Exoskeletons may form a new strategy to reduce the risk of developing low back pain in stressful jobs. In the present study we examined the potential of a so-called passive exoskeleton on muscle activity, discomfort and endurance time in prolonged forward-bended working postures. Eighteen subjects performed two tasks: a simulated assembly task with the trunk in a forward-bended position and sta...

Recent research has shown that much preharvest Salmonella enterica infection in pigs occurs immediately before slaughter during this rest period in the contaminated abattoir holding pens. The objective of this study was to evaluate a potential intervention strategy to reduce the prevalence of S. enterica-positive pigs at slaughter, which consisted of resting pigs prior to slaughter on their tra...

Although the mechanical function is quite clear, there is no consensus regarding the metabolic benefit of arm swing during human running. We compared the metabolic cost of running using normal arm swing with the metabolic cost of running while restricting the arms in three different ways: (1) holding the hands with the arms behind the back in a relaxed position (BACK), (2) holding the arms acro...