Fire increasingly threatens tropical forests in northern Vietnam as climate changes and human population grows. Understanding fire occurrence patterns may support more effective forest management and reduce fire risk. We investigated spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of wildfire across three provinces in northern Vietnam and assessed the effectiveness of the Modified Nesterov index (MNI) fire danger rating system. We explored fire occurrence and size within and between years and forest types using descriptive analyses and developed spatiotemporal Maximum Entropy (Maxent) models incorporating variables representing potential drivers of fire, including weather, fuel, topography and human activity. Most fires occurred late in the dry season and fires were most common in natural forest. Maxent models successfully predicted fire occurrence (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values 0.67–0.79). While the contributions of drivers varied among provinces, MNI, temperature, elevation and distance to road were consistently important. The model for combined provinces showed that fire probability was greater under higher temperature and MNI, in areas with lower population, farther from roads, at higher elevations and in natural forests. This study suggests that an assessment integrating multiple drivers better predicts fire occurrence than a system based on weather alone and may support improved fire management and education in northern Vietnam.

Introduction: Injuries at work may negatively influence mental health due to lost or reduced working hours and financial burden of treatment. Our objective was to investigate, in U.S. workers (a) the prevalence of serious psychological distress (SPD) by injury status (occupational, non-occupational, and no injury) and injury characteristics, and (b) the association between injury status and SPD. Methods: Self-reported injuries within the previous three months were collected annually for 225,331 U.S. workers in the National Health Interview Survey (2004-2016). Psychological distress during the past 30 days was assessed using the Kessler 6 (K6) questions with Likert-type scale (0-4, total score range: 0-24). SPD was defined as K6 >= 13. Prevalence ratios (PR) from fitted logistic regression models were used to assess relationships between injury and SPD after controlling for covariates. Results: The prevalence of SPD was 4.74%, 3.58%, and 1.56% in workers reporting occupational injury (OI), non-occupational injury (NOI), and no injury, respectively. Workers with head and neck injury had the highest prevalence of SPD (Prevalence: OI = 7.71%, NOI = 6.17%), followed by workers with scrape/bruise/burn/bite (6.32% for those with OI). Workers reporting OI were two times more likely to have SPD compared to those without injury (PR = 2.19, 95%CI: 1.62-2.96). However, there was no significant difference in SPD between workers with Oland workers with NOI (PR = 0.98, 95%CI: 0.65-1.48). Conclusion: The prevalence of SPD varied by injury status with the highest being among workers reporting OI. We found that the workers reporting OI were significantly more likely to have SPD than those without injury, but not more than those with NOI. Practical Applications: Mental health management programs by employers are necessary for workers who are injured in the workplace. (C) 2020 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the associations of burnout with cortisol parameters in 197 police officers from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) study (2010-2014). The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey assessed depersonalization, exhaustion, and professional efficacy. Officers provided salivary cortisol samples collected upon awakening, and 15, 30, and 45 min thereafter as well as three additional samples at lunchtime, dinnertime, and bedtime. Total area under the curve with respect to increase (AUCWI for waking and AUCDI for diurnal), total area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCWG for waking and AUCDG for diurnal), and diurnal slope were determined and used in this study. Unadjusted and adjusted (age, sex, and race/ethnicity) associations were examined using linear regression. The mean age of the officers was 48 years and 72% were males. The depersonalization component of burnout was negatively associated with AUCDG (β = -108.4; p = 0.036). Similarly, as exhaustion increased, AUCWI (β = -9.58, p = 0.038), AUCDG (β = -114.7, p = 0.029) and the diurnal slope (β = -0.000038; p = 0.017) decreased. The Professional efficacy was not associated with any of the cortisol parameters. These results suggest that certain characteristics of burnout may be associated with diminished cortisol secretion in this group of urban police officers. Our findings add to previous studies examining associations of burnout with the cortisol awakening response. Future longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate the temporal relationship between burnout and these cortisol parameters.

