Are you sitting down? Towards cognitive performance informed design

With many digital interaction designs, we can choose to operate the devices from a variety of postures – what we call self-positioning. In this paper we test two of these choices – sitting vs standing against standard neuropsychological assessments of cognitive executive function. We show that such choices do have significant effects on various cognitive processes. We argue therefore that there is an opportunity to extend parameters of digital interaction design to include self-position in order to optimize that design’s effectiveness for its intended activity

Development of Future Habitat Suitability Models for the Swift fox (Vulpes velox) in the American Southwest

The Swift fox (Vupes velox) is a habitat specialist species of short or mixed grass prairie. We used bioclimatic envelope models and habitat suitability models under three future climate scenarios (based on CO2 emission rates) from "www.climatewizard.org":http://www.climatewizard.org to fit species distribution models, using the maximum entropy method. Current suitable habitat for the swift fox covers an area of 161,984 km2. Under the future climate scenarios the habitat decreases by 27% in the low emission scenario, 63% for medium emissions, and 53% in the high emissions scenario. This decrease in suitable habitat corresponded to an overall decrease in total grassland landcover. The current total area of grassland is 423,440 km2. Under the future climate scenarios the grassland decreased by 12% in the low emissions scenario, 24% for medium emissions, and 16% in the high emissions scenario

A generalized method for multiple robotic manipulator programming applied to vertical-up welding

The application is described of a weld programming algorithm for vertical-up welding, which is frequently desired for variable polarity plasma arc welding (VPPAW). The Basic algorithm performs three tasks simultaneously: control of the robotic mechanism so that proper torch motion is achieved while minimizing the sum-of-squares of joint displacement; control of the torch while the part is maintained in a desirable orientation; and control of the wire feed mechanism location with respect to the moving welding torch. Also presented is a modification of this algorithm which permits it to be used for vertical-up welding. The details of this modification are discussed and simulation examples are provided for illustration and verification

Associations between biopsychosocial factors and chronic upper limb pain among slaughterhouse workers:cross sectional study

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of factors associated with chronic pain is necessary for preventive strategies. The present study investigates biopsychosocial differences, with specific focus on rate of force development (RFD) and work ability, between workers with and without chronic upper limb pain. METHODS: Eighty-two male slaughterhouse workers, 49 with chronic upper limb pain and 33 pain-free controls participated in the study. Maximal muscle strength, RFD, and muscle activity was determined from fast and forceful maximal voluntary contractions for the shoulder and hand. Participants filled out a questionnaire on work ability (work ability index), work disability (Work module of DASH questionnaire), fear avoidance, and self-rated health. Additionally, pressure pain threshold (PPT) was measured in muscles of the arm, shoulder and lower leg. RESULTS: Muscle strength and RFD (determined within time intervals of 30, 50, 100, and 200 ms relative to onset of contraction) was 28 % and 58–78 % lower, respectively, in workers with chronic pain compared with pain-free controls, and paralleled by reduced muscle activity (all p < 0.001). Workers with chronic pain had lower PPT of the arm, shoulder and lower leg (p < 0.01), and reported impaired work ability index score and general health along with higher work disability and fear avoidance compared with controls (all p < 0.0001). No differences were observed between the groups in regard to age, BMI, physical activity level, job position and duration of slaughterhouse work (all p > 0.4). CONCLUSIONS: Chronic upper limb pain was paralleled by reduced neuromuscular function of the shoulder and hand along with impaired work ability, work disability and general health. Future studies on chronic pain management at the workplace should carefully consider the biopsychosocial nature of pain when designing and implementing preventive strategies

Physical exercise at the workplace prevents deterioration of work ability among healthcare workers:cluster randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Imbalance between individual resources and work demands can lead to musculoskeletal disorders and reduced work ability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of workplace- versus home-based physical exercise on work ability among healthcare workers. METHODS: Two hundred female healthcare workers (Age: 42.0, BMI: 24.1, work ability index [WAI]: 43.1) from 18 departments at three Danish hospitals participated (Copenhagen, Denmark, Aug 2013—Jan 2014). Participants were randomly allocated at the cluster level to 10 weeks of: 1) workplace physical exercise (WORK) performed during working hours for 5x10 min per week and up to 5 group-based coaching sessions on motivation for regular physical exercise, or 2) home-based physical exercise (HOME) performed during leisure time for 5x10 min per week. Both groups received ergonomic counseling on patient handling and use of lifting aides. The main outcome measure was the change from baseline to 10-week follow-up in WAI. RESULTS: Significant group by time interaction was observed for WAI (p < 0.05). WAI at follow-up was 1.1 (0.3 to 1.8) higher in WORK compared with HOME corresponding to a small effect size (Cohens’d = 0.24). Within-group changes indicated that between-group differences were mainly caused by a reduction in WAI in HOME. Of the seven items of WAI, item 2 (work ability in relation to the demands of the job) and item 5 (sickness absence during the past year) were improved in WORK compared with HOME (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Performing physical exercise together with colleagues at the workplace prevents deterioration of work ability among female healthcare workers. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01921764. Registered 10 August 2013