Sustained Force Research Articles

Sustainable HRM: toward addressing diverse employee roles

PurposeThe purpose of this empirical study is to develop an understanding of how human resource (HR) managers employed by organizations with an explicit sustainability agenda view employees as stakeholders, and to explore how such views are operationalized in HR policies and practices.Design/methodology/approachAn interpretive approach using data from 35 semi-structured interviews was adopted for this study. Data were transcribed and analyzed using the Gioia methodology.FindingsComparison of approaches to sustainable human resource management (HRM) revealed three distinctive conceptualizations of employees with respect to the sustainability agenda – employees as a driving force for sustainability, employees as consumers of HR practices and employees as members of a community. Strong levels of integration between the HRM and sustainability agendas were only evidenced in those organizations where an attempt had been made to address all three roles simultaneously. Findings suggest that engagement with a sustainability agenda widens the remit of the HRM function, underscoring the importance of employees' roles as consumers of HR practices and as members of wider communities.Practical implicationsBy addressing the integration of HRM with a sustainability agenda, this article helps practitioners recognize diversity among employees' roles and the varying associated needs. Examples of policy and practice initiatives that effectively address these needs are provided.Originality/valueHRM has been widely criticized for overemphasizing shareholder value, thereby lacking in attention to the needs of other stakeholders, including employees. Findings from this study suggest the holistic approach advocated by a sustainability agenda can effectively quell these concerns.

Hemodynamic Function of Forearm Muscle in Postmenopausal Women With Type 2 Diabetes.

Changes in the hemodynamic function of muscle are speculated as a causal mechanism for reduced motor capabilities with aging in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). The focus of this study was to evaluate changes in muscle oxygenation during sustained force production in postmenopausal women with DM compared with controls. Near-infrared spectroscopy was used to monitor deoxyhemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin in the flexor digitorum superficialis. Sensorimotor function and health state covariates were also assessed. Increased deoxyhemoglobin was found during force production, whereas oxyhemoglobin remained constant. Changes were found in the time structure of the hemodynamic data during force production. No between-group differences were found; instead, measures covaried with the health state. Sex-based differences in the manifestation of DM-related sensorimotor dysfunction are likely. These data indicate that basic cardiovascular health measures may be more beneficial to monitoring hyperemic status and muscle function in postmenopausal women with DM, compared with DM diagnosis.

Sex differences in muscle activity emerge during sustained low-intensity contractions but not during intermittent low-intensity contractions.

Sex differences in motor performance may arise depending on the mode of contraction being performed. In particular, contractions that are held for long durations, rather than contractions that are interspersed with rest periods, may induce greater levels of fatigue in men compared to women. The purpose of this study was to examine fatigue responses in a cohort of healthy men (n = 7, age [mean] = 21.6 ± [SD] 1.1 year) and women (n = 7, age: 22.0 ± 2.0 year) during sustained isometric and intermittent isometric contractions. Two contraction protocols were matched for intensity (20% MVC) and total contraction time (600‐s). Biceps brachii EMG and elbow flexion torque steadiness were examined throughout each protocol, and motor nerve stimulation was used to quantify central and peripheral fatigue. Overall, there were few sex‐related differences in the fatigue responses during intermittent contractions. However, men exhibited progressively lower maximal torque generation (39% versus 27% decrease), progressively greater muscle activity (220% versus 144% increase), progressively greater declines in elbow flexion steadiness (354% versus 285% decrease), and progressively greater self‐perception of fatigue (Borg scale: 8.8 ± 1.2 versus 6.3 ± 1.1) throughout the sustained contractions. The mechanism underlying fatigue responses had a muscle component, as voluntary activation of the biceps brachii did not differ between sexes, but the amplitude of resting twitches decreased throughout the sustained contractions (m: 32%, w: 10% decrease). As generating large sustained forces causes a progressive increase in intramuscular pressure and mechanical occlusion—which has the effect of enhancing metabolite accumulation and peripheral fatigue—it is likely that the greater maximal strength of men contributed to their exacerbated levels of fatigue.

