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Pantano M, Yang Q, Blumberg A, Reisch R, Hauser T, Lutz B, Regulin D, Kamps T, Traganos K, Lee D. Influence of task decision autonomy on physical ergonomics and robot performances in an industrial human-robot collaboration scenario. Front Robot AI 2022; 9:943261. [PMID: 36237843 PMCID: PMC9551648 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2022.943261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoption of human-robot collaboration is hindered by barriers in collaborative task design. A new approach for solving these problems is to empower operators in the design of their tasks. However, how this approach may affect user welfare or performance in industrial scenarios has not yet been studied. Therefore, in this research, the results of an experiment designed to identify the influences of the operator's self-designed task on physical ergonomics and task performance are presented. At first, a collaborative framework able to accept operator task definition via parts' locations and monitor the operator's posture is presented. Second, the framework is used to tailor a collaborative experience favoring decision autonomy using the SHOP4CF architecture. Finally, the framework is used to investigate how this personalization influences collaboration through a user study with untrained personnel on physical ergonomics. The results from this study are twofold. On one hand, a high degree of decision autonomy was felt by the operators when they were allowed to allocate the parts. On the other hand, high decision autonomy was not found to vary task efficiency nor the MSD risk level. Therefore, this study emphasizes that allowing operators to choose the position of the parts may help task acceptance and does not vary operators' physical ergonomics or task efficiency. Unfortunately, the test was limited to 16 participants and the measured risk level was medium. Therefore, this study also stresses that operators should be allowed to choose their own work parameters, but some guidelines should be followed to further reduce MSD risk levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Pantano
- Functional Materials and Manufacturing Processes, Technology Department, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich, Germany
- Human-Centered Assistive Robotics (HCR), Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Qiaoyue Yang
- Human-Centered Assistive Robotics (HCR), Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Adrian Blumberg
- Functional Materials and Manufacturing Processes, Technology Department, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich, Germany
| | - Raven Reisch
- Functional Materials and Manufacturing Processes, Technology Department, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich, Germany
| | - Tobias Hauser
- Functional Materials and Manufacturing Processes, Technology Department, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich, Germany
| | - Benjamin Lutz
- Functional Materials and Manufacturing Processes, Technology Department, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich, Germany
| | - Daniel Regulin
- Functional Materials and Manufacturing Processes, Technology Department, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich, Germany
| | - Tobias Kamps
- Functional Materials and Manufacturing Processes, Technology Department, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich, Germany
| | - Konstantinos Traganos
- Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences, School of Industrial Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Dongheui Lee
- Autonomous Systems, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany
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Łopuszańska-Dawid M, Szklarska A, Kołodziej H, Lipowicz A, Jankowska EA. The relationship between: occupational status, biological condition and androgen hormone level among Polish adult men: the Wroclaw Male Study. Aging Male 2016; 19:231-238. [PMID: 27690723 DOI: 10.1080/13685538.2016.1220519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Population health and its determinants are one of the major challenges to social and economic policy. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between occupational activity and biological condition in adult working Polish men. The participants of the study were 300 men (30-65 years), healthy inhabitants of the city of Wroclaw, Poland. Seventeen measures of biological condition were examined. The subjects were divided into three different occupational groups: professionals, soldiers and skilled workers. A comparison of biological age profiles of three occupational groups showed that in the majority of characteristics, professionals had the youngest biological age, whereas skilled workers had the highest biological age. The results for soldiers were not as unambiguous, but biological parameters were generally closer to those for professionals. Inborn biological predispositions and long-term impact of the working environment can influence on the biological condition of various professional groups. Knowledge of the determinants of biological condition might result in efficient use of predisposition to work or may be of help in extending their time of work ability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Halina Kołodziej
- b The Faculty of Biology and Animal Science , Institute of Biology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences , Wroclaw , Poland , and
| | - Anna Lipowicz
- b The Faculty of Biology and Animal Science , Institute of Biology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences , Wroclaw , Poland , and
| | - Ewa A Jankowska
- c Department of Heart Diseases , Wroclaw Medical University , Wroclaw , Poland
