18624 research outputs found
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Children’s perceived ease of use of a projected augmented reality game designed for balance and coordination training
Full text linkDeveloping balance and coordination skills is essential for children, especially those aged 4–8, but limited Health and Physical Education (HPE) programs in schools hinder effective training. Game-based learning and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies offer promising ways to enhance these skills by providing immersive HPE experiences. An AR exercise-game prototype was developed to train children’s balance and coordination, with 19 children aged 4 to 9 testing the prototype. Post-activity surveys revealed high engagement and interactivity ratings. The difficultly of the current prototype was found to be appropriately challenging for 4- to 6-year-olds. Feedback emphasized a preference for interactive, challenging elements, suggesting improvements in difficulty customization, visuals, and technical stability. Competitive play between multiple children testing the prototype encouraged repeated attempts, but also highlighted the need for improved tracking solutions and lab setup. Overall, the innovative design shows educational potential but requires further large-scale testing on a refined version to assess its effectiveness in balance and coordination training. © 2024 by the authors
Exploring the interface between planetary boundaries and palaeoecology
Full text linkThe concepts of planetary boundaries are influential in the sustainability literature and assist in delineating the ‘safe operating spaces’ beyond which critical Earth system processes could collapse. Moving away from our current trajectory towards ‘hothouse Earth’ will require knowledge of how Earth systems have varied throughout the Holocene, and whether and how far we have deviated from past ranges of variability. Such information can inform decisions about where change could be resisted, accepted or where adaptation is inevitable. The need for information on long-term (Holocene) change provides an interface for palaeoecology and sustainability that remains underexploited. In this position paper, we explore this interface, first discussing the need for long-term perspectives and introducing examples where palaeoecology has been used in defining safe operating spaces and constraining limits of acceptable change. We describe advances in quantitative methods for analysis of time-series data that strengthen the contribution of palaeoecology to the concepts of planetary boundaries and safe operating spaces. We consider the importance of issues of scaling from landscape to regional and global scales in operationalising planetary boundaries concepts. We distil principles for this field of research going forward and introduce three case studies which will form the basis of research on these topics. © 2025 The Author(s). Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Codesigning training for health providers to improve detection and response to elder abuse
Full text linkBackground and Objectives: Screening for elder abuse can improve detection, but many health providers lack the necessary skills and confidence. To address this, training for health providers on elder abuse screening was codesigned as part of a trial aimed at improving elder abuse detection and response. Research Design and Methods: Between March and April 2023, 7 health providers and 10 older people and family carers participated in 2 national Australian online codesign workshops. Using the World Café method, discussions focused on what knowledge and skills health providers needed for screening; clinical and social issues affecting screening and referral; and support older people needed throughout the process. Data were thematically analyzed. Results: Participants said health providers should take a trauma-informed, person-centered approach to screening, and explain the limits of confidentiality to older people. Clinical, social, and systemic issues such as dementia, ethnic diversity, and housing availability complicated screening and referrals. To facilitate disclosure, participants said health providers needed to reflect on whether they held ageist views. There were differing opinions on the length of the training and whether all health providers or only social workers should screen for abuse. Discussion and Implications: Participants' feedback on trauma-informed care, consent, and cognitive impairment concorded with evidence on best practice responses to elder abuse and were integrated into the training. Given operational constraints in health services, feedback from health providers about the training length and the inclusion of all health providers in screening were prioritized. The training is being evaluated in a national trial. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Gerontological Society of America
Obtaining performance of friction stir welding on aluminum 7075 from rework viewpoints
No full textIn the process of research and development and to manufacture products with zero waste, industries are acquiring 3 R's (recycle, rework, regenerate), which help in reducing the time to re-manufacture the parts and adhere to the cost. In die casting, industry follows the rework and recycling methods, as Aluminium has non-expiry property and can be recycled multiple times. In the following study, cracked Aluminium components produced during pressure die casting are welded through Friction Stir Welding (FSW), and a comparative analysis of flatness of reworked components with respect to non-reworked components is conducted. The process capability and process capability index mathematical modeling methods have been used. This paper explains the benefits of FSW in automotive industries, where rework and regeneration costs are higher than reworking. Reworking components is permissible by the customer as long as it does not cause any negative effect on primary or secondary functions. In the era of competency, reworking with FSW is a new way to proceed in the industrial field. The present work summarizes the ability of FSW to restructure the grain order, which in turn gives us the opportunity to produce fine-quality components. © 2024 Author(s)
Optimisation of job shop scheduling problem using genetic algorithm and simulated annealing : a case study of manufacturing industry
Full text linkProduction scheduling is an important activity within the manufacturing system to improve its performance. It is a process of assigning resources to the task or vice versa, which depends upon the configuration of the shop floor and the type of products to be manufactured. In job shops, scheduling is a very complex task since it involves a variety of products to process on a limited number of machines to cut down on the amount of time it takes to do tasks. In the present work, a case study from the manufacturing industry has been taken to maximise the amount of time it takes to do tasks (i.e., makespan) having job shop configuration. Two distinguished nature-inspired algorithms, viz Simulated annealing (SA) and Genetic algorithm (GA), have been pragmatic in optimising the existing schedule. The results show that GA outperform the SA by a 1.76% increment in the makespan value. Also, the GA and SA possessed better results than the company’s existing production schedule by 32.23 and 31.02%, respectively. © The Author(s) under exclusive licence to The Society for Reliability Engineering, Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM), India and The Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden 2025
