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Standing at a workbench is required for manual work including sorting and assembly. When work heights and reach distances are not matched to stature or arm length, the trunk assumes a partially bent position, which increases the postural effort required to stand or to reach to far distances. As a result, the biomechanical load on the lumbar spine is raised, which contributes to a higher risk for back pain. In ergonomics, assistive devices are being developed to counter this effect. A new leaning device was tested in the laboratory with forward-bent standing and reaching where the trunk was bent forward and twisted to reach to a far target 45° from the center. This device supported the trunk at the upper chest. With leaning, back muscle activity decreased by ~ 60% with forward-bent standing and ~ 23-30% with the off-center reach, depending on reach height. Because leaning changed how standing remained balanced, ~12° less bending was required to reach the target. Therefore, upper-trunk support may be helpful for benchworkers when ergonomic design is not possible; some product development and testing is still needed to provide the right amount of support at the right time and to ensure there is no rib joint irritation. An interesting outcome from these previous studies was related to workers’ posture when they leaned against a workbench that was adjusted for heavier work (hip height). Low back muscle activity was unchanged with forward-bent standing, but decreased by ~ 23-30% with the off-center reach. This reduction was accompanied by greater twist at the mid back as a way of compensating for a loss of hip rotation. Three different heights for bench leaning were compared in a third study: elbow height, hip height and below hip height. The results showed that leaning at elbow height lowered the work demand by ~16-24% for far reach, partially due to changed motions consistent with greater mid back movement and coincided with ~ 8% increase in work demands at the mid-back and greater scapular recruitment. Therefore, more research is needed to establish work height guidelines for use when leaning against a workbench. / Thesis (Ph.D, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2013-01-29 14:32:19.696

Phytate is the major storage form of phosphorus in crop seeds, but is not well digested by humans and non-ruminant animals. In addition, phytate chelates several essential micronutrients which are also excreted contributing to phosphorus pollution in the environment. This research was aimed at the biochemical and molecular characterization of two low phytate pea mutant lines, 1-150-81 and 1-2347-144 developed at the Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan in collaboration with Dr. Victor Raboy, USDA, Idaho. Low phytic acid (lpa) crops are low in phytic acid and high in inorganic phosphorus (Pi). In Study I, two lpa pea genotypes, 1-150-81, 1-2347-144, and their progenitor CDC Bronco were evaluated in field trials for two years. The lpa genotypes did not significantly differ from CDC Bronco in all agronomic traits assessed except for lower seed weight and grain yield. The concentration of IP6 at 14 DAF was not significantly different among CDC Bronco, 1-150-81 and 1-2347-144. However, the concentrations of IP6 among CDC Bronco, 1-150-81 and 1-2347-144 started to differ significantly from 21 DAF onwards. The lpa genotypes 1-150-81 and 1-2347-144 showed 65% and 60% reduction in IP6, respectively, when compared to their progenitor CDC Bronco at 49 DAF. The Pi concentrations between the lpa genotypes were similar and significantly higher than CDC Bronco from 21 DAF to 49 DAF. At 49 DAF, 1-150-81 and 1-2347-144 were 72 and 84% higher in Pi, respectively, than CDC Bronco. The total P concentration was similar in lpa genotypes and CDC Bronco throughout the seed development. This study elucidated the rate and accumulation of phosphorus compounds in lpa genotypes. In Study II, aiming at understanding the genetic basis of the lpa mutation in pea lines 1-150-81 and 1-2347-144, a 1530 bp open reading frame of myo-inositol phosphate synthase gene (MIPS) was amplified from CDC Bronco and the lpa genotypes. Sequencing results showed no difference in coding sequence in MIPS between CDC Bronco and lpa genotypes. Transcript levels of both MIPS and myo-inositol tetrakisphosphate1-kinase (ITPK1) were relatively lower at 49 DAF than at 14 DAF for CDC Bronco and lpa lines. There was no difference in expression level of both MIPS and ITPK1 between CDC Bronco and the lpa genotypes at 49 DAF. The data demonstrated that mutation in MIPS was not responsible for lpa trait in pea. Study III was aimed at developing a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) based genetic linkage map and mapping genomic regions associated with phytic acid-phosphorus (PA-P) concentration using PR-15 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between a low phytate (lpa) pea genotype, 1-2347-144 and normal phytate pea cultivar CDC Meadow. A total of 163 RILs were genotyped using 1536 SNP markers in an Illumina GoldenGate array. Three hundred and sixty seven polymorphic SNP markers, ordered into 7 linkage groups (LGs), generated a linkage map with a total length of 437.2 cM. The phytic acid locus was mapped on to LG5. A quantitative trait locus (QTL) for iron bioavailability was mapped on to the same location in LG5 as phytic acid concentration. Potential benefits arising out of this research include improved bioavailability of phosphorus, iron and zinc in foods and feeds, less phosphorus excretion and environmental pollution and a saving in feed costs.

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