21. Passive shoulder exoskeletons : more effective in the lab than in the field?Sander De Bock, Jo Ghillebert, Renée Govaerts, Shirley A. Elprama, Uroš Marušič, Ben Serrien, An Jacobs, Joost Geeroms, Romain Meeusen, Kevin De Pauw, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: Shoulder exoskeletons potentially reduce overuse injuries in industrial settings including overhead work or lifting tasks. Previous studies evaluated these devices primarily in laboratory setting, but evidence of their effectiveness outside the lab is lacking. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of two passive shoulder exoskeletons and explore the transfer of laboratory-based results to the field. Four industrial workers performed controlled and in-field evaluations without and with two exoskeletons, ShoulderX and Skelex in a randomized order. The exoskeletons decreased upper trapezius activity (up to 46%) and heart rate in isolated tasks. In the field, the effects of both exoskeletons were less prominent (up to 26% upper trapezius activity reduction) while lifting windscreens weighing 13.1 and 17.0 kg. ShoulderX received high discomfort scores in the shoulder region and usability of both exoskeletons was moderate. Overall, both exoskeletons positively affected the isolated tasks, but in the field the support of both exoskeletons was limited. Skelex, which performed worse in the isolated tasks compared to ShoulderX, seemed to provide the most support during the in-field situations. Exoskeleton interface improvements are required to improve comfort and usability. Laboratory-based evaluations of exoskeletons should be interpreted with caution, since the effect of an exoskeleton is task specific and not all infield situations with high-level lifting will equally benefit from the use of an exoskeleton. Before considering passive exoskeleton implementation, we recommend analyzing joint angles in the field, because the support is inherently dependent on these angles, and to perform in-field pilot tests. This paper is the first thorough evaluation of two shoulder exoskeletons in a controlled and infield situation.
Keywords: assistive devices, exoskeletons, ergonomics, industrial plants, system validation
Published in DiRROS: 28.02.2022; Views: 833; Downloads: 608
 Full text (3,15 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
22. National report on qualitative research : newly arrived migrant children, long-term migrant children, local childrenLucija Dežan, Mateja Sedmak, 2021, final research report Keywords: migration, school system, educational system, schools, migrant learners, integration, focus group, interviews, participant observation, Slovenia
Published in DiRROS: 18.01.2022; Views: 931; Downloads: 290
Full text (657,76 KB) |
23. Reflexive methodology : newly arrived migrant children, long-term migrant children, local children : SloveniaMateja Sedmak, 2021, final research report Keywords: migration, school system, educational system, schools, migrant learners, surveys, interviews, participant observation, Slovenia
Published in DiRROS: 18.01.2022; Views: 940; Downloads: 308
Full text (468,54 KB) |
24. Reduced parasympathetic reactivation during recovery from exercise in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndromeJessica Van Oosterwijck, Uroš Marušič, Inge De Wandele, Mira Meeus, Lorna Paul, Luc Lambrecht, Greta Moorkens, Lieven Danneels, Jo Nijs, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: Although autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) has been proposed, conflicting evidence makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions regarding ANS activity at rest in ME/CFS patients. Although severe exercise intolerance is one of the core features of ME/CFS, little attempts have been made to study ANS responses to physical exercise. Therefore, impairments in ANS activation at rest and following exercise were examined using a case-control study in 20 ME/CFS patients and 20 healthy people. Different autonomous variables, including cardiac, respiratory, and electrodermal responses were assessed at rest and following an acute exercise bout. At rest, parameters in the time-domain represented normal autonomic function in ME/CFS, while frequency-domain parameters indicated the possible presence of diminished (para)sympathetic activation. Reduced parasympathetic reactivation during recovery from exercise was observed in ME/CFS. This is the first study showing reduced parasympathetic reactivation during recovery from physical exercise in ME/CFS. Delayed HR recovery and/or a reduced HRV as seen in ME/CFS have been associated with poor disease prognosis, high risk for adverse cardiac events, and morbidity in other pathologies, implying that future studies should examine whether this is also the case in ME/CFS and how to safely improve HR recovery in this population.
Keywords: autonomic nervous system, autonomic function, electrodermal activity, electrocardiogram, heart rate, physical activity
Published in DiRROS: 20.10.2021; Views: 1015; Downloads: 934
Full text (4,50 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
25. |
26. |
27. Educational community and school systems : Slovenia : migrant children and communities in a transforming EuropeMateja Sedmak, Barbara Gornik, Zorana Medarić, Maja Zadel, Lucija Dežan, 2020, final research report Keywords: migration, school system, educational system, schools, migrant learners, integration, Slovenia
Published in DiRROS: 10.05.2021; Views: 1149; Downloads: 520
Full text (1012,84 KB)
This document has many files! More... |
28. |
29. Impact of sedentarism due to the COVID-19 home confinement on neuromuscular, cardiovascular and metabolic health : physiological and pathophysiological implications and recommendations for physical and nutritional countermeasuresMarco Vicenzo Narici, Giuseppe De Vito, Martino V. Franchi, Antonio Paoli, Tatiana Moro, Giuseppe Marcolin, Bruno Grassi, Giovanni Baldassarre, Lucrezia Zuccarelli, Gianni Biolo, Filippo Giorgio Di Girolamo, Nicola Fiotti, F. Dela, Paul L. Greenhaff, Constantinos Maganaris, 2020, original scientific article Keywords: COVID-19, sedentarism, neuromuscular system, cardiovascular system, glucose homeostasis, body composition, nutrition, exercise
Published in DiRROS: 18.12.2020; Views: 1620; Downloads: 369
 Link to file |
30. Challenges and solutions in early detection, rapid response and communication about potential invasive alien species in forestsMaarten De Groot, Richard O'Hanlon, Erin Bullas-Appleton, György Csóka, Ágnes Csíszár, Massimo Faccoli, Eugenio Gervasini, Natalia Kirichenko, Márton Korda, Aleksander Marinšek, Nikki Robinson, Craig Shuttleworth, Jon Sweeney, Elena Tricarico, Laura Verbrugge, David Williams, Simon Zidar, Jana Kus Veenvliet, 2020, review article Abstract: Invasive alien species (IAS) are an important threat to forests. One of the best ways to manage potential IAS is through early detection and rapid response (EDRR) strategies. However, when dealing with IAS in forests, EU regulations are divided between phytosanitary regulations and IAS regulations. A version of EDRR for the former has been in place in the EU for more than 15 years while the latter is still in the process of being implemented. During 2019, a workshop was held to gather international experts on different plant health pests and IAS. The purpose of this workshop was to identify the opportunities and difficulties in applying the EDRR system in the EU phytosanitary and IAS legislation to four species for providing suggestions to improve the EDRR system. The model species are well known and come from different trophic levels. These species were the American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis); and the plant health pests Geosmithia morbida and Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis). We identified the similarities in the challenges of early detection, rapid response and communication of these species. For all species, difficulties in species identification, knowledge gaps on the pathways of spread, a lack of resources and uncertainty over which national government service was the competent authority were identified as the main challenges. Other challenges like public perception for the grey squirrel or methodological problems were species-specific. Regarding the rapid response: public perception, determination of the eradication area, sufficient scientific capacity and the lack of resources were common challenges for all species. Therefore, collaboration between institutes dealing with plant health pests and IAS can lead to better control of both groups of unwanted %organisms in forests.
Keywords: early warning system, plant health legislation, EU IAS legislation, alien species, Geosmithia morbida, Emerald ash borer, American pokeweed, Grey squirrel, rapid response system
Published in DiRROS: 11.12.2020; Views: 1802; Downloads: 719
Full text (995,71 KB)
This document has many files! More... |
