Imprinting disorders after assisted reproductive technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lidegaard, Øjvind; Pinborg, Anja; Andersen, Anders Nyboe

2006-01-01

To assess the evidence of an increased risk of imprinting diseases in children born after use of assisted reproductive technologies.......To assess the evidence of an increased risk of imprinting diseases in children born after use of assisted reproductive technologies....

Assisted reproductive technology in Europe, 2007

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Mouzon, J; Goossens, V; Bhattacharya, S

2012-01-01

This 11th European IVF-monitoring report presents the results of assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments initiated in Europe during 2007.......This 11th European IVF-monitoring report presents the results of assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments initiated in Europe during 2007....

Training Students as Technology Assistants.

Science.gov (United States)

Onishi, Esther; Peto, Erica

1996-01-01

Describes a program where fifth and sixth graders are trained as school technology assistants. The childrens' duties include installation of software, making minor repairs, cleaning computer equipment, and assisting teachers and students. Outlines components of the program, lists forms the assistants use and skills they are taught, and provides…

Assisted Reproductive Technologies : Implications for Women's ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Assisted Reproductive Technologies : Implications for Women's Reproductive Rights and Social Citizenship. There is a general perception that assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) affect only a small number of affluent women in India. However, the ART industry - tied as it is to the vigorously pushed medical tourism ...

Assisted reproductive technology in Europe, 2008

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ferraretti, A P; Goossens, V; de Mouzon, J

2012-01-01

This 12th European IVF-monitoring (EIM) report presents the results of treatments involving assisted reproductive technology (ART) initiated in Europe during 2008.......This 12th European IVF-monitoring (EIM) report presents the results of treatments involving assisted reproductive technology (ART) initiated in Europe during 2008....

Assistive Technology: What Physical Educators Need to Know

Science.gov (United States)

Laughlin, Michael K.; Murata, Nathan M.; Gonnelli, Michele; Larranaga, John

2018-01-01

Assistive technology supplements and supports the learning of students with disabilities in school and at home. Thanks to federal mandates, students with disabilities receive consideration for assistive technology devices and services--the tools and supports needed to achieve determined learning outcomes. Assistive technology devices and services…

Integrating medical, assistive, and universal design products and technologies: Assistive Technology Service Method (ATSM).

Science.gov (United States)

Elsaesser, Linda-Jeanne; Bauer, Stephen

2012-07-01

ISO26000 provides guidance on effective organizational performance that recognizes social responsibility (including rights of persons with disabilities (PWD)), engages stakeholders, and contributes to sustainable development [1]. Millennium Development Goals 2010 state: while progress has been made, insufficient dedication to sustainable development, and inequalities to the most vulnerable people require attention [2]. World Report on Disability 2011 recommendations includes improved data collection and removal of barriers to rehabilitation that empower PWD [3]. The Assistive Technology Service Method (ATSM), Assistive Technology Device Classification (ATDC) and Matching Person and Technology (MPT) provide an evidence-based, standardized, internationally comparable framework to improve rehabilitation interventions [4-6]. The ATSM and ATDC support universal design (UD) principles and provision of universal technology. The MPT assures interventions are effective and satisfactory to end-users [7]. The ICF conceptual framework and common language are used throughout [8]. Research findings on healthcare needs are translated. ATSM applications in support of these findings are presented. National initiatives demonstrate the need and value of the ATSM as an evidence-based, user-centric, interdisciplinary method to improve individual and organizational performance for rehabilitation [including AT] services. Two Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology articles demonstrate ATSM and ATDC use to strengthen rehabilitation services and integrate Universal Design principles for socially responsible behavior.

