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Emerging issues of occupational safety and health (OSH) in floating solar photovoltaic projects (FSPV) have rarely been addressed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The current scoping review has been planned to demonstrate OSH issues experienced by the workers engaged in the installation and maintenance of FSPV projects and existing ergonomics design interventions in the solar photovoltaic industry with a focus on the FSPV sector. Methods: A literature review was conducted from four major electronic databases (Science Direct, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus) using predefined keywords and following the PRISMA framework for the period 1965-2020. A total of 49 studies under five headings, namely a) overview of key reasons for the emergence of floating solar photovoltaic projects, b) occupational risks of workers engaged in the solar PV industry/FSPV sector, c) occupational risks in workplaces/occupations similar to floating solar photovoltaics projects, d) availability of training modules and occupational standards, and e) design interventions/approaches in the solar PV industry/floating photovoltaics sector were analyzed. Results: It emerged that workers are exposed to multifarious occupational risk factors such as heat, solar radiation, ergonomic risks, electrocution, fire, hazardous substances, adverse weather conditions, and psychosocial factors. These risks have not been adequately addressed with required interventions in the FSPV sector. Intervention opportunities include designing innovative tools, lowering of loads, redesigning workplace layouts, introducing job aids, automation, task rotation, job enlargement, design of training modules, OSH standards and changes in work organization/shift, etc. Conclusion:This review is a first-of-its-kind effort to highlight the contextual risk factors in the emerging FSPV sector and the need for addressing them through ergonomics design interventions for successfully achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The advancements of smartphone technology have led to a significant growth of smartphone weather applications (i.e. apps) on the market. Due to the high risk and time-critical situations associated with severe weather conditions (e.g. floods, tornados, and thunderstorms), designing weather apps to consider users’ needs is critical for improving product usability. This paper employs a user-centered design (UCD) approach to investigate a sample of end users’ perceptions regarding the usability of smartphone weather apps. Focus group responses analyzed with a thematic analysis approach revealed four main themes representing key usability principles and design specifications. The four themes were (1) user cognitive load, (2) effectiveness, (3) efficiency of use, and (4) user perceptions. Several recommendations were suggested based on the findings which might assist developers in designing highly interactive and usable apps leading to increased user satisfaction.

Cell phones enable us to receive and respond to critical incidents, such as: severe storms, tornadoes, and flash floods. However, due to the small display size of cell phones, and regardless of simplified symbols or alert messages, it is possible to overlook users’ ability to interact with the available features and understand the messages in a timely manner. Untrained and trained users of the Weather Radio application participated in an experiment to perform three search tasks; (task 1: location search, task 2: alert settings, and task 3: map settings). In task 4, they evaluated two types of weather alert messages: original National Weather Service (NWS) messages vs. filtered (proposed) messages. By recording users’ completion time on the search tasks, the results showed that the time of the typing in text bar method for task 1 was significantly less than the pin on map method, while much more time was required to complete tasks 2 and 3 by the untrained users compared to the trained users. It was also revealed that the proposed messages were more effective than the original messages by both user groups. This research of user-centered designs provides a foundation to support the designs of time-critical mobile alert systems.

Introduction: Research indicate that construction site accidents are a global concern, and rates are rapidly increasing. In developing countries such as Saudi Arabia, safety issues are frequently ignored, and little is known about their causes. Objectives: This study aimed to shed light on factors causing accidents in Saudi Arabian construction companies. Methods: An online detailed survey, using Google Form, of accident features was distributed randomly to potential employees in 35 construction companies in Saudi Arabia, where one of the top administrators or safety officers were required to respond to the survey. It was conducted from 1st June to 31st August, 2013. The safety practices and perceptions of accident causes were assessed. Results: The response rate was 63%. Over half of the surveyed organizations encountered all of the selected accident types. While 19 (86%) of the construction companies maintained the equipment regularly, 15 (68%) had regular maintenance staff and 13 (59%) inspected the equipment before use. Although 18 (82%) of the workers were supplied with personal protective equipment (PPE), only 12 (55%) emphasized its use and offered site orientation for new employees.  In the last part of the survey, respondents were requested to rate 25 factors affecting safety performance at the construction sites on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most important. The three most important factors of poor safety performance were the firm's top leaders, a lack of training, and the reckless operation of equipment. Conclusion: Changing attitudes of surrounding safety culture have the potential to significantly improve safety outcomes in the Saudi Arabian construction industry. Two Saudi Arabian corporations, Saudi Aramco and Saudi Chevron Petrochemical provide a positive model for increasing construction safety in the country, but there is a paucity of industry-level data. Further scholarly attention is strongly indicated.