Invasive Acacia mangium Leaf Litter Modifies Soil Chemical properties of a Bornean tropical heath forest : a soil incubation study
Full text linkThis study investigated the effects of Acacia mangium Willd. leaf litter on soil chemical properties of a tropical heath forest in Borneo using a controlled soil incubation experiment. The litter of exotic A. mangium and selected native heath forest species (Buchanania arborescens Blume., Calophyllum inophyllum L., Dillenia suffruticosa Griff. and Ploiarium alternifolium Vahl.) were incubated with heath forest soils collected under natural conditions and nine different treatments of heath forest soils (soils without leaf litter, soils treated with single species leaf litter, and soils treated with native leaf litter with and without A. mangium leaf litter). We quantified mass litter loss (%), and soil concentration
Reactive power implications of penetrating inverter-based renewable and storage resources in future grids toward energy transition—a review
No full textTransitioning to net-zero emission energy systems is currently on the agenda in various countries to tackle climate change, a global challenge that threatens the lives of future generations. To fully decarbonize energy systems, a radical paradigm shift through deep integration of renewable resources supported by storage technologies is envisaged in multisector energy systems, especially in the electric power sector. As a result, inverter-based resources (IBRs), mainly wind, photovoltaics (PVs), and batteries, will dominate the electric power grids. This transition involves phasing out conventional fossil fuel-based plants and decommissioning associated synchronous machines, the grid’s primary reactive power sources. The ongoing removal of these primary reactive power sources introduces critical operational challenges that could compromise the reliability and stability of the grid. The inverters used for integrating IBRs can deliver diverse crucial ancillary services, particularly reactive power support. However, the potential of IBRs to address reactive power requirements in future decarbonized grids still needs to be fully addressed. The existing literature lacks a comprehensive approach to coordinating and harmonizing the efforts of various stakeholders and drivers to leverage the reactive power capability of IBRs. To bridge this gap, this article thoroughly reviews the reactive power implications for future grids with a considerable share of primary IBRs, comprising distributed and large-scale wind, PV and battery storage plants. This article starts with a summary of the concept, measurement methods, and importance of reactive power for voltage control and how it is managed today utilizing conventional sources. The reactive power transition from current to future grids within the context of the greater energy transition is then discussed by shedding light on its diverse aspects. Afterward, the reactive capability curve of each IBR is derived from the equivalent circuits and equations. Various grid codes and integration requirements of IBRs are then analyzed from a reactive power support viewpoint. Also, the concepts related to reactive power and voltage control comprising control extents, modes, and techniques are elaborated. Finally, recommendations are provided to set the stage for leveraging the capabilities of IBRs to address the reactive power requirements of future grids. The presented material sheds light on the pivotal role of reactive power in future grids and provides a roadmap for policymakers, utilities, and grid operators to manage a seamless transition to a decarbonized grid. © 1963-2012 IEEE
A novel predictive model utilizing retinal microstructural features for estimating survival outcome in patients with glioblastoma
Full text linkPurpose: Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive brain tumor with poor prognosis despite surgery and chemoradiation. The visual sequelae of glioblastoma have not been well characterized. This study assessed visual outcomes in glioblastoma patients through neuro-ophthalmic exams, imaging of the retinal microstructures/microvasculature, and perimetry. Methods: A total of 19 patients with glioblastoma (9 male, 10 female, average age at diagnosis 69 years) were enrolled. Tumor characteristic, neuro-ophthalmic exam data, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and OCT-Angiography data of all patient eyes were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and a Machine Learning algorithm. Results: Best-corrected visual acuity ranged from 20/20 – 20/50. Occipital tumors showed worse visual fields than frontal tumors (mean deviatio
Intercultural awareness in the academic english classroom at a Saudi University : an investigation into teachers' perspectives and practices
No full textThis study explores the acquisition of Intercultural Awareness (ICA) among tertiary English language teachers at a Saudi university within the context of the public policy of Saudi Vision 2030 (SV2030). It examines both the perspectives and practices of these teachers in relation to their intercultural understanding, the sources from which this understanding is derived, and how it is incorporated into their classrooms. Data were col-lected using a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews with five female teachers, live-recorded lessons and learning and teach-ing artefact samples. The data analysis was conducted using the three lev-els of ICA as a conceptual framework. Key findings reveal a discrepancy between the importance assigned by teachers to ICA and its practical im-plementation. Further conceptualisation and more explicit guidance in implementing an intercultural approach to English language teaching at a tertiary level is needed to realise the goals of global citizenship outlined in SV2030. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Hamza R'boul; individual chapters, the contributors. All rights reserved
CEO overconfidence, customer satisfaction, and firm value : an investigation of mediating and moderating effects
Full text linkDrawing from the upper echelons theory and the balanced scorecard theory, this study investigates potential associations between CEO overconfidence, customer satisfaction, and firm value. Using a dataset of US public firms spanning from 1994 to 2019, we first examine the relationship between CEO overconfidence and customer satisfaction, focusing on the mediating role of R&D and advertising expenditures, and the moderating role of CEO equity-based compensation. We find that CEO overconfidence positively influences customer satisfaction, and this positive impact is partially mediated by R&D and advertising. In addition, moderated path analysis indicates that CEO equity-based compensation increases the indirect effect of CEO overconfidence on customer satisfaction. We next examine and document that CEO overconfidence moderates the positive impact of customer satisfaction on firm value. Our results contribute to the extant literature by highlighting that CEO overconfidence not only positively affects shareholder value, but also links to the consequences of strategic marketing decisions, such as customer satisfaction. Our study provides implications for boards of directors, who may need to align CEO and firm marketing spending decisions. It also raises shareholders’ awareness of the presence and impact of CEO overconfidence. © 2023 The Author