Reliability of physiological and subjective responses to physical and psychosocial exposures during a simulated manufacturing task

Responses to physical and psychosocial exposures can be measured using diverse methods, but their reliability, particularly under multiple exposures, is largely unknown. Five classes of methods were used to assess physiological and subjective responses among 24 participants to four combinations of physical and psychosocial exposures while performing two identical sessions of a simulated overhead manufacturing task. As an exploratory analysis, test–retest reliability was quantified using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and coefficients of variation (CV). Discomfort ratings were reliable under less favorable exposures, and ratings of the psychosocial environment were most reliable under favorable social support. Workload ratings were most reliable with high physical exposure and favorable social support, and task performance was reliable overall. EMG and heart rate had relatively low reliability. Slightly less than half of the variables were considered reliable, but reliability depended on exposure conditions.Relevance to industry: The study provides information on the reliability of commonly used exposure measurement methods. The results can guide the selection of physiological and psychological work outcome measurements in future studies and work evaluations.     

A Visualization Based Approach for Digital Signature Authentication

We propose a visualization based approach for digital signature authentication. Using our method, the speed and pressure aspects of a digital signature process can be clearly and intuitively conveyed to the user for digital signature authentication. Our design takes into account both the expressiveness and aesthetics of the derived visual patterns. With the visual aid provided by our method, digital signatures can be authenticated with better accuracy than using existing methods—even novices can examine the authenticity of a digital signature in most situations using our method. To validate the effectiveness of our method, we conducted a comprehensive user study which confirms positively the advantages of our approach. Our method can be employed as a new security enhancement measure for a range of business and legal applications in reality which involve digital signature authorization and authentication.     

Improved Interface Conditions for 2<Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis> Domain Decomposition with Corners: Numerical Applications

This article deals with a local improvement of domain decomposition methods for 2-dimensional elliptic problems for which either the geometry or the domain decomposition presents conical singularities. After explaining the main results of the theoretical analysis carried out in Chniti et al. (Calcolo 45, 2008), the numerical experiments presented in this article confirm the optimality properties of the new interface conditions.     

Control of an industrial copper solvent extraction process

A two level control strategy that stabilizes and optimizes the production of an industrial copper solvent extraction process is presented. The stabilizing layer consists of a multi-input–multi-output controller or two single-input–single-output controllers with additional four feedforward compensators that regulate the flow rates in the copper solvent extraction process. The optimization layer consists of an optimizer that maximizes the production of the copper solvent extraction process and gives setpoints to the controllers at the stabilizing level. The mechanistic plant models, verified with industrial data, are linearized by identifying first and higher order transfer function models from simulated PRBS data. On the basis of the linear models, the interactions of the controlled variables, and the pairing of the controlled and manipulated variables are studied and the optimizer and the controllers designed. The control strategy employing two PI-control loops or a model predictive controller and additionally four feedforward control loops is successfully tested against simulated disturbances and setpoint changes. The control strategy is also compared to the data collected from the industrial plant under manual control. With this two level control strategy the production of the copper solvent extraction process is increased by 3–5% and the process variation is decreased by 70–90% compared to the manual operation of the case industrial plant. The results gained in simulation environment are successful and encouraging for further testing in an industrial plant.     

Disturbance and recovery of trunk mechanical and neuromuscular behaviours following prolonged trunk flexion: influences of duration and external load on creep-induced effects

Trunk flexion results in adverse mechanical effects on the spine and is associated with a higher incidence of low back pain. To examine the effects of creep deformation on trunk behaviours, participants were exposed to full trunk flexion in several combinations of exposure duration and external load. Trunk mechanical and neuromuscular behaviours were obtained pre- and post-exposure and during recovery using sudden perturbations. Intrinsic trunk stiffness decreased with increasing flexion duration and in the presence of the external load. Recovery of intrinsic stiffness required more time than the exposure duration and was influenced by exposure duration. Reflexive trunk responses increased immediately following exposure but recovered quickly (～2.5 min). Alterations in reflexive trunk behaviour following creep deformation exposures may not provide adequate compensation to allow for complete recovery of concurrent reductions in intrinsic stiffness, which may increase the risk of injury due to spinal instability. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: An increased risk of low back injury may result from flexion-induced disturbances to trunk behaviours. Such effects, however, appear to depend on the type of flexion exposure, and have implications for the design of work involving trunk flexion.     