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Ota A, Yatsuya H, Mase J, Ono Y. Psychological job strain, social support at work and daytime secretion of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in healthy female employees: cross-sectional analyses. Sci Rep 2015; 5:15844. [PMID: 26552586 PMCID: PMC4639848 DOI: 10.1038/srep15844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 10/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence is limited concerning the influences of high psychological job strain and low social support at work on daytime secretion of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which demonstrates anti-cortisol effects. We carried out a cross-sectional study to examine the associations of job strain and social support with daytime secretion amounts of DHEA and cortisol and daytime variation of the cortisol-to-DHEA ratio (C/D ratio) in healthy female workers. Study subjects comprised 115 healthy female nursery school teachers. Area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCG) of salivary DHEA, cortisol and C/D ratio was calculated for estimation of daytime secretion and variation. Social support scores were negatively associated with daytime DHEA secretion (standardized partial regression coefficient = -0.343, P < 0.001 by multiple linear regression analysis). This association remained significant when daytime cortisol secretion was additionally adjusted. Social support was not associated with daytime variation of the C/D ratio. Significant association between social support and daytime cortisol secretion was not confirmed. Job strain was not associated with DHEA, cortisol or the C/D ratio. In summary, we found that daytime DHEA secretion was increased in healthy workers with low social support, perhaps independent of daytime cortisol secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsuhiko Ota
- Department of Public Health, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Yatsuya
- Department of Public Health, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Junji Mase
- Department of Public Health, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan
- Division of Dentistry, Aichi Cancer Centre Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Ono
- Department of Public Health, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan
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Work stress is associated with diabetes and prediabetes: cross-sectional results from the MIPH Industrial Cohort Studies. Int J Behav Med 2014; 20:495-503. [PMID: 22915148 DOI: 10.1007/s12529-012-9255-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diabetes is rapidly rising globally, and the relation of psychosocial stress in workplace to diabetes and prediabetes is not well investigated. PURPOSE The aim of the study was to examine the association of work stress with diabetes and prediabetes in a sample of German industrial workers. METHOD In this cross-sectional survey of an occupational cohort (n = 2,674, 77 % male), work stress was measured by the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) Questionnaire. Diabetic status, i.e., diabetes and prediabetes, were diagnosed by glycated hemoglobin A1c criterion or fasting plasma glucose criterion supplemented by self-reports. RESULTS The overall prevalence rates of diabetes and prediabetes were 3.5 and 42.2 %, respectively. Using ordinal logistic regression with adjustment for potential confounding factors, high ERI at work was associated with diabetes-related ordinal variable (odds ratio [OR], 1.27; 95 % confidence interval [95 % CI], 1.02-1.58) and prediabetes-related ordinal variable (OR, 1.26; 95 % CI, 1.01-1.58) in men, whereas the associations in women were somewhat less pronounced and did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION The findings indicate that work stress in terms of ERI is associated with diabetes and prediabetes in German industrial male workers. If supported by prospective evidence, results point to a new approach towards primary prevention of diabetes.
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Hirokawa K, Taniguchi T, Fujii Y. Job stress and agentic-communal personality traits related to serum cortisol levels of male workers in a Japanese medium-sized company: a cross-sectional study. Int J Behav Med 2014; 22:11-7. [PMID: 24590829 DOI: 10.1007/s12529-014-9403-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although serum cortisol is a widely accepted index of stress levels, associations between job stress and cortisol levels have been inconsistent. Individual differences in personality traits were discussed as one compelling explanation for this discrepancy. Agentic-communal personality traits have been examined as possible predictive factors for psychological stress. PURPOSE This study investigated correlations among agentic-communal personality traits and serum cortisol levels. It was also investigated whether job stress levels modified correlations between agentic-communal personality and cortisol levels. METHODS Participants were 198 male workers (mean age = 52.2 years) employed by a shipbuilding company in Japan. Questionnaire data and blood samples were collected during an annual health checkup. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire that included the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) that assesses job control as job stress levels the Communion-Agency scale (CAS) and questions regarding health behaviors. RESULTS Communion positively correlated with serum cortisol levels and unmitigated agency negatively correlated with serum cortisol levels. Stratified by job control, communion positively correlated with serum cortisol levels and agency negatively correlated with serum cortisol levels in participants with low levels of job control. Unmitigated agency negatively correlated with serum cortisol levels in participants with high levels of job control. CONCLUSION Levels of job control may modify correlations of gender-related personality with serum cortisol levels. Especially with exposure to high job stress, male workers with high femininity (i.e., high communion and low agency) were more likely to have a high stress response as measured by serum cortisol levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumi Hirokawa
