Compensatory Actions Research Articles

The Impact of Exclusion Reasons and Trait Empathy on Third-Party Compensatory Behavior in Vicarious Exclusion

Social exclusion is a widespread phenomenon that not only negatively impacts the individuals directly excluded but also deeply affects bystanders who witness such exclusion. This study aims to investigate how bystanders' levels of trait empathy and their perception of the reasons for exclusion shape their third-party compensatory behaviors. Specifically, we examined whether bystanders with higher empathy levels are more likely to engage in compensatory actions when they perceive the exclusion as unjust. Using a 2x2 between-subjects experimental design, participants were divided into groups based on trait empathy (high vs. low) and the perceived appropriateness of the exclusion (appropriate vs. inappropriate). An online experiment was conducted to simulate social exclusion scenarios, and participants' responses were analyzed to understand how these factors influenced their behavior. The results demonstrated that bystanders with higher trait empathy were significantly more likely to offer compensation when the exclusion was perceived as inappropriate, highlighting the role of empathy in driving supportive actions. Conversely, bystanders with lower empathy showed less variation in their responses, regardless of the exclusion reason. These findings provide new insights into the interaction between personal traits and contextual factors in shaping bystander behavior during social exclusion. This study also offers practical implications for designing interventions aimed at reducing the negative effects of exclusion, promoting empathy, and creating a more inclusive and supportive social environment.

Reducing health disparities in providing care services in the intensive care unit: a critical ethnographic study

ObjectiveThe intensive care unit, with its structural complexity and the exposure of critically ill patients to various disparities, presents a significant setting for health disparities. This critical ethnographic study sought to uncover cultural knowledge and ethical practices for reducing health disparities in providing care services within the intensive care unit. The focus was on understanding how ethical considerations and cultural competence can address and mitigate these disparities effectively.MethodsThis critical ethnographic study was conducted in 2022–2023 at intensive care units in western Iran. Three interrelated phases were used to collect and analyze the data. More than 300 h of observation were done during the first phase. A horizon analysis was carried out in the next phase. To further enhance the dataset, 18 informants participated in semi-structured interviews and informal conversations. Following that, the analysis procedure was conducted to identify a culture of health disparities and factors that reduce it, as it had been in the prior stage. Trustworthiness data collection methods were implemented to ensure the validity and reliability of the study.FindingsTwo key themes emerged from the study: (A) Improved cultural competence, which encompassed empathy towards patients and their families, effective communication, prioritization of continuous learning, appropriate knowledge and awareness, sensitivity to cultural and religious beliefs, staff attitude and personality, and the delivery of customized care tailored to each patient’s needs. (B) Supporting role and compensating for disparities involved recommendations for upholding ethical standards, compensatory actions, maintaining professional behavior despite external factors, addressing gaps and deficiencies, and actively defending and supporting patients.ConclusionThe findings indicate that staff with high cultural competence can ethically mitigate health disparities through their supportive roles. Managers and health policymakers should create barriers to health disparity by improving staff cultural competence and knowledge about health disparities.

Bilateral interactions of optic-flow sensitive neurons coordinate course control in flies

Animals rely on compensatory actions to maintain stability and navigate their environment efficiently. These actions depend on global visual motion cues known as optic-flow. While the optomotor response has been the traditional focus for studying optic-flow compensation in insects, its simplicity has been insufficient to determine the role of the intricate optic-flow processing network involved in visual course control. Here, we reveal a series of course control behaviours in Drosophila and link them to specific neural circuits. We show that bilateral electrical coupling of optic-flow-sensitive neurons in the fly’s lobula plate are required for a proper course control. This electrical interaction works alongside chemical synapses within the HS-H2 network to control the dynamics and direction of turning behaviours. Our findings reveal how insects use bilateral motion cues for navigation, assigning a new functional significance to the HS-H2 network and suggesting a previously unknown role for gap junctions in non-linear operations.

