Shoulder kinematics during cyclic overhead work are affected by a passive arm support exoskeleton.

Purpose: We investigated the influence of passive arm-support exoskeleton (ASE) with different levels of torque (50, 75, and 100%) on upper arm osteokinematics.

Methods: Twenty participants completed a cyclic overhead drilling task with and without ASE. Task duration, joint angles, and angular acceleration peaks were analyzed during ascent and descent phases of the dominant upper arm.

Evaluating Chemical Footprinting-Induced Perturbation of Protein Higher Order Structure.

Specific amino acid footprinting mass spectrometry (MS) is an increasingly utilized method for elucidating protein higher order structure (HOS). It does this by adding to certain amino acid residues a mass tag, whose reaction extent depends on solvent accessibility and microenvironment of the protein. Unlike reactive free radicals and carbenes, these specific footprinters react slower than protein unfolding.

MALDI Peptide Mapping for Fast Analysis in Protein Footprinting.

Although protein footprinting results are commonly obtained by ESI-based LC-MS/MS, a more rapid-turnaround alternative approach is desirable to expand the scope of protein footprinting and facilitate routine analysis such as monitoring protein high order structure in quality control or checking epitope maps. Considering that MALDI is a faster procedure that can be easily adapted for high-throughput analysis, we explore here the feasibility of developing a MALDI-based analysis "portfolio" of bottom-up peptide mass mapping for footprinting. The approach was applied to several model proteins that were submitted to two footprinting strategies, FPOP and GEE labeling, and their performance was evaluated.

Exploration of Resveratrol as a Potent Modulator of α-Synuclein Fibril Formation.

The molecular determinants of amyloid protein misfolding and aggregation are key for the development of therapeutic interventions in neurodegenerative disease. Although small synthetic molecules, bifunctional molecules, and natural products offer a potentially advantageous approach to therapeutics to remodel aggregation, their evaluation requires new platforms that are informed at the molecular level. To that end, we chose pulsed hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) to discern the phenomena of aggregation modulation for a model system of alpha synuclein (αS) and resveratrol, an antiamyloid compound.

The Fusion of Wide Field Optical Coherence Tomography and AI: Advancing Breast Cancer Surgical Margin Visualization.

This study explores the integration of Wide Field Optical Coherence Tomography (WF-OCT) with an AI-driven clinical decision support system, with the goal of enhancing productivity and decision making in breast cancer surgery margin assessment. A computationally efficient convolutional neural network (CNN)-based binary classifier is developed using 585 WF-OCT margin scans from 151 subjects. The CNN model swiftly identifies suspicious areas within margins with an on-device inference time of approximately 10 ms for a 420 × 2400 image.

Understanding contributing factors to exoskeleton use-intention in construction: a decision tree approach using results from an online survey.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are a major health concern in the construction industry. Occupational exoskeletons (EXOs) are a promising ergonomic intervention to help reduce WMSD risk. Their adoption, however, has been low in construction.

Reliability of Open Public Electric Vehicle Direct Current Fast Chargers.

Objective: The aim was to systematically evaluate the usability of all public electric vehicles (EV) direct current fast chargers (DCFC) in the San Francisco region.

Background: To achieve a rapid transition to EVs, a highly reliable and easy to use charging infrastructure is critical to building confidence among consumers.

Methods: The functionality and usability of all 182 open, public DCFC charging stations with CCS connectors (combined charging system) in the 9 counties of the Bay Area were tested (655 electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE) ports).

Changes in bacterial communities induced by integrated production systems and the phenological stages of soybean.

Plant development and productivity depend on interactions with soil microorganisms for nutrient availability, promotion of growth and protection against phytopathogens. Although the influence of the phenological stages of soybean crops and their environmental conditions on the soil bacterial communities have already been reported, no studies have focused on the influence of integrated agrosilvopastoral systems on bacterial consortia. In this study, we evaluated the influence of the phenological stages of soybean cultivated under conventional full sunlight (CFS) and integrated crop-livestock-forestry (ICLF) systems on bacterial communities in the rhizosphere and in bulk soil using high-throughput sequencing techniques.

Toward a MALDI in-source decay (ISD) method for top-down analysis of protein footprinting.

Irreversible protein footprinting is a mass spectrometry-based approach in which solvent-accessible sites of a protein are modified to assess high-order protein structure. Structural insights can be gained by determining the position and extents of modification. The usual approach to obtain the "footprint" is to analyze the protein through bottom-up LC-MS/MS.

Comparison of the observer, single-frame video and computer vision hand activity levels.

Observer, manual single-frame video, and automated computer vision measures of the Hand Activity Level (HAL) were compared. HAL can be measured three ways: (1) observer rating (HAL), (2) calculated from single-frame multimedia video task analysis for measuring frequency (F) and duty cycle (D) (HAL), or (3) from automated computer vision (HAL). This study analysed videos collected from three prospective cohort studies to ascertain HAL, HAL, and HAL for 419 industrial videos.

The Association Between Forceful Hand Exertions and Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Neck and Shoulder: A Prospective Cohort Study of US Manufacturing Workers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate associations between biomechanical exposures and workplace neck and shoulder musculoskeletal disorders (NSMSDs) in a prospective cohort.

Methods: Manufacturing workers (N = 349) were followed for 28 months. Biomechanical exposures were collected on each individual, and physical examinations were performed every 4 months.

Occupational risk factors for work disability following carpal tunnel syndrome: a pooled prospective study.

Background: Although recent studies have identified important risk factors associated with incident carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), risk factors associated with its severity have not been well explored.

Objective: To examine the associations between personal, workplace psychosocial and biomechanical factors and incident work disability among workers with CTS.

