text:
<?php
namespace deArcane\Debugger\Blueprints\File;

use deArcane\Debugger\Input;
use deArcane\Debugger\Report\Blueprint;
use Iterator;
use ArrayAccess;
use deArcane\Debugger\_Exception\Report;

/**
 * Provide preview on file where problem occur.
 */
class File extends Blueprint implements Iterator, ArrayAccess{

	const OFFSET = 5;

	public $position = Blueprint::MIDDLE;

	protected $view = __DIR__.'/File.view';
	protected $translation = __DIR__.'/File.lang.en';

	protected $path = '';
	protected $lines = [];
	protected $marks = [];

	private $index = 0; // Iterator index.

	public function __construct(string $path){
		assert(isString($path,':','\\','/','.','_','-'),'Path to file cant be empty string.');
		parent::__construct();
		$this->path = $path;
		$this->lines = $this->readFile();
		$this->index = 0;
	}

	public function entire(){
		$this->marks[] = 1;
		$this->marks[] = count($this->lines)-1;
		sort($this->marks);
		return $this;
	}

	public function find(string $search){
		if( $search === '' ){
			(new Report('Blueprints/File/PassedStringCantBeEmpty'))->stop();
		}
		$length = count($this->lines);
		for($i = 0; $i < $length; $i++){
			if( $this->lines[$i]->search($search) ){
				return $this->lines[$i];
			}
		}
		return null;
	}

	public function findBefore(int $line, string $search){
		if( $search === '' ){
			(new Report('Blueprints/File/PassedStringCantBeEmpty'))->stop();
		}
		if( $line < 0 || $line > count($this->lines) ){
			(new Report('Blueprints/File/OutOfFileBounds'))->stop();
		}
		for($i = $line; $i >= 0; $i--){
			if( $find = $this->lines[$i]->search($search) ){
				return $find;
			}
		}
		return null;
	}

	public function findAfter(int $line, string $search){
		if( $search === ''){
			(new Report('Blueprints/File/PassedStringCantBeEmpty'))->stop();
		}
		if( $line < 0 || $line > count($this->lines) ){
			(new Report('Blueprints/File/OutOfFileBounds'))->stop();
		}
		$length = count($this->lines);
		for($i = $line; $i < $length; $i++){
			if( $find = $this->lines[$i]->search($search) ){
				return $find;
			}
		}
		return null;
	}

	public function line($text ){
		$line = new Line($this, '+', $text);
		$this->lines[] = $line;
		return $line;
	}

	private function readFile(){
		if( !file_exists($this->path) ){
			(new Report('Blueprints/File/CantFindFile'))->stop();
		}
		$file = file($this->path,FILE_IGNORE_NEW_LINES);
		$lines = [];
		foreach( $file as $i=>$line){
			$lines[] = new Line($this, $i+1, $line);
		}
		return $lines;
	}

	// Iterator interface.
	public function current(){
		return $this->lines[$this->index]->current();
	}

	// Iterator interface.
	public function key(){
		return $this->index;
	}

	// Iterator interface.
	public function next(){
		$this->lines[$this->index]->next();
		if( !$this->lines[$this->index]->valid() ){
			$this->index++;
		}
	}

	// Iterator interface.
	public function valid(){
		$end = $this->getEndPositionBasedOnMark();
		return $this->index <= $end;
	}

	// Iterator interface.
	public function rewind(){
		$this->index = $this->getStartPositionBasedOnMark();
		foreach( $this->lines as $line ){
			$line->rewind();
		}
	}

	// ArrayAccess interface.
	public function offsetExists($i){
		return array_key_exists($i, $this->lines);
	}

	// ArrayAccess interface.
	public function offsetGet($i){
		$j = $i - 1; // becouse we counting lines form 0 not 1.
		if( !isIndex($this->lines,$j) ){
			(new Report('Blueprints/File/CantFindLine'))->stop();
		}
		// Add mark and sort all marks.
			$this->marks[] = $j;
			sort($this->marks);
		return $this->lines[$j];
	}

	// ArrayAccess interface.
	public function offsetUnset($i){
		(new Report('Blueprints/File/CantUnsetLine'))->stop();
	}

	// ArrayAccess interface.
	public function offsetSet($offset, $value) {
		(new Report('Blueprints/File/CantEditLine'))->stop();
	}

	private function getStartPositionBasedOnMark(){
		if( empty($this->marks) ){
			return 0;
		}
		$start = $this->marks[0] - File::OFFSET;
		$start = ( $start < 0 ) ? 0 : $start;
		return $start;
	}

	private function getEndPositionBasedOnMark(){
		if( empty($this->marks) ){
			return count($this->lines)-1;
		}
		$end = $this->marks[count($this->marks)-1] + File::OFFSET;
		$end = ( $end > count($this->lines)-1 ) ? count($this->lines)-1 : $end;
		return $end;
	}
}


