Measurement and evaluation of whole body vibration of agricultural tractor operator

Exposure of whole body vibration(WBV)influences performance,comfort,and long term health risks of tractor operator.Therefore,measurement and evaluation of WBV parameters should be carried out to find probable effects on the health of tractor operators.In this study,a system was designed to measure the WBV of agricultural tractor operators and evaluated the hazard risks on operator’s body according to the ISO standards,and implementation of the WBV test in the official testing station was also suggested.A tri-axial accelerometer was employed to measure vibrations transmitted to the seated operator body as a whole through the supporting surface of the buttock on four typical farm roads under different speeds.The vector sum A(8)exposures on the rough tracks(earthen and grassland roads)exceeded the action limits of 0.5 m/s2 at a 10.9 km/h forward speed and reached to the action limit value at a 16.0 km/h forward speed on the concrete road.The vector sum of VDV(8)exposures did not exceed the action limits of 9.1 m/s1.75 and was greater on the grassland road.The vector sum Sed(8)exposures values exceeded the moderate probability of an adverse health limit of 0.5 MPa on all farm roads at high forward speeds and exceeded the high probability of an adverse health limit of 0.8 MPa on asphalt,concrete,and grassland roads which should be lower than the exposure limit values as suggested by the ISO and EC standards.The WBV evaluation procedure should be considered for implementation at the official tractor test station,which would response to domestic and international tractor test regulations and improve the market competitiveness.

Cystic fibrosis and the relevance of the whole-body vibration exercises in oscillating platforms: a short review

Objective: The aim is to present a review about the whole-body vibration (WBV) exercises in the management of cystic fibrosis (CF). Methods: Computerized literature searches were performed using the PubMed databases. Results: A strong interest in studies, considering the number of publications, involving CF and lung was found. Although, the exercises and physical activities seem to have a high relevance in the management of the patients with CF, the number of publications involving these procedures is limited. Moreover, a modality of exercise involving WBV seems to be poorly utilized by the patients with CF and only two papers were found with positive actions. Conclusion: Oscillating platform is a promising technique to manage patients with CF. Moreover, as (i) the use of the oscillating platforms is inexpensive, (ii) the vibration exercise requires less technical abilities as compared to the performance of conventional resistance training and (iii) positive clinical findings have been noticed with the use of WBV in CF, it is suggested to implement the studies involving the application of the exercises with WBV in oscillating platforms to manage the patients with CF.