- Department of Nursing, Baika Women's University, 2-19-5 Shukunosho, Ibaraki, Osaka, 567-8578, Japan,
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Toker S, Gavish I, Biron M. Job Demand–Control–Support and diabetes risk: The moderating role of self-efficacy. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WORK AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/1359432x.2012.698058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Xu W, Hang J, Gao W, Zhao Y, Li W, Wang X, Li Z, Guo L. Association between effort–reward imbalance and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) among Chinese workers: results from SHISO study. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2011; 85:215-20. [DOI: 10.1007/s00420-011-0650-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2011] [Accepted: 05/10/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Hansen AM, Larsen AD, Rugulies R, Garde AH, Knudsen LE. A Review of the Effect of the Psychosocial Working Environment on Physiological Changes in Blood and Urine. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2009; 105:73-83. [PMID: 19563453 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2009.00444.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ase M Hansen
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NRCWE), Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Bellingrath S, Weigl T, Kudielka BM. Chronic work stress and exhaustion is associated with higher allostastic load in female school teachers. Stress 2009; 12:37-48. [PMID: 18951244 DOI: 10.1080/10253890802042041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological studies have shown that chronic work stress or unfavourable psychosocial work conditions are prospectively associated with different adverse health outcomes. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between work-related chronic stress as well as exhaustion and a cumulative measure of physiological wear-and-tear called allostastic load (AL). AL could be a possible biological pathway for how chronic work stress and exhaustion lead to health impairments in the long run. As the teaching profession has been proposed to be a potentially high stressful occupation, chronic work stress (effort-reward-imbalance) and exhaustion were assessed in 104 female school teachers. AL was first analyzed according to McEwen's classical model comprised of ten parameters including cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEA-S), waist/hip-ratio (WHR), glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), total cholesterol/HDL-ratio, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Additionally it was extended to include tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, D-dimer, percent-body-fat, triglycerides, and glucose levels. A substantial proportion of our sample was highly exhausted whereas relatively few teachers showed high effort-reward-imbalance. AL scores were significantly higher in women high on effort-reward-imbalance or suffering from exhaustion. Although all teachers had been in a good health status, chronic work stress as well as exhaustion appears to be associated with changes in a multi-system summary indicator of physiological risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silja Bellingrath
- Department of Theoretical and Clinical Psychobiology, Graduate School of Psychobiology, University of Trier, D-54290 Trier, Germany
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Michaud K, Matheson K, Kelly O, Anisman H. Impact of stressors in a natural context on release of cortisol in healthy adult humans: a meta-analysis. Stress 2008; 11:177-97. [PMID: 18465466 DOI: 10.1080/10253890701727874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activation, culminating in elevated circulating cortisol levels is a fundamental response to stressors. In animals, this neuroendocrine change is highly reliable and marked (approximately 5-10-fold elevations), whereas in humans, the increase of cortisol release is less pronounced, and even some potent life-threatening events (anticipation of surgery) only elicit modest cortisol increases. Meta-analysis of factors that influenced the increase of cortisol release in a laboratory context pointed to the importance of social evaluative threats and stressor controllability in accounting for the cortisol rise. The present meta-analysis, covering the period from 1978 through March 2007, was undertaken to identify the factors most closely aligned with cortisol increases in natural settings. It appeared that stressor chronicity was fundamental in predicting cortisol changes; however, this variable is often confounded by the stressor type, the stressor's controllability, as well as contextual factors, making it difficult to disentangle their relative contributions to the cortisol response. Moreover, several experiential factors (e.g. previous stressor experiences) may influence the cortisol response to ongoing stressors, but these are not readily deduced through a meta-analysis. Nevertheless, there are ample data suggesting that stressful events, through their actions on cortisol levels and reactivity, may influence psychological and physical pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathy Michaud
- Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ont., Canada
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Sonnentag S, Fritz C. Endocrinological Processes Associated With Job Stress: Catecholamine and Cortisol Responses to Acute and Chronic Stressors. EMPLOYEE HEALTH, COPING AND METHODOLOGIES 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/s1479-3555(05)05001-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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