Human factors play a relevant role in the dynamic work environments of the manufacturing sector in terms of production efficiency, safety, and sustainable performance. This is particularly relevant in assembly lines where humans are widely employed alongside automated and robotic agents. In this situation, operators’ ability to adapt to different levels of task complexity and variability in each workstation has a strong impact on the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the overall production process. This paper presents an application of a theoretical and empirical method used to assess the matching of different workers to various workstations based on a quantified comparison between the workload associated with the tasks and the human capability of the workers that can rotate among them. The approach allowed for the development of an algorithm designed to operationalise indicators for workload and task complexity requirements, considering the skills and capabilities of individual operators. This led to the creation of human performance (HP) indices. The HP indices were utilized to ensure a good match between requirements and capabilities, aiming to minimise the probability of human error and injuries. The developed and customised model demonstrated encouraging results in the specific case studies where it was applied but also offers a generalizable approach that can extend to other contexts and situations where job rotations can benefit from effectively matching operators to suitable task requirements.

This study investigates visual fatigue in a real-world pharmaceutical packaging environment, where operators perform repetitive inspection and packing tasks under frequently suboptimal lighting conditions. A human-centered methodology was adopted, combining adapted self-report questionnaires, high-frequency eye-tracking data collected with Tobii Pro Glasses 3, and lux-level measurements. Key eye-movement metrics—including fixation duration, visit patterns, and pupil diameter—were analyzed within defined work zones (Areas of Interest). To reduce data complexity and uncover latent patterns of visual behavior, Principal Component Analysis was applied. Results revealed a progressive increase in visual fatigue across the workweek and throughout shifts, particularly during night work, and showed a strong association with inadequate lighting. Tasks involving high physical workload under poor illumination emerged as critical risk scenarios. This integrated approach not only confirmed the presence of visual fatigue but also identified high-risk conditions in the workflow, enabling targeted ergonomic interventions. The findings provide a practical framework for improving operator well-being and inspection performance through sensor-based monitoring and environment-specific design enhancements, in alignment with the goals of Industry 5.0.

INTRODUCTION: APOE genotype shows well-established dose-dependent associations with higher amyloid in cognitively unimpaired (CU) adults. In contrast, associations with tau burden and cognition are less well characterized. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of harmonized multi-cohort ADSP-PHC data from 4,380 CU participants across 4 cohorts with APOE genotype, amyloid PET, and cognitive data from four domains of memory, language, executive, and visuospatial function, including a subset of 758 with tau PET imaging. RESULTS: APOE ε4 showed a strong dose-dependent association with amyloid burden and amyloid positivity, with the highest levels observed among ε4 homozygotes. Associations between APOE and global tau burden were more modest and appeared to be driven mainly by ε4 homozygotes, while regional analyses showed localized APOE ε4-related associations in medial temporal regions. Independently, higher tau burden was associated with lower memory and language performance. CONCLUSIONS: In CU older adults, APOE ε4 was most strongly associated with amyloid burden, with more modest associations observed for medial temporal tau burden. Highlights: APOE ε4 showed dose-dependent associations with amyloid burden and age-related amyloid differences APOE-related global tau associations were modest, mainly in ε44 group, with stronger medial temporal effects among ε4 carriers Higher tau burden was associated with lower memory and language performance, regardless APOE status RESEARCH IN CONTEXT: Systematic review: The authors reviewed the literature using PubMed and Google Scholar to examine relationships among APOE genotype, amyloid pathology, tau pathology, and cognition in cognitively unimpaired individuals. Previous studies from A4, ADNI, A4/LEARN, and large multicohort tau PET datasets have consistently shown strong APOE-related effects on amyloid burden and more modest regional effects on tau. The present study extends this literature using a large harmonized ADSP-PHC dataset with amyloid PET, tau PET, and harmonized cognitive measures. Interpretation: The findings suggest that amyloid abnormalities remain the main pathological feature linked to APOE genotype in cognitively unimpaired individuals. APOE-related effects on tau were smaller and were concentrated mainly in medial temporal regions. APOE genotype was not consistently related to cognition, while higher tau burden was associated with lower memory and language performance. Future directions: These findings support the use of APOE genotype as a stratification factor in studies of cognitively unimpaired individuals. Longitudinal studies will be important to clarify how APOE-related differences in amyloid and regional tau burden evolve over time and whether they are linked to later cognitive decline and progression to Alzheimer’s disease.

INTRODUCTION: Plasma p-tau217 is associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology and memory performance, but its implications for memory may depend on fibrillar tau topography. We examined whether tau-PET subtype modified the association between plasma p-tau217 and memory. METHODS: We analyzed 396 amyloid-positive, tau-positive participants spanning cognitively unimpaired, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia stages from six cohorts with tau-PET and plasma p-tau217; 301 had harmonized memory data. Tau-PET subtypes were derived using data-driven disease progression modelling. Primary cross-sectional models tested subtype×p-tau217 interactions for memory, adjusting for age, sex, education, APOE ε 4 status, and cohort. Secondary and exploratory analyses examined latent global cognition, non-memory measures, and longitudinal cognitive change. RESULTS: Three tau-PET subtypes were retained: limbic-predominant, medial temporal lobe (MTL)-sparing, and posterior-predominant. Cross-sectionally, MTL-sparing participants had lower plasma p-tau217 than the other subtypes. The association between higher plasma p-tau217 and worse memory differed by subtype (interaction p =0.002) and was stronger in MTL-sparing ( B =-0.191, p <0.001) than in limbic-predominant ( B =-0.07, p =0.002) and posterior-predominant participants ( B =-0.07, p <0.001). The interaction remained significant after additional adjustment for diagnostic group ( p =0.015). This pattern also persisted after additional adjustment for PET tau burden, amyloid Centiloids, or plasma Aβ42/40; none of these biomarkers showed comparable subtype modification. Subtype modification was also observed for a global cognitive composite (interaction p =0.004) and subsequent memory decline in an exploratory analysis conditioned on baseline memory (interaction p =0.016). DISCUSSION: Tau-PET subtype modified the p-tau217–memory association, suggesting that the cognitive implications of plasma p-tau217 may vary with tau topography.