Comprehensive technical analysis of a kickboxing fight in K1 format based on observation

Introduction: Observation and specialized analysis of confrontations in combat sports are fundamental for introducing corrections in training programs and for modifying the individual technical-tactical profiles of athletes in these types of activities. These actions comprehensively assess the progress of sports activities, ultimately inspiring and guiding the direction of training in sports clubs. The aim of this study was to analyze and assess the level of the offensive structure of Kickboxing sport fights in the K1 format, in terms of global simulated sparring, in selected thematic sets. Materials and Methods: The research material consisted of a multimedia recording of 10 simulated K1 sparring sessions, in which 20 professional athletes of this discipline participated (age: 24.5 ± 4.6 years; body height: 179.1 ± 4.6 cm; body weight: 81.7 ± 9.9 kg; BMI: 25.5 ± 3.7; training experience: 6.9 ± 1.3 years). To assess the offensive structure of the fight, a retrospective analysis of the recorded empirical material was conducted in terms of the quantity of attacks made, and then specialized technical-tactical preparation (PTT) indicators were calculated, in the global context of sparring, for thematic sets (total; punches vs kicks; right vs left limb attacks; type of techniques; direction of attack). Results: The analysis revealed a significantly higher technical-tactical efficiency regarding hand strikes, left hand, and direction of strikes to the opponent's head in terms of activity (p < 0.001), effectiveness (p < 0.001), and efficiency (p = 0.008–0.408) of attack. In isolated analysis of kicking techniques, a significant advantage in efficiency was registered for selected attacks directed at the lower parts of the opponent's body, i.e., torso, legs (p =< 0.001–0.043). The most effective and exploited techniques were: left straight (Aa x̃=36.8; Sa x̃=23.9), and for kicks, right low kick (Aa x̃=14.9; Sa x̃=5.6). The highest attack efficiency was noted for the right middle kick (Ea x̃=54.18). Several selected comparative sets (inter-limb symmetry, type of attack, direction of attack) for technical-tactical efficiency, were characterized by significant statistical differentiation (p=<0.001–0.048). Conclusions: Kickboxing is an asymmetrical combat sport, which necessitates the application of targeted training on individual body segments of the athlete, and compensatory actions in the prevention of injuries. The study results allow for detailed diagnosis and interpretation of the technical-tactical profile along with the key manifestation of offensive competencies in Kickboxing profession in the K1 format, favoring the optimization of the quality of coaching control.

Machine (network) learning in K-12 classrooms

In times when machine learning (ML) and other artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are expanding the role and definition of network learning in schools, this short paper reports from a practice-centred research project that explores how K-12 teachers affect and are affected by educational technologies with AI. Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, data-driven and decision-making systems with ML are already entering various educational policy and practice realms, often underpinned by promises of automation and personalization. A growing number of research, drawing from the theoretical orientations and empirical approaches from Science & Technology Studies is increasingly unpacking such promises as well as addressing controversies directly related to the constitutions of ML AI in education. Still, little research explores the adoption of data-driven AI technologies in classrooms from a socio-material, networked learning stance. This short paper introduces such work (in progress) drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Sweden. Guided by the ontological and methodological approaches of Actor-Network-Theory (ANT), the study focuses on the interactions in K-12 classrooms between commercial ML technologies and teachers. Methodologically this means engaging with both human and non-human actors through ethnographic approaches striving for very specific descriptions of interactions within the actor-network and its enacted realities. Preliminary findings from the first of two envisaged case studies in which a ML-based teaching aid in mathematics was tried out in 22 classrooms indicate how compensatory and contradictory actions and accounts emerge within the network of heterogeneous actors. Human actors seem to compensate for the algorithmic actions of the specific educational technology with ML. This is however not a fait accompli but a continuous and unsettled process in the making between humans and the (non-human) technology. Preliminary results also suggest how controversies of ML algorithms in teaching aids, such as their lack of transparency and algorithmic “governance” play out in authentic learning contexts. In conclusion, the paper argues that theoretical and methodological principles of ANT grant for non-deterministic narrative of the heterogeneous nature of educational practice and have the potential to open the black-box of machine learning in the emerging networked learning settings of K-12 classrooms.