Principles for fostering the transdisciplinary development of assistive technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Boger, Jennifer; Jackson, Piper; Mulvenna, Maurice; Sixsmith, Judith; Sixsmith, Andrew; Mihailidis, Alex; Kontos, Pia; Miller Polgar, Janice; Grigorovich, Alisa; Martin, Suzanne

2017-07-01

Developing useful and usable assistive technologies often presents complex (or "wicked") challenges that require input from multiple disciplines and sectors. Transdisciplinary collaboration can enable holistic understanding of challenges that may lead to innovative, impactful and transformative solutions. This paper presents generalised principles that are intended to foster transdisciplinary assistive technology development. The paper introduces the area of assistive technology design before discussing general aspects of transdisciplinary collaboration followed by an overview of relevant concepts, including approaches, methodologies and frameworks for conducting and evaluating transdisciplinary working and assistive technology design. The principles for transdisciplinary development of assistive technologies are presented and applied post hoc to the COACH project, an ambient-assisted living technology for guiding completion of activities of daily living by older adults with dementia as an illustrative example. Future work includes the refinement and validation of these principles through their application to real-world transdisciplinary assistive technology projects. Implications for rehabilitation Transdisciplinarity encourages a focus on real world 'wicked' problems. A transdisciplinary approach involves transcending disciplinary boundaries and collaborating with interprofessional and community partners (including the technology's intended users) on a shared problem. Transdisciplinarity fosters new ways of thinking about and doing research, development, and implementation, expanding the scope, applicability, and commercial viability of assistive technologies.

Embedded Systems and TensorFlow Frameworks as Assistive Technology Solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulfari, Davide; Palla, Alessandro; Fanucci, Luca

2017-01-01

In the field of deep learning, this paper presents the design of a wearable computer vision system for visually impaired users. The Assistive Technology solution exploits a powerful single board computer and smart glasses with a camera in order to allow its user to explore the objects within his surrounding environment, while it employs Google TensorFlow machine learning framework in order to real time classify the acquired stills. Therefore the proposed aid can increase the awareness of the explored environment and it interacts with its user by means of audio messages.

MAS: Malware Analysis System Based on Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Taehyoung; Kim, Inhyuk; Min, Changwoo; Eom, Young Ik

There are many analysis techniques in order to analyze malicious codes. However, recently malicious codes often evade detection using stealthy obfuscation techniques, and attack computing systems. We propose an enhanced dynamic binary instrumentation using hardware-assisted virtualization technology. As a machine-level analyzer, our system can be isolated from almost the whole threats of malware, and provides single step analysis environment. Proposed system also supports rapid system call analysis environment. We implement our malware analysis system (referred as MAS) on the KVM hypervisor with Intel VT-x virtualization support. Our experiments with benchmarks show that the proposed system provides efficient analysis environment with low overhead.

Assistive Technologies to Empower Children with ADHD

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sonne, Tobias

HCI researchers have for several years explored the potentials of using technology to empower people with various disabilities and deficits in dealing with the challenges of their condition. The exploration initially focused on designing technologies for people with outwardly visible physical...... impairments and disabilities, however, in recent years HCI researchers have begun to focus on assistive technologies for other patient groups and less visible impairments, e.g., people with cognitive or mental disorders. This movement has led to the design and development of several successful assistive...... technologies for a broad range of patient groups struggling with e.g., Bipolar Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and anxiety. However, only very limited research within HCI has focused on assistive technologies for the most common diagnosis for children and teens worldwide – Attention Deficit...

The Distinction Between Curative and Assistive Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Stramondo, Joseph A

2018-05-01

Disability activists have sometimes claimed their disability has actually increased their well-being. Some even say they would reject a cure to keep these gains. Yet, these same activists often simultaneously propose improvements to the quality and accessibility of assistive technology. However, for any argument favoring assistive over curative technology (or vice versa) to work, there must be a coherent distinction between the two. This line is already vague and will become even less clear with the emergence of novel technologies. This paper asks and tries to answer the question: what is it about the paradigmatic examples of curative and assistive technologies that make them paradigmatic and how can these defining features help us clarify the hard cases? This analysis will begin with an argument that, while the common views of this distinction adequately explain the paradigmatic cases, they fail to accurately pick out the relevant features of those technologies that make them paradigmatic and to provide adequate guidance for parsing the hard cases. Instead, it will be claimed that these categories of curative or assistive technologies are defined by the role the technologies play in establishing a person's relational narrative identity as a member of one of two social groups: disabled people or non-disabled people.

