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Electroglottography based real-time voice-to-MIDI controller
Get PDFVoice-to-MIDI real-time conversion is a challenging problem that comes with a series of obstacles and complications. The main issue is the tracking of the human voice pitch. Extracting the voice fundamental frequency can be inaccurate and highly computationally exacting due to the spectral complexity of voice signals. In addition, on account of microphone usage, the presence of environmental noise can further affect voice processing. An analysis of the current research and status of the market shows a plethora of voice-to-MIDI implementations revolving around the processing of audio signals deriving from microphones. This paper addresses the above-mentioned issues by implementing a novel experimental method where electroglottography is employed instead of microphones as a source for pitch-tracking. In the proposed system, the signal is processed and converted through an embedded hardware device. The use of electroglottography improves both the accuracy of pitch evaluation and the ease of voice information processing; firstly, it provides a direct measurement of the vocal folds' activity and, secondly, it bypasses the interferences caused by external sound sources. This allows the extraction of a simpler and cleaner signal that yields a more effective evaluation of the fundamental frequency during phonation. The proposed method delivers a faster and less computationally demanding conversion thus in turn, allowing for an efficacious real-time voice-to-MIDI conversion
Conducting multilingual classroom research with refugee children in Cyprus: critically reflecting on methodological decisions
Get PDFResearch within language education and migration that draws on multi- lingual frameworks requires the researcher to become part of the research process and to work with participants to fully understand their views in order to represent them (Drury, 2007; Due et al., 2016). However, a prob- lem arises when the researcher does not share the same language as the participants. What happens, for example, in research examining the expe- riences of bilingual children in formal schooling where the researcher is a speaker of English, the participants are speakers of Pahari and the researcher needs to conduct fieldwork, including interviews and analysis of multilingual data sets (Drury, 2007)? The problem becomes more apparent when the participants are marginalised refugee children from war-torn areas of the world. It is important that education researchers take theoretically and methodologically informed decisions in politically charged and linguistically and culturally diverse contexts when examin- ing issues of language and participation, as such choices can work towards an inclusive research practice that does not exclude minority and vulner- able groups of people. Although the aforementioned studies implicitly provide guidance for conducting multilingual classroom research, they do not explicitly explain how their own theoretical positions can shape their methodological decisions and the impact of these in redressing power rela- tions between researcher and participants
Stigma, epistemic injustice, and “looked after children”: the need for a new language
Get PDFThis article examines the processes that contribute to the stigmatization of a group of people typically identified as “children in care” or “looked after children.” In particular, we will look at the ways that we (adults, professionals, and carers) interact with these children, based on their status as both children and members of a socially marginalized and disadvantaged group, and how these modes of interaction can inhibit dialogue—a dialogue that is needed if we are to base our conceptions regarding the needs of these children on a more accurate understanding of their experiences and perspective. The problem is particularly challenging because the very terminology we use in the care community to identify this group is a product of the damaging preconceptions that have affected our interactions with its members and, we argue, it serves to reinforce those preconceptions. Using Fricker's work on epistemic injustice, in conjunction with evidence regarding how accusations of abuse and neglect of these children have been addressed in numerous cases, we illustrate the problems we have in hearing the voices of members of this group and the harmful effects this has on their own ability to understand and articulate their experiences. These problems represent “barriers to disclosure” that need to be surmounted if we are to establish a more inclusive dialogue. Currently, dialogue between these children and those of us charged to “look after” them is too often characterized by a lack of trust: not only in terms of the children feeling that their word is not taken seriously, that their claims are not likely to be believed, but also in their feeling that they cannot trust those to whom they might disclose abuse or neglect. The goals of the paper are modest in that we aim simply to open up the debate on how to meet this epistemic challenge, noting that there are specific problems that extend beyond those already identified for hearing the voices of other victims of epistemic injustice. Explicitly recognizing the nature and extent of the problem still leaves us a long way from its solution, but it is a crucial start
5 senses at the dining table – A systematic literature review of human five senses within dining settings
Get PDFIntroduction: The rise of experience-centred dining has urged the service providers in the restaurant industry to evolve and improve their businesses in order to accommodate the new needs of their guests. As a result, the study of the human five senses, the leading drivers of human experience, has also attracted increasing attention in recent years. This systematic review is aimed at critically investigating the current state of multisensory research within dining settings. More specifically, it identifies the different sensory elements that have been studied so far, investigates the employed methods of research, addresses the geographical distribution of research on the topic and highlights the gaps and limitations of the literature.
Method: The systematic literature review was conducted from the earliest possible data through to September 2020. Seven sets of keywords were searched in four major databases (EBSCOhost, Sage, ProQuest and ScienceDirect) and after several rounds of screening, 120 peer-reviewed journal articles met the selection criteria and were included in the review.