Transhumeral prosthesis use affects upper body kinematics and kinetics

BackgroundTranshumeral (TH) limb loss leads to loss of body mass and reduced shoulder range of motion. Despite most owning a prosthesis, prosthesis abandonment is common. The consequence of TH limb loss and prosthesis use and disuse during gait may be compensation in the upper body, contributing to back pain or injury. Understanding the impact of not wearing a TH prosthesis on upper body asymmetries and spatial-temporal aspects of gait will inform how TH prosthesis use and disuse affects the body. Research questionDoes TH limb loss alter upper body asymmetries and spatial-temporal parameters during gait when wearing and not wearing a prosthesis compared to able-bodied controls? MethodsEight male TH limb loss participants and eight male control participants completed three gait trials at self-selected speeds. The TH limb loss group performed trials with and without their prosthesis. Arm swing, trunk angular displacement, trunk-pelvis moment, and spatial-temporal aspects were compared using non-parametric statistical analyses. ResultsBoth TH walking conditions showed greater arm swing in the intact limb compared to the residual (p≤0.001), resulting in increased asymmetry compared to the control group (p≤0.001). Without the prosthesis, there was less trunk flexion and lateral flexion compared to the control group (p≤0.001). Maximum moments between the trunk and pelvis were higher in the TH group than the control group (p≤0.05). Spatial-temporal parameters of gait did not differ between the control group and either TH limb loss condition. SignificanceProsthesis use affects upper body kinematics and kinetics, but does not significantly impact spatial-temporal aspects of gait, suggesting these are compensatory actions. Wearing a prosthesis helps achieve more normative upper body kinematics and kinetics than not wearing a prosthesis, which may help limit back pain. These findings emphasize the importance of encouraging at least passive use of prostheses for individuals with TH limb loss.

Optimizing shoulder elevation assist rate in exoskeletal rehabilitation based on muscular activity indices: a clinical feasibility study

BackgroundRestoring shoulder function is critical for upper-extremity rehabilitation following a stroke. The complex musculoskeletal anatomy of the shoulder presents a challenge for safely assisting elevation movements through robotic interventions. The level of shoulder elevation assistance in rehabilitation is often based on clinical judgment. There is no standardized method for deriving an optimal level of assistance, underscoring the importance of addressing abnormal movements during shoulder elevation, such as abnormal synergies and compensatory actions. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of a newly developed shoulder elevation exoskeleton robot by applying a novel optimization technique derived from the muscle synergy index.MethodsTwelve chronic stroke participants underwent an intervention consisting of 100 robot-assisted shoulder elevation exercises (10 × 10 times, approximately 40 min) for 10 days (4–5 times/week). The optimal robot assist rate was derived by detecting the change points using the co-contraction index, calculated from electromyogram (EMG) data obtained from the anterior deltoid and biceps brachii muscles during shoulder elevation at the initial evaluation. The primary outcomes were the Fugl–Meyer assessment-upper extremity (FMA-UE) shoulder/elbow/forearm score, kinematic outcomes (maximum angle of voluntary shoulder flexion and elbow flexion ratio during shoulder elevation), and shoulder pain outcomes (pain-free passive shoulder flexion range of motion [ROM] and visual analogue scale for pain severity during shoulder flexion). The effectiveness and safety of robotic therapy were examined using the Wilcoxon signed-rank sum test.ResultsAll 12 patients completed the procedure without any adverse events. Two participants were excluded from the analysis because the EMG of the biceps brachii was not obtained. Ten participants (five men and five women; mean age: 57.0 [5.5] years; mean FMA-UE total score: 18.7 [10.5] points) showed significant improvement in the FMA-UE shoulder/elbow/forearm score, kinematic outcomes, and pain-free passive shoulder flexion ROM (P < 0.05). The shoulder pain outcomes remained unchanged or improved in all patients.ConclusionsThe study presents a method for deriving the optimal robotic assist rate. Rehabilitation using a shoulder robot based on this derived optimal assist rate showed the possibility of safely improving the upper-extremity function in patients with severe stroke in the chronic phase.

Beneficial effects of simultaneously targeting calorie intake and calorie efficiency in diet-induced obese mice.