Hydrogen-Bonding Reinforced Injectable Hydrogels: Application As a Thermo-Triggered Drug Controlled-Release System

Most injectable hydrogels are prone to irreversible deformation or damage under sustained shear forces and exhibit low mechanical properties, which limit their practical applications in biological ...

Corporate sustainability and enterprise performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between economic performance in terms of labour productivity of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their corporate sustainability in association with the driving forces of internationalization process and enterprise networks.Design/methodology/approachThe paper develops an innovative theoretical–conceptual approach and applied unique empirical survey to investigate the simultaneous causalities between labour productivity and corporate sustainability, in the context of the set of relationships controlled with two other set of variables for mediating role of the internationalization process and enterprise networks focusing on business collaborations between SMEs. Four hypotheses are tested by the developed structural equation model for the unique in-depth survey data of Slovenian SMEs.FindingsThe results highlight significant positive correlations between the studied variables and their constructs, which indicate scientific justification to variables as factors. The results confirmed that internationalization process and enterprise networks are positively associated in improving corporate sustainability, which drives labour productivity.Practical implicationsThe implications of this research are for managers regarding strategies and approaches aiming at sustainable development of SMEs, and for policy-makers regarding appropriate policies for practices encouraging internalization processes and enterprise networks as important drivers of corporate sustainability and labour productivity of SMEs.Originality/valueThe main scientific value added of this research is that combines and empirically examines driving forces of corporate sustainability in SMEs based on related studies, to develop more comprehensive structural equation model for better understanding of the corporate sustainability behaviour in SMEs.

A thorough investigation on pushing activities in industry: The impact of the variation in the speed of motion and load conditions on initial and sustained forces

Pushing and pulling wheeled objects represent a significant part of manual material handling activities in industry. Medical investigations and epidemiological studies proved the correlation between such activities and the occurrence of lumbago, low back pain and adverse effects on the shoulders. The ISO 11228–2:2007 provides the recommended limits for pushing and pulling. Such values are the results of psychophysical studies realized under prescribed speed conditions referring to a slow walk. However, observation of real industrial and service sector environments reveals that workers are required to perform pushing activities at higher speed of motion.The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the variation in the speed of motion and load conditions on push forces. 96 subjects performed a total of 2592 trials consisting of pushing an industrial trolley for warehouse applications, at different speed values and load conditions. Results confirm the presence of correlation between the increasing speed of motion and push forces. The findings have practical value for researchers, occupational physicians and ergonomics practitioners.

Sustainability Reporting Quality of Peruvian Listed Companies and the Impact of Regulatory Requirements of Sustainability Disclosures

Regulations establishing mandatory sustainability reporting practices are proliferating around the world. The empirical evidence comparing sustainability reporting quality (SRQ) in the context of mandatory and voluntary institutional frameworks does not show consensus. Similarly, this occurs with studies addressing the effects of regulatory shocks on SRQ. Moreover, empirical evidence addressing SRQ in Latin American countries is scarce. To fill this gap, this study aims to explore the consequences of introducing new regulatory requirements for sustainability disclosure on SRQ of Peruvian companies. To reach that goal, 81 sustainability disclosure documents published between 2014 and 2016 by 27 companies included in the S&P/BVL Peru General Index of Lima’s Stock Exchange were analyzed using qualitative content analysis methods and adopting a multidimensional approach for SRQ evaluation. The findings show a constant improvement of SRQ regardless of the introduction of the new regulatory requirements. Furthermore, after the entry into force of new sustainability reporting obligations, the number of companies providing third-party independent assurance of the information contained in their sustainability disclosure documents decreases, suggesting that for the Peruvian case, regulatory requirements tend to discourage companies to invest in the credibility of their sustainability disclosure documents, and promote a symbolic application of sustainability disclosure standards.