text:
Fatigue management in the workplace
Khosro Sadeghniiat-Haghighi1, Zohreh Yazdi2
1 Occupational Medicine Specialist, Occupational Sleep Research Center, Professor of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2 Occupational Medicine Specialist, Metabolic Disease Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
Zohreh Yazdi
Occupational Medicine Specialist, Metabolic Disease Research Center, Associate Professor of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin
Workers' fatigue is a significant problem in modern industry, largely because of high demand jobs, long duty periods, disruption of circadian rhythms, and accumulative sleep debt that are common in many industries. Fatigue is the end result of integration of multiple factors such as time awake, time of day, and workload. Then, the full understanding of circadian biologic clock, dynamics of transient and cumulative sleep loss, and recovery is required for effective management of workplace fatigue. It can be more investigated in a new field of sleep medicine called occupational sleep medicine. Occupational sleep medicine is concerned with maintaining best productivity and safety in the industrial settings. The fatigue risk management system (FRMS) is a comprehensive approach that is based on applying scientific evidence of sleep knowledge to manage workers fatigue. It is developing rapidly in the highly safety demand jobs; especially truck drivers, pilots, and power plant workers. The objective of this review is to explain about fatigue in the workplace with emphasis on its association work performance and errors/accidents. Also, we discussed about different methods of fatigue measurement and management.
Keywords: Fatigue management, safety, workplace
Sadeghniiat-Haghighi K, Yazdi Z. Fatigue management in the workplace. Ind Psychiatry J 2015;24:12-7
Sadeghniiat-Haghighi K, Yazdi Z. Fatigue management in the workplace. Ind Psychiatry J [serial online] 2015 [cited 2023 Jan 28];24:12-7. Available from: https://www.industrialpsychiatry.org/text.asp?2015/24/1/12/160915
Fatigue is a work place hazard and can be associated with safety and health of the worker. It affects the health and safety of both the employee and his/her colleagues. The term "fatigue" had a widespread usage in occupational medicine. Fatigue is a complex phenomenon that can be attributed to many factors. Therefore, it is difficult to find a comprehensive definition with universally agreement for it. Also, there are other terms such as drowsiness and sleepiness that often used in literature interchangeably instead of fatigue. One of them is an aspect of fatigue, and then it is easier to define them compared with fatigue. The first step in the approach to the fatigue complains is to distinguish between sleepiness and fatigue. Distinguishing between them can be difficult even for expert clinician, but multiple sleep latency testing can be helpful. [1]
It is noticeable that sleepiness and fatigue can exist in the same time as a consequence of sleep deprivation in workers. Sleepiness reflects the neurobiological need to sleep that induces sleep drives of an individual to fall asleep. After working at night or a night without sleep, we have higher levels of sleepiness. While after forceful physical exercise during the day time we have fatigue, but we cannot sleep easily. Fatigue usually refers to impairment in task performance. Also, fatigue has a psychological aspect that means not having enough energy to do work and experience subject reluctance to continue a task. [2]
Thus, a fatigue person receives a signal from his body that the ongoing activity either physical activity or mental activity should be ended. It is necessary to mention that there are difference between sleepiness and fatigue in terms of definition and causes, but the effects of both of them could be same. Essentially, their effects include a decrease in capacity for doing mental and physical performances.
There are many different definition of fatigue, but generally fatigue is: "A state of feeling tired, weary, or sleepy that results from prolonged mental and physical work, extended periods of anxiety, exposure to harsh environment, or loss of sleep". At the other definition, according to the Health Safety Executive: "Fatigue is a result of prolonged mental or physical exertion; it can affect people's performance and impair their mental alertness, which leads to dangerous errors." [3] The objective of this review is to illustrate concept of fatigue and its adverse effects in the workplace. The paper then continues by discussing about different strategies for fatigue measurement. Finally, we discuss different countermeasures for fatigue management in the workplace.
The complaint of fatigue is high in general population in range of 18.3-27%. [4] The higher prevalence of fatigue has been reported in many operational settings that induce health and safety problems. According to the study results, fatigue is a common reason for employees to consult with a general physician at industrial settings. The prevalence rates of fatigue in industries depending on the instruments used have been reported between 7 and 45%. [5]
At the survey among short haul commercial pilots severe fatigue and be worsen of it, are reported at 57 and 81% of respondents, respectively. Another studies show that physicians and nurses with accumulation of sleep loss and fatigue during successive work shifts have a rise in accident rates and errors. [6],[7],[8] Also, about 20-30% of road accidents and 5-15% of all fatal road accidents involve driver fatigue. [9]
Association of fatigue with work output, error, and accidents
Fatigue affects everyone regardless of skill, knowledge, and training. It has influences directly on many people's physical and mental abilities needed to carry out even simple task. The most important effects of fatigue including decreased task motivation, longer reaction time, reduction of alertness, impaired concentration, poorer psychometric coordination, problems in memory and information processing, and poor judgment. It is estimated that fatigue workers in workplace is costing more than 18 billion $ a year in US. [10]
Also, a fatigue people have a poor communication with surrounding environment and more quickly becomes angry towards other people. Therefore, a fatigue worker is potentially dangerous to themselves and others, and the highest rate of catastrophic incidents is usually found among fatigue shift workers. For example, some of the most serious accidents in recent 3decades have been attributed to the shift worker's fatigue. The world's worst nuclear power accident occurred at Chernobyl on April 25, 1986 at 1:23 am. The accidents at Three Mile Island, the oil spill from the Exxon Valdez, all occurred between midnight and 6 am. These accidents along with a great deal of transportation accidents in roads were raised from humans' fatigue. [1]
Causes of fatigue in the workplace
There are many factors at both; in the workplace and out of workplace which can influence fatigue levels. The most important cause of fatigue is the lack of restorative sleep. In addition, fatigue can be induced from a combination of interrelated factors. Work load refers to the amount of work that is assigned to an employee to do. It induces fatigue in the workplace and can be assessed in three category including physical load, environmental load, and mental load. The following diagram shows a comprehensive view of the work-related causes of fatigue [Figure 1]. [11]
Figure 1: Different causes of fatigue in the workplace
Fatigue measurement
Fatigue is a problem that cannot be easily measured in the workplace. The majority of workers are reluctant to express their feeling of fatigue. It is especially true in an incident investigation. Also, there is no single instrument as a gold standard for fatigue measurement, because of the widespread effects of fatigue on human skills, definitional difficulties of fatigue, and multiple causes of fatigue. However, as a first step to manage fatigue in workplace, we have to identify and measure fatigue and their causes in industrial settings.
There are great deals of instruments available on this subject including books, articles, guidelines, standard questionnaires, and more. Some of these instruments are inconclusive and sometimes contradict each other. It is necessary to recognize most accurate and industry-appropriate material for each work place. In addition, acquisition of sufficient knowledge about advantages and disadvantages of each instrument in work place is important. [12]
In this case, employees and employers can identify and manage fatigue in the workplace, identify useful methods for avoiding fatigue or reducing its probability, consider a number of coping strategies for fighting fatigue, and perform accident investigations after happening fatigue-induced problems. The type of instrument for fatigue measurement is depending on the decision that must be made by the organization. Measurement can determine one dimension of fatigue, usually severity of fatigue, or multiple dimensions. Additional measurements can be used to gather more information about fatigue type or impact or about phenomena conceptually related to fatigue. [13]
The most important dimension that typically used in simple one-dimensional scales is severity of fatigue. Variety of one-dimensional scales used for research or clinical purposes. The most common scales are five-point verbal rating scales (from none to very severe fatigue) and visual analog scale (from no fatigue to worst possible fatigue in 10 cm VAS). [14]
Another type of subjective quantification of fatigue is multidimensional assessment of fatigue (MAF). This instrument rates the degree to which a person has experienced fatigue 1 week ago and its severity. The more comprehensive scale for quantification of fatigue is Piper Fatigue Scale. It has additional items to measure interference of fatigue with activities of daily living and timing of fatigue. [6]
The second way to survey fatigue is investigation of correlates of fatigue such as sleep and depression. They are typically used to detect whether a worker is suffering from effects of fatigue. The most common application of them is as part of an assessment of fatigue for academic researches. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is a self-rating method to rank either how sleepy a person generally is. Therefore, it shows how a person is prone falling asleep during the daytime working hours. The ESS is composed of eight items assessing how likely a person will doze off in different situation including cinema, talking to someone, immediately after lunch, and Perceived severity of sleepiness in each item is rated on a 0-4 scale and a total score which ranges from 0 to 24 obtains from summing the items ratings. Generally, a total of 10 points or higher is considered as excessive sleepiness. [7]
Another instrument that is used for fatigue research is the Horne-Ostberg questionnaire (HOQ). The HOQ contains 19 questions aimed at determining when respondents would prefer to wake up or start sleep, rather than when he/she actually does. It detects an individual as either a morning person (Lark type), or an evening person (Owl type), or as having no preference (indifferent type). Its scales can be used to assign suitable person to different shift design. [15]
There are more objective devices that are used in fatigue measurement investigations. Laboratory testing of performance measures very specific aspects of performance such as reaction time, vigilance, and short-term memory. They act as indicators of worker's capacity to carry out their duties. The short-time version of "Psychomotor Vigilance Task" has been widely used for this purpose. [16]
Sleep problems is a key factor for fatigue induction, and thus results from sleep monitoring is another way to fatigue measurement. Sleep questionnaires, sleep diaries, actigraphy, and polysomnography can be used at both of the laboratory studies and workplace settings to investigate sleep quantity and quality. These studies are more suitable in situations that there is a suspicious worker suffering from a kind of sleep disorder. [17]
Another correlates of fatigue such as distress and depression may be used to assess when measuring fatigue. The Symptom Distress Scale (SDS) 13-items questionnaire is about distress symptoms such as pain, nausea, tiredness, etc., that are rated on a five-point Likert scale. The results of SDS reflect degrees of distress ranging from the lack of symptom until being at its worst condition. [18]
Depression is the other important correlate requiring some consideration in any study of fatigue. Fatigue is a well-known symptom of depression, it is important to have a standard measure of depression in order to assess fatigue. The complete version and Short Form of the Profile of Mood States consisting of six subscales including depression, tension, anger, confusion, fatigue, and vigor. [19]
The last contributing factor for assessing and measuring fatigue is the biological parameters. There are no clear biological markers for identifying fatigue. Also, it is difficult to monitor them during the work hours. But, measuring daily rhythms of core body temperature and levels of melatonin hormone has been used for monitoring the circadian body clock cycle, especially in laboratory investigations. [6],[12],[13],[14]
All of the instruments mentioned above are usable at both of the workplace setting and general population. There are other techniques that can be used to assess and quantify fatigue physiologically. The physiologic measurements include energy expenditure, cardiovascular response, reaction and response time, skin temperature, and blink rates. For example, researches showed that blinking was related closely to mental tension. There is an indirect relation between blinking rate and task difficulty. As a task becomes more difficult, the rates of blinking become slower. Also, increasing systolic and diastolic blood pressure during hard static work can induce decrease in the heart rate through the carotid baroreceptor mechanism. [6],[12],[13],[14]
Fatigue management
As mentioned above, fatigue can have multiple causes in the workplaces. Therefore, there is no comprehensive single countermeasure to eliminate fatigue from industrial settings. It is necessary to consider ranges of strategies to address the different types and causes of fatigue. For practical purposes, multiple divisions have been considered for fatigue countermeasures of activities. In the first one, fatigue countermeasures have been divided into two categories: (a) Preventive strategies that are used before working hours and during rest times, and (b) operational strategies that are used during the job (driving, refinery operation, computer terminal at control room, etc.). [4]
Since circadian disruption is the most important cause of fatigue, preventive strategies are designed to decrease the impact of circadian disruption and sleep loss on performance and alertness during the job. There are varieties of different methods in this strategy. The majority of them temporarily relieve fatigue symptoms. Then help the workers get their job as safely and efficiently as possible. Some of these strategies including minimize sleep loss, naps during night shifts, education of good sleeping habits to workers, stimulators, and acceleration in circadian adaptation to different shift types. [2],[3],[5],[9],[10]
Minimize sleep loss
Promoting quantity and quality sleep is an essential factor for ensuring optimal performance during work time. Generally speaking, majority of people need about 8 h of sleep per day to preserve full alertness. A few people can function well on sleep less than 8 h. Obtaining only 6 h for an individual who requires 8 h of sleep result to sleep-deprivation by 2h. It is recommended to have adequate resting time before a shift. The data showed that risk of fatigue increased exponentially at the 12-h shifts and early start shifts. It is necessary to avoid overtime on 12-h shifts and provide at least a 24-h break between shifts. [20]
Naps during night shifts
Napping as a fatigue countermeasure has been found to be effective for shift workers. Many researches showed that short naps improve both of the mood and performance. Also, it was found that a 30 min nap in subjects with normal sleep and who had a night of restricted sleep decrease sleepiness and increase subjective alertness. The positive effects of naps depending on many issues including timing of the nap, nap length, and severity of sleep inertia following a nap.
Field studies have shown that even a brief sleep episode can improve performance for several hours following the nap. The longer and later napping is better to sustain early morning performance and improve workplace safety. However, if there is a limitation for napping time, it is suggested that approximately 90-120 min of a single sleep cycle (falling asleep to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep) is the most effective. Also, naps with 30 min in length or less provide measurable improvement in alertness and performance and decrease fatigue immediately upon waking. [4],[8],[20]
Good sleeping habits
There are specific strategies that can help improve each sleep opportunity, and some of them include: When possible keep a regular sleep/wake schedule to avoid circadian disruption; reserve the bedroom for sleep and not for work, if possible; develop a comforting presleep routine such as listening radio; avoid frequent naps during the day; get out of bed if there is a trouble with falling asleep; do not use caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes right before bedtime; and making bedroom quiet, totally dark, and comfortable (the ideal temperature for a bedroom is about 18-24°C). [4],[8],[20],[21]
Circadian adaptation
The circadian rhythms in shift workers do not usually phase shift to adapt totally to sleeping during the day and working at night. This situation results in poor performance, fatigue, and reduced alertness during working time. Appropriate timed exposure to bright light and administration of exogenous melatonin help to produce circadian adaptation to night work. Bright light exposure in the evening delay the circadian phase to a later position, whereas exposure to bright light in the morning advances the circadian phase to an earlier position. Also, bright light have an immediate alerting effects on mood and performance. Melatonin is an important synchronizing agent for the circadian system. Exogenous administration of melatonin has phase shifting properties. Some studies have shown that a single or repeated daily treatment with melatonin can change the timing of some rhythms such as sleep, core body temperature, and secretion rhythms of endogenous melatonin and cortisol. Administration of melatonin in the evening and the first half of the night will advance the phase of circadian rhythms, whereas, melatonin administration during the morning or at the second half of the night will phase delay. [22],[23]
When other nonpharmacologic approaches to fatigue management become impractical or ineffective, alert-enhancing medications should be considered. They help workers sustain alert during extended work shift when adequate restorative sleep is not possible. Stimulants to combat the effects of fatigue have been used in many industries. The most widely used drug in this group includes modafinil, amphetamines, and caffeine. [8],[20],[21]
Variety of methods available to overcome fatigue during operation is less than the above mentioned preventive strategies. In most of the industrial settings, especially in high safety demanding work, it is a mandatory restriction that workers must remain in their work place throughout the working hours. So, there is no possibility for using different methods of operational fatigue countermeasures. Also, it is necessary to keep in mind that operational countermeasures do not address the underlying physiological causes of fatigue. They can help to temporarily enhance alertness and performance by masking fatigue, but their effects last only for a short time. Some of strategies that located in this category include social interaction and conversation with coworkers, physical activity, and caffeine consumption. [4],[11],[12]
It is likely that the traditional approach to combating workplace fatigue (mentioned above) does not consider all aspects of fatigue and have a single-layer defensive strategy in the workplace. A new, more comprehensive method to managing workplace fatigue risk is Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS). The scientific theoretically baseline of FRMS is based on principle of knowledge in sleep science. Then, it is necessary to pay careful consideration to the dynamic of transient and cumulative sleep debt and recovery, the circadian biological clock, and the regulating influence of the circadian system on performance and alertness. Therefore, more new development in sleep sciences and human circadian rhythms providing stronger scientific basis for FRMS to manage fatigue risks in industrial settings is required. [4],[12]
FRMS is composed of a number of essential layer defenses for monitoring and managing the risks posed to workplace safety by fatigue. This multiple layer defenses are a product of incorporation fatigue management within the general context of the Safety Management System (SMS). According to SMS, safety is comprised when a hazard is able to penetrate successfully from all layers of defense resulting to inducing a trajectory of incident opportunity. The strengthening individual layers and the appropriate selection of supplementary layers could increase the effectiveness of the Safety Management System. [4]