Semaglutide is an anti-diabetes and weight loss drug that decreases food intake, slows gastric emptying, and increases insulin secretion. Patients begin treatment with low-dose semaglutide and increase dosage over time as efficacy plateaus. With increasing dosage, there is also greater incidence of gastrointestinal side effects. One reason for the plateau in semaglutide efficacy despite continued low food intake is due to compensatory actions whereby the body becomes more metabolically efficient to defend against further weight loss. Mitochondrial uncoupler drugs decrease metabolic efficiency, therefore we sought to investigate the combination therapy of semaglutide with the mitochondrial uncoupler BAM15 in diet-induced obese mice. Mice were fed high-fat western diet (WD) and stratified into six treatment groups including WD control, BAM15, low-dose semaglutide without or with BAM15, and high-dose semaglutide without or with BAM15. Combining BAM15 with either semaglutide dose decreased body fat and liver triglycerides, which was not achieved by any monotherapy, while high-dose semaglutide with BAM15 had the greatest effect on glucose homeostasis. This study demonstrates a novel approach to improve weight loss without loss of lean mass and improve glucose control by simultaneously targeting energy intake and energy efficiency. Such a combination may decrease the need for semaglutide dose escalation and hence minimize potential gastrointestinal side effects.

Evaluación del Impacto Territorial, Análisis de Costes y Beneficios y principio de No Causar Daños Significativos para el diseño de obras y planes sostenibles

Economic, financial, and spatial analytical models are known to be integral parts of large territorial works and plans. Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) and, newly, Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA) and Do Not Significant Harms principle (DNSH) are required to support the decision-making and evaluation process underlying climate change, initial strategic investment confirmation and final reporting. Looking at them from an economic-geographical perspective and drawing inspiration from ongoing experiences in Europe and Italy, methodological and operational guidelines are suggested in the paper to address this issue, so that both the environmental and social costs are reflected in the costs/prices/returns and in the mitigation of the public works impacts, creating a strong link between economy, territory, and environment, so that externalities can become internalities. The underlying thesis is that, knowing the territorial impacts generated by the TIA and the sustainable consistency of the project with the DNSH taxonomy, it is possible to adopt compensatory and mitigation actions, including in the related CBAs; and, at the same time, to minimise the costs resulting from the lack of policy coordination in territorial action between regional and local plans, both horizontal and vertical, when large infrastructure projects come from top-down decision as in the case of Recovery and Resilience Facility plan

A Swing-Assist Controller for Enhancing Knee Flexion in a Semi-Powered Transfemoral Prosthesis.

This work proposes a new swing controller for semi-powered low impedance transfemoral prostheses that resolves the issue of potentially competing inputs between artificial assistive power and user-sourced power. Rather than add power as an exogeneous input, the control approach uses power to modify the homogeneous portion of the shank dynamics, and therefore need not construct or curate an input that is coordinated with user input. The implemented controller requires a single control parameter at a given walking speed, where the value of that parameter is a function of walking speed, as determined by an adaptive algorithm, such that peak knee angles are commensurate with walking-speed-dependent behaviors of individuals without any negative gait pathologies. The controller and parameter selection algorithm are described in the paper, and subsequently validated in walking experiments with three participants with unilateral transfemoral amputation. The experiments demonstrate that the proposed controller increases peak knee angle and minimum toe clearance during swing phase without increasing hip compensatory actions, relative to the users' daily-use devices.

Working through menopause: the role of hybrid working in symptom management for UK higher education professional services employees

ABSTRACT This study considered how hybrid working impacts the management of menopause symptoms in HE Professional Services (PS) employees. The evidence suggested that work was affected by menopause symptoms and poor workplace control increased symptom severity. Participants adapted their working environment and employed compensatory actions to perform optimally. In the office, women felt obliged to work through symptoms, whereas at home, women often worked longer hours. Women made career decisions based on symptoms. Job control and task-based autonomy gave improved menopause experiences. Supportive environments yielded positive workplace menopause transitions, even with low autonomy. Existing mechanisms like performance development reviews (PDRs), workplace risk assessments and reasonable adjustments could be used. Universities should raise awareness and provide training for managers, as the research showed that women wanted choice about menopause disclosure. A HE sector-level response is needed to address this extensive occupational health concern, to benefit from increased engagement and decreased staff turnover.