This study investigated the associations of baseline sleep onset latency, wake after sleep onset, longest wake episode, number of awakenings, sleep efficiency and sleep duration with incident hypertension during a 7-year follow-up (n = 161, 68% men) and the joint effect of insufficient sleep and obesity on incident hypertension. Sleep parameters were derived from 15-day actigraphy data. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using a robust Poisson regression model. Each 10-min increase in sleep onset latency was associated with an 89% higher risk of hypertension (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-3.20). Each 10-min increase in longest wake episode was associated with a 23% higher risk of hypertension (95% CI = 1.01-1.50) and each 10% decrease in sleep efficiency was associated with a 50% higher risk of hypertension (95% CI = 1.02-2.22). These associations were independent of demographic and lifestyle characteristics, depressive symptoms, shift work, sleep duration and body mass index. Having <6 hr of sleep and a body mass index >= 30 kg/m(2) increased the risk of hypertension (relative risk = 2.81; 95% CI = 1.26-6.25) compared with having >= 6 hr of sleep and a body mass index <30 after controlling for confounders. Relative excess risk due to interaction was 3.49 (95% CI = -1.69-8.68) and ratio of relative risk was 3.21 (95% CI = 0.72-14.26). These results suggest that poor sleep quality is a risk factor for hypertension. Longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to examine the joint effect of insufficient sleep and obesity on development of hypertension.

Abstract Introduction Poor sleep quality may be attributed to several occupational factors and has been linked to adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease. Recent epidemiologic studies suggest rest-activity circadian rhythm (RAR) as a possible determinant of poor sleep quality. The focus of these studies has been on the magnitude of the parameters of RAR with little attention to the impact of their day-to-day fluctuation. We examined association of daily variation in parameters of RAR with sleep quality. Methods Participants (n=280) were officers from the Buffalo Cardio-metabolic Occupational Police Stress Study (2004-2009). Sleep quality was determined using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Participants wore wrist actigraph for a minimum of seven days. A cosine curve was fit to measure goodness of fit and estimate the mean values of the three parameters of RAR: Mesor, Amplitude, and Acrophase. Day-to-day variability of the parameters were assessed by fitting the cosine function separately for each day and computing the sample standard deviation across the days. Poisson regression models were conducted adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, and occupational factors. Results The prevalence of poor sleep quality was 50.3%. Poor sleep quality was 56% higher in officers with the largest day-to-day variability in Mesor (PR=1.56, 95%CI:1.11 - 2.19) compared to those with the lowest daily variation. Similar estimates were found for Amplitude (PR=1.42, 1.03 - 1.95), Acrophase (PR=1.86, 1.29 - 2.67), and measure of goodness of fit (PR=1.54, 1.13 - 2.11). On the other hand, mean values of RAR parameters were not significantly associated with poor sleep quality. Conclusion Results suggest larger daily variation in parameters of RAR is associated with a decrease in sleep quality. Given that day-to-day variation in RAR may increase the odds of poor sleep quality, future studies ought to address risk factors for higher daily fluctuations in RAR which could aid in developing intervention measures. Support CDC/NIOSH grant 1R01OH009640-01A1

Abstract Introduction Shiftwork is inevitable in law enforcement. Officers are scheduled around-the-clock to protect and serve communities. Many police departments are also understaffed; consequentially, officers’ work schedules often include long work hours. Shift work and long work hours can result in sleep loss, poor sleep quality, and fatigue. In turn, these factors can impair police officers’ operational performance. We investigated whether sleep loss and poor sleep quality increase odds of on-duty injuries or disciplinary actions in policing. Methods Officers (n=113) that started their careers as police officers at the Buffalo Police Department between 1994–2001 were studied. Work and injury data were obtained for each officer starting with their hire date and continuing day-by-day for 15-years. Between 2004–2009, officers reported any disciplinary actions in the prior two years and their sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Survey Screen for Apnea. Data were analyzed using logistic regression with logit link functions (PROC GLIMMIX, SAS 9.4). Covariates included sex, ethnicity, experience, shift type, workload, and secondary employment. Results Seventy-four percent of officers had poor sleep quality (PSQI global score ≥ 5). Officers with poorer sleep quality had greater odds of injury (OR=1.3 [95% CI: 1.0–1.5], p=0.03). Officers’ sleep duration was not a significant predictor of injuries (OR=1.0 [95% CI: 0.3–3.2], p=0.96). Officers with sleep disturbances (OR=3.5 [95% CI: 1.0–11.8], p<0.05) and/or using sleep medications (OR=15.7 [95% CI: 2.8–89.3], p<0.01) had higher odds of injury. None of the variables were significant predictors of disciplinary actions. Conclusion Poor sleep quality was prevalent among the officers. The natures of the injuries were likely multi-factorial and complex. Notwithstanding, poor sleep quality was associated with higher odds of on-duty injuries. The source of officers’ sleep disturbances (e.g. shift work, insomnia, and/or policing-related stresses) remains to be determined. Support CDC/NIOSH grant 1R01OH009640-01A1; NIJ grant 2005-FS-BX-0004