At both of them an accident or incident are considered as the final point of casual chain of events. The SMS processes are designed to address all types of risks, while FRMS are specifically designed to combat the risks related to workplace's fatigue. FRMS model was first suggested by Dawson and McCulloch. It includes a series of defensive layers that can be established at four points in combination with the potential event trajectory. Identifying and preventing fatigue-related accidents can be located at each of these points. [4],[12]
According to this model, there are five defensive layers can be implemented to eliminate the probability of a fatigue-induced incident or accident in the workplace, including:
Level 1- Providing adequate sleep opportunity: The most important question in this level is;"how much sleep opportunity provided by a specific working time arrangement?". To minimize the likelihood of fatigue, the organization must be ensuring that sufficient sleep opportunities are provided for employees. This level addressed partially by the traditional approach
Level 2- Confirming that adequate sleep is obtained for employees to indicate fitness for duty: The employees must ask themselves; "have I had enough sleep recently to work safe?" The first control level is not always sufficient. It is possible for an employee to have an optimal work pattern, but to be too tired to work safely (e.g. did not get enough sleep during the resting period due to a familial activity). Therefore, assessing minimum sleep and maximum time awake in the 48-h period is a critical control factor in this level
Level 3- Detecting behavioral symptoms of fatigue: Even though two prior levels might be perfect, there is possibility that cumulative forms of fatigue impair performance and induce risk. Different factors such as individual differences in the sleep requirement, other sleep disorders, and idiopathic reasons might be responsible. This level helps individuals and organization to detect fatigue symptoms by a wide range of instrument from simple symptom checklists (e.g. Samn-Perelli Fatigue Checklist) to complex physiological testing
Level 4 and 5- Concerning with assessment and control of fatigue-related errors and incidents: Was fatigue a possible indicator of cognitive performance impairment, near miss, or incidents? These levels used to monitor the effectiveness of prior levels. Data driven from these steps identify any location in the workplace where FRMS activities were not sufficient to prevent fatigue resulting in an error, near miss, or incidents. Some of tools for data collection in level 4 including performance testing, field observations, and documented errors. The systematic incident investigation with respect to the possibility of fatigue as a causal or contributory factor should be involved in level 5. Data collection during the process is used to improve operational circumstances and to continually update FRMS in the workplace that will better prevent future incidents. [4],[24]
After identifying potential high risk areas in the workplace for fatigue induction, there are two possible approaches which can be used to either reduce or eliminate fatigue fatigue reduction) or mitigate effects of fatigue (fatigue proofing). Fatigue reduction strategy is related to the first three levels of FRMS that reduce likelihood that a fatigue worker enters or remains in the workplace. On the other hand, fatigue proofing refers to strategies that decrease the probability in which a fatigued worker operating in the workplace will make an error that leads to accident or injury. For example, lower risk tasks may be scheduled in times when fatigue risk is higher and more complex tasks in times when the risk of fatigue is lower.
The optimal management of fatigue-related risks requires that both of the fatigue reduction and fatigue proofing strategies to be implemented as complementary elements of an FRMS. [4],[20],[21],[24]
In conclusion, workers' fatigue is a significant problem in modern industry, largely because of high demand jobs, long duty periods, disruption of circadian rhythms, and accumulative sleep debt that are common in many industries. The severity of problem and ways to deal with fatigue is very different in industries. The full understanding of circadian biologic clock, dynamics of transient and cumulative sleep loss, and recovery is required for effective management of workplace fatigue. It can be more investigated in a new field of sleep medicine called occupational sleep medicine. Occupational sleep medicine is concerned with maintaining best productivity and safety in the industrial settings. It is anticipated that new advances in the field of occupational sleep medicine will develop more valid and reliable instrument to measure fatigue and manage it properly in operational settings.
Gander P, Purnell H, Garden A, Woodward A. Work patterns and fatigue-related risk among junior doctors. Occup Environ Med 2007;64:733-8.
Ferrara M, De Gennaro L. How much sleep do we need? Sleep Med Rev 2001;5:155-79.
Improving alertness through effective fatigue management. 2005. Available from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr318.htm.
Dawson D, Chapman J, Thomas MJ. Fatigue-proofing: A new approach to reducing fatigue-related risk using the principles of error management. Sleep Med Rev 2011;1-9.
Shahraki S, Bin Abu Bakar N. Effects of nervous fatigue on workforce productivity. Int J Acad Res 2011;3:370-8.
Stuifbergen AK, Rogers S. The experience of fatigue and strategies of self care among persons with multiple sclerosis. Appl Nurs Res 1997;10:2-10.
Sadeghniiat Haghighi K, Montazeri A, Khajeh Mehrizi A, Aminian O, Rahimi Golkhandan A, Saraei M, et al. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale: Translation and validation study of the Iranian version. Sleep Breath 2013;17:419-26.
Caldwell JA, Mallis MM, Caldwell JL, Paul MA, Miller JC, Neri DF. Aerospace Medical Association. Fatigue countermeasures in aviation. Aviat Space Environ Med 2009;80:29-59.
Razmpa E, Sadegh Niat K, Saedi B. Urban bus drivers' sleep problems and crash accidents. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2011;63:269-73.
Pasupathy KS, Barker LM. Impact of fatigue on performance in registered nurses: Data mining and implications for practice. J Healthcare Quality 2012;34:22-30.
Horrey WJ, Noy YI, Folkard S, Popkin SM, Howarth HD, Courtney TK. Research needs and opportunities for reducing the adverse safety consequences of fatigue. Accidents Analysis Prev 2011;43:591-4.
Dawson D, Searle AK, Paterson JL. Look before you (s) leep: Evaluating the use of fatigue detection technologies within a fatigue risk management system for the road transport industry. Sleep Med Rev 2014;18:141-52.
Aaronson LS, Teel CS, Cassmeyer V, Neuberger GB, Pallikkathayil L, Pierce J, et al. Defining and measuring fatigue. Image J Nurs Sch 1999;31:45-50.
Wierwille WW, Ellsworth LA. Evaluation of driver fatigue by trained raters. Accid Anal Prev 1994;26:571-8.
Horne JA, Ostberg O. A self-assessment questionnaire to determine morningness-eveningness in human circadian rhythms. Int J Chronobiol 1976;4:97-100.
Dinges D, Powell J. Microcomputer analyses of performance on a portable, simple visual RT task during sustained operations. Beh Res Meth Instr Comp 1985;17:652-5.
Eptein J. A good night's sleep. 1 th ed. New York: McGrow-Hill Publication; 2007. p. 229-41.
McCorkle R, Young K. Development of a symptom distress scale. Cancer Nurs 1978;1:373-8.
McNair DM, Lorr M, Droppleman LF. Manual for the profile of mood states. San Diego, CA: Educational and Industrial Testing Services, 1971.
Folkatd S, Lombardi DA, Tucker PT. Shift work: Safety, sleepiness and sleep. Ind Health 2005;43:20-3.
Pérez-Chada D, Videla AJ, O'Flaherty ME, Palermo P, Meoni J, Sarchi MI, et al. Sleep habits and accident risk among truck drivers. A cross-sectional study in Argentina. Sleep 2005;28:1103-8.
Sadeghniiat-Haghighi Kh, Yazdi Z, Jahanihashemi H, Aminian O. The effect of bright light on sleepiness among rapid-rotating 12-hour shift workers. Scand J Work Environ Health 2011;37:77-9.
Sadeghniiat-Haghighi Kh, Aminian O, Pouryaghoub Gh, Yazdi Z. Efficacy and hypnotic effects of melatonin in shift-work nurses: Double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. J Ciecadian Rhythms 2008;6:10.
Gander P, Graeber RC, Belenky G. Fatigue risk management. In: Kryger MH, Roth TR, Dement CD, editors. Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. 5 th ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders; 2011. p. 760-8.
1 Sleep hygiene in paramedics: What do they know, and what do they do?
Alexandra E. Shriane, Alex M.T. Russell, Sally A. Ferguson, Gabrielle Rigney, Grace E. Vincent
Sleep Health. 2023;
2 "Mental health is not our core business": A qualitative study of mental health supports in the Ghanaian mining industry
Winifred Asare-Doku, Carole James, Jane Louise Rich, Kwesi Amponsah-Tawiah, Brian Kelly
Safety Science. 2022; 145: 105484
3 A novel drowsiness detection model using composite features of head, eye, and facial expression
Nageshwar Nath Pandey, Naresh Babu Muppalaneni
Neural Computing and Applications. 2022;
4 Worker's physical fatigue classification using neural networks
Elena Escobar-Linero, Manuel Domínguez-Morales, José Luis Sevillano
Expert Systems with Applications. 2022; 198: 116784
5 Changes in work patterns during COVID-19 lockdown and its impact on the eyes and body
Alisha Regmi, Janani Suresh, Rashima Asokan
Clinical and Experimental Optometry. 2022; : 1
6 Effects of sleep deprivation on perceived and performance fatigability: an exploratory study
Justine R. Magnuson, Hogun J. Kang, Mathew I.B. Debenham, Chris McNeil, Brian H. Dalton
European Journal of Sport Science. 2022; : 1
7 Cross-sectional and prospective association between internet addiction and risk of fatigue among Chinese college students
Siyu Liang, Zhongyu Ren, Guang Yang
Medicine. 2022; 101(33): e30034
8 On the Intersection of Explainable and Reliable AI for Physical Fatigue Prediction
Sara Narteni, Vanessa Orani, Enrico Cambiaso, Matteo Rucco, Maurizio Mongelli
IEEE Access. 2022; 10: 76243
9 Psychophysiological coherence training to moderate air traffic controllers' fatigue on rotating roster
Wen-Chin Li, Jingyi Zhang, Peter Kearney
Risk Analysis. 2022;
10 Does knowledge of sleep hygiene recommendations match behaviour in Australian shift workers? A cross-sectional study
Caroline M Rampling, Charlotte Cecelia Gupta, Alexandra E Shriane, Sally A Ferguson, Gabrielle Rigney, Grace E Vincent
BMJ Open. 2022; 12(7): e059677
11 Developing android-based application for relieving fatigue
Syamsul Gultom, Dewi Endriani, Agustin Sastrawan Harahap
Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 2022; 2193(1): 012096
12 Quantifying the effects of sleep loss: relative effect sizes of the psychomotor vigilance test, multiple sleep latency test, and maintenance of wakefulness test
Thitaporn Chaisilprungraung, Emily K Stekl, Connie L Thomas, Margaux E Blanchard, John D Hughes, Thomas J Balkin, Tracy J Doty
SLEEP Advances. 2022; 3(1)
13 Work fatigue among Lebanese physicians and students during the COVID-19 pandemic: validation of the 3D-Work Fatigue Inventory (3D-WFI) and correlates
Elsa Sfeir, Jean-Marc Rabil, Sahar Obeid, Souheil Hallit, Marie-Claude Fadous Khalife
BMC Public Health. 2022; 22(1)
14 Return to Work during the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Study on the Role of Job Demands, Job Resources, and Personal Resources upon the Administrative Staff of Italian Public Universities
Gloria Guidetti, Daniela Converso, Domenico Sanseverino, Chiara Ghislieri
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(4): 1995
15 Unravelling the Complexity of Irregular Shiftwork, Fatigue and Sleep Health for Commercial Drivers and the Associated Implications for Roadway Safety
Jessica Erin Mabry, Matthew Camden, Andrew Miller, Abhijit Sarkar, Aditi Manke, Christiana Ridgeway, Hardianto Iridiastadi, Tarah Crowder, Mouyid Islam, Susan Soccolich, Richard J. Hanowski
16 Shift-Work Schedule Intervention for Extending Restart Breaks after Consecutive Night Shifts: A Non-randomized Controlled Cross-Over Study
Tomohide Kubo, Shun Matsumoto, Shuhei Izawa, Hiroki Ikeda, Yuki Nishimura, Sayaka Kawakami, Masako Tamaki, Sanae Masuda
17 Environmental and Work Factors That Drive Fatigue of Individual Haul Truck Drivers
Elaheh Talebi, W. Pratt Rogers, Frank A. Drews
Mining. 2022; 2(3): 542
18 Automated and Continuous Fatigue Monitoring in Construction Workers Using Forearm EMG and IMU Wearable Sensors and Recurrent Neural Network
Srikanth Sagar Bangaru, Chao Wang, Fereydoun Aghazadeh
Sensors. 2022; 22(24): 9729
19 Machine Learning Approach to Model Physical Fatigue during Incremental Exercise among Firefighters
Denisse Bustos, Filipa Cardoso, Manoel Rios, Mário Vaz, Joana Guedes, José Torres Costa, João Santos Baptista, Ricardo J. Fernandes
Sensors. 2022; 23(1): 194
20 Changes in Workers' Sedentary and Physical Activity Behaviors in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Relationships With Fatigue: Longitudinal Online Study
Mohammad Javad Koohsari, Tomoki Nakaya, Gavin R McCormack, Ai Shibata, Kaori Ishii, Koichiro Oka
JMIR Public Health and Surveillance. 2021; 7(3): e26293
21 Reader fatigue – Electroencephalography findings: A case study in students
Abbas Mohammadi, Leila Nematpour, Behzad Fouladi Dehaghi
Work. 2021; : 1
22 A mixed-methods systematic review of post-viral fatigue interventions: Are there lessons for long Covid?
Sally Fowler-Davis, Katharine Platts, Michael Thelwell, Amie Woodward, Deborah Harrop, Sinan Kardes
PLOS ONE. 2021; 16(11): e0259533
23 A Study on Effect of Job Design and Ergonomics on Employee Performance in Indian Automotive Sector
Shilki Bhatia, Arshia Arora
Metamorphosis: A Journal of Management Research. 2021; 20(2): 65
24 Men's Physical Activity and Sleep Following a Workplace Health Intervention: Findings from the POWERPLAY STEP Up challenge
Cherisse L. Seaton, Joan L. Bottorff, Allison L. Soprovich, Steven T. Johnson, Mitch J. Duncan, Cristina M. Caperchione, John L. Oliffe, Simon Rice, Carole James, Dean T. Eurich
American Journal of Men's Health. 2021; 15(1): 1557988320
25 Influence of shift work on rest-activity rhythms, sleep quality, and fatigue of female nurses
Wen-Pei Chang, Hau-Bin Li
Chronobiology International. 2021; : 1
26 Physiological workload evaluation by means of heart rate monitoring during motor-manual clearcutting operations
Zahra Arman, Mehrdad Nikooy, Petros A. Tsioras, Mahmoud Heidari, Baris Majnounian
International Journal of Forest Engineering. 2021; 32(2): 91
27 Fatigue and the Need for Recovery among Latino/a Immigrant Cattle Feedyard Workers
Athena K. Ramos, Meredith McGinley, Gustavo Carlo
Journal of Agromedicine. 2021; 26(1): 47
28 Do older manual workers benefit in vitality after retirement? Findings from a 3-year follow-up panel study
Anushiya Vanajan, Ute Bültmann, Kène Henkens
European Journal of Ageing. 2021; 18(3): 369
29 A novel algorithmic approach of open eye analysis for drowsiness detection
International Journal of Information Technology. 2021; 13(6): 2199
30 Symptom management in Chinese adults with end stage renal disease (ESRD)
Nicole Levy, Wing Cheung, Haley McDonald, Mara Chris Banez, Jingjing Shang, Patricia Stone, Carolyn Sun
Applied Nursing Research. 2021; : 151549
31 Development and recovery time of mental fatigue and its impact on motor function
Justine R. Magnuson, Sam M. Doesburg, Chris J. McNeil
Biological Psychology. 2021; 161: 108076
32 Fatigue and its associated risk factors among shift workers: A systematic review
M. S. Abu Hanifah, Norazura Ismail
Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries. 2021; 31(2): 208
33 The impact of shift work schedules on PVT performance in naturalistic settings: a systematic review
Matthew Ferris, Kelly-Ann Bowles, Mikaela Bray, Emma Bosley, Shantha M. W. Rajaratnam, Alexander P. Wolkow
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. 2021; 94(7): 1475
34 Interaction between an operator and the control desk at the control room of the railway traffic: A Serbian experience
Miroljub Grozdanovic
35 Sleep hygiene in paramedics: What do they know and what do they do?
Sleep Health. 2020; 6(3): 321
36 Strategies for and Barriers to Fatigue Management Among Acute Care Nurses
Patricia S. Groves, Amany Farag, Jacinda L. Bunch
Journal of Nursing Regulation. 2020; 11(2): 36
37 Mental Ill-Health Risk Factors in the Construction Industry: Systematic Review
Albert P. C. Chan, Janet M. Nwaogu, John A. Naslund
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. 2020; 146(3): 04020004
38 Physiology-based dynamic muscle fatigue model for upper limbs during construction tasks
Houtan Jebelli, JoonOh Seo, Sungjoo Hwang, SangHyun Lee
International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. 2020; 78: 102984
39 Improving fatigue risk management in healthcare: A scoping review of sleep-related/ fatigue-management interventions for nurses and midwives (reprint)
Dawn Querstret, Katie O'Brien, Debra J. Skene, Jill Maben
International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2020; 112: 103745
40 The association between resilience, perceived organizational support and fatigue among Chinese doctors: A cross-sectional study
Tian Qiu, Yanxu Yang, Chunli Liu, Fangqiong Tian, Zhihui Gu, Shihan Yang, Wei Wu, Hui Wu
Journal of Affective Disorders. 2020; 265: 85
41 Multidimensional prediction of work traffic crashes among Spanish professional drivers in cargo and passenger transportation
Sergio A. Useche, Boris Cendales, Francisco Alonso, Luis Montoro
International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. 2020; : 1
42 Predicting changes in performance due to cognitive fatigue: A multimodal approach based on speech motor coordination and electrodermal activity
Kristin J. Heaton, James R. Williamson, Adam C. Lammert, Katherine R. Finkelstein, Caitlin C. Haven, Douglas Sturim, Christopher J. Smalt, Thomas F. Quatieri
The Clinical Neuropsychologist. 2020; 34(6): 1190
43 Effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on work-related fatigue in nurses: a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled study
Sarah Mousavi, Vahid Mohammadi, Zahra Foroughi
Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health & Behavior. 2020; 8(1): 1
44 A comparative analysis of dentists' working conditions while delivering dental care
O.Yu. Bogaevskaya, S.T. Sokhov, A.A. Erk
Rossiiskaya stomatologiya. 2020; 13(3): 11
45 Observational Study of Clinician Attentional Reserves (OSCAR)
Merrick Miles, Dorothee Mueller, Daniel Gay-Betton, Sarah H. Baum Miller, Scott Massa, Yaping Shi, Matthew S. Shotwell, Meghan Lane-Fall, Joseph J. Schlesinger
Critical Care Medicine. 2020; 48(4): 507
46 A Prospective Clinical Trial of Prolonged Fasting in Healthy Young Males and Females—Effect on Fatigue, Sleepiness, Mood and Body Composition
Boya Nugraha, Amin Riat, Samaneh Khoshandam Ghashang, Luqman Eljurnazi, Christoph Gutenbrunner
Nutrients. 2020; 12(8): 2281
47 The pop-up research centre – Challenges and opportunities
R.J. Toomey, M.F. McEntee, L.A. Rainford
Radiography. 2019; 25: S19
Causes of fatigu...
Association of f...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Sports Day – A Day to Remember!
A great day was had at the Cumann na mBunscol Sports Day. Well done to all who participated!
This year's Allianz Cumann na mBunscol Sports Day took place in Charlesland Sport and Recreation Park, Greystones on Wednesday 13thJune. The day began with a parade around the track with each school displaying their banner and wearing their school's colours with pride. The parade culminated in a rousing round of applause for retiring Cathaoirleach, Jim O'Riordán, who has not missed a sports day in his career; then this was followed by Amhrán na bhFiann before events got under way. Events included individual races, team relays, tug of war, ball throw, long puck, long kick and long jump. KPS had representatives in every event and each participant must remember that it is a fantastic achievement to have qualified to represent their school. Well done! Many of the children competing have seldom, or maybe never, ran on a track before so this is a wonderful experience for them and we hope it gives them a grá for it so they come back again. The level of sportsmanship displayed on the day was truly remarkable. Children could be seen shaking hands at the end of events, congratulating each other on the podium and helping each other out. This lovely atmosphere of sportsmanship was a credit to them. It is days like Sports Day that children remember; and this day is one such memory to cherish. Special thanks to the teachers, parents, past pupils and volunteers who assisted, without whom the day would not have been such a success. The Sports Day is a day run by volunteers and without such good nature and teamwork it would not be possible. Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine!
We are currently working towards our eighth flag onthe theme of Global Citizenship - Marine Environment.
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh go léír. Wishing you all a lovely St. Patrick's weekend.
KPS take home 3 awards!!