Methods: Between 2001 and 2010 five research groups conducted coordinated prospective studies of CTS and related work disability among US workers from various industries.

A design tool to estimate maximum acceptable manual arm forces for above-shoulder work.

There is a need for design criteria for above-shoulder work to prevent shoulder fatigue and supraspinatus injuries. A tool is developed to estimate maximum acceptable manual arm forces for above-shoulder work based on 25th % female strength with adjustments for supraspinatus tendon impingement and shoulder fatigue. The tool equations are presented along with tables of maximum acceptable manual arm forces in 77 locations in the 3 D space above the shoulder that accommodates a 50th % female reach.

Towards harmonisation of case definitions for eight work-related musculoskeletal disorders - an international multi-disciplinary Delphi study.

Background: International consensus is needed on case definitions of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and diseases (MSDs) for use in epidemiological research. We aim to: 1) study what information is needed for the case definition of work-related low back pain (LBP), lumbosacral radicular syndrome (LRS), subacromial pain syndrome (SAPS), carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), lateral and medial elbow tendinopathy, and knee and hip osteoarthritis, and to 2) seek consensus among occupational health professionals/researchers regarding the case definitions of these work-related MSDs.

Methods: A two-round Delphi study was conducted with occupational health professionals/researchers from 24 countries.

Hydrogen Peroxide Methods for Decontaminating N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators.

During a pandemic, when the supply of N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) is limited, FFRs may be decontaminated by methods that inactivate pathogens as long as they do not damage FFR function. Hydrogen peroxide (HO) is widely used for decontamination in medical settings. To review the literature on the use of HO to decontaminate N95 FFRs and identify methods that inactivate virus and preserve FFR filtration efficiency and fit.

Pulsed Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Reveals Altered Structures and Mechanisms in the Aggregation of Familial Alzheimer's Disease Mutants.

Mutations of the Amyloid Precursor Protein, from which the amyloid β peptide Aβ42 is cleaved, are associated with familial Alzheimer's disease. The disease-relevant familial mutations include the Arctic (E22G), Iowa (D23N), Italian (E22K), Dutch (E22Q), Japanese (D7N), English (D6R), and Flemish (A21G) variants. A detailed mechanistic understanding of the aggregation behavior of the mutant peptides at the residue level is, however, still lacking.

Standards for Surgical Respirators and Masks: Relevance for Protecting Healthcare Workers and the Public During Pandemics.

National standards for surgical respirators and masks are written and enforced to protect healthcare workers from particles and microorganisms such as Severe Acute Respriatory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In addition to the ability to filter particles (e.g.

Review of the Breathability and Filtration Efficiency of Common Household Materials for Face Masks.

The World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control have recommended universal face masking by the general public to slow the spread of COVID-19. A number of recent studies have evaluated the filtration efficiency and pressure differential (an indicator of breathability) of various, widely available materials that the general public can use to make face masks at home. In this review, we summarize those studies to provide guidance for both the public to select the best materials for face masks and for future researchers to rigorously evaluate and report on mask material testing.

Protein higher-order-structure determination by fast photochemical oxidation of proteins and mass spectrometry analysis.

The higher-order structure (HOS) of proteins plays a critical role in their function; therefore, it is important to our understanding of their function that we have as much information as possible about their three-dimensional structure and how it changes with time. Mass spectrometry (MS) has become an important tool for determining protein HOS owing to its high throughput, mid-to-high spatial resolution, low sample amount requirement and broad compatibility with various protein systems. Modern MS-based protein HOS analysis relies, in part, on footprinting, where a reagent reacts 'to mark' the solvent-accessible surface of the protein, and MS-enabled proteomic analysis locates the modifications to afford a footprint.

Biomechanical risk factors associated with distal upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders in endoscopists performing colonoscopy.

Background And Aims: Endoscopists experience upper extremity musculoskeletal injuries. The primary aim of this study was to compare distal upper extremity biomechanical risk factors during colonoscopy with established risk thresholds. Secondary aims were to determine which subtasks during colonoscopy are associated with the greatest risk and to evaluate an intervention to reduce risks.

A PERSPECTIVE ON PERSONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO FT-ICR MASS SPECTROMETRY.

This is a personal perspective on our contributions to FT-ICR, many of early ones in a collaboration with Charles Wilkins and Michael Gross starting in the mid-1970s and then continuing for many years in collaboration of Don Rempel and Michael Gross. The perspective is to honor Alan Marshall, who with Melvin Comisarow, first demonstrated FT-ICR MS in 1974 (Comisarow & Marshall, 1974). Our intention is to review the contributions made together with Wilkins, Rempel, and a group of graduate and postdoctoral students, starting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and continuing here at Washington University in St.

Calcium Binding to the Innate Immune Protein Human Calprotectin Revealed by Integrated Mass Spectrometry.

Although knowledge of the coordination chemistry and metal-withholding function of the innate immune protein human calprotectin (hCP) has broadened in recent years, understanding of its Ca-binding properties in solution remains incomplete. In particular, the molecular basis by which Ca binding affects structure and enhances the functional properties of this remarkable transition-metal-sequestering protein has remained enigmatic. To achieve a molecular picture of how Ca binding triggers hCP oligomerization, increases protease stability, and enhances antimicrobial activity, we implemented a new integrated mass spectrometry (MS)-based approach that can be readily generalized to study other protein-metal and protein-ligand interactions.

Scientific Collaboration During the COVID-19 Pandemic: N95DECON.org.

Many academics and researchers have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by forming on-line national and international collaborative groups to rapidly investigate issues of prevention and treatment. This commentary describes the spontaneous formation of an international team of 115 researchers who summarized the literature on safe methods for decontaminating N95 filtering facepiece respirators in response to the supply crisis. The summary reports and fact sheets on the (www.