Findings and Conclusion: The focus of the existing literature is mainly on the visual elements such as interior design, tableware and staff physical appearance, and other less tangible sensory elements have not received enough attention. The findings also indicate that the literature is mostly focused on the experiences, perceptions or satisfaction of the customers and very few studies have taken a step back and have addressed the awareness or opinions of the service providers. Finally, there is a significant lack of qualitative research resulting in a very limited rich and in-depth data regarding this topic
Awareness and perceptions of ethnic restaurant managers towards authenticity and sensory strategies – a case study of Persian ethnic restaurants in London
Get PDFIntroduction
The presence of ethnic restaurants is closely linked with the history of people’s travel and immigration, and it is believed that the first-ever restaurant in history was an ‘ethnic restaurant’ around 1100 A.D. The story of ethnic food may have been started a long time ago, however, it was only in the recent decade that the concept of ethnic restaurants has grown in popularity and turned into a speciality in the restaurant industry (Tey et al., 2008).
Some of the main reasons that individuals visit an ethnic restaurant are known to be their willingness to explore the particular ethnic culture and to expand their knowledge (Lego et al., 2002; Molz, 2004; Ebster and Guist, 2005; Sukalakamala and Boyce, 2007). Authenticity, the state of being genuine and true to the represented ethnicity and culture, is one of the most prominent qualities in ethnic restaurants which has a significant impact on customers’ overall experience and satisfaction (Sukalakamala and Boyce, 2007).
Scholars identified three different perspectives of authenticity: objective, constructive and post-modern. This study focuses on the constructive perspective of authenticity believing that, there is no absolute and objective definition for authenticity (Bruner, 1994) and instead, it is constructed socially or personally (Ebster and Guist, 2005; Kim and Jang, 2016) based on individual’s experiences, perceptions or interpretation and therefore can be perceived differently from person to person (Robinson and Clifford, 2012; Youn and Kim, 2017).
Elements that satisfy senses and can convey authenticity to guests in ethnic restaurants are sensory strategies – the strategies which are directly linked with human five senses of vision, audition, gustation, olfaction and touch and are designed to communicate the desired outcomes to the recipient-.
The existing literature regarding authenticity within dining settings is highly dominated by the consumer’s perspective and only a few studies look at the supplier’s (service provider) perspective (Le et al., 2019). Based on the findings of a systematic review (see poster presentation Sattarzadeh et al., 2022), the same applies to the literature on sensory strategies within dining settings, and once more the focus is on customers’ experience, and the opinions, perceptions, experiences and awareness of the service providers as the creators of the experiences are not explored in depth.
The aim of this paper is to critically investigate the perceptions of Persian ethnic restaurant managers towards authenticity, and to explore and appraise their awareness and opinions toward the application of sensory strategies in regard to authenticity within their businesses
Influences on nurses’ engagement in antimicrobial stewardship behaviours: a multi-country survey using the Theoretical Domains Framework
Get PDFBackground: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is significantly affected by inappropriate antibiotic use, and is one of the greatest threats to human health. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is a programme of actions promoting responsible antimicrobial use, and is essential for limiting AMR. Nurses have an important role to play in this context. Aim: This study investigated the determinants of nurse AMS behaviours and the impact of past training.
Method: A cross-sectional multi-country survey design with mixed methods was employed. Participants were 262 nurses (223 female; mean age = 44.45; SD = 10.77) from ten nationalities, with individual survey links sent via professional networks in 5 countries. Nine AMS behaviours and 14 behavioural determinants were quantitatively assessed using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), and mapped to the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation – Behaviour) model. Analysis identified differences between nurses with and without AMS training. The influence of COVID-19 on AMS behaviour was qualitatively investigated using free text data.
Findings: Nurses performed all nine AMS behaviours, which were significantly higher (t(238) = -4.14, p < .001), by those who had training (M = 53.15; SD = 7.40) compared to those who had not (M = 48.30; SD = 10.75). Those with AMS training scored significantly higher in all of the TDF domains, with ‘Skills’ and ‘Behavioural Regulation’ (e.g. ability to self-monitor and plan), being the most predictive of AMS behaviour (R2 = .27). Both of these domains are situated in the Capability construct of COM-B, which can be enhanced with the intervention strategies of education and training. An increase in AMS behaviours was reported since COVID-19, regardless of previous training. Six core themes were linked to AMS: 1) Infection prevention and control, 2) Antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance, 3) The diagnosis of infection and the use of antibiotics, 4) Antimicrobial prescribing practice, 5) Person-centred care, and 6) Interprofessional collaborative practice.