text:
Your California Fire Questions Answered
The Poem You Need Right Now
Never Doubt the Drought
Burning Needs – California & the Amazon
Hey Hollywood: Environmentalists Aren't the Villains
Owens River Girl
Stories from the Owens Valley
A Q&A with the Owens Valley's Best Friend – Mike Prather
An article by Kristine Zeigler
Mike Prather sharing his love for, and knowledge of, the bird life at Owens Lake.
A staunch defender of the Owens Valley's incomparable natural features, former elementary and middle school teacher Mike Prather is a consistent and reliable advocate for nature through his efforts to preserve the Lower Owens River and Owens Lake, among many other places. Born and raised in Sonoma County, Mike's family introduced him to the great outdoors through trips to their family cabins on Salmon Creek, just north of Bodega Bay, and on the Russian River. He hiked and played among the oaks, streams and redwood forests, and in school pursued his wide-ranging interests in education, botany, biology, ornithology and even fungi. After graduating from Cal State Chico, Mike taught all subjects to fourth through sixth graders in a two-room schoolhouse in Death Valley National Park alongside his wife Nancy, who taught K-3. They later moved to Lone Pine, where they have lived since 1980. Mike and Nancy raised two daughters in Lone Pine and are enjoying being grandparents and active community members.
Owensrivergirl posed some questions to Mike recently. A good friend to all of us working on behalf of safeguarding the lands and waters of our golden state, Mike is fond of quoting a sign he once saw hung on an office wall at National Audubon: "Endless pressure, endlessly applied." Thanks to his passion for the Owens Valley, Mike is the best friend the two mountain ranges and their deep cradle in between could ever hope to have.
Tell me about your mom and dad.
My mom accepted all of the wild critters that I brought home. Once, while conducting a conversation with our neighbor over the fence, one of my ravens flew and landed on my mother's head. Mom continued the conversation as if nothing had occurred. My father was the Planning Director for Sonoma County during the late 1950's and early 1960's when PG&E was proposing to build the nuclear power plant on Bodega Head. I learned a lot about pressure, politics and lobbying during that time. Our phone rang off the hook with lobbyists with PG&E. My father advocated for the PG&E plant since he worked for the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. He took his lumps and our name is even in the lyrics of the protest ballad of the time, "Ballad of Bodega Head." About that same time Castle and Cook was developing the Sea Ranch, which eventually led politically to a campaign to protect our California coast and protect access. My father supported the Williamson Act that protects farming and ranch lands. I went with him as he spoke in support of legislation to create Point Reyes National Sea Shore in Marin County. He gave me a book on global warming that he received from a writer in the early 1970's. I know he valued the environment. I also know that politics stink and I would never want to be a planner and work for others.
When you were ten years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Anything that was outside – in Nature.
At present, what do you want to be when you grow up?
A grandfather and to promote and defend Nature.
Which books have made an impact on who you are today? What about them resonated with you?
Several of John Muir's books – the reverence shown for Nature touched me. Climbing to top of a Douglas fir in a windstorm, laying in a hot steam vent mud on Mount Shasta all night in a blizzard to stay alive, enjoying the singing of a Dipper in an ice-covered Merced River in winter moved me.
The Wind Birds by Peter Matthiessen – the phenomena of migration and the passing of seasons. Sheer wonder.
Desert Wildflowers by Edmond Jaeger. Beautiful black-line illustrations with such informative text by a man who truly knew and loved the California desert.
Land of Little Rain by Mary Austin. The best of desert literature and it was written more than 100 years ago right where I live today. Accident?
The Man Who Walked Through Time by Colin Fletcher. I read this book after my wife and I backpacked from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to the Colorado River and back. Fletcher's descriptions of natural sounds and silence and space remain with me.
Anything written by Wallace Stegner.
Field Guide to Western Birds by Roger Tory Peterson.
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey.
What is the most important environmental book of all time? Why?
The most important environmental book that you write is in your head while growing up and during your time on Earth. It contains the sounds and visions that you experience. The smells and wonders. It is personal and perfect. It's you.
What projects are you focused on today?
The return of hundreds of thousands of shorebirds and waterfowl to Owens Lake. Working to enhance and protect the habitat for those species. Also working on the restoration of the Lower Owens River riparian ecosystem and recreational paddling trails.
Where did you learn the most in terms of how to get things done on behalf of nature?
When I became active on a regional level with the Sierra Club and became part of a large network of activists my skills grew and were refined. I found many mentors through the Sierra Club Regional Desert Committee – Elden Hughes, Jim Dodson, Cal French, Marge Sill and many others. The Sierra Club sent me to lobbying weeks in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
What awards have you won?
The National Audubon Society 'William Dutcher Award' (2013) for work on Owens Lake habitat.
The Audubon California Chapter Volunteer Award for 'Outstanding Service' (2009).
The Range of Light Group (Toiyabe Chapter) '2006 Andrea Lawrence Lifetime Achievement Award.'
The Sierra Club 'Ye Olde Bottle Award' (2003) for work on water and land issues in the Owens Valley.
United States Geological Survey award for completing over 50 Breeding Bird Surveys.
Of which achievement are you most proud?
Shaping the 1991 Inyo County-Los Angeles Long-term Water Agreement.
Re-watering 62 miles of the Lower Owens River on December 6, 2006.
Enhancing and protecting habitat for hundreds of thousands of shorebirds and waterfowl through my work writing portions of the Owens Lake Master Project with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Adding 1.5 million acres to Death Valley National Park and 800,000 acres of wilderness to Inyo County through my ten years of advocacy and participation in the creation of the 1994 California Desert Protection Act.
What is your favorite animal?
All birds – they fly.
What is on your travel bucket list?
The Far North in Alaska and Canada where my shorebird friends nest each year. I have only ever been able to spend time with them 'in passing.'
I would like to return to Australia and see the rest of it – Western Australia.
Describe a time when you felt like your task was hopeless, yet you persevered.
Countless times over 30 years while working on water and land issues in opposition to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Agreed-to timelines missed with callousness. Revisionist reading of legal agreements regarding groundwater pumping in the Owens Valley and for returning water to the Lower Owens River. Being told with a smile by LADWP, "Litigation is cheaper than water." (In other words, "Sue us.")
Working to control and reverse the onslaught of off-road vehicles on our wild lands.
Failing to win support in the Owens Valley and Los Angeles for a conservation easement on LADWP lands in Inyo and Mono counties. Twice…
What is your favorite natural feature in the Owens Valley?
Driving into Lone Pine on Hwy 136 from Death Valley where you cross the Owens River, see the Alabama Hills ahead and the Mount Whitney Crest towering in the distance. I enjoy the 'Big Picture' – the wholeness.
Where is the best place to eat in the Owens Valley?
Seasons Restaurant in Lone Pine for dinner.
Still Life Café in Independence (French) – be prepared to spend three hours at the table. An experience.
Merry-Go-Round for Chinese in Lone Pine.
What gets you up in the morning?
The world excites me. Each day I want to get up and see what's happening and what I can do. I like to seek solutions.
Do things seem better to you or worse with regard to the planet's health? Do you ever get depressed about the state of the Earth (climate change, species extinction, development, energy use, poverty, etc.?)?
I truly think that overall we are in trouble. I try not to think about it that much, however, or I wouldn't get out of bed. There are good things happening, but the demands for resources, for energy, for water, for space, for food are staggering. We must do better in our vision and efficiencies.
If my mind goes there then there is no point in continuing. I have two daughters, two grandchildren. I sincerely love people and want improvement. I'm not finished yet.
What difference can one person make, if any?
There is no measure of what one person might accomplish. That is all I need to know. I do focus locally on my community and region.
What do you know now that you wished you had known as a young adult?
Patience, better listening in order to understand all the points of view, focus, build bridges – don't burn them.
What advice would you give to someone interested in protecting the planet?
Go for it! Now! The Earth and all of us who ride it together need you.
Does art and literature have a place in conservation and environmental protection? Why?
Yes. Artists can create unique works in many kinds of media that allow others to come to understand things in different ways and points of view. Throughout time artists and writers have contributed in priceless ways to the betterment of society and our Earth.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Tagged Activism, Advocacy, Alabama Hills, Alhambra Cemetery, birding, Bodega Bay, botany, California, Citizen activism, Death Valley National Park, Earth, education, Environment, Lone Pine, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Lower Owens River, mycology, National Audubon, ornithology, Owens Lake, Owens Valley, Russian River, Salmon Creek, shorebirds, Sierra Club, Sonoma County, teaching, water birds.
Previous Post Previous post: The Most Cherished Treasure in My Heroes Collection
Next Post Next post: A Checklist For the Writing Life
4 comments on "A Q&A with the Owens Valley's Best Friend – Mike Prather"
Carolyn Galloway says:
"Love your interview with Mike Prather…"
Kristine Zeigler says:
Thank you and Carolyn for being such a loyal reader of mine! It means a lot to me, and I appreciate it so much. There are so many good people in the Owens Valley, along with the amazing nature alongside them!
Pingback: Life and Death on Route 395: Water Wars, Baby Birds and a Crashed Harley
Pingback: Life and Death on Route 395 » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names


