a single surgeon with local anaesthesia (occasional phaco under general anaesthetic was not included). All patients were initially positioned lying flat on the reclining chair and were given the option of staying in that position throughout the operation or having the chair-back raised until they were comfortable. Only 27% (34 patients of 125 total) were happy to lie flat (angle between 0 degrees and 5 degrees ). The majority of our patients (62%--78 patients) preferred to sit up slightly, with the chair-back 10 degrees to 25 degrees above the horizontal; 8% (10 patients) of the patients were sited at an angle of 30 degrees to 35 degrees and 2% (three patients) needed to be sited at 35 degrees or more. Patients who sat up above 30 degrees generally had a medical reason such as orthopnoea (3%--four patients), back pain (5%--six patients), anxiety (2%--two patients), Meniere's disease (1%--one patient). Patients who sat up below 25 degrees chose this position for comfort or preference. Our results show that patient preferences for positioning during cataract phaco-emulsification under topical-intracameral anaesthesia should increase overall patient satisfaction without the need to compromise safety.

Fire growth and Required Delivered Density measurements were obtained for a vinyl-cov ered reclining chair as part of a program to evaluate the Actual Delivered Density (ADD)/Required Delivered Density (RDD) approach to suppression prediction for quick response sprinklers in a light hazard scenario. In two tests, chemical and convective heat release rates of the burning chair were obtained from a fire products collector, while the radiative heat release rate was measured using a heat flux gauge.The average maximum chemical heat release rate was 1.5 MW (85,000 Btu/min) with the convective fraction being 56%. The average growth time of the fire, assuming a second power growth curve (t2), was 100 s. The RDD of the chair was determined by measuring the effect of water application on the convective heat release rate of the chair. Nominal application densities of 2.4, 3.7, 6.1 and 8.6 mm/min (0.06, 0.09, 0.15, and 0.21 gpm/ft2) were applied over a convective heat release rate range of 100 to 450 kW (5700 to 25,...

An apparatus to determine the Actual Delivered Density (ADD) of quick response and resi dential sprinklers under light hazard conditions was constructed and calibrated. The plume of a burning chair at different stages of fire development was simulated by the apparatus using five convective heat release rates: 110, 160, 250, 300 and 390 kW (6300, 9100, 14,200, 17,100, and 22,200 Btu/min). The ADD as a function of the convective heat release rate was determined for a residential sprinkler at ceiling heights ranging from 2.4 m to 4.6 m (8 ft to 15 ft). ADDs were obtained for single and multiple sprinklers installed using a 3.6 m x 3.6 m (12 ft x 12 ft ) spacing. The ADD of a 12.7 mm (1/2 in.) orifice, quick response sprinkler was determined for a single sprinkler directly over the ADD appa ratus at a ceiling height of 3 m (10 ft). Previously reported Required Delivered Density (RDD) measurements for the reclining chair allowed suppression predictions to be made. Seven full-scale fire tests were conducted to ...

A worksite study was conducted to examine whether a 15-min nap during a post-lunch rest period would affect subsequent alertness, performance, and nocturnal sleep in eight factory workers under a 3-week protocol. Subjects were asked to take the nap at 12:30 h on a reclining chair during the nap week, and to remain awake during the no-nap week. The order of these 2 weeks was counterbalanced between the subjects. During the third, follow-up week, each subject determined whether or not she/he would nap. Alertness on the job and nocturnal sleep were assessed using a sleep diary. Wrist activity was also recorded during sleep at night. Choice reaction time task (RT) was performed at 10:00 and 15:00 h every day of the nap week and every other day of the no-nap and follow-up weeks. Perceived alertness was significantly higher in the afternoon after nap than after no nap at the end of the week. Similar effects were observed during the follow-up week where almost half of the subjects napped. No significant differences between the three weeks were found for RT performance or nocturnal sleep. Workers' attitudes toward the nap were favourable. Although further intervention research is required, our results suggest that post-lunch napping may have the potential to promote daytime alertness at work.

Aims. To determine effects of ethanol-use history and ethanol pretreatment on abuse liability of nitrous oxide (N 2 O). Design. Placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over design evaluating effects of N 2 O, 0% (100% O 2 , placebo) and 30% (in O 2 ), in the presence of three doses of ethanol: 0 g/kg (placebo), 0.35 g/kg and 0. 7 g/kg. Setting. Subjects sat in a reclining chair in a hospital laboratory. Participants. Eight healthy light drinkers (one drink or less/week) and eight healthy moderate drinkers (seven or more drinks/week) with no history of drug dependence completed the study. Intervention. On three sessions (1, 3, 5) subjects drank a beverage that contained one of the three ethanol doses, then sampled for 10 minute each 0% and 30% N 2 O. During choice sessions (2, 4, 6), subjects received the same ethanol dose as in the previous session, then chose six times, once every 5 min, between 0% and 30% N 2 O. Measurements. Subjective (self-reported) drug effects, reinforcing effects of N 2 O as assessed by choice, and psychomotor effects were measured. Findings. Choice of N 2 O did not differ between light (mean = 3.4 choices) and moderate (mean = 3.2 choices) drinkers and was not influenced by ethanol dose (0 g/kg: 3.3 choices, 0.35 g/kg: 3.5 choices, 0.7 g/kg: 3.1 choices). Subjective effects of N 2 O also did not depend on ethanol-use history or ethanol dose. N 2 O liking and desire to inhale the drug again were positively correlated with N 2 O choice. Conclusions. Ethanol pretreatment and ethanol-use history had no effect on the abuse liability of N 2 O as assessed in the present study.

