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Robotic Assisted Surgical Systems (RASS) in healthcare management
No full textRobotically Assisted Surgical Systems (RASS) have been used in carrying out over 7 million surgical procedures, since their emergence in the 1970s (Klodmann et al., 2021). The use of the systems has eased the workload of medical practitioners, for example, the positions held by the robot arms during surgery, create opportunity for surgical assistants to focus on other tasks (Klodmann et al., 2021). More so, Robotic Assisted Surgery (RAS) is gradually gaining predominance globally (Peters et al., 2018). Its size, specialty, use and versatility have evolved over the years (Brodie & Vasdev, n.d.). The use of RAS has enhanced ergonomics, tissue magnification, precision, improved training and seamless workflow, thus reducing the need for human assistants during surgical operations (McLeod, Melder & Da Vinci, 2005; Moawad et al., 2020). However, the significance of its influence on patients’ wellbeing and clinical practices is still under study by researchers, and the adoption of RASS in healthcare practices is expected to grow exponentially in the next decade (Brodie & Vasdev, n.d.). The adoption of RAS in healthcare practices is quite expensive and it requires changes in behavioural pattern as regards to surgery, which can be complex and difficult. Therefore, it is advisable to get the required training on the usage and application, before adopting it in surgical practices (Atkins et al., 2017). This article assesses the pros and cons of RAS while looking at its concept, use, advantage and Hazards
Conflict management in digital business environments
No full textConflict management plays a vital role in raising a suitable collaboration within business stakeholders through the elimination of communication gaps in the business environments. Stakeholder conflicts are mostly raised due to the presence of diverging interests, inaccurate resource allocation, fluctuation in market demands, organizational structure, and communication gaps. These factors often led to the rise of dissatisfaction among the stakeholders for not being able to have a clear vision of business goals in a suitable manner. This report has chosen a London-based IT company named Transputec LTD to provide a suitable conflict management strategy through the implementation of one digital technology. This report has selected Slack as the suitable digital tool for enhancing business communications and competitive advantage by resolving conflicts within this digital business environment. The “Theory of Constraints” is implemented within the IT industry for streamlining processes, overall performance and enhancing efficiency. A proper recognition of bottlenecks within the IT processes that include testing and coding are optimized for enhancing performance. This theory helps in depicting the optimization of resources that include human skills, servers and databases for enhancing productivity. The limiting factors are critically focused by this theory for improving the overall efficiency of this industry
Young carers on social robots: introducing teenagers as informal caregivers to HRI
No full textThis paper presents a participatory, qualitative focus group study with 13 young carers - young people between 13 to 18 years old who take care of a parent due to either a chronic illness, mental health problem, or other condition connected with a need for care in Wales and England. We identify and assert young carers as an important, thus far unconsidered, user group in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). As such, this study is the first to explore this group's unique perspectives, highlighting their lived experiences and perceptions of care robots in the domestic setting. Our findings reveal the heterogeneity of this group, particularly regarding support for their caregiving roles and their ongoing use of technology. While participants saw social robots as having potential, especially for (i) time management, (ii) emotional and (iii) informational support, and (iv) monitoring their parent's health; concerns were raised about issues such as (1) malfunction, (2) limited range, (3) privacy and (4) cost. We distil our findings into some reflections on how future HRI research might better consider this important user group, including some methodological reflections on the practical, ethical and emotional challenges of undertaking this type of work
Taming the radical: domesticating Forum Theatre in leadership development
Get PDFArts-based approaches to leadership development are becoming increasingly popular because of their potential to highlight the symbolic, aesthetic and sensual dimensions of organizing, thus opening up new possibilities for insights and action. However, our study shows that such interventions can also surface complex dynamics and can be co-opted in ways that diminish their more empowering potential. Our focus is on one such leadership development initiative within a UK based education institution focussing on Forum Theatre, a specific form of dramaturgy typically used to challenge structures of power and oppression. We draw on semi-structured interviews with senior level participants and facilitators to ask whether the programme was effective as a means of learning and empowering the participants. Our findings suggest that the co-option of Forum Theatre to serve organizational interests raises significant concerns when it requires a domestication of its more radical potential
Co-designing a running/walking programme with adolescent girls using meaningful physical activity and an activist approach
Get PDFThis paper reports the co-design of a run/walk programme with adolescent girls, in collaboration with a UK women’s running organisation, This Woman Runs. The objective of this participatory inquiry was to create a meaningful programme for adolescent girls to support engaging regularly in running/walking for 30 minutes. The study employed co-design and participatory methodologies (Enright and O’Sullivan, 2012) and an activist approach pedagogical model (Oliver and Kirk, 2016), to listen and respond to girls’ interests and ideas for meaningful physical activity. Sixteen girls (age 11-13), their physical education (PE) teacher, researchers, and representatives from This Woman Runs participated in five workshops. The workshops facilitated a process of inquiry and discussion around girls’ interests and needs in learning to run, using written and verbal expressions of what girls found meaningful in running/walking and other physical activity. These materials were mapped, with girls’ input, to meaningful physical education features (Kretchmar, 2006; Beni et al., 2017). Participants then generated ideas about structure, location, frequency, marketing, and curriculum and listened to each other’s experiences in co-designing an accessible programme. The paper presents the outcomes of the inquiry, specifically a 12-week run/walk after-school programme that includes physical and curricular activities to support positive social interactions, feelings of competence, and personally relevant learning. We reflect on how the girls’ knowledge and values about running were supported through the co-design process. Listening to respond, by embedding ongoing inquiry with young people, is crucial for the success and meaningfulness of physical activity interventions