Conclusion:
This research, has identified the significant benefit of nurse training on AMS behaviour, and its determinants. AMS education and training should be offered to nurses to enhance Knowledge, Skills, Social/Professional role and identity, Beliefs about capabilities, Optimism, Beliefs about consequences, Reinforcement, Intentions, Goals, Memory, attention and decision making, Environmental context and resources, Social influences, Emotion, and Behavioural regulation. Future research should consider the optimal level of training to optimise AMS behaviour, with a focus on developing skills and behavioural regulation
Structural behaviour of polystyrene foam lightweight concrete beams strengthened with FRP laminates
Get PDFLightweight concrete (LWC) is one of the most important building materials nowadays. Many research studies were focused on LWC produced using lightweight aggregates. However, limited work was cited for LWC produced using polystyrene beads. In this study, LWC beams strengthened with carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) were experimentally tested to investigate the improvement in their flexural and shear behaviours. LWC in this investigation was achieved by partial replacement of normal aggregate by polystyrene beads and resulted in approximately 30 % less weight compared to Normal weight concrete. Fourteen Reinforced Concrete (RC) LWC beams of 100 mm by 300 mm cross-section having an overall length of 3250 mm were tested under four-point bending. These beams were designed, detailed, and tested to obtain flexural and shear mode of failure. These beams were divided into two groups based on the intended failure mode. In each group, six beams were strengthened using CFRP and GFRP laminates while the remaining one beam was used as control. The tested parameters were the type of FRP, the width of the laminates used in shear strengthening, and the number of layers used in flexural strengthening. It was found that strengthening of LWC beams using CFRP and GFRP layers resulted in increasing the loading capacity and decreasing deflection as compared to control. The strengthening with CFRP and GFRP is also suitable in reducing the crack width and crack propagation which is more significant in LWC beams. The experimental results were also compared with the expressions in codes for forecasting the strength of LWC beams and it was that these expressions are compatible with the experimental results
A cooperative SWIPT-Hybrid-NOMA pairing scheme considering SIC imperfection for THz communications
No full textAlmost all the sixth-generation (6G) non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)-based research assumes a perfect successive interference cancelation (SIC) when it comes to system analysis or planning; this assumption should be supported by advanced schemes that consider the suggested technologies and THz characteristics. The work in this paper proposes an optimized two-user pairing scheme where simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) is adopted with cooperative hybridNOMA (H-NOMA) in terahertz (THz) considering SIC imperfection. The aim is to improve the overall performance of wireless THz communication networks including wireless connectivity, resource management, scalability, and user fairness. Hence, thorough studies for a number of SWIPT-NOMA schemes were presented alongside a selection of the best H-NOMA pairing strategy for the served users. We investigated system performance according to SIC manipulation to develop a proper SWIPT-based simplified system. The results showed a remarkable improvement in energy efficiency and spectral efficiency compared to conventional work (NOMA and OMA time division multiple access (TDMA)) by 75%. This promising proposal has a positive impact on reducing system hardware, complexity, and cost while improving signal detection, diversity, and reliability, without the need for complicated techniques such as multiple-input multipleoutput (MIMO)
Teaching Here and There; Episode 8, with Julie Johnston, Don Merritt and Mark McCallister from the USA
No full textThis is episode 8, featuring three university technology managers from the United States. Julie Johnston, Director of Learning Spaces at Indiana University, Don Merritt, PhD, who is the Director of Instructional Resources at the University of Central Florida and Mark McCallister, Director of Academic Technology at the University of Florida.
In an absorbing and insightful discussion, Dom Pates, James Rutherford and Dr. Ivan Sikora, invited their guests to talk about their experiences, reflections and plans for the design and development of technologies and support for hybrid teaching at their respective institutions.
Some key quotes to listen out for:
"I believe that when people come together, they can accomplish just about anything...the collaboration across all the groups was so strong during this crisis where we all had the same goals"
"You could think of it as a re-privileging of the classroom, as the space where learning happens, and more that teaching and learning is really becoming ubiquitous to all of our technologies across the board"
"In order for this to be successful, it has to be learner centred...we can't let the technology to drive some of our decisions, we need to let our needs drive the technology decisions"
We hope you enjoy listening to this latest episode
Evaluation of the effect of different cooking methods on the heavy metal levels in crayfish muscle
Get PDFThe current study investigated the effects of various cooking styles (boiling, frying, and steaming) and seasoning methods (home cooking and ready-to-eat commodity) on levels of nine heavy metals in the crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) muscle. The estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotients (THQ), and target cancer risk (TCR) were used to assess the health risk in the crayfish muscle. The results showed that cooking processes significantly increased the concentration of Cu, which raises a potential risk for children (the THQ values > 1). The levels of toxic heavy metals in the ready-to-eat crayfish muscle were significantly higher than those in household cooking. Especially for As, the THQ values rose to 7.1 and 13.2 for adults and children respectively. Therefore, home cooking is safer than ready-to-eat crayfish, and children should consume crayfish within a limited range. The recommended consumption of the cooked abdominal muscle of crayfish should be 257 and 58 g/day, for children (16 kg) and adults (70 kg), respectively