This paper explores memory from a cognitive neuroscience perspective and examines associated neural mechanisms. It examines the different types of memory: working, declarative, and non-declarative, and the brain regions involved in each type. The paper highlights the role of different brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex in working memory and the hippocampus in declarative memory. The paper also examines the mechanisms that underlie the formation and consolidation of memory, including the importance of sleep in the consolidation of memory and the role of the hippocampus in linking new memories to existing cognitive schemata. The paper highlights two types of memory consolidation processes: cellular consolidation and system consolidation. Cellular consolidation is the process of stabilizing information by strengthening synaptic connections. System consolidation models suggest that memories are initially stored in the hippocampus and are gradually consolidated into the neocortex over time. The consolidation process involves a hippocampal-neocortical binding process incorporating newly acquired information into existing cognitive schemata. The paper highlights the role of the medial temporal lobe and its involvement in autobiographical memory. Further, the paper discusses the relationship between episodic and semantic memory and the role of the hippocampus. Finally, the paper underscores the need for further research into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying non-declarative memory, particularly conditioning. Overall, the paper provides a comprehensive overview from a cognitive neuroscience perspective of the different processes involved in memory consolidation of different types of memory.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common work-related injuries identified among caregivers in the health sector as a high-risk group. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to investigate the factors that influence musculoskeletal disorders among caregiver and to evaluate the relationship between work and non-work related factors with MSDs. METHODS: Data were collected from 104 caregivers using descriptive design and stratified cluster sampling. The survey included a demographic questionnaire and a Nordic Standardized musculoskeletal questionnaire. Logistic regression was performed to determine the risk factors associated with MSDs. The Odds ratio (OR) was calculated to define the influence of each risk factors. In addition, we used forward logistic regression analysis to validate the predictive model. RESULTS: In this cross-sectional survey, the results showed that 70 (67.3%) participants reported MSDs. MSD was highest at the lower back (46% ), then knee (15.4%) and shoulder (11.5% ). The overall success of the prediction is 90.4% (94.6 for having MSDs). The most important risk factors were manual handling (p <  0.001, odds ratio = 45.64) followed by bending (p = 0.008, odds ratio = 39.4). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study reaffirmed the high prevalence of work-related MSD among caregiver’s primarily in the lower back. The most important risk factors were manual handling, followed by bending / twisting, and handling of an excessive number of patients. Therefore, it is necessary to consider appropriate policies for managing MSDs among caregivers.

Weather alert applications can save precious lives in time-critical risk situations; however, even the most widely used applications may fall short in intuitive interface and content design, possibly due to limitations in the users participation in the design process and in the users range considered. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the application of UCD principles and usability guidelines can improve the use of and satisfaction of time-critical weather alert apps by the public and or expert users. A prototype of a UCD-based weather alert application was developed and evaluated. Initially, thirty-two voluntaries participated in the identification of the important features that lead to the development of the porotype, and then the prototype was tested with another eighty participants (40 young and 40 elderly). The prototype includes five enhancements: auto-suggested location search, an all-inclusive interface for weather forecasts, message alert, visual and intuitive map settings, and minimalism-oriented alert settings. The enhanced functionality was compared to similar functionality in existing commercial weather applications. Effectiveness (completion rate, error count, error severity, and error cause), efficiency (time to completion), and satisfaction (post-task and post-test surveys) were measured. The results showed the enhancements significantly improved performance and satisfaction across both age groups compared to equivalent functionality in the existing app. The Mann-Whitney U test showed a statistically significant difference (p<0.001) in task satisfaction and number of errors between the two apps for all tasks. The Mann-Whitney U test showed a significant difference (p<0.001) in the across all tasks between the two apps Also, overall, young people with existing apps outperformed elderly, and both young and elderly with enhanced apps performed very high. Therefore, the enhancements implemented through the UCD process and usability guidelines significantly improved performance and satisfaction across both age groups to facilitate timely action necessary during a crisis.