This month's column focuses on a public engagement project that we're involved in. Tabletop Chemistry, funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry, uses games to engage communities with… you guessed it: chemistry.
Working alongside colleagues from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) and Southampton University, we've been developing creative learning resources that use 'off-the-shelf' games to generate a dialogue around chemistry; specifically, in understanding the differences between elements and compounds.


text:
Marimba 13: Finished
I DID IT!!! Finished Wednesday night, the 26th. The homestretch was an hours-long struggle with that mane. The Muse dragged me down a path I didn't even know was there!! But I am SO happy with her -- !!!
Here is one of the first pictures, taken on a winter day. Normally I shoot my tack and horses on this railing, but this is the first time it's actually had SNOW. The light makes her look like a real horse (or as I prefer to say, full-scale).
That last evening, I was happy at first with her mane, and the tail was what fought. Back and forth: Add color, take it away. I was using isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol as a solvent and it allows erasing as much as deposition, but it's tricksy. I eventually used the X-Acto, cutting down in places to the resin. This helped with the tail but was a liability with the mane, as it revealed the pinholes.
Deep in the heart-heat of creativity, I am not happy or sad, just INTENT -- this is the finest hour of artistry ---
At an unknown stage of the proceedings, when I got the tail to a satisfactory 3 colors, I tried Pearl-Ex on it (micro pearl). Amazeballs!! The tips suddenly got as white as I wanted, it blended well back up the length of the tail (pearling the red beautifully), and best of all, it obscured the dark lines and pinholes that the tips had so much of. The tail was solved. I could see no way to make it better.
In contrast, the mane got worse. Worse and worse. My dreams of a Flame mane -- orange & yellow, straw & gold, cherry & lemon -- were dying. Hard. I got the tips white, and through all that followed, they stayed that way: A vision that insisted, that stuck in until I had to accept it. The white mane -- how it crept, higher and higher, rising and falling like a tide with my efforts -- gave her an Atlantean look, like Princess Kida in the Disney movie.
Once I saw this, the battle between a white mane and a Flame one was foredoomed. But oh how hard I fought. I tried and tried. Orange, copper, gold, yellow I tried; even, towards the end, I tried pure flesh tones. The yellow was a horrible mistake. Late in the game I cut the tips white again, down past the primer -- reckless yet determined. One secret was to raise the white past the mid-point of the mane. Another secret was four bands of color: for quite a while I was happy when the neck around the white tips was a proper orangey... in defiance of the rest!
Very late in the game I realized I had to use pearl here too, to match the tail. I put it on one tress at a time; you can see there are a lot of tresses. The Pearl-Ex did a beautiful job of covering up the pinholes, hiding the dark crevices which had so bothered me. It blended reasonably well with the chestnut roots. I was beat: Flame manes would have to wait for another year.
The end result is not exactly a Perlino so much as a pearled Atlantean fantasy! But I had been true to the artist's vision. I had fought the battle to a successful end. Given the skills and tools I had, she could be no other color.
I had not so much painted as unpainted her, building up layers of browns and reds and then melting them off, and laying down a transparent yet blending coat of pearl over them.
Ambolena's [the filly's] Pearl-Ex spread a sheet of clear gold glass over her. But Marimba's Pearl-Ex was much more of a translucent effect, an aurora-borealis shimmer of a blending: the milky pearlescence of a sea shell. Indeed she reminds me of carnival glass...!
I learned so much. I learned not to put too much alcohol on the brush: That was huge. I learned to sweep upwards from the mane tips with the brush pointing upwards: a process that destroyed the brush! but gave lovely blending, a beautiful shading. I used Q-tips to strip when I ran out of patience (which was often). Just like Brasenose the chestnut stallion, my quote became: "Many Q-tips were destroyed in the making of this animal."
In a glorious Victor Hugo finish, I used up my last Q-tips right as she was done.
Victor Hugo reached the end of his bottle of ink precisely at the last words of his famous novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831).
Lor' she fought so hard.
Largely after looking at so many beautifully oiled and shaded other peoples' horses, I passed through a phase of deep shame. My poor prep job -- she's so rough, so coarse, grainy and nicked: her nose, her lips, her mane and hock. Her lack of face shading -- for all of Sarah Mink's best intentions [Mink's face shading tutorial]. Her eyes, believe it or not: They were done with colored pencil, as I wasn't going to go downtown and buy another pastel for so small a dot of color. Thanks to L.K.Magga & Gretchen Haskett for their help there!
Most of all I was ashamed I'd started so late, and chose to lower my standards because I hadn't left myself much time. Ambolena [2019] was finished the 22nd; Brasenose [2018] the 20th. Just 10 days have seen Marimba: 17th started prepping, 20th started painting, finished the 26th. At least 2 days in there I was doing nothing on her at all.
Truly a rush job.
It quails me a little -- me who have nothing to apologize for. This is the first NMPM I have felt so ashamed. But then came that last evening, and I am charged with satisfaction. That last deep session was a fitting match to Ambolena's gilding, and to so many others' accomplishments.
What's remarkable about this family is that all three were sculpted by the same artist: Margarita Malova of Bologoye, Russia. All three were painted by me, who have not painted a horse before NaMoPaiMo. (Ahem: Thoughts on NaMoPaiMo 2017 shows you repainted and haired a couple in the 1970s and 80s, then etched a handful up thru 2015.) All three depict the same breed, rather amazing when you consider my history: I have gone through Quarter Horses, Belgians, Moroccan Pintos and Peruvian Pasos in turn over the years, with Clydes and Pintos holding slightly lesser place.
I learned how to paint with some of the most difficult and unforgiving mediums: rubbing alcohol and nail polish. I have also (this is the place to boast) blogged nineteen (19) times about NMPM: once in 2017, nine times in 2018 and six times in 2019!! Yikes!!!!!!!!!
And yes, the painting artist made the tack. :)
I read somewhere that the Akhal Teke mare does not wear the alaja (neck jewelry). Oh such hard news! Having made Brasenose his beautiful set -- those are REAL emeralds -- I simply could not resist. Photo-shoot heaven.
I also read somewhere that while a Perlino can have a buckskin foal, a liver chestnut cannot, or shouldn't, be the father, at least out of a Perlino. Alas. Once again I'm going to ignore reality. These little guys have been hoping for one another for 3 years. I can't separate them now.
The Thank-You list:
Jennifer Buxton, for dreaming it all up. And for finding the energy to comment positively on a majority of finishers, myself included. I am amazed, honored, fulfilled.
Margarita Malova, the sculptress, for creating this horse right in the middle of my plans to paint another, and making her irresistable. You did a good job!
Sarah Minkiewicz and Christine Riley for encouraging tutorials. Friends near and far for encouragement, period.
Arthur Baboev, for photos of Akhal Tekes.
Ryan Buxton, who may have saved Jennifer's life with his software.
Lizzie Kanavy, who first saw the finished product, and responded most favorably.
And to George, my husband. Without him I could have done none of this.
Long live the supporters of NaMoPaiMo!
What's next? Finishing the 2nd Goehring saddle, of course. Fixing up Brasenose, who is quite scratched -- ah, the powers of PhotoShop. Tack short orders. I am helping judge Michelle Sepiol's show on March 21st. I plan to attend NAN as a volunteer photographer.
There might be a collar to my Emerald Teke set for NMTM. :)
And there just might be more Teke sets in the future.
Marimba 7 thru 10
I'm happy with her hooves and eyes. I'm not happy with her mane and tail. We'll try a post with only 6 pictures, Hah!!
Paradoxically I feel as though I have plenty of time. However, I may not always have nice weather. It keeps clouding up and the forecast is for rain. Nonetheless, things look hopeful. A few more dinks, solve the mane and she'll be done! YES, you can do it [other NMPM painters]: I've managed so much in less than a week.
Yesterday Layers 7, 8 and 9 came together. I am reasonably pleased. Although dry-brushing the Pearl-Ex gave a lovely lighter overcoat, it did not solve the deeper streaks, merely disguising them. They may always be with her! But she's finally starting to seriously grow on me. That happened this morning, with the hooves and eyes.
I found only one colored pencil, of all that I owned, which would work: which would actually draw on the rough Gesso surface and not slide off. I painted the eyeball white, then penciled in (graphite) where I wanted the iris and pupil. The colored pencil was a Berol Verithin and luckily it was the very color I'd wanted most: a turquoise blue. (It's labeled Sea Green.) The pupil was done with drafting ink, carefully maneuvered with a pin. Two coats of nail polish finished the job.
For someone's very first blue eye, it's not too bad.
An amazing part of Layer 10 was how much nail polish I used. All the pink on her is nail polish. It is the most unforgiving of mediums. I had to be right the first time. Not much shading was possible, yet I blobbed onwards, swabbing with a microbrush, and somehow it came out all right. Ears, muzzle, udder, eyes, hooves, the skin at the elbows, under the tail -- everywhere I thought she should be pink, she got nail polish. Even the socks were given a light coat of it (though not that pink, which was a custom mix). I learned this from Brasenose and Ambolena, my previous NMPM horses: Gesso for a sock base, then warming and protecting the coat with polish. Alas, the chance to shoot her mid-swab and really show the difference (between polish-coated and not) went by like a freight train and I didn't take it.
The hooves caused me trouble. There is a yellowish base under there (thank you Christina Riley!) sealed with clear nail polish. The hind feet behaved relatively well, but the front ones, perhaps because there was no white primer layer, fought like tigers. I had to brush and brush, reapply and struggle to get them to match the hinds. The alcohol I was using kept melting off what I'd applied. Then I went and put too much color on all four. Painting these hooves was largely a matter of removing color. At the end I was layering on my Almay Creme light pink nail polish, the same as for the socks.
Marimba is hard to photograph. I'm sure you're tired of hearing that! Here at last I feel I'm closing in on a good angle of view. Not too much exaggeration of the head, and it shows the eye and hooves, just not much of the tail.
Marimba 1 thru 6
Marimba is my third NaMoPaiMo horse. As the woman of the family (stallion Brasenose in 2018 and filly Ambolena last year), she is naturally the most difficult, most mysterious and temperamental of them all! You see her here mid-metamorphosis, after Layer 6... Six of who knows how many more layers. Perlino is hard.
I started prepping on the 17th. This is my only prep picture.
This is Mufida, sculpted by Margaret Malova of Bologoye Russia.
She is quite difficult to photograph. Not only is the mold challenging, though that's bad enough: The long curved neck, with its long splayed ears, combined with my camera's somewhat fisheye approach makes her head often look much too large. The long lanky body and slender legs, while appropriate for an Akhal Teke, make most shots downward ones, resulting in a warped viewing angle. But combined these with the Perlino!! The pearl layer causes serious washouts, reflections and white glares that obscure her color and just don't show what she actually looks like. This post has a variety of shots -- and not one of them is really her.
I have learned so much painting her these past two days.
To begin with, I'm astounded I got so far in only 2 days. The 22nd happens to be the day I finished Ambolena last year... !! I was just so derned busy for most of Feb. The first week taken by being in Tucson; every day since then has been crammed with chores, errands, and setting up and testing (and downloading fixes on) a complete new computer, plus maintenance of everything normal. Oh and I was intent on working on TSII #457. (Which is going well, by the way.) I don't really know why I've been so consumed with my own busyness. Only in the past few days have I just decided to ignore the other calls on me, ... and we'll see how long that lasts.
Prepping, while not as difficult as Ambolena's, revealed a few divots. The worst was this near fore cannon. I eventually filled the hole with multiple layers of Elmer's.
I think this is Layer 3 (below). After Layer 2 , (and until now, that is, 7) each layer of pastels has been only on the points: mane, tail, knees, hocks, pasterns and face. Unless you count the pearl.
This is the last shot before the pearl. The wash of yellow is from another light source and not paint. Note the blue tape stockings. What was a good idea with Brasenose and Ambolena turned out much less useful with this horse. Her hind legs are delicate and bendy and her body long and weighty, so I can't just 'hold her up.' But I can suspend her upsidedown by her ankles.
Very undignified. But it allows sealant to reach the belly. :)
Photo by Arthur Baboev
I was in love with the Pearl-shaded Akhal Tekes. After the success of Ambolena's gilding, why not? I wanted to try the same procedure on the mare. On the 21st I gave into greed and started painting with rubbing alcohol as a solvent.
With disastrous results.
What had worked on a filly with 10 layers of buckskin and sealant was much less impressive on a Trad mare with only 2 layers of near-white. The alcohol melted through and caused streaks. The size of the brush -- small -- was making the streaks worse. I had a lovely overcoat of glittering pearl -- Yes, that part worked!! -- but to extend it over the whole horse turned the entire project into a mess.
I also did the mane and tail with alcohol, resulting in a water-color-like texture.
Again, it is really hard to photograph this phenomenon.
The last thing I did on the night of the 21st was to revert to pastelling, and put another layer on the knees and hocks. Spraying it revealed a softness and color that was pleasing. With this small comfort I went to bed. Next morning I shot Marimba outside.
So here we are, amazed at our own progress, and annoyed that I forgot things like the Ugly Stage, or that I was greedy enough to try alcohol too soon. Overnight more ideas came: more pastelling, and to try pastelling the Pearl-Ex itself. Clearly a brush, even a big soft one, is doing too much damage with the alcohol at this scale. If I were an airbrusher, that would probably solve the problem; it could apply a smooth thin layer in the fashion I wanted. But I'm not.
"Not done yet."
Photo from Google images
I'm having fun and the weather is fantastic. I painted Brasenose in the dark in sleet, rain and snow; Ambolena was done in snow and cold. But Marimba promises spring. Being a redhead myself, and not forgetting about Flame Manes (unlike Brasenose, she has mane enough -- thank you Margarita!), I'm well on my way to Claybank Dun.
Thank you, NaMoPaiMo. Come join us.
Hock Deep: Engraving
Timaru Star II #457 is making progress, though often against what feels like a stiff wind. On the one hand, we are way ahead of where the last Goehring saddle was at this time in its creation. Five months (instead of 15) and we're already halfway! On the other hand, there has been no work at all done on Marimba, my NaMoPaiMo horse. :( I had not figured on February being hock deep in everything!! Where does the time go?!? I only know that, as an artist, I must follow my Muse, ... and it has been saying, as strongly as it knows how, that I should engrave silver and work on tack.
Engraving is a multi-step process; and each step is a separate art. We have already seen the cutting out, filing and shaping of the pieces. Next comes the soldering of the silver wire loops on their backs. At this time not every piece is done,... but we have only 9 to go, out of a grand total of 40.
I kind of forgot to dome some of the conchos before this step. That's going to create an interesting challenge. I can think of a couple of halfway workable procedures for that,... tackmaking is like this...
The next step in engraving, as we've seen before (Goehring Breastcollar Engraved), is the making of holding blocks for the individual pieces. This is necessary because they're so small. I can't just clamp them in the vise by themselves; they need a matrix, an embedding material of some kind, for the actual engraving. Enter Thermaloc. This is the brand name of a heat-softened plastic. The smallest amount the company sells is two pounds. So,... I bought 2 pounds (and now I have enough for me and every other model tackmaker I know for years... !). Each piece of silver is stuck into a lump of Thermaloc's grey plastic while it's still soft. As I mentioned, it's hard to work with, being impossibly sticky when too hot and useless when it's too cold. The working time feels like half a minute.
You might recognize the largest piece: it's the center of the breastcollar.
After engraving, the next step, -- after prying the piece out of the Thermaloc -- they usually pop out easily -- is to set the concho in the breastcollar. This is not just gluing. This is a whole 'nother step of fitting, filing, cutting and adjusting so that the silver sinks down into the leather. That tiny line of shadow around the concho is the difference between 'just another toy' and professional model tack that breathes life,... that looks so like the real thing,... that wows.
That shadow-line is why I tool down the backgrounds for my conchos. That line is movable,... you wouldn't believe it, but it is, as is the edge of the concho. But, naturally, at this stage the moving is expensive and difficult. One aims for as little as possible.
Here's a glimpse of the back side. Leather lace is threaded through the tiny loops. The stress on the lace is so great it often breaks -- as it did here.
Here's the back of the top 4 conchos. Lace ends are glued down.
All this will be covered later with a lining leather. Not only will that protect the horse from scratches, it will hide the details of construction. Instead of relying on a glue bond, this breastcollar relies on a soldered-metal bond and the strength of the lace.
As usual this time of year, I have a few soft deadlines and a hard one for tack. The hard one is early May when I leave for Colorado. To make that journey one more time! -- it's a miracle every year. Surely this saddle will be finished before then. But I do not feel I can promise anything. This kind of work is dictated by diverse pressures I feel only partly in control of.
The Muse wishes we could work on Marimba too. I'm not saying we can't! She might yet greet the light of day. But we'll just have to see.


