Human-centred automation to simplify the path to social and economic sustainability

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) pose a serious threat to sustainability in manufacturing. In particular, this phenomenon impacts the sustainability indicators of worker health and safety and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Effective MSD prevention measures would therefore constitute a remarkable contribution to social and economic sustainability. This chapter provides first an outline of existing methods to prevent MSD at the workplace. Analysis of the approaches yields that effective solutions require earmarked finances as well as qualified personnel, both of which are not affordable for many companies. In pursuit of solutions, Human-centred Automation (HCA), a recent paradigm in manufacturing, proposes the design of manufacturing systems using intelligent technology to support the worker instead of replacing him/her. HCA has the unique potential of reducing the effort needed to implement MSD prevention strategies by simplifying the path to social and economic sustainability. This chapter demonstrates this process with the example of the “Working Posture Controller” (WPC), which illustrates how the HCA concept can be applied. Finally, the lessons learned from the case are outlined, providing a vision of how future workplaces can benefit from HCA

Indicators of "Healthy Aging" in older women (65-69 years of age). A data-mining approach based on prediction of long-term survival

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prediction of long-term survival in healthy adults requires recognition of features that serve as early indicators of successful aging. The aims of this study were to identify predictors of long-term survival in older women and to develop a multivariable model based upon longitudinal data from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We considered only the youngest subjects (<it>n </it>= 4,097) enrolled in the SOF cohort (65 to 69 years of age) and excluded older SOF subjects more likely to exhibit a "frail" phenotype. A total of 377 phenotypic measures were screened to determine which were of most value for prediction of long-term (19-year) survival. Prognostic capacity of individual predictors, and combinations of predictors, was evaluated using a cross-validation criterion with prediction accuracy assessed according to time-specific AUC statistics.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Visual contrast sensitivity score was among the top 5 individual predictors relative to all 377 variables evaluated (mean AUC = 0.570). A 13-variable model with strong predictive performance was generated using a forward search strategy (mean AUC = 0.673). Variables within this model included a measure of physical function, smoking and diabetes status, self-reported health, contrast sensitivity, and functional status indices reflecting cumulative number of daily living impairments (HR ≥ 0.879 or RH ≤ 1.131; P < 0.001). We evaluated this model and show that it predicts long-term survival among subjects assigned differing causes of death (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular disease; P < 0.01). For an average follow-up time of 20 years, output from the model was associated with multiple outcomes among survivors, such as tests of cognitive function, geriatric depression, number of daily living impairments and grip strength (P < 0.03).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The multivariate model we developed characterizes a "healthy aging" phenotype based upon an integration of measures that together reflect multiple dimensions of an aging adult (65-69 years of age). Age-sensitive components of this model may be of value as biomarkers in human studies that evaluate anti-aging interventions. Our methodology could be applied to data from other longitudinal cohorts to generalize these findings, identify additional predictors of long-term survival, and to further develop the "healthy aging" concept.</p

Measures of frailty in population-based studies: An overview

Although research productivity in the field of frailty has risen exponentially in recent years, there remains a lack of consensus regarding the measurement of this syndrome. This overview offers three services: first, we provide a comprehensive catalogue of current frailty measures; second, we evaluate their reliability and validity; third, we report on their popularity of use

How ergonomics is contributing to overall equipment effectiveness: a case study

A study was conducted in an automotive industry in order to analyse the impact of the ergonomic measures in the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of the Company. The KPI selected was the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) used to estimate productivity and measured by availability, performance and quality. Due to dimension of this company an Ergonomic Workplace analysis was conducted comprising a generalist ergonomic study allowing the identification of the workstation that presented the worst ergonomic situation. After, specific ergonomic evaluation methods were applied identifying the tasks that compromised workers’ health. A list of measures to improve working conditions was proposed and implemented. In about a week, there was a 5% increase in performance and 91.7% of the ergonomic aspects previously evaluated by the workers improved, highlighting the overall satisfaction. General results showed that the implementation of the ergonomic measures contributed to improve company’s OEE. This research will contribute to raise awareness to the importance of the ergonomic aspects when designing and organizing workplaces in order to contribute to the economic and social objectives of the organization.INCT-EN -Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia para Excitotoxicidade e Neuroproteção(UID/CEC/00319/2019

Interrogating the Value of Learning by Extension in Enhancing Professional Quality: The Case of Australian and Venezuelan Engineers

Extension learning is a particular form of continuing professional development enacted in agriculture, engineering and science, whereby already qualified and experienced practitioners engage in periods of formalised training in specific, currently topical areas of study, whether 'in the field' or 'off base' at a university or other training provider. This kind of learning by extension inevitably bears the traces of the historically constructed and the geopolitically mediated regional, national and provincial contexts in which it is experienced. This is certainly the situation with the exploratory, dual site case study presented in this chapter of the provision of postgraduate engineering education with a sustainability focus by the relevant school of engineering in an Australian university, and also of the provision of extension learning by a specialised section in the faculty of engineering in a Venezuelan university. The analysis of these sites addresses the chapter’s research question: 'How can engineering professional quality be enhanced through extension learning in Australia and Venezuela?'. This analysis is clustered around the three themes of professional currency, professional agency and professional mobility. This discussion highlights the situated and increasingly politicised character of the provision of extension learning for Australian and Venezuelan engineers provided by the universities under review here. At the same time, there is considerable evidence of the ongoing effectiveness of that provision for generating quality practice in this professional enterprise/production field