‘Biographical continuity’: a qualitative study of the role of complementary and alternative medicine in restoring the self after breast cancer diagnosis
Get PDFIntroduction Breast cancer patients frequently use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) alongside biomedical treatment for symptom relief and to address the disruption caused by diagnosis and treatment. These experiences, however, are often overlooked within the cancer clinical encounter. This study explored CAM use in women with breast cancer, focusing on three main research questions: Why do women with breast cancer use CAM? In what ways does CAM help them maintain or regain a sense of normality? What barriers or tensions do they face when considering or using CAM? Methods The study used a qualitative interpretative-constructivist research design to analyse the subjective meanings women with breast cancer ascribed to their CAM use during their breast cancer journey. Unstructured interviews were conducted with nine female breast cancer patients undertaking treatment at a major NHS cancer centre in Southeast England. The interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results The women engaged with a wide range of CAM therapies during their cancer journey. CAM was used not only to alleviate symptoms, but also to restore a sense of ‘ordinariness’ and biographical continuity. Central to this process were practices of self-care, self-help, and self-management, and the collaboration of CAM practitioners and open-minded medical doctors. Barriers included dominant biomedical approaches, limited information sharing and communication about CAM, financial and geographical constraints, and little clinical validation by medical staff. Conclusion These women experienced tensions and conflicts when trying to use CAM alongside cancer treatment. They sought overall well-being but often encountered barriers to accessing CAM and sharing their experiences within a biomedical context. The study highlights the role and value of CAM in restoring a sense of normality in the lives of breast cancer survivors, and recommends raising professional awareness of CAM use by women with breast cancer, normalising CAM dialogue in the clinical encounter, and considering relational care in training
Introduction: The role of artificial intelligence in the tourism and hospitality sector
No full textArtificial Intelligence, or AI, has been one of the most important concepts in recent years to have influenced tourism and hospitality (T&H) management. It has created new possibilities and improved workflow in these industries, as well as providing better customer service experiences and creating new opportunities for sustainable strategies. It is not just a supplementary but a driving force for organisations to keep up with dynamic market conditions and increasing consumer expectations. This book provides a theoretical understanding of the potential opportunities, risks, and future implications of AI use in these industries
Stiffness a coaches guide (Part 2): recommendations for testing and training
Get PDFAbstract: High levels of vertical, leg and joint stiffness are generally advantageous for short time span performance actions, with stiffness changes sensitive to training. Consequently it is vital to monitor stiffness changes in any training intervention designed to enhance stiffness. Measures of stiffness are often seen as too complex to be carried out as part of a training intervention, but this approach misses key adaptations which drive performance. Part 2 of this narrative review focuses on measurement methods that are accessable to coaches and how subsets of stiffness can be trained. To measure a structures stiffness there is a requirement for the force applied to and the corresponding change in length of a given structure (Hookes law). Vertical stiffness focuses on centre of mass (COM) displacement, rather then compression of the leg-spring seen in leg stiffness measurements. This makes leg stiffness a preferable measure, compared to vertical stiffness, if more horizontal movements are explored. However, leg stiffness will miss torso deviations in vertical actions and should not be used to replace COM deviation seen in vertical stiffness measures. Joint stiffness measures individual joint actions giving valuable insight into how joints impact system stiffness. Measures of stiffness require high technical knowledge and complex equipment, often beyond the scope of coaches. However, practical monitoring of stiffness can be relatively easly accumplished by tracking temporal and performance outcomes interactions reliably via readly available high sampling frequency phone apps. Enhancing stiffness has been achieved with isometric, eccentric, isotonic and plyometric training, frequently linked to higher intensity interventions, whether acute or chronic stiffness increases are required. Interventions must maximise force output without increasing ground contact or contraction time, while it is recommended to sequence structural, neural and coordinative-based objectives in any training intervention
Generative adversarial networks-enabled anomaly detection systems: a survey
Get PDFAnomaly Detection (AD) is an important area of research because it helps identify outliers in data, enabling early detection of errors, fraud, and potential security breaches. Machine Learning (ML) can be utilized for distinct AD systems, and Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have emerged as a promising technique due to their ability to generate new data that closely resembles a given dataset, allowing for the creation of realistic images, videos, audio, text, and other types of synthetic data. This paper explores state-of-the-art approaches in AD using GANs. The paper starts by providing a comprehensive overview of ML techniques for AD, including supervised, unsupervised, and semi-supervised approaches. This survey also explores various AD approaches based on GANs and provides an application-based classification of GANs-based AD approaches in the Internet-of-Things (IoT), Industrial IoT, Digital Healthcare, Energy Management Systems, and Cellular Network domains. Moreover, the paper discusses several datasets used in evaluating the performance of GANs-based AD techniques such as BOT-IoT, TON-IoT, CIC-IoT, CIC-IDS, and NSL-KDD. These datasets serve as valuable resources for researchers and practitioners to develop and test AD systems, particularly in the context of IoT and network security. Furthermore, the paper discusses the challenges and limitations of GANs-based AD techniques and proposes future research directions to address these challenges
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