Encoding complexity reduction is an active area of research in the field of fractal image compression. In this proposed method, affine transformation is predicted to reduce the computational complexity and score value is calculated to further minimise the number of computations in the exhaustive process of encoding. In this hybrid wavelet- fractal image compression, relative geometric transformation of range and domain blocks is determined using a reference matrix as GR and GD respectively. Then affine transformation is predicted as the geometric composition of GR and GD, using Cayley table. Score value is defined individually for domain and range blocks. It is the absolute value of maximum change in the intensity in the respective block. An important merit of this proposed method is that the encoding time is highly reduced in comparison to other recent fractal coding techniques, with a better value of PSNR. This method is 641 times faster than Standard fractal image compression method (SFIC). Cayley table is utilized for the first time in fractal image compression. This lossy compression technique can be used in multimedia applications to handle the situation of limited storage space and bandwidth and also to transmit enormous amount of data with acceptable value of PSNR. As the medical images are huge in size a good lossy compression technique is required to store them in medical archives in an economical manner. Since this proposed method provides a good trade-off between compression ratio and the quality of reconstructed image, it is a better solution for the storage of medical images in an efficient manner.

Multistate systems (MSSs) represent one of the key concepts of reliability engineering. They are used to represent systems that can work at several performance levels. Such systems are usually composed of many various components, making their analysis much harder. Therefore one of the key issues of reliability engineering is development of methods for their efficient analysis. A prospective way to solve this problem is an application of a modular decomposition that allows developing fast algorithms for quantitative analysis of such systems. The quantitative analysis deals with computation of global reliability characteristics of an MSS, such as system-state probabilities or system availabilities. These characteristics can be static (if the investigated system is in a steady-state and time is not taken into account) or dynamic (if the analysis is performed with respect to time). If these characteristics are dynamic, then they become functions of time. In this chapter, we present how these characteristics can be computed in both a static and dynamic case if we know the system topology defined by structure function. We also show how these computations can be performed efficiently using modular decomposition. More precisely, we combine methods for computation of global reliability characteristics based on structure function together with Markov processes to obtain stochastic model of the system, whose time-dependent reliability characteristics can be quickly obtained using modular decomposition. In this chapter, we primarily deal with series-parallel MSSs without maintenance.

To prevent an increase in the frequency of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the specific and rapid diagnosis of causative pathogens is important, as the results can be used to initiate appropriate antibiotics treatment. Recently, the highly sensitive rapid immunochromatographic assay of silver amplification technology was developed for the detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. We investigated the sensitivity and specificity of the silver amplification immunochromatographic assay in adolescent and adult patients. A total of 767 patients with respiratory tract infection (RTI) and 605 with pneumonia were assessed by the silver amplification assay and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). M. pneumoniae was identified by PCR in 95 patients with RTI and in 30 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), but it was not identified in patients with nursing- and healthcare-associated pneumonia. Eighteen of the 95 RTI patients and 7 of the 30 CAP patients with PCR-positive M. pneumoniae were found to be infected with macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae. When PCR was used as the control test, the sensitivity, specificity, and overall agreement with the silver amplification assay were 90.5%, 99.0%, and 97.9%, respectively, in RTI patients and 90.0%, 99.1%, and 98.7%, respectively, in pneumonia patients. Our results show that the silver amplification assay has excellent sensitivity and specificity compared with PCR despite being a rapid diagnostic method. The silver amplification assay may be helpful for initiating appropriate antibiotic treatment and preventing AMR.

