Abstract Background The ageing workforce and increasing prevalence of sedentary behaviour highlight the need for workplace strategies that promote physical activity (PA) and prevent functional decline in older employees. Traditional workplace PA interventions (WPAI) often lack feasibility due to limited time, low motivation, and insufficient integration into daily routines. The wLiFE55+ program applies a lifestyle-integrated approach by embedding strength, balance, and PA activities into everyday work tasks. This study qualitatively explored participants experiences to assess acceptability, perceived benefits, and priorities for refinement. Methods This qualitative sub-study was embedded in a four-week wLiFE55+ pilot intervention for employees aged 55 years and older. After completing the intervention, two focus groups (n = 8; mean age 58.5 years) were conducted. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using deductive qualitative content analysis informed by the Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise (LiFE) concept and the Theoretical Domains Framework. Analysis focused on three overarching categories: (1) overall program experiences, (2) perceptions of program content, and (3) behaviour-change processes. Results Participants perceived wLiFE55+ as meaningful, feasible, and aligned with naturally occurring work situations. Trainer support facilitated understanding, adaptation, and confidence in implementing activities. Reported challenges included insufficient preparatory information about the baseline assessment, rapid progression of activity difficulty, social discomfort in shared office environments, and the burden of paper-based documentation. Participants expressed a preference for clearer communication, more practice time between sessions, digital documentation and feedback tools, and an expanded set of activities, including options for the upper body. Conclusion Lifestyle-integrated approaches such as wLiFE55+ show promise for supporting functional capacity and promoting physical activity among older employees. Embedding activities into routine work tasks may help overcome common limitations of traditional workplace physical activity interventions. Future refinements should include improved preparatory guidance, greater environmental fit, and longer program durations to facilitate habit formation and sustainable implementation. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study was funded by the AFF Young Scholar Fund of the University of Konstanz ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Ethics committee of the University of Konstanz gave ethical approval for this work (approval number IRB23KN07-005w). I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present work are contained in the manuscript.
OBJECTIVE:International guidelines for low‑frequency electromagnetic field exposure (LF EMF) are primarily intended to prevent substantiated adverse effects. In the frameworks, limits on internal electric fields are linked to external exposure levels through computational dosimetry. However, the relationship between internal electric fields and these adverse effects remains incompletely understood. In particular, current approaches often overlook the morphological complexity and diversity of cortical neurons, which may limit the realism of neuronal activation estimates used to support these assessments. This study aimed to evaluate LF EMF-induced neural activation using morphologically realistic neuron models representing all cortical layers.

Approach. Twenty-five morphologically realistic neuron models were embedded within 11 detailed human head models. The internal electric fields were simulated for uniform magnetic field exposures (100 Hz-100 kHz) along the three anatomical directions, and excitation thresholds were computed using a multi‑scale framework combining voxel‑based dosimetry with biophysical neuron simulations. A real‑world exposure scenario involving a child near an acousto‑magnetic article‑surveillance deactivator was also analyzed.

Main results. Excitation threshold varied across cell type, morphology, cortical location, subject anatomy, frequency, and exposure direction, with L2/3 pyramidal, L4 basket, and L5 thick‑tufted pyramidal cells showing the lowest thresholds. Despite this variability, all simulated thresholds were conservative with respect to the basic restrictions and dosimetric reference limits set by IEEE ICES and ICNIRP. The smallest margin occurred at 100 kHz, where the threshold remained a factor of 2.8 above the corresponding limit. 

Significance. These findings indicate that current LF EMF exposure limits remain conservative when evaluated using highly detailed, morphology‑based CNS activation models.
Current low-frequency EMF exposure limits are based on RMS values. However, the hazard at low frequencies, neural and muscular stimulation is driven by instantaneous peak values. Because action potentials follow an all-or-nothing threshold, even a single suprathreshold cycle can trigger excitation, whereas long-term RMS averages can be arbitrarily reduced by inserting pauses into signals. Pulsed or bursty fields-such as those emitted by certain deactivators used in electronic article surveillance-may comply with RMS-based limits despite containing peaks capable of exceeding physiological thresholds. Reformulating both basic restrictions and reference levels in terms of peak values would align exposure limits with neurophysiological mechanisms and provide clearer guidance for ensuring safety. As ICNIRP revises its 2010 low-frequency guidelines, this is an opportune moment to adopt peak-based limits and better protect workers and the general public.
This study introduces an interdisciplinary framework for benchmarking robots deployed in public environments, addressing the gap between traditional laboratory metrics and real-world benchmarking requirements. We evaluate three distinct robots across diverse use cases - outdoor park cleaning, pedestrian underpass cleaning, and interactive library assistance - each representing unique challenges in public daily life. Over a three-year benchmarking process (2023-2025) comprising seven benchmarking events, a consensus workshop and six on-site evaluations (two per use case), we utilized realistic indoor and outdoor test environments to assess not only technical performance but also the broader implications of deploying robots in unstructured, human-centric settings. An expert panel, spanning robotics, human-robot interaction, safety, and economics, systematically developed and refined an evaluation concept to analyze the transition from laboratory prototypes to operational systems. Our findings highlight critical factors for successful deployment, including task fulfillment, interaction quality, safety, and economic feasibility. This work provides actionable insights for researchers and practitioners aiming to bridge the gap between robotic innovation and real-world applicability.
Abstract Background The newly developed GENESIS-UV metric is based on occupational UV exposure measurements in about 1,000 outdoor-workers (covering 250 different occupational settings). The GENESIS-UV metric calculates occupational exposure values for the standard erythema dose (SED) that differ substantially from those produced by the “Wittlich metric” which applies multiple correction factors to a fixed SED reference value of 300 SED per year. This Wittlich metric has served as the basis for calculating occupational UV exposure of occupational disease No. 5103 (“squamous cell carcinoma or multiple actinic keratoses caused by natural UV radiation”) in Germany since 2015. In a large case-control study (“FB181”, 632 cases and 632 individually matched control subjects), a positive dose-response relationship between UV exposure estimated using the “Wittlich metric” and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin could be derived. This study aimed to investigate whether the increased SCC risk for high occupational UV exposure found in the FB181 study can be reflected with the new GENESIS-UV metric. Methods Based on propensity-score matched data from the FB181 study, odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for categorized occupational UV exposure were calculated using conditional logistic regression analysis. The analyses were adjusted for age, sex, skin phototype, and non-occupational UV exposure. To examine the suitability of the GENESIS-UV metric, exposure was calculated using both the Wittlich metric and the GENESIS-UV metric. The goodness of fit was assessed using the Akaike information criterion (AIC). Results When applying the Wittlich metric, individuals with high cumulative occupational UV exposure (≥ 90th percentile) show a statistically significant increase in OR of 1.95 (95% CI 1.19–3.18). When applying the GENESIS-UV metric, the corresponding OR for reaching or exceeding the 90th percentile is 2.23 (95% CI 1.36–3.65). The goodness of fit of the GENESIS-UV metric is substantially better than that of the Wittlich metric (AIC of 748.0 versus 758.6). Conclusions Applying the newly developed GENESIS-UV metric, we were able to confirm the positive dose-response relationship between occupational UV exposure and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin in this sensitivity analysis of the FB181 case-control study. The GENESIS-UV metric proves to be suitable for determining occupational UV exposure.