You may not be able to avoid MS relapse entirely, but being aware of MS relapse triggers can help you make healthy choices. Learn what causes MS relapse, how to identify MS relapse triggers, and how long an MS relapse can last.
The truth is that scientists aren't 100% sure what exactly causes MS relapse, also known as MS flare-ups, but those of us who live with MS know that a sudden relapse can stop us in our tracks. Some MS relapses occur seemingly out of nowhere, with little sign or warning that they are coming on. Still, there are a handful of common MS relapse triggers that have been identified.
There are 6 major triggers for MS relapse. Most of the recognized MS relapse triggers are unhealthy habits such as not getting enough sleep or smoking. Eating unhealthy inflammation-causing foods, overdoing physical activity, and having too much stress can also trigger MS relapse. It's important to work on living a healthy lifestyle so that your MS can be managed more easily. Another common MS relapse trigger is getting sick. If you have MS, be sure to take any signs of sickness seriously and treat colds and infections promptly to avoid a full-blown relapse.
In order to be considered a true MS relapse, symptoms must last longer than 24 hours. It is possible to experience a sudden worsening of symptoms that does not meet this time frame. One of the most common triggers for sudden symptoms is overheating; or, for a smaller number of people with MS, getting too cold. If you experience a sudden worsening of symptoms after being exposed to higher than normal or lower than normal temperatures, do what you can to stabilize your body temperature to reduce symptoms. You may want to avoid taking hot showers and baths, spending time in hot tubs or saunas, or working out without wearing cooling gear.
If you are experiencing an MS relapse, there are things you can do to overcome it. Check out our tips for managing an MS relapse.