We hypothesized that effort–reward imbalance (ERI) is associated with an atypical cortisol response. ERI has been associated with higher job stress. Stress triggers cortisol secretion via the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, and significant deviation from a typical cortisol pattern can indicate HPA axis dysfunction.

The present study examined the association between shift work and fatigue among male (n = 230) and female (n = 78) police officers. A 15-year work history database was used to define dominant shifts as day, afternoon, or night. A 10-item questionnaire created from the Standard Shiftwork Index (SSI) assessed fatigue. Gender-stratified analyses of variance and covariance and Poisson regression were used to compare means and prevalence of individual items across shifts. No significant differences in total fatigue scores were observed across shifts. However, the prevalence of the fatigue item “feelings of tiredness” was 89% higher among male officers working the afternoon shift compared with officers working the day shift (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.12, 3.23], p = .020), after adjustment for covariates. Women reported a lower prevalence of tiredness than men on the afternoon shift. Organizations with afternoon shift workers should consider reducing fatigue at work through education and other methods.

The role of coping in the association between stress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not clear. We investigated the effects of active and passive coping strategies on the associations between police stress (administrative and organization pressure, physical and psychological threats, and lack of support) and PTSD symptoms in 342 police officers. Linear regression model was used in the analyses. The association between physical and psychological stress and PTSD symptoms was stronger in officers who used lower active coping ( B = 4.34, p < 0.001) compared to those who utilized higher active coping ( p -interaction = 0.027) ( B = 1.79, p ≤ 0.003). A similar result was found between lack of support and PTSD symptoms ( p -interaction = 0.016) (lower active coping, B = 5.70, p < 0.001; higher active coping, B = 3.33, p < 0.001), but was not significantly different comparing the two groups regarding the association between administrative and organizational pressure and PTSD symptoms ( p -interaction = 0.376). Associations of total stress, administrative and organizational pressure, and physical and psychological stressors with PTSD symptoms were significantly stronger in officers who utilized higher passive coping ( p -interaction = 0.011, 0.030, and 0.023, respectively). In conclusion, low active or high passive coping methods may exacerbate the effect of work stress on PTSD symptoms.

PURPOSE:The purpose of this paper is to examine the association of social avoidance among police, cardiovascular disease (CVD) (metabolic syndrome (MetSyn)), and social support. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH:Participants were officers from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress study (n = 289). Social avoidance (defined as the tendency to avoid social contact) and other subscales from the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale were analyzed. The mean number of MetSyn components across tertiles of the Cook-Medley scales was computed using analysis of variance and analysis of covariance. Social support was measured with the Social Provisions Scale, categorized as high or low based on the median. FINDINGS:The mean number of MetSyn components increased significantly across tertiles of social avoidance (1.51 ± 0.18, 1.52 ± 0.12, and 1.81 ± 0.12); the only Cook-Medley subscale that remained significantly associated with MetSyn following adjustment for age and gender. Participants high in social avoidance reported significantly lower social support (79.9 ± 8.5 vs 85.8 ± 8.6; p = 0.001). RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS:The study is cross-sectional and therefore precludes causality. The authors were unable to determine the direction of associations between social avoidance and MetSyn. The measure of social support was unidimensional, including only perceived support; additional types of social support measures would be helpful. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS:This study suggests that occupational-based police social isolation is associated with health outcomes and lower support. Several suggestions are made which will help to improve communication between the police and public. Examples are the use of social media, training in communication techniques, and changing the police role to one of public guardians. ORIGINALITY/VALUE:Social avoidance is the least studied the Cook-Medley subscale associated with CVD. It is important for the health of officers to maintain a social connection with others.