Medial gastrocnemius muscles fatigue but do not atrophy in paralyzed cat hindlimb after long-term spinal cord hemisection and unilateral deafferentation

This study of medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle and motor units (MUs) after spinal cord hemisection and deafferentation (HSDA) in adult cats, asked 1) whether the absence of muscle atrophy and unaltered contractile speed demonstrated previously in HSDA-paralyzed peroneus longus (PerL) muscles, was apparent in the unloaded HSDA-paralyzed MG muscle, and 2) how ankle unloading impacts MG muscle and MUs after dorsal root sparing (HSDA-SP) with foot placement during standing and locomotion. Chronic isometric contractile forces and speeds were maintained for up to 12 months in all conditions, but fatigability increased exponentially. MU recordings at 8–11½ months corroborated the unchanged muscle force and speed with significantly increased fatigability; normal weights of MG muscle confirmed the lack of disuse atrophy. Fast MUs transitioned from fatigue resistant and intermediate to fatigable accompanied by corresponding fiber type conversion to fast oxidative (FOG) and fast glycolytic (FG) accompanied by increased GAPDH enzyme activity in absolute terms and relative to oxidative citrate synthase enzyme activity. Myosin heavy chain composition, however, was unaffected. MG muscle behaved like the PerL muscle after HSDA with maintained muscle and MU contractile force and speed but with a dramatic increase in fatigability, irrespective of whether all the dorsal roots were transected. We conclude that reduced neuromuscular activity accounts for increased fatigability but is not, in of itself, sufficient to promote atrophy and slow to fast conversion. Position and relative movements of hindlimb muscles are likely contributors to sustained MG muscle and MU contractile force and speed after HSDA and HSDA-SP surgeries.

Resolvent analysis on the origin of two-dimensional transonic buffet

Resolvent analysis is performed to identify the origin of two-dimensional transonic buffet over an airfoil. The base flow for the resolvent analysis is the time-averaged flow over a NACA 0012 airfoil at a chord-based Reynolds number of 2000 and a free-stream Mach number of 0.85. We reveal that the mechanism of buffet is buried underneath the global low-Reynolds-number flow physics. At this low Reynolds number, the dominant flow feature is the von Karman shedding. However, we show that with the appropriate forcing input, buffet can appear even at a Reynolds number that is much lower than what is traditionally associated with transonic buffet. The source of buffet is identified to be at the shock foot from the windowed resolvent analysis, which is validated by companion simulations using sustained forcing inputs based on resolvent modes. We also comment on the role of perturbations in the vicinity of the trailing edge. The present study not only provides insights on the origin of buffet but also serves a building block for low-Reynolds-number compressible aerodynamics in light of the growing interests in Martian flights.

Atomic-scale modeling of the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of dilute alloys driven by forced atomic relocations

Sustained external forces acting on a material provide additional mechanisms to evolve the state of the system, and these mechanisms do not necessarily obey the microscopic detailed balance. Therefore, standard methods to compute the thermodynamic and kinetic properties do not apply in such driven systems. The competition between these mechanisms and the standard thermally activated jumps leads to non-equilibrium steady states. We extend the Self-Consistent Mean Field theory to take into account forced atomic relocations (FARs) as a model of these additional kinetic mechanisms. The theory is applied to the atomic-scale modelling of radiation damage. Using a first-shell approximation of the theory, we highlight the violation of Onsager reciprocal relations in driven systems. An implementation of the extended theory into the KineCluE code yields calculations of the effective Onsager coefficients in agreement with Monte Carlo simulations. A systematic parametric study is performed to emphasize the effect of FAR distances and the solute-defect interaction on the diffusion properties. The effect of FAR on the vacancy-solute flux coupling and the solute tracer diffusivity is non-negligible when: (i) the solute-vacancy thermodynamic attraction is large, (ii) the magnitude of the thermal jump frequencies is lower or comparable to the frequencies of FAR, and (iii) the range of interactions between vacancies and solute atoms is close to FAR distances.

