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Identifying research and development priorities for an in-hospital 3D design engineering facility in India
Get PDFAdvanced three-dimensional (3D) design and engineering technologies have revolutionized patient-specific implants, prostheses and medical devices, particularly in the cranio-maxillofacial and oral medical fields. Lately, decreasing costs, coupled with the reported benefits of bringing design and production technology closer to the point of healthcare delivery, have encouraged hospitals to implement their own 3D design and engineering services. Most academic literature reports on the factors that influence the sustainable development of such services in high-income countries. But what of low- and middle-income countries where demand for custom craniofacial devices is high? What are the unique challenges to implement in-hospital services in resource-constrained environments? This article reports the findings of a collaborative project, Co-MeDDI (Collaborative Medical Device Design Initiative), that brought together a UK-based team with the experience of setting up and running a hospital-based 3D service in the United Kingdom with the Maxillofacial Department of a public hospital in the Uttar Pradesh region of India, which had recently received funding to establish a similar capability. We describe a structured design research approach consisting of a series of exchange activities taking place during the lifetime of the project that compared different aspects of the healthcare innovation ecosystem for 3D services in India and the United Kingdom. Based on the findings of the different activities, we identify key factors that influence the adoption of such services in India. The findings are of relevance to healthcare policy-makers and public hospital managers in resource-constrained environments, and to academics and practitioners engaging in collaborative export of healthcare initiatives
Perceptions of Indian managers on the impact of convergent technologies on work and resultant organisational performance in the service Industry
Get PDFPurpose: This research examines Indian service managers' perceptions on the impact of convergent technologies (CTs) on their work and resultant organisational performance. The research uses four dimensions - task productivity, task innovation, customer satisfaction, and management control - taken together, to investigate the perceived impact of CTs adoption in service organisations context and further examines the resultant organisational performance, based on these dimensions.
Design/methodology/approach: The study used the Partial least squares (PLS) approach to evaluate the measurement model and the structural model. The study was conducted in service industry firms that have made significant progress towards adopting CTs.
Findings: The results of the study demonstrated higher levels of perceived impact of the adoption of CTs on all the four dimensions (i.e., task productivity, task innovation, customer satisfaction, and management control). The results of the study also indicate that all the impact dimensions positively influence organisational performance.
Originality: To researchers best knowledge this is the first study of its kind to evaluate the perceived impact of CTs on organisational performance in the Indian context
Research limitations/implications: The results of the study suggest that all the impact dimensions positively influence the organisation; therefore the service sector managers should be aware about the role of adopting latest CTs so as to enhance the task productivity, innovation, customer satisfaction and management control in their job roles.
Practical implications: The practical implications of this research are derived on the basis of Future of Work , Labour Market Information Systems, Productivity, Enterprise Development, Enhancing skills of service employees and Employability themes
Multisensory instrumental dynamics as an emergent paradigm for digital musical creation
Get PDFThe nature of human/instrument interaction is a long-standing area of study, drawing interest from fields as diverse as philosophy, cognitive sciences, anthropology, human–computer-interaction, and artistic creation. In particular, the case of the interaction between performer and musical instrument provides an enticing framework for studying the instrumental dynamics that allow for embodiment, skill acquisition and virtuosity with (electro-)acoustical instruments, and questioning how such notions may be transferred into the realm of digital music technologies and virtual instruments. This paper offers a study of concepts and technologies allowing for instrumental dynamics with Digital Musical Instruments, through an analysis of haptic-audio creation centred on (a) theoretical and conceptual frameworks, (b) technological components—namely physical modelling techniques for the design of virtual mechanical systems and force-feedback technologies allowing mechanical coupling with them, and (c) a corpus of artistic works based on this approach. Through this retrospective, we argue that artistic works created in this field over the last 20 years—and those yet to come—may be of significant importance to the haptics community as new objects that question physicality, tangibility, and creativity from a fresh and rather singular angle. Following which, we discuss the convergence of efforts in this field, challenges still ahead, and the possible emergence of a new transdisciplinary community focused on multisensory digital art forms
01101110 : An Audiovisual Installation Based on the Cellular Automaton Rule 110
Get PDFThis paper presents and discusses in depth an interactive
audiovisual installation created by the authors. The title of