text:
Guilt-Ridden Russian Woman Hangs Herself After Having Sex with Ex
By Samantha Payne
Aleksandrs Zuks with Alina Bogdanova Facebook
A Russian woman hanged herself on a stairway after she regretted sleeping with her ex-boyfriend behind her partner's back, an inquest heard.
People thought she felt guilty about cheating on Arturas which is maybe why she killed herself
Alina Bogdanova, 28, was in a relationship when she spent the night on October 25 last year with her ex, 29-year-old Aleksandrs Zuks, who lived with her brother in Spalding, Lincolnshire.
Zuks told the court he fell asleep with Miss Bogdanova beside him but found her the next morning apparently "standing on the stairway next to the wall".
He said: "I started talking and asking what she was doing there and when I came closer I realised that the bottom lip was blue."
Her partner Arturas Pakalniskis, from Peterborough, described her as being "very unhappy" about her health problems, but said she wasn't depressed and never mentioned any intention to take her own life.
Pathologist Dr Mike Harris said her state of mind could have been influenced by drinking alcohol.
Alina Bogdanova Facebook
A statement from the brother, Arnis Bogdanovs, said it had been arranged for his sister to sleep in his room.
He texted her to say "come to bed" and she replied "sleep well". He then texted: "Who did you come to visit?" But there was no reply. The next morning he helped move her body to his room.
South Lincolnshire assistant coroner Siobhan Kelly recorded a verdict of suicide.
She said: "Miss Bogdanova took her own life by hanging."
Speaking after the hearing, a friend said: "Alina was a beautiful person.
"People thought she felt guilty about cheating on Arturas which is maybe why she killed herself but we will never know.
"It is so tragic. She was so full of life."