In the age of Information Technology, the work styles of office workers are transformed. In this study, working environments for new work styles were constructed virtually. Then a method for the evaluation of the worker in that environment was developed. Workers were classified with Interaction and Autonomy, and workers with “High Interaction and High Autonomy” and “Low Interaction and High Autonomy” were evaluated. As a result of the evaluation, the following are suggested for the work environment design. 1. An office layout which makes workers concentrate on their own work, and also allows the worker to choose when to rest with a reclining chair. 2. For the “High Interaction” worker, a layout that helps worker’s communication with others is preferred.

The effects of pressure applied by cuffs to the abdomen, thighs and legs on resting salivary flow rate and digestive function of saliva were investigated in 9 healthy female students, aged 18 to 33 yrs (Experiment I) in a climatic chamber (Ta: 28 degrees C, RH: 50%). Each participant changed from street clothing into loose-fitting experimental garments so as to avoid any skin pressure on the body, and sat calmly in a reclining chair throughout the experimental period (195 min). After 90 min (FREE period), the physiological effects of skin pressure applied by their own clothing disappeared, and skin pressure was applied for the next 60 min to the abdomen (40 mmHg) and thighs (40 mmHg) then to the legs (60 mmHg) by the use of air-inflated cuffs (PRESSURE period). During the next 45 min, the skin pressure was again removed by letting the air of the cuffs out (FREE' period). The resting salivary flow rate was significantly suppressed while the skin pressure was applied by the cuffs. The digestive time for starch investigated in terms of the iodine starch reaction was longer with the skin pressure than without. The concentration of amylase measured in 20 female participants aged 21 to 23 yrs, decreased with skin pressure applied by the usage of the rubber tape (Experiment II). These results suggest that the pressure applied to the body can influence the digestive response by decreasing the amount of saliva via the autonomic nervous system.

Concern over in-hospital falls among toddlers and out-of-hospital falls in neonates has led to substantial efforts to prevent these widely recognized problems. In-hospital falls of neonates have received little attention in the medical literature and the authors found no estimates on their incidence or specific programs to prevent them. Electronic chart and risk-management records were used to identify and tabulate the cause and outcome of each in-hospital fall of a neonate in a multi-hospital health care system in the western United States between 2004 and 2006. It was hoped that these data could be the basis of prevention strategies. Of the 88,774 live births during the 3-year study period, 14 had in-hospital falls (incidence, 1.6 falls per 10,000 live births). Nine of the 14 falls occurred within the first 24 hours after birth; 13 were at or near term. In 7 of the falls, the parent fell asleep while holding the infant in a bed or reclining chair, and dropped the infant to the floor; 6 of these occurred between 1:30 AM and 9:00 AM. Of the 4 mothers who dropped their infant in this manner, 2 had received a sedative within 6 hours before the incident. The delivery room was the site of 4 falls. Two infants fell from a bassinette in a hallway, and 1 from a swing in a neonatal intensive care unit. The estimated distance of most falls was 32 to 43 inches onto a linoleum-covered concrete floor. One infant with a depressed skull fracture was transferred to a children's hospital. At the time of discharge, all but 1 patient, who had a large bruise on his forehead, had normal examinations. No protocol for evaluating neonates after a hospital fall or for preventing such falls were in place at any of the hospitals. The investigators believe that hospital falls of neonates can be prevented or reduced substantially by implementing programs eliminating the most common circumstances under which they occur.

About a year ago, after a patient had a cardiac arrest in the waiting room, we decided to bring all of the patients waiting for care into a big open area of the emergency department (ED). It reminded me of a huge open pit mine with its bustle and unstructured space. We named it Flex, put a television in the room, and assigned a paramedic to keep an eye on things. We really had no choice; the main ED was often filled with admitted patients waiting for hospital beds that seemed to be less and less available. Some of the admitted patients would stay for days in the ED. We generally had between 15 and 20 of these patients filling our beds every day. Flex was supposed to be a place where patients could get their treatment started without having to wait for an ED bed to open up. We could order a radiograph for someone with a cough, start an IV, and give a breathing treatment. Metal chairs lined the walls of the room, which was divided into halves by a piece of temporary office wall material someone had picked up for 15 dollars. We were actually supposed to do our history and physical examination in a corner of the room—with a reclining chair and a curtain up for privacy—but it didn’t always work out that way. Sometimes the room in the corner was occupied or dirty. Then we’d try to ask a few discreet questions to the patients where they sat in a chair and maybe poke our stethoscope under a shirt to listen to lungs or a heart. Residents and faculty would often complain about the Flex area (and tried to avoid it if at all possible), but I generally supported the concept and thought we could make it work. Anyway, it seemed better than leaving the patients in the waiting room for hours. One day, I was walking into Flex to examine a man’s ankle. The chart said, “twisted ankle while dancing.” I thought it would probably be a good story, even if the medical problem were straightforward. The paramedic grabbed me as I walked by. “Doc, I’ve got a low glucose of 30 on this guy over here.” He pointed to a middle-aged man wearing a straw cowboy hat with a blue feather in the band. The man was watching Jerry Springer. The print at the bottom of the screen said, “Wife slept with son’s best friend, now she’s pregnant.” “Hmm,” I thought, “Where do they find these people?” Then turning to the paramedic, I said, “He looks pretty good— are you sure about the glucose?”