34 CFR 300.6 - Assistive technology service.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Assistive technology service. 300.6 Section 300.6 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION... selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. The term includes— (a) The evaluation of...

Model of Providing Assistive Technologies in Special Education Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Lersilp, Suchitporn; Putthinoi, Supawadee; Chakpitak, Nopasit

2015-05-14

Most students diagnosed with disabilities in Thai special education schools received assistive technologies, but this did not guarantee the greatest benefits. The purpose of this study was to survey the provision, use and needs of assistive technologies, as well as the perspectives of key informants regarding a model of providing them in special education schools. The participants were selected by the purposive sampling method, and they comprised 120 students with visual, physical, hearing or intellectual disabilities from four special education schools in Chiang Mai, Thailand; and 24 key informants such as parents or caregivers, teachers, school principals and school therapists. The instruments consisted of an assistive technology checklist and a semi-structured interview. Results showed that a category of assistive technologies was provided for students with disabilities, with the highest being "services", followed by "media" and then "facilities". Furthermore, mostly students with physical disabilities were provided with assistive technologies, but those with visual disabilities needed it more. Finally, the model of providing assistive technologies was composed of 5 components: Collaboration; Holistic perspective; Independent management of schools; Learning systems and a production manual for users; and Development of an assistive technology center, driven by 3 major sources such as Government and Private organizations, and Schools.

Assistive Technology for Individuals with Special Seeds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian Lupasc

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Disabled people face barriers in performing their various activities, including teaching. By using assistive technologies for different activities, people with disabilities may be able to perform a wider range of tasks independently. Fortunately, it helps to reduce many of these barriers, but, unfortunately, disabled people (learning, autism or ADHD face a variety of barriers when they want to use software tools or hardware devices. In this regard, assistive technologies are available to help persons with different types of disabilities, from cognitive problems to physical impairment. Hardware devices and software tools (known as adaptive or assistive technologies have been developed to provide functional alternatives for all individuals with disabilities, depending on the type of disability. In addition, the use of assistive technologies to support them is an effective approach for many persons with disabilities, regardless of the type of disability. Additionally, individuals with disabilities often experience greater success when they are allowed to use their abilities to work around their disabilities (the challenges they imply. Moreover, mobile devices are useful for their ability to weave Internet access and social networking into the daily life. To the people with disabilities, these devices have the potential to unlock unprecedented new possibilities for communication or navigation. In this context, some actual assistive technology and approaches to use them are described in this paper.

Designing and Implementing an Assistive Technology Lab for Postsecondary Education

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Beth; Williams, Nichole; Rudinger, Belinda

2018-01-01

A literature review discusses how teacher knowledge of assistive technology significantly impacts student success with assistive technology and that many teachers enter the field feeling unprepared to implement these technologies with students. This article explores one university's process in setting up an assistive technology laboratory for…

Learning Tools for Knowledge Nomads: Using Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) in Web-based Learning Environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Loh, Christian Sebastian

2001-01-01

Examines how mobile computers, or personal digital assistants (PDAs), can be used in a Web-based learning environment. Topics include wireless networks on college campuses; online learning; Web-based learning technologies; synchronous and asynchronous communication via the Web; content resources; Web connections; and collaborative learning. (LRW)

Non-invasive brain-computer interface system: towards its application as assistive technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Cincotti, Febo; Mattia, Donatella; Aloise, Fabio; Bufalari, Simona; Schalk, Gerwin; Oriolo, Giuseppe; Cherubini, Andrea; Marciani, Maria Grazia; Babiloni, Fabio