text:
Kansas City Personal Injury Attorney
Remember The 8's®
Peterson Foundation
David M. Peterson
Nicholas S. Clevenger
Kyle M. Sanford
Sara F. Stipkovits
Jeffery L. Norman II
Kevin Young
Joseph M. Ramirez
Ross W. Paczkowski, J.D.
Kyle P. Sollars
Nursing Home Lawsuits
Practice Areas: Dangerous Drugs,Defective Medical Devices,Defective Products
Nicholas S. Clevenger joined Peterson & Associates, P.C.™ as an associate in April 2005. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Clevenger clerked at the firm for over a year, gaining valuable experience in the practice areas of personal injury, pharmaceutical and medical malpractice and mass tort litigation. Since joining the firm, Mr. Clevenger has exclusively represented the injured.
In 2001, Mr. Clevenger graduated from Central Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Criminal Justice and a Minor in Business Administration. He graduated from the University of Missouri - Kansas City, School of Law in December of 2004.
Mr. Clevenger is a member in good standing of the Missouri Bar. In addition Mr. Clevenger is also a member in good standing of many federal courts, including the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, the District of Kansas, the Central District of Illinois and the Southern District of Illinois.
Mr. Clevenger's practice focuses on mass tort litigation, including pharmaceutical and medical device claims. A sample of Mr. Clevenger's past experience involves claims regarding multiple birth control products, implantable mesh products used to repair hernias and pelvic organ prolapse, orthopedic products, such as knee and hip replacements, and products liability cases involving glyphosate and earplugs, to name a few. He is a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Missouri Association for Trial Attorneys and the American Association for Justice. Mr. Clevenger has been named to the Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers Risings Stars from 2012-2019.
Super Lawyers Rising Star (Missouri/Kansas)—2012, 2013 and 2014
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
Missouri Association for Trial Attorneys
Missouri Bar
United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
Central Missouri State University, 2001—Bachelor of Science
Major in Criminal Justice
Minor in Business Administration
University of Missouri - Kansas City, School of Law, 2004—Juris Doctor
Our dedication to our clients and our determination to seek justice have lead our firm to record-setting victories. Learn more about some of our most notable cases.
See Our Past Victories
$ 141 Million*
$ 54 Million*
Contact Our Law Firm for a Free Consultation
Peterson & Associates, P.C. provides free consultations when you call or contact us online.
Our law office is located in Kansas City, Missouri at:
Missouri's Country Club Plaza 801 W. 47th Street, Suite 107, Kansas City MO 64112.
We do not charge our personal injury clients a fee unless their case is won, so there is no fee unless we win your case. Get in touch with us today as the first step in your pursuit of justice!
Injured? We Can Help You!
Fill out the form below for a free case evaluation.
Please enter your Zipcode
Peterson & Associates, P.C.
801 W 47th St Suite 107
Call Today! 816.298.8708 (816) 298-8708 Local https://www.petersonlawfirm.com/
Get Directions [+]
Nationwide Personal Injury Attorneys
*Collection is total, and not related solely to the case type discussed on this page.
Past results afford no guarantee of future results and each case is different and is judged on its own merits. Some cases result in no recovery. Costs and expenses will be advanced and reimbursed to us only if you recover. You have no liability for costs or expenses unless a court directs. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Some matters may be referred to other lawyers. Neither the Supreme Court of Missouri nor the Missouri Bar reviews or approves certifying organizations or specialist designations. Missouri does not certify attorneys as specialists in any field. Advertising Material. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Never stop taking any prescription drug without first consulting with a doctor. The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
Check Version Update


In the last few years, marketers have looked to produce more content with the aim of better engaging with their audiences. However, an increase in content hasn't produced an equal measure of consumer engagement. TrackMaven reported last year that content output per brand had risen by 35%, yet content engagement decreased by 17%. For this reason, marketers are seeking different platforms to speak to their consumers and produce content that offers something new to their consumer bases, and two of these platforms are augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
We've previously looked at VR and how it is used by businesses, and AR works in a similar way by overlaying graphics onto a real-world image – albeit without the need for a headset. Looking to the future, AR and VR markets are predicted to be worth over £500 million and £300 million respectively by 2018. In the last 12 months alone investments in AR and VR startups have reached over £1.5 billion. Despite the multiple similarities, there are a number of key differences which will affect the way they can be used. Companies such as the BBC and Samsung have already begun rolling out programmes to harness the benefits of both AR and VR, which suggests there may not be an all-out AR vs VR war ahead.
The main advantage that Augmented Reality has over Virtual Reality is that it shows real products and serves to enhance this experience rather than replace it entirely. This can allow users to look through a number of different products which are mapped onto a real-world image, as used by cosmetics chain Sephora in its Milan store earlier this year to allow customers to "try on" different makeup products. Ray Ban has also marketed a similar feature whereby customers can check out how they might look in different styles of sunglasses. AR can also overlay onto an image of a user's surroundings – as Pokemon Go has done with spectacular success. Preceding this, Ikea produced an app which allows customers to place an item of furniture in their own homes to give them a better idea of how it might actually look.
For this reason AR has unlimited potential in terms of what it could offer consumers, which could extend to offering customers the option to compare similar items of clothing or providing nutritional information on products in a supermarket. Pokemon Go has also shown that due to the popularity of the medium there are opportunities for in-game advertising. McDonald's is said to have struck a deal with Niantic to turn its restaurants into points of interest within the game.
In the wake of Pokemon Go, gamification has emerged as a possibility for brands looking to exploit this medium, although it is worth considering that this would most likely come at vast expense. Furthermore, to imply that its wild popularity is solely based on the platform is to completely ignore the nostalgic value of its content. Some critics have also been quick to point out that it remains to be seen if Pokemon Go is merely the latest fad, and for this reason marketers should practice caution if they are looking to hop on the coattails of its success. What has worked well so far for companies looking to utilise Augmented Reality has been giving consumers the opportunity to personalise the products they are viewing and tailor the information to meet their needs rather than create an unnecessary app based on piggybacking and self-promotion.
In a recent survey, 71% of consumers considered any brand who sponsored a Virtual Reality platform to be "forward-thinking and modern". This could persuade brands who are looking to engage with a younger demographic to venture into this field, especially as the total number of users is forecast to hit 150 million worldwide by 2018. Last year Marriott Hotels started its VR Postcard program, which allows users to experience its destinations on a multisensory platform. Marriott has since reported that over half of the users from the New York branch said that they would like to see the program at other branches. Audi has also experimented with a Virtual Reality app which lets users test drive and customise its vehicles, and Sky has recently announced the launch of a VR app this summer after its investment in Jaunt VR last September.
Companies looking to use VR in future marketing strategies need to be aware of its expense, as a high-end Virtual Reality headset costs at least £450, but it can already be seen that it offers a comprehensively immersive experience that AR only hints at. This could be beneficial for companies who have difficulty in getting consumers to understand their product pre-purchase as well as those looking to enhance their customer's' purchase journey. The cost may mean a more practical way for companies to offer the service would be at their place of business rather than expecting users to engage from elsewhere. This may limit its use on a larger scale, although projections claim that use of VR headsets could rise by as much as 400% over the next two years.
In a market where consumers are consistently seeking answers as quickly as possible, AR and VR could offer a means to experience and test products on a more personable level. Both technologies are already driving rapid hardware development which suggests that AR and VR are here to stay for the foreseeable future.
As for the differences between the two, AR is more generally suited to Google's Micro Moments strategy as it allows an immediate solution to a query on a particular product. The only issue here would be whether companies decide to utilise AR in an app or online. A sea of different AR apps may not appeal to consumers looking for the fastest possible solution. The solution may lie in optimising AR on company websites or in creating an amalgamated AR app that can perform multiple functions.
VR is best used when offering consumers an all-encompassing experience with the opportunity to test scenarios rather than individual products. Any marketers looking to use VR as part of future campaigns will also need to be aware of the inherent costs. What is clear in the battle of augmented reality vs virtual reality is that marketers need to be clear on what they are trying to achieve before leaping into either of these realities.
Which platform do you prefer and how could it help your industry? Share your opinions in the comment box below or via social media, and make sure to subscribe to the blog.


BEST MOZZARELLA BITES EVER!!!!!Pizza is excellent. I had a Mediterranean salad there once that was so good but huge, I couldn't finish it. It's our go to place when you just want to go out to eat with nothing in mind.