the work, 01101110, corresponds to the number 110 and
refers to the Cellular Automaton (CA) Rule 110. The installation is composed by a series of snapshots of the evolution of the CA, projected on white canvases or directly
on the wall by custom designed and custom made projectors. The projected images, which the authors refer as
shadow paintings, are accompanied by an artificial soundscape, also based on the same automaton. When the visitors walk across the projected image, they interact with the
sonic and the light output both physically and digitally by
obscuring the projection and by making the light turn on
and off. The outcomes and the process of the creation of
the work are presented equally in a technical and aesthetic
context. The minimalistic language of the piece may be
traced back to the early pioneers from the visual arts such
as Donald Judd or in music to composers such as Steve
Reich
Non-specific chronic low back pain elicits kinematic and neuromuscular changes in walking and gait termination
Get PDFBackground: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is associated with an increased trunk stiffness and muscle coactivation duringwalking. However, it is still unclear whether CLBP individuals are unable to control neuromechanically their upper body motion during a sudden termination of gait (GT), which involves achallenging balancetransition from walking to standing.Research question: Does CLBP elicit neuromuscular and kinematic changes which are specific towalking and GT?Methods: Eleven individuals with non-specific CLBP and 11 healthy controls performed walking and sudden GT in response to an external visual cue. 3D kinematiccharacteristicsof thorax, lumbar and pelvis wereobtained, with measures of range of motion (ROM) and intra-subject variability of segmental movement being calculated. Electromyographic activity of lumbar and abdominal muscles was recorded to calculate bilateral as well as dorsoventral muscle coactivation.Results: CLBP group reported greater transverseROM of the lumbar segment during walking and GTcompared to healthy controls. Thorax sagittal ROM was higher in CLBP than healthy participants during GT. Greater overall movement variability in the transverseplane was observed in the CLBP group while walking, whereas GT produced greater variability of lumbar frontal motion. CLBP participants showed higher bilateral lumbar coactivation compared to healthy participants after the stopping stimulus delivery during GT.Significance: These results suggest that CLBP can elicit a wider and more variable movement of the upper body during walking and GT, especially in the transverseplane and at lumbar level. Alterations in upper body motor control appeared to depend on task, plane of motion and segmental level. Therefore, these findings should be considered by practitioners when screening before planning specific training interventions for recovery of motor control patterns in CLBP population
Curriculum integration: the challenges for primary and secondary schools in developing a new curriculum in the expressive arts
Get PDFCurriculum integration is a feature of many new curricula that have emerged in different countries since around the turn of the millennium. It focuses on removing the boundaries between traditional subject specialisms, to enable more holistic and ‘joined-up’ learning opportunities. This study draws on the experiences of a group of primary and secondary teachers in Wales, engaged in creating a framework for an integrated curriculum for expressive arts. Whilst the teachers are united in their ambition for establishing a curriculum that gives greater status to the arts, curriculum integration presents significant challenges, notably in how subject knowledge is understood and presented within an integrated curriculum. The teachers take different approaches to curriculum integration, with primary teachers favouring a transdisciplinary approach, with child-led learning and themes taking precedence, and secondary teachers opting for multidisciplinary approaches, where the themes are organising devices but where subjects take priority. Differing practices suggest differing conceptions of subject knowledge and mastery within an integrated curriculum. Drawing, in particular, on Bernstein’s concepts relating to knowledge discourses, this paper suggests that the danger of an integrated curriculum is weakened disciplinary knowledge. Whilst this paper relates to the arts, the messages about curriculum integration might be applied more widely
Examining the effects of advertising credibility on brand credibility, corporate credibility and corporate image: a qualitative approach
Get PDFPurpose – This study uses signalling theory to examine the concept of advertising credibility and its effects on brand credibility, brand image, corporate credibility and corporate image.
Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was used. Ten interviews and four focus groups were conducted among participants drawn from the London area. The data was analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings – The findings suggest that advertising credibility is defined using terms like accurate, caring, competent, complete, convincing, ethical, honest, impressive, promising, reliable and warranted. The findings also suggest that advertising credibility has a positive effect on brand credibility, brand image, corporate credibility and corporate image. However, these effects are lower when the brand and corporation have different names than when they have similar names. The dissimilarity of names can also provide some benefit, especially when brands or firms are faced with a crisis. The findings also illustrate that the theoretical model used in this study is valid, and suggest that advertising credibility has positive effects on other constructs.