2008-04-15

The quality of life of people suffering from severe motor disabilities can benefit from the use of current assistive technology capable of ameliorating communication, house-environment management and mobility, according to the user's residual motor abilities. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are systems that can translate brain activity into signals that control external devices. Thus they can represent the only technology for severely paralyzed patients to increase or maintain their communication and control options. Here we report on a pilot study in which a system was implemented and validated to allow disabled persons to improve or recover their mobility (directly or by emulation) and communication within the surrounding environment. The system is based on a software controller that offers to the user a communication interface that is matched with the individual's residual motor abilities. Patients (n=14) with severe motor disabilities due to progressive neurodegenerative disorders were trained to use the system prototype under a rehabilitation program carried out in a house-like furnished space. All users utilized regular assistive control options (e.g., microswitches or head trackers). In addition, four subjects learned to operate the system by means of a non-invasive EEG-based BCI. This system was controlled by the subjects' voluntary modulations of EEG sensorimotor rhythms recorded on the scalp; this skill was learnt even though the subjects have not had control over their limbs for a long time. We conclude that such a prototype system, which integrates several different assistive technologies including a BCI system, can potentially facilitate the translation from pre-clinical demonstrations to a clinical useful BCI.

78 FR 31535 - Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-24

... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Education. ACTION: Notice. Catalog of Federal... developed for the Assistive Technology (AT) Alternative Financing Program (AFP) in fiscal year (FY) 2012 to...

Assistive technology policy: a position paper from the first global research, innovation, and education on assistive technology (GREAT) summit.

Science.gov (United States)

MacLachlan, Malcolm; Banes, David; Bell, Diane; Borg, Johan; Donnelly, Brian; Fembek, Michael; Ghosh, Ritu; Gowran, Rosemary Joan; Hannay, Emma; Hiscock, Diana; Hoogerwerf, Evert-Jan; Howe, Tracey; Kohler, Friedbert; Layton, Natasha; Long, Siobhán; Mannan, Hasheem; Mji, Gubela; Odera Ongolo, Thomas; Perry, Katherine; Pettersson, Cecilia; Power, Jessica; Delgado Ramos, Vinicius; Slepičková, Lenka; Smith, Emma M; Tay-Teo, Kiu; Geiser, Priscille; Hooks, Hilary

2018-07-01

Increased awareness, interest and use of assistive technology (AT) presents substantial opportunities for many citizens to become, or continue being, meaningful participants in society. However, there is a significant shortfall between the need for and provision of AT, and this is patterned by a range of social, demographic and structural factors. To seize the opportunity that assistive technology offers, regional, national and sub-national assistive technology policies are urgently required. This paper was developed for and through discussion at the Global Research, Innovation and Education on Assistive Technology (GREAT) Summit; organized under the auspices of the World Health Organization's Global Collaboration on Assistive Technology (GATE) program. It outlines some of the key principles that AT polices should address and recognizes that AT policy should be tailored to the realities of the contexts and resources available. AT policy should be developed as a part of the evolution of related policy across a number of different sectors and should have clear and direct links to AT as mediators and moderators for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The consultation process, development and implementation of policy should be fully inclusive of AT users, and their representative organizations, be across the lifespan, and imbued with a strong systems-thinking ethos. Six barriers are identified which funnel and diminish access to AT and are addressed systematically within this paper. We illustrate an example of good practice through a case study of AT services in Norway, and we note the challenges experienced in less well-resourced settings. A number of economic factors relating to AT and economic arguments for promoting AT use are also discussed. To address policy-development the importance of active citizenship and advocacy, the need to find mechanisms to scale up good community practices to a higher level, and the importance of political engagement for the

Assistive technology and people: a position paper from the first global research, innovation and education on assistive technology (GREAT) summit.

Science.gov (United States)

Desmond, Deirdre; Layton, Natasha; Bentley, Jacob; Boot, Fleur Heleen; Borg, Johan; Dhungana, Bishnu Maya; Gallagher, Pamela; Gitlow, Lynn; Gowran, Rosemary Joan; Groce, Nora; Mavrou, Katerina; Mackeogh, Trish; McDonald, Rachael; Pettersson, Cecilia; Scherer, Marcia

2018-05-17

Assistive technology (AT) is a powerful enabler of participation. The World Health Organization's Global Collaboration on Assistive Technology (GATE) programme is actively working towards access to assistive technology for all. Developed through collaborative work as