EXPERIENCES OF NURSES EXPERIENCING VIOLENCE IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Background: The phenomenon of violence against nurses is even higher. Still, the results of the study are 80% of nurses who experience violence do not report the incident, nurses take compensatory actions such as sick leave, fear, and lack of support from hospital administration&#x0D; Objectives: Researchers explored the experience of nurses and the need for more effective protection for emergency unit nurses, this is very important to understand the experiences of nurses who experience violence in the emergency unit.&#x0D; Methods: The qualitative approach that will be used is transcendent phenomenology (descriptive phenomenology). The population in this study were all emergency unit nurses at the Pontianak City government-owned hospital. Total 15 participants. The criteria for the participants were emergency unit nurses, nurses with experience of acts of violence by others, age &gt; 20 years, and willingness to become participants. The sampling technique used is purposive sampling. Researchers conducted interviews based on the guidelines that had been prepared. The ethical principles were applied on this study. The stages of data analysis in this study are based on the stages of Colaizzi&#x0D; Results: The results of this study describe the phenomenon of the experience of nurses who experience violence in the Emergency Unit. The five themes include (1) The working period of nurses who experience violence in the Emergency Unit; (2) Causes of nurses experiencing violent behavior in the emergency department; (3) Forms of violent behavior towards nurses in the emergency department; (4) The attitude of nurses who experience violence in the emergency unit; and (5) Protection of nurses in the emergency department&#x0D; Conclusion: It is believed that nurses who experience violence do not disclose it to management because there is a lack of management support and unclear reporting guidelines. The suggestions are that the management of and prevention of violence against nurses in Indonesia therefore requires management support, documented policies, clear reporting procedures, security systems in hospitals, and clear legal protection by leadership and Indonesian National Nurses Association.&#x0D;

The responsible business model canvas: designing and assessing a sustainable business modeling tool for students and start-up entrepreneurs

PurposeBusiness model (BM) canvases have been used in educational institutions and business incubators for over a decade to assist students and start-up entrepreneurs in developing their business projects. Given the urgency of tackling sustainability challenges, several tools have emerged to stimulate sustainable business modeling (SBM). However, these tools are often too complex for nonexperts in business modeling or sustainability, and thus insufficiently user-friendly for educational contexts. This study aims to address this pedagogical gap by describing the design process of the responsible business model canvas (RBMC).Design/methodology/approachThe authors relied on a design science research methodology involving the active participation of end users, entrepreneurship educators, business coaches and external partners. The authors proposed four criteria and ten subcriteria to analyze existing SBM canvases based on their user-friendliness and to design the initial prototype of the RBMC. The RBMC was subsequently tested in various settings, including classroom assignments and business incubation programs, with over 1,000 university students. The tool was refined and assessed throughout the development process, incorporating feedback from focus groups with start-up entrepreneurs.FindingsThrough the development process, the authors created a user-friendly tool to help novice student and start-up entrepreneurs integrate sustainability into their BMs: the RBMC. The canvas consists of 14 building blocks grouped into four areas: consistency (mission, vision, values), desirability (value propositions, customer segments, users and beneficiaries, customer relationships and channels), feasibility (key activities, key resources, key partners and stakeholders and governance) and viability (cost structure, revenues streams, negative impacts and positive impacts).Research limitations/implicationsThe research methods and user-friendliness criteria in this study can be applied in other contexts to design tools to support sustainable entrepreneurship education. While the RBMC is currently being used in several educational institutions throughout the world, its impacts in different pedagogical and cultural settings require further validation.Practical implicationsThe RBMC is a user-friendly tool to introduce students and start-up entrepreneurs to SBM. It helps raise users’ awareness about sustainability concerns, challenging them to consider issues they might have otherwise overlooked. Some participants even shifted their outlook and were motivated to develop a long-term vision integrating compensatory, mitigative or corrective actions into their BMs.Originality/valueThe RBMC is the outcome of a balanced approach that combines both pragmatic (i.e. user-friendliness) and normative (i.e. sustainability) perspectives. It provides users with a systematic approach for integrating and applying sustainability issues in their business projects.

Combined impact of elevated temperature and zinc oxide nanoparticles on physiological stress and recovery responses of Scylla serrata

Global climate change is the major cause behind unexpected fluctuations in temperature. In recent years, application of nanotechnology also has become widespread and nanomaterials are constantly being released into aquatic environments, posing a potential risk to various organisms and ecosystems. The lack of detailed understanding of how multiple stressors work, and how they differ from single stressors, impede to assess their combined effect on aquatic organisms and ecosystems. The prime aim of the current investigation is to decipher the toxicity of ZnO-NP after simultaneous exposure to a global environmental stressor, elevated temperature for 14 days, followed by a 7 days recovery period, on the eco-physiological responses of mud crab Scylla serrata collected from Sundarbans. Physiological energetics such as ingestion, assimilation, absorption, respiration, and excretion rates were measured to determine the Scope for growth (SfG). Additionally, we assessed various biomarkers from different levels of biological organisation (antioxidant, detoxification defence mechanisms, and lipid peroxidation levels) of the species. Combined stress attenuated the SfG in crabs which deteriorated further in the recovery phase. Oxidative stress also exacerbated under coalesced stress condition. Recovery was not observed in crabs with increased lipid peroxidation level under combined stress conditions. Elevated temperature disturbed the energy budget of crabs as mirrored by diminished energy left for compensatory actions under added metal stress, ultimately sensitizing the animals to ZnO NP pollutants. The current results advocate future ocean temperature to aggravate the impact of metal NP pollution and induce oxidative damage in S. serrata.

From the Spinopelvic Parameters to Global Alignment and Proportion Scores in Adult Spinal Deformity.

In the last 20 years, sagittal alignment and balance of the spine have become one of the most important issues in the field of spine surgery. Recent studies emphasize that sagittal balance and alignment are more important for health-related quality of life. The understanding of normal and abnormal sagittal alignment of the spine is necessary for the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of adult spinal deformity (ASD), and we will discuss the currently used classification of ASD, the parameters of sagittal alignment that are essential for the diagnosis of spinal deformity, compensatory actions to maintain sagittal balance, and the relationship between sagittal alignment and clinical symptoms. Furthermore, we will also discuss the recently introduced Global Alignment and Proportion scores. The Korean Spinal Deformity Society is publishing a series of review articles on spinal deformities to help spine surgeons better understand spinal deformities.

Koncepcja dzielnej ofiary a obszary kulturowo-prawnej dyskryminacji instytucjonalnej kobiet w Polsce

Institutional discrimination against women in Poland is a social problem that persists despite constitutional guarantees of gender equality and legislation providing for compensatory measures. The article analyzes the possibility of using M. Marody’s concept of the “brave victim” as a means of designing compensatory actions in legislation and enforcement that will help eliminate institutional discrimination. Institutional discrimination is defined in legal doctrine as discrimination that occurs at the level of a given institution, organization, or even society as a whole.The article also analyzes cultural and social factors that condition or contribute to the deepening of legal and social inequality for women. The article identifies areas of institutional discrimination in Poland, including: the labor market, parental rights, social rights, access to political functions, and increasing women’s participation in public life.The analysis of national legal regulations and regulations implemented from EU law indicates the heterogeneity of protection against discrimination. The article proposes conditions and principles for the application of special legal solutions that establish anti-discrimination standards applicable in the current social conditions in Poland.The concept of the “brave victim” is a social fact that the legislator should take into account when designing policy law to avoid social tensions and develop effective legal solutions to counter discrimination.

8-OR: Novel Mechanism of Lipoprotein Lipase Folding and Maturation in Adipocytes

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) plays a central role in systemic lipid clearance by catalyzing intravascular hydrolysis of lipoprotein triglycerides, hence representing an important target in the treatment of hyperlipidemia in diabetes. Nascent LPL protein undergoes folding and maturation in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), with only the properly folded ones exiting the ER and reaching to the cell surface. However, the maturation process for nascent LPL in the ER remains largely unknown. Here we show that LPL maturation in the ER is controlled by compensatory actions of two ER protein quality control mechanisms, ER-associated degradation (ERAD) and ER-phagy, in adipocytes. Specifically, we show that LPL is misfolding prone and degraded by ERAD, and when ERAD is compromised, LPL forms aggregates which is cleared by ER-phagy. In adipocytes lacking both ERAD and ER-phagy, ER fragments containing LPL aggregates cluster and fuse to form a novel cellular architecture, termed as Coalescence of ER Fragments (CERFs), where LPL undergo soluble-to-insoluble phase transition catalyzed by disulfide bond-mediated interactions. Lastly, mice with adipocyte specific ERAD and ER-phagy deficiency exhibited postprandial hyperlipidemia. In summary, this study provides novel insights into not only LPL biogenesis, but also the crosstalk between protein quality control pathways in the maintenance of ER homeostasis, as well as the disease pathogenesis, more broadly, associated with protein folding defects in the ER. Disclosure S.Wu: None. L.Qi: None.