Ergonomic evaluation of hospital bed design features during patient handling tasks

Patient handling tasks (e.g., transportation and repositioning) are important causes of musculoskeletal disorders among healthcare workers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, during two patient handling tasks, the physical demands resulting from alternative hospital bed design features. Twenty-four novice participants were involved in two laboratory-based studies. The effects of a steering lock and adjustable push height were evaluated during a patient transportation task using perceptual responses and measures of performance and physical demands, and the effect of a bed contour feature was determined based on patient sliding distance during repeated bed raising/lowering. Use of the steering lock reduced the number of adjustments during bed maneuvering by 28% and decreased ratings of physical demands. Use of the adjustable push height reduced shoulder moments by 30%. With the contour feature, patient sliding distance was reduced by ∼40% over 12 raise/lower cycles. These results suggest that the steering lock and adjustable push height features can reduce physical demands placed on healthcare workers during patient transportation tasks. Although patient sliding distance was reduced using the contour feature, assessing direct effects of this feature on physical demands (e.g., reduced need for workers to reposition patients) will require further investigation.

Relevance to industry

Hospital bed design features have the potential to reduce physical demands required of healthcare workers, yet there have been only limited empirical studies of these. Findings of the two current studies suggest that proactive ergonomic considerations in hospital bed design can reduce these physical demands.     

A faster branch-and-bound algorithm for the earliness-tardiness scheduling problem

This paper addresses the one-machine scheduling problem with earliness-tardiness penalties. We propose a new branch-and-bound algorithm that can solve instances with up to 50 jobs and that can solve problems with even more general non-convex cost functions. The algorithm is based on the combination of a Lagrangean relaxation of resource constraints and new dominance rules.     

The influence of age on isometric endurance and fatigue is muscle dependent: a study of shoulder abduction and torso extension

The present study examined differences in isometric muscle capacity between older (55-65 years) and younger (18 - 25 years) individuals. A total of 24 younger and 24 older participants (gender balanced within each group) performed sustained shoulder abductions and torso extensions to exhaustion at 30%, 50% and 70% of individual maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Along with endurance time, manifestations of localized fatigue were determined based on changes in surface electromyographic signals obtained from the shoulder (middle deltoid) and the torso (multifidus and longissimus thoracis) muscles. Strength recovery was monitored using post-fatigue MVCs over a 15-min period. Compared to the younger group, older individuals exhibited lower muscular strength, longer endurance time and slower development of local fatigue. Age effects on fatigue were typically moderated by effort level, while effects of gender appeared to be marginal. Non-linear relationships between target joint torque and endurance time were observed, with effects of age differing between shoulder abduction and torso extension. Overall, the effects of age on endurance and fatigue were more substantial and more consistent for the shoulder muscle than for the torso muscles and were likely related to differences in muscle fibre type composition. For strength recovery rates, no significant age or gender effects were found in either experiment. In summary, this study suggests that differences in isometric work capacity do exist between older and younger individuals, but that this effect is influenced by effort level and the muscle tested.     

Olfactory Responses to Aphid and Host Plant Volatile Releases: (E)-β-Farnesene an Effective Kairomone for the Predator Adalia bipunctata

The volatiles released from several aphid and host plant species, alone or associated, were studied for their infochemical role in prey location. Using a four-arm olfactometer, the attraction of several combinations of three aphid (Myzus persicae, Acyrthosiphon pisum, and Brevicoryne brassicae) and three plant (Vicia faba, Brassica napus, and Sinapis alba) species toward Adalia bipunctata larvae and adults was observed. Both predatory larvae and adults were attracted only by A. pisum and M. persicae when they were crushed, whatever the host plant. (E)-beta-farnesene, the aphid alarm pheromone, was the effective kairomone for the ladybird. Plant leaves alone (V. faba, B. napus, and S. alba) or in association with nonstressed whole aphids (the three species) did not have any attraction for the predator. The B. brassicae specialist aphid is the only prey that was not attracted to A. bipunctata larvae and adults, even if they were crushed. Release of B. brassicae molecules similar to the host plant allelochemicals was demonstrated by GC-MS analysis. The lack of behavioral response of the ladybird at short distance toward the cruciferous specialist aphid was related only to the absence of (E)-beta-farnesene in the aphid prey volatile pattern.     

Systems interface biology.

The field of systems biology has attracted the attention of biologists, engineers, mathematicians, physicists, chemists and others in an endeavour to create systems-level understanding of complex biological networks. In particular, systems engineering methods are finding unique opportunities in characterizing the rich behaviour exhibited by biological systems. In the same manner, these new classes of biological problems are motivating novel developments in theoretical systems approaches. Hence, the interface between systems and biology is of mutual benefit to both disciplines.