Objective We assess the possibility of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) transmission via the surfaces of the dental operatory. Methods A survey of MRSA contamination on the surfaces of the dental operatory, and an analysis of MRSA transmission via the dental operatory between patients was carried out in the department of special dental care and oral surgery. Results MRSA was observed on the surfaces of dental operatory including the air-water syringe and reclining chair. Nosocomial infection or colonisation of MRSA occurred in eight out of 140 consecutive patients who had no evidence of MRSA at admission. Antibiograms of 30 antibiotics revealed that the isolates from the eight patients were of the same strain as those from the surface of dental operatory. After treating the patients under a revised infection control (IC) protocol including a single use of barrier covers, MRSA was not detected on the surfaces of the dental operatory, and no nosocomial infection or colonisation occurred during hospitalisation (0/117 patients). Conclusions These results suggest that MRSA contaminates the surfaces of the dental operatory, and therefore the dental operatory should be considered a possible reservoir of MRSA.

quarantaine, to West Africa in Onitsha, to North Africa, Europe, and even America in Desert and Poisson d'or, and to the Middle East in Etoile errante. I have spent many a quiet evening at home, in the comfort of my reclining chair, accompanying Le Clezio around the world, exploring places which I have never visited and perhaps never will. Yet at the same time I have been immobile with Le Clezio, never leaving my chair as I sit, transfixed, immersing myself in the exotic locales he depicts, and as I immobilize the text, lingering over and rereading the rich descriptive passages that so capture my imagination. But I have also literally traveled with Le Clezio, as copies of his works have accompanied me on my own voyages, less adventurous to be sure: home for the holidays and to the MLA convention in Washington, as I prepared to write this article. I might well have chosen other substantives in the formation of the title of this study in an attempt to encapsulate the two features of Le Clezio's works which are the focus here. Instead of voyages I might have spoken of travel, movement, dislocation or relocation, wandering, flight or escape, yet without failing to convey the fundamental quality of these works that interests me. By the same token, instead of immobility I might have chosen stasis, inactivity, waiting, or confinement, all equally representative and appropriate terms. But I chose voyage and immobility for three specific yet simple reasons. First, these two words are frequently utilized by Le Clezio himself in the works to be considered here: Desert

Subjects (Ss) were thoroughly introduced to the laboratory setting. All the patients sat on a reclining chair while two Beckman biopotential skin electrodes were attached to the dorsal surface of their predominant hand. These in turn were connected to the electrical stimulator. The instructions presented to all patients were as follows: "Whenever you feel pain or if it hurts, say pain". As can be realized, no predetermined definition of pain but the Ss' own definition was used. One set of three trials, each presented at 90 second intervals, were given.

D U • I N o the infantile period the home care of severely involved children with cerebral palsy is not too different from that of normal children. While normal children are ready to sit when they outgrow the baby carriage, cerebral palsied children are not, and their mothers then become more acutely aware of the problems confronting them. The ordinary chair has no head support and is uncomfortable for such children. Their time, therefore, is divided between the crib and a pad on the floor. After a child with cerebral palsy was observed on several occasions we thought of a reclining chair as an aid in her care. An "Adirondack" type chair seemed to be the best idea. The chair is shown in use in Fig. 1, and the plans are shown in Fig. 2. The application of vertical head rests, adjustable by means of wing bolts through horizontal slots in the back, gives support to the head. A one piece foam rubber cushion, with a removable washable cover, is used to pad the wooden surfaces. To stimulate the child's interest, a gentle up-and-down rocking motion is supplied by placing upholstery springs under each front leg. The entire chair is fastened to a plywood platform, the front legs by the aforementioned springs and the back legs by hinges. The platform, narrow enough to go

As the most important threapeutic factor in the modern management of tuberculosis, we must consider fresh and pure air, and we can make the home treatment most successful when we imitate, so far as practicable, all the salient features of the sanatorium treatment. In these institutions the patients live outdoors virtually for twenty-four hours of the day. Let us now see how we can imitate this aerotherapy of the sanatorium treatment in the home of the patient. In summer, of course, all the windows are open, and during the day we place our patients in the yard, on the veranda or on the roof, whenever and wherever conditions permit us to have the patient take what is known as the rest cure in the open air. Here he rests on a reclining chair with a proper knee bend and comfortable back. If the patient can afford it we get him