A directional preference approach for chronic pelvic pain, bladder dysfunction and concurrent musculoskeletal symptoms: a case series

ABSTRACT Background Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) with concurrent musculoskeletal and bladder symptoms is a complex and challenging problem. However, clinically the co-existence of these symptoms is not routinely questioned, and their musculoskeletal source is not investigated thoroughly. The purpose of this case series is to present the use of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) principles in seven patients with concurrent chronic pelvic pain, bladder dysfunction and musculoskeletal symptoms. Case Descriptions Seven patients with coexisting pelvic health and musculoskeletal signs and symptoms were retrospectively reviewed. Most common symptoms were urinary frequency, incontinence, pelvic pain, nocturia, dyspareunia, bladder dyssynergia, and lumbar, pelvic or hip pain. All patients failed to recognize the possible interconnectedness of the two sets of symptoms. Each exhibited a directional preference (DP) and subsequent MDT provisional classification of derangement was established; the use of DP forces abolished or dramatically improved both symptoms and mobility impairments. In all cases DP was for sustained sagittal forces initially, but ultimately lateral forces and mobilization were indicated. Outcomes Changes in Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire, Care Connections Pelvic Floor and Lumbar spine were all clinically significant and exceeded minimally Clinical Important Differences several times. Average of 5.8 sessions per patient was noted. Follow-up at an average of 3.3 years revealed ongoing satisfaction and confidence in independent self-management. Discussion These case studies highlight the importance of ensuring expansion of intake questions for possible co-existence of symptoms in both pelvic and musculoskeletal patients, possibly suggesting a mechanical intervention is indicated. Provisional subclassification into ‘Mechanical Pelvic Syndrome’ is proposed. Level of Evidence: 4.

Lifestyle risk factors, non-communicable diseases and labour force participation in South Africa

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates the indirect effects of lifestyle risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases on labour force participation in South Africa utilising data from the National Income Dynamics Study. Endogenous multivariate probit models with a recursive simultaneous structure were employed in the study as a method of analysis. Findings showed a negative effect of non-communicable diseases on labour force participation. When the analysis was disaggregated by gender, the results showed that the effect of stroke and heart diseases were only significant for men, while diabetes and hypertension were only significant for women. The results also emphasised the significant indirect impact of obesity, physical activity and alcohol consumption on labour force participation through non-communicable diseases, especially for men. The policy implications of this study are thus gender-specific. These results can be used to inform the South African National Department of Health to strengthen current health strategies with the aim of reducing lifestyle risk factors and thus promoting sustained labour force participation rates in South Africa.

Precision Sensorimotor Control in Aging FMR1 Gene Premutation Carriers.

BackgroundIndividuals with premutation alleles of the FMR1 gene are at risk of developing fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a neurodegenerative condition affecting sensorimotor function. Information on quantitative symptom traits associated with aging in premutation carriers is needed to clarify neurodegenerative processes contributing to FXTAS.Materials and Methods26 FMR1 premutation carriers ages 44–77 years and 31 age-matched healthy controls completed rapid (2 s) and sustained (8 s) visually guided precision gripping tasks. Individuals pressed at multiple force levels to determine the impact of increasing the difficulty of sensorimotor actions on precision behavior. During initial pressing, reaction time, the rate at which individuals increased their force, the duration of pressing, and force accuracy were measured. During sustained gripping, the complexity of the force time series, force variability, and mean force were examined. During relaxation, the rate at which individuals decreased their force was measured. We also examined the relationships between visuomotor behavior and cytosine-guanine-guanine (CGG) repeat length and clinically rated FXTAS symptoms.ResultsRelative to controls, premutation carriers showed reduced rates of initial force generation during rapid motor actions and longer durations of their initial pressing with their dominant hand. During sustained force, premutation carriers demonstrated reduced force complexity, though this effect was specific to younger premutation carries during dominant hand pressing and was more severe for younger relative to older premutation carriers at low and medium force levels. Increased reaction time and lower sustained force complexity each were associated with greater CGG repeat length for premutation carriers. Increased reaction time and increased sustained force variability were associated with more severe clinically rated FXTAS symptoms.ConclusionOverall our findings suggest multiple sensorimotor processes are disrupted in aging premutation carriers, including initial force control guided by feedforward mechanisms and sustained sensorimotor behaviors guided by sensory feedback control processes. Results indicating that sensorimotor issues in aging premutation carriers relate to both greater CGG repeat length and clinically rated FXTAS symptoms suggest that quantitative tests of precision sensorimotor ability may serve as key targets for monitoring FXTAS risk and progression.