Originality/value – Advertising credibility has received little attention in the literature. There is also little attention on its effects on other credibility constructs. This study minimises these gaps by conducting qualitative research to explore the effects of advertising credibility on brand credibility, corporate credibility and corporate image
Using Visual Timelines in Telephone Interviews: Reflections and Lessons Learned from the Star Family Study
Get PDFVisual timeline methods have been used as part of face-to-face qualitative interviewing with vulnerable populations to uncover the intricacies of lived experiences, but little is known about whether visual timelines can be effectively used in telephone interviews. In this article, we reflect on the process of using visual timelines in 16 telephone interviews with women as part of the ‘STarting a family when you have an Autoimmune Rheumatic disease’ study (STAR Family Study). The visual timeline method was used to empower women to organize and share their narratives about the sensitive and complex topic of starting a family. We conducted a thematic analysis of the audio-recorded interview data, using researchers’ field notes and reflections to provide context for our understanding of the benefits of using timelines, to understand the process of using visual timelines during telephone interviews. Resource packs were sent to women before study participation; 11 out of 16 women completed a version of the timeline activity. Six themes were identified in the methodological data analysis: 1) Use and adaptation of the timeline tool; 2) Timeline exchange, 3) Framing the interview: Emphasizing that women are in control; 4) Jumping straight in; 5) Taking a lead, and; 6) Disclosing personal and sensitive experiences. The use of visual timelines facilitated interviewee control and elicited rich narratives of participants’ experiences in telephone interviews. Women created their visual timelines autonomously and retained ownership of their timeline data; these features of the data generation process need to be considered when using visual timelines in telephone rather than face-to-face interviews. Use of visual methods within telephone interviews is feasible, can generate rich data, and should be further explored in a wider range of settings
Management of Parkinson’s Disease during pregnancy: Literature review and multi-disciplinary input
Get PDFBackground
There are no standardised clinical guidelines for the management of Parkinson’s disease during pregnancy. Increasing maternal age would suggest that the incidence of pregnancy in women diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease is likely to increase.
Objective
To evaluate the evidence for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease during pregnancy, and to canvass opinion from patients and clinical teams as to the optimum clinical management in this setting.
Methods
This involved: i) a literature review of available evidence for the use of oral medical therapy for the management of PD during pregnancy, and ii) anonymised survey of patients and clinical teams relating to previous clinical experiences.
Results
Literature review identified 31 publications (148 pregnancies; 49 Parkinson’s Disease, 2 Parkinsonism, 21 Dopa-Responsive Dystonia, 32 Restless Leg Syndrome, 1 Schizophrenia and 43 unknown indication) detailing treatment with levodopa, and 12 publications with dopamine agonists. Adverse outcomes included seizures and congenital malformations. Survey participation included patients (n=7), neurologists (n=35), PD Nurse Specialists (n=50), obstetricians (n=15) and midwives (n=20) and identified a further 34 cases of pregnancy in women with PD. Common themes for suggested management included: optimisation of motor symptoms, preference for levodopa monotherapy, and normal delivery unless indicated by obstetric causes.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates the paucity of evidence for decision-making in the medical management of PD during pregnancy. Collaboration is needed to develop a prospective registry, with longitudinal maternal and child health outcome measures, to facilitate consensus management guidelines
Inter-limb step asymmetry in closed and open skill sprint accelerations in soccer players
Get PDFPurpose: Inter-limb differences may have detrimental effects on sports performance. There is a need to understand the comparison of asymmetries between open and closed skill tasks. The study investigated inter-limb step asymmetry responses to closed and open skill acceleration sprint running tasks. Material and Methods: 3D motion analysis kinematic data of step characteristics were collected from 20 male soccer players (mean±SD: 21±1.9 years, 78.7±7.7 kg, 1.78±0.06 m) for bilaterally located lower-limb markers during the initial 20 m of closed and open skill acceleration sprint running trials. Step velocity, step length, step frequency, flight time, contact time and flight distance were calculated. In the closed skill condition, players were aware of the final sprint distance prior to initiation. In the open skill conditions, players were informed of the final sprint distance (20 or 40 m) immediately after initiating the run. Results: Players displayed significant (0.10 to 10.3 %, p0.05), suggesting that asymmetry may be functional or dysfunctional. Conclusions: Skilled soccer players are able to regulate step characteristic asymmetries across closed and open skill tasks. Symmetry should not be assumed when assessing open and closed skill acceleration sprint performance in soccer players. Practitioners should be aware of these asymmetries when implementing programmes