OBJECTIVE:Police officers in the New Orleans geographic area faced a number of challenges following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.DESIGN:This cross-sectional study examined gratitude, resilience, and satisfaction with life as mediators in the association between social support and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in 82 male and 31 female police officers. The Gratitude Questionnaire, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List were used to measure gratitude, resilience, satisfaction with life, and social support, respectively. PTSD symptoms were measured using the PTSD Checklist-Civilian (PCL-C). Ordinary least square regression mediation analysis was used to estimate direct and indirect effects among gratitude, resilience, satisfaction with life, social support, and PTSD symptoms. All models were adjusted for age, alcohol, race, and previous military experience.RESULTS:Mean PCL-C symptoms were 29.1 (standard deviation [SD] = 14.4) for females and 27.9 (SD = 12.1) for males. There was no direct relationship between social support and PTSD symptoms (c9 = -0.041; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.199, 0.117) independent of the indirect effect through resilience (effect = -0.038; 95%CI = -0.099, -0.002). Neither gratitude (effect = -0.066; 95% CI = -0.203, 0.090) nor satisfaction with life (effect = -0.036, 95% CI = -0.131, 0.046) contribute to the indirect effect.CONCLUSIONS:These results indicate that resilience mediates the relationship between social support and symp-toms of PTSD. Targeting social support and resilience in officers may facilitate reduction of PTSD symptoms.

In this study, we evaluated whether peritraumatic dissociation (PD) was associated with symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and whether this association was modified by trauma prior to police work. Method: Symptoms of depression, PTSD, peritraumatic dissociative experience (PDE), and trauma prior to police work were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, PTSD Checklist-Civilian, PDE questionnaire, and the Brief Trauma questionnaire, respectively, in 328 police officers. Separate regression models were used to assess if either symptoms of depression or PTSD were associated with PD stratified by prior trauma. Means were adjusted for race, number of drinks per week, and smoking. Results: PD was associated with symptoms of PTSD and depression (beta = 0.65, p < .001 and beta = 0.27, p < .001, respectively). PD was positively associated with symptoms of PTSD regardless of prior trauma (beta = 0.61, p < .001(without prior trauma), 0.75, p < .001 (with prior trauma). In contrast to PTSD, depression symptoms were significantly associated with PD scores in individuals with prior trauma (beta < 0.47, p < .001), but not in individuals without prior trauma (beta = 0.13, p < .165). Limitations: This is a cross-sectional study. Outcomes were obtained via self-report and were not clinically diagnosed. Aspects of both the trauma event as well as the symptoms and severity of PD may have introduced recall bias. Conclusion: These results add to the literature indicating that PD plays a role in symptoms of PTSD and depression and how prior trauma may modify this relationship.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate prevalence of injury by occupation and industry and obesity's role. Methods: Self-reported injuries were collected annually for US workers during 2004 to 2013. Prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained from fitted logistic regression models. Results: Overall weighted injury prevalence during the previous three months was 77 per 10,000 workers. Age-adjusted injury prevalence was greatest for Construction and Extraction workers (169.7/10,000) followed by Production (160.6) among occupations, while workers in the Construction industry sector (147.9) had the highest injury prevalence followed by the Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing/Mining/Utilities sector (122.1). Overweight and obese workers were 26% to 45% more likely to experience injuries than normal-weight workers. Conclusion: The prevalence of injury, highest for Construction workers, gradually increased as body mass index levels increased in most occupational and industry groups.

Police officers are chronically exposed to work stress. We examined specific stressors that may be associated with hopelessness, a possible risk factor for suicide in this high suicide risk population. The study included 378 officers (276 men and 102 women) with complete data. Analysis of variance was used to estimate mean levels of hopelessness scores as associated with stress, adjusted for age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Posttraumatic symptoms were tested as a modifier of the association between stress and hopelessness. Increasing stress of administrative practices and lack of support were significantly associated with increasing hopelessness among officers (p<.006 - hopelessness range: 1.64-2.65; and p<.001 - hopelessness range 1.60-2.80, respectively). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms significantly modified the association between lack of organizational support and hopelessness (p<.010) with significant association only among individuals with higher PTSD symptoms (p<.001). Results suggest that hopelessness is associated with specific stressors in police work, and this is modified by posttraumatic symptomatology.

