Isometric handgrip strength of agricultural workers from northeast region of India

Handgrip strength is considered as one of the most important factors for performing various agricultural tasks related to torqueing, lifting, pulling, pushing, etc. Hand tools and equipment which are designed based on anthropometric/strength data of different population, may not be suitable for any particular targeted user group. As a result work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) at upper extremity may occur very often. Lack of strength data of Assamese population (people of Assam, a state in northeast India), motivated present authors to conduct a survey on isometric handgrip strength data of 200 agricultural workers (130 male and 70 female, aged 17-62 years) from the Kamrup district of the state. Maximal isometric handgrip strength was determined using a handheld handgrip dynamometer with standard testing position, protocol and instructions. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation (SD), percentiles etc. were summarized. Results of student’s t-tests showed significant differences (

Anthropometric Measurement and Comparative Analysis of Ethiopian Army Personnel Across Age, Ethnicity, and Nationality

The anthropometric characteristics of the users depend upon the topography, nutrition, age, ethnicity, gender, and living conditions, and play a crucial role in the design of the equipment and the workspace to be used by them. This study aims to establish an anthropometry database for male Ethiopian army personnel and investigate the anthropometric variability across ethnicity, age, and with other countries, with the intention to facilitate ergonomic design and development of various facilities (e.g., equipment/ devices, and workspaces) for the Ethiopian army. Following the reliability assessment of the physical measurement technique, the anthropometric data from 250 Ethiopian male army personnel (four different ethnic groups at different age levels) were collected, and normality of the data set was tested. The anthropometric database of Ethiopian army personnel in terms of range, mean, standard deviation, percentile values (5th, 50th, and 95th) was documented. PCA was applied to select a smaller representative by reducing a larger set of variables for further statistical analysis and applications. ANOVA and follow-up posthoc test (Tukey’s HSD test) were carried out to compare anthropometric differences among different age groups and ethnic variations. The mean anthropometric differences were also compared with databases from other countries (India, Korea, and USA) using t-test. Significant variations were found when the anthropometry was compared between age, ethnicity, and cross-nationals. The findings indicate that variations in age, ethnicity, and geographical factors could have a significant impact on the ergonomic design of equipment and workspaces of Ethiopian army personnel

Effect of Hull Obliquity on Crew Protection, Mass and Space Occupancy of Light Armoured Vehicle

Apart from strengthening crew protective capability from gunfire, the hull obliquity in a light armoured vehicle (LAV) affects its weight and comfortable occupancy. Thus, it requires a critical design analysis for the obliqued hull. The study aims to present the optimal design analysis of an obliqued hull structure to ensure comfortable occupancy of the crew along with its minimum attainable weight and higher protection capability from the gunfire. Three geometric models (G1, G2, and G3) were investigated for the LAV hull’s optimal design. The analytical approach was used to investigate the hull obliquity’s effect, and the results were validated using experimental data reported by other researchers. Digital human modelling was adopted for validating the space adequacy of the hull. It was observed that the hull’s crew protection capabilities from the horizontal strike of armour piercing rounds/bullets were improved almost by half and double for G2 and G3, respectively, when compared with G1. The analytical results are also in good agreement with globally accepted experimental data at reasonable variations. The highest protection capability and comfortable occupancy for the targeted users can be achieved by G3 without affecting the mobility of LAV

Isometric muscular strength data of Indian agricultural workers for equipment design: Critical analysis

Abstract: Human muscular strength is extensively used in Indian agriculture for operating various push-pull type farm tools and equipment.  Incompatibility between operators’ physical capabilities (anthropometric and biomechanical) and demands of physical task to operate tools/equipment often leads to poor performance, low productivity and safety problems.  Although anthropometric data are generally being considered, an inadvertent negligence of using strength database for agricultural tools/equipment design is very common in developing countries like India.  Therefore, in present paper an attempt has been made to statistically analyze available strength data (pooled and regional/state wise data) of male and female Indian agricultural workers to understand nature of variability of those data in terms of difference between pooled Indian data vs. individual state data; difference between male vs. female data across various states of India; and for determining safe operational force limits for handling various agricultural tools/equipment.  Critical evaluation of male and female strength data revealed that there are significant differences (p<0.01 or p<0.05) between mean values of pooled Indian data vs. individual state data for almost all strength variables under study.  It has also been observed that average muscular strength of female is significantly lower (in general 2/3rd of male) than their male counter parts across all states.  Thus, present study concluded that regional variations and gender variation of isometric strength data are crucial ergonomic consideration for using percentile strength data during calculation of operational force limits for designing various agricultural tools/equipment to be used by targeted user populations from various parts of a country like India with huge ethnic diversity.   Keywords: ergonomics, muscular strength, tools and equipment, agricultural workers, Indi

KDEON WK-11: A short antipseudomonal peptide with promising potential

The plight of antimicrobial resistance continues to limit the availability of antibiotic treatment effective in combating resistant bacterial infections. Despite efforts made to rectify this issue and minimise its effects on both patients and the wider community, progress in this area remains minimal. Here, we de-novo designed a peptide named KDEON WK-11, building on previous work establishing effective residues and structures active in distinguished antimicrobial peptides such as lactoferrin. We assessed its antimicrobial activity against an array of bacterial strains and identified its most potent effect, against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with an MIC value of 3.12 mu M, lower than its counterparts developed with similar residues and chain lengths. We then determined its anti-biofilm properties, potential mechanism of action and in vitro cytotoxicity. We identified that KDEON WK-11 had a broad range of antimicrobial activity and specific capabilities to fight Pseudomonas aeruginosa with low in vitro cytotoxicity and promising potential to express anti-lipopolysaccharide qualities, which could be exploited to expand its properties into an anti-sepsis agent

Bone damage in rheumatoid arthritis: mechanistic insights and approaches to prevention

In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), cells within the inflamed synovium and pannus elaborate a variety of cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and IL-17, that contribute to inflammation, and may directly affect bone. The receptor activator of NF-kappaB (RANK) ligand/RANK/osteoprotegerin pathway plays a critical role in regulating osteoclastogenesis in articular bone erosions in RA. Proinflammatory cytokines can modulate this pathway, and may also affect the ability of the osteoblast to repair bone at sites of articular erosion. In this review, the authors discuss the current understanding of pathogenic mechanisms of bone erosion in RA and examine current therapeutic approaches to prevent this damage

Cross-Cultural Study on OSH Risk Perception of Solar PV Workers of Saudi Arabia and India: Risk Mitigation through PtD

A large number of workers are entering the rapidly growing solar photovoltaic industry. The emerging occupational safety and health risks faced by the workers have rarely been measured and aptly addressed. Moreover, there is a lack of cross-cultural studies on solar photovoltaic workers engaged across different countries. This study was planned to measure the occupational safety and health risks, socio-demographic parameters, study the cross-cultural aspects and develop design concepts for risk mitigation. Field studies were conducted in solar installations in Saudi Arabia and India. Socio-demographic data and risk perception scores for eighteen different occupational safety and health risks were obtained from the workers (n = 135). In addition, discomfort glare was also measured. Design concepts were developed following the hierarchy of controls matrix and the bow-tie analysis method using the prevention through design approach. Heat stress, electrocution, solar radiation, and fire/electric flash were found in the high and very high risk categories. This is a first-of-its-kind cross-cultural study in the solar photovoltaic industry which measures the occupational safety and health risks and develops design concepts for mitigation of risks. This study will be beneficial to solar project developers, safety professionals, ergonomists, industrial designers and policy makers