Research on improving central defects of billet by external vibration strike

ABSTRACT Make use of the positive thixotropic characteristic which decrease wall viscous force and increasing fluidity of molten steel in mushy zone by sustained shear force acting on mushy zone. In the test, the billet surface is continuously struck by 20 Hz frequency external force at the position of 20–30% linear proportion of liquid core. The results show that with vibration strike, the central porosity is obviously reduced and shrinkage cavity has been eliminated almost totally, the central carbon segregation didn’t solve. In-situ analysis shows that the uniformity of carbon content distribution in the centre of vibration strike billet is better than that of non- vibration strike billet, and the central density of vibration strike billet is higher than that of non-vibration strike billet.

Climate Response to Pulse Versus Sustained Stratospheric Aerosol Forcing

AbstractSolar geoengineering has been suggested as a potential means to counteract anthropogenic warming. Major volcanic eruptions have been used as natural analogues to large‐scale deployments of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering, yet difference in climate responses to these forcings remains unclear. Using the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Earth System Model, we compare climate responses to two highly idealized stratospheric aerosol forcings that have different durations: a short‐term pulse representative of volcanic eruptions and a long‐term sustained forcing representative of geoengineering. For the same amount of global mean cooling, decreases in land temperature, precipitation, and runoff in the pulse case are much larger than that in the sustained case. The spatial pattern changes differ substantially between these two cases. Thus, direct extrapolations from volcanic eruption observations provide limited insight into impacts of potential stratospheric aerosol geoengineering. However, simulations of volcanic eruptions can be useful to test process representations in models that are used to simulate geoengineering deployments.

Public value of online financial transparency

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to apply Moore’s public value model into the context of e-government research by examining online financial transparency as both an organizational goal and as a driving force for financial sustainability and public officials’ corruption. The empirical context comprises the state governments in the USA. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling is used to examine the relationship between specific contextual factors of the authorizing environment, financial sustainability, public official corruption and online budget transparency. Findings The results show that contextual factors like population explain online financial transparency, while financial sustainability and corruption had moderating and negative effects. Practical implications Governments that struggle with issues of financial sustainability and corruption will rely more on online financial transparency. Transparency increases detection of public corruption. Originality/value The effects of financial transparency and financial sustainability on corruption have been studied separately. This study fills the gap of understanding the effects of both on corruption as one phenomenon.

A satellite mission concept for high drag environments

The United States scientific, military, and academic communities need the ability to maintain a presence within the vast gap in altitudes between where airplanes can fly and where satellites can be sustained in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The list of potential stakeholders that could benefit from such a platform is long and includes a broad array of interests. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides weather forecasts critical to disaster preparedness and response. The military and defense communities provide Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and imagery (IMINT) that deepen our awareness and preparedness for potential threats to our nation and liberties. Colleges and universities conducting space weather research provide advances in our knowledge of the physical and chemical processes that inform our understanding of our environment on scales ranging from elemental to universal. As satellite altitudes decrease below 300 km, their orbits decay more rapidly due to the decelerating effects of rarefied gas interactions with satellite surfaces, as the satellite passes thought the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere. The F region of the Earth's Ionosphere extends upward from about 160 km and is characterized by significant concentrations of free electrons. Densities of both neutral rarefied gases and charged particles in these regions vary by orders of magnitude. Day-night variations cycle over roughly 24-hour periods, and long-term variations occur due to the approximately eleven year span between solar maxima and minima. Due to the variability of these atmospheric constituents, many challenges exist for mission designers, ranging from how best to counter drag forces, to protecting against unwanted spacecraft charging. Mission designers are also faced with other inherent challenges because of these low altitude regimes, like Atomic Oxygen (AO) erosion of spacecraft materials, and short contact times. This paper examines the lower bound of satellite flight from a system perspective, presents previous research in the area, and discusses methods that may be able to narrow the gap by implementing sustained force in the satellite's orbital ram direction designed to reduce or eliminate the effect of drag, while minimizing the amount of stored propellant, thereby lengthening satellite lifetimes in these regions and enabling innovative new missions within our scientific, military, and academic communities. The classical Systems Engineering process is used to compare historical mission concepts and present a candidate satellite mission point design.