This descriptive study examined the top five most frequent and highly rated occupational stressors from the Spielberger Police Stress Survey among 365 police officers enrolled in the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) Study (2004–2009). Prevalence, frequency, and rating of stressors were compared across gender. Poisson regression was used to estimate the prevalence and prevalence ratio (PR) of events. Analysis of variance was used to compare mean frequency of occurrence and mean stress ratings by gender. Many reported stressors dealt with violent situations. Responding to family disputes (83 %) was reported as the most frequent stressor and exposure to battered children (27 %) was the most highly rated stressor (mean rating: 67.6 ± 35.3). Killing someone in the line of duty (mean rating: 66.3 ± 43.0) and experiencing a fellow officer being killed (mean rating: 65.3 ± 40.6) were highly rated but infrequent (0.27 % and 3.6 %, respectively). Male officers tended to report more frequent stressors which took away from their time off duty such as court appearances (PR = 1.26, 1.04–1.52) and working second jobs (PR = 2.37, 1.57–3.57). In contrast, female officers reported experiencing a 37 % higher prevalence of lack of support from supervisor (PR = 0.63, 0.48–0.82) relative to male officers. Results of the present study are discussed within the context of specific police stressors and gender.

Purpose: Studies describing prevalence and trends of physical activity among workers in the United States are scarce. We aimed to estimate prevalence and trends of "sufficient" leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) during the 2004-2014 time period among U.S. workers.Methods: Data were collected for U.S. workers in the National Health Interview Survey. LTPA was categorized as sufficiently active (moderate intensity, >150 minutes per week), insufficiently active (10-149 minutes per week), and inactive (<10 minutes per week). Prevalence of LTPA was adjusted for age using 2010 U.S. working population as a standardized age distribution.Results: Prevalence trends of "sufficient" LTPA significantly increased from 2004 to 2014 (45.6% to 54.8%; P < .001). Among industry groups, the highest prevalence of "sufficient" LTPA was observed among workers in Professional/Scientific/Technical Services (62.1%). The largest increases were observed among workers in Public Administration (51.3%-63.4%). Among occupational groups, "sufficient" LTPA prevalence was lowest in farming/fishing/forestry (30.8%) and highest in life/physical/social science (66.4%). Prevalence of LTPA significantly increased from 2004 to 2014 in most occupational and industry groups.Conclusions: Among U.S. workers, trends of "sufficient" LTPA significantly increased between 2004 and 2014. Overall, a larger proportion of white-collar compared to blue-collar workers were engaged in "sufficient" LTPA. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Anti-vibration gloves have been used to block the transmission of vibration from powered hand tools to the user, and to protect users from the negative health consequences associated with exposure to vibration. However, there are conflicting reports as to the efficacy of gloves in protecting workers. The goal of this study was to use a characterized animal model of vibration-induced peripheral vascular and nerve injury to determine whether antivibration materials reduced or inhibited the effects of vibration on these physiological symptoms. Rats were exposed to 4 h of tail vibration at 125 Hz with an acceleration 49 m/s(2). The platform was either bare or covered with antivibrating glove material. Rats were tested for tactile sensitivity to applied pressure before and after vibration exposure. One day following the exposure, ventral tail arteries were assessed for sensitivity to vasodilating and vasoconstricting factors and nerves were examined histologically for early indicators of edema and inflammation. Ventral tail artery responses to an α2C-adrenoreceptor agonist were enhanced in arteries from vibration-exposed rats compared to controls, regardless of whether antivibration materials were used or not. Rats exposed to vibration were also less sensitive to pressure after exposure. These findings are consistent with experimental findings in humans suggesting that antivibration gloves may not provide protection against the adverse health consequences of vibration exposure in all conditions. Additional studies need to be done examining newer antivibration materials.