Workplace deviance, emotional state and reparative behaviors: task visibility as a boundary condition in a mediated moderation model

PurposeGrounding upon moral cleansing and self-completion theories, this paper examines how workplace deviant behavior motivates employees to engage in subsequent compensatory actions—organizational citizenship behavior and prosocial behavior—triggered by the state of moral emotion – guilt. The article also explores and tests the role of task characteristics—task visibility—as a boundary condition in the guilt-mediated relationship between deviant employee behavior and compensatory behaviors.Design/methodology/approachA survey study on 396 full-time employees working for organizations operating in various industries is conducted to test the hypothesized mediated moderation model empirically. The authors conducted a structural equation modeling to provide empirical evidence for the proposed hypotheses.FindingsOffering both theoretical and practical implications, the findings of the study revealed that a deviance-triggered state of guilt encourages subsequent reparative actions, such as organizational citizenship behavior and prosocial behaviors. The results also showed that the level of task visibility had a significant role as a boundary condition in the relationships between workplace deviant behavior and reparative behaviors.Originality/valueUnlike previous research, which mainly found a negative connection between harming actions (i.e. deviant behavior) and helping behaviors (i.e. citizenship and prosocial behavior), this paper investigated and found how the state of guilt could be a mediator to link workplace deviant behavior to organizational citizenship behavior and prosocial behavior through moral cleansing and self-completion processes.

Quasi-passive lower limbs exosuit: an in-depth assessment of fatigue, kinematic and muscular patterns while comparing assistive strategies on an expert subject's gait analysis.

Wearable robots are becoming a valuable solution that helps injured, and elderly people regain mobility and improve clinical outcomes by speeding up the rehabilitation process. The XoSoft exosuit identified several benefits, including improvement of assistance, usability, and acceptance with a soft, modular, bio-mimetic, and quasi-passive exoskeleton. This study compares two assistive configurations: (i) a bilateral hip flexion (HA, hips-assistance) and (ii) a bilateral hip flexion combined with ankle plantarflexion (HAA, hips-ankles-assistance) with the main goal of evaluating compensatory actions and synergetic effects generated by the human- exoskeleton interaction. A complete description of this complex interaction scenario with this actuated exosuit is evaluated during a treadmill walking task, using several indices to quantify the human-robot interaction in terms of muscular activation and fatigue, metabolic expenditure, and kinematic motion patterns. Evidence shows that the HAA biomimetic controller is synergetic with the musculature and performs better concerning the other control strategy. The experimentation demonstrated a metabolic expenditure reduction of 8% of Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET), effective assistance of the muscular activation of 12.5%, a decrease of the muscular fatigue of 0.6% of the mean frequency, and a significant reduction of the compensatory actions, as discussed in this work. Compensatory effects are present in both assistive configurations, but the HAA modality provides a 47% reduction of compensatory effects when considering muscle activation.

Learning hybrid locomotion skills-Learn to exploit residual actions and modulate model-based gait control.

This work has developed a hybrid framework that combines machine learning and control approaches for legged robots to achieve new capabilities of balancing against external perturbations. The framework embeds a kernel which is a model-based, full parametric closed-loop and analytical controller as the gait pattern generator. On top of that, a neural network with symmetric partial data augmentation learns to automatically adjust the parameters for the gait kernel, and also generate compensatory actions for all joints, thus significantly augmenting the stability under unexpected perturbations. Seven Neural Network policies with different configurations were optimized to validate the effectiveness and the combined use of the modulation of the kernel parameters and the compensation for the arms and legs using residual actions. The results validated that modulating kernel parameters alongside the residual actions have improved the stability significantly. Furthermore, The performance of the proposed framework was evaluated across a set of challenging simulated scenarios, and demonstrated considerable improvements compared to the baseline in recovering from large external forces (up to 118%). Besides, regarding measurement noise and model inaccuracies, the robustness of the proposed framework has been assessed through simulations, which demonstrated the robustness in the presence of these uncertainties. Furthermore, the trained policies were validated across a set of unseen scenarios and showed the generalization to dynamic walking.