Numerical Experiments on Tsunami Wave Forces on Open Structures Using Dam-Break Method

Open wall structures, such as those found in mosques, sustained large forces generated by a tsunami as in the case of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Although the surrounding buildings were flattened, there were a number of mosques in the tsunami affected area could still stand in the middle of the area. These motivated this study to look into more details the hydrodynamic forces generated around the open structures. This research was aimed at investigating the tsunami wave forces on open structures and at knowing relation between the tsunami waves velocity and the pressures on the pillars of the open structures. DualSPHysic was used to simulate the tsunami wave forces on the structures. The DualSPHysic is a smoothed particle hydrodynamic model with mesh-less method. We simulated 12 numerical simulations by constructing a-130 m wave flume equipped with dam-break at one end to generate the tsunami-like flows. A sloping bed was placed in front of an open wall structure. Four pillars were set to imitate a simplified model of open wall structure. Numerical observation points were placed at offshore part of the model, in front of the pillars (lee-side) and at the back of the pillars (wake-side). Simulations were performed for about 6 seconds started from releasing the dam gate and before the flow being reflected by the other end of the flume. This study proved that the impacts of the tsunami-like forces are more significant of the front row of the pillars. Meanwhile, tsunami wave forces at the back row of the pillars group are inconclusive to the wave velocity and wave heights.

De la política no estadocéntrica a la fatalidad estatal. Decurso con-formativo del Estado Plurinacional

<p>En el ocaso del progresismo sudamericano, es evidente la contradicción recurrente en que caen los gobiernos que lo adoptaron: el uso de una semiótica emancipatoria, a la vez que restablece la vitalidad de la mediación capitalista como función privilegiada de la institución estatal. A partir del caso boliviano, este artículo se propone explicar cómo el gobierno de Evo Morales restituyó un mando político estatal estable –luego de más de cinco años de rebeliones (2000-2005)– desde una alianza con las clases dominantes del país, utilizando para ello una particular forma de construcción de hegemonía sostenida en el despojo de la capacidad política<br />de las organizaciones sociales comunitarias, lo cual permitió neutralizar y desarticular su fuerza, así como desdibujar los horizontes desde donde años antes plantearon su lucha.</p>

Using simple interrupted suture anastomoses may impair translatability of experimental rodent oesophageal surgery

Background/purpose: Irreproducibility and missing translatability are major drawbacks in experimental animal studies. Hand-sewn anastomoses in oesophageal surgery are usually continuous, whereas those in experimental oesophageal surgery are widely performed using the simple interrupted technique. It has been implicated to be inferior in tolerating anastomotic tension, which we aimed to test in rats due to their importance as an animal model in oesophageal surgery.Methods: We determined linear breaking strengths for the native oesophagus (n = 10), the simple interrupted suture anastomosis (n = 11), and the simple stitch (n = 9) in 8-week old Sprague–Dawley rats. Experiments were powered to a margin of error of 10% around the results of exploratory investigations. The comparison of anastomotic resilience between native organ and simple interrupted suture anastomosis was a priori powered to 99%.Results: Native oesophagi sustained traction forces of 4.25 N (95% CI: 4.03–4.58 N), but the simple interrupted suture anastomosis had only 38.6% (Δ= −2.78 N, 95% CI: −2.46 to −3.11 N, p < .0001) of the resilience of native oesophagi.Conclusions: Oesophageal division and re-anastomosis markedly decreases resilience to traction forces compared to the native organ. This effect is even more pronounced in rats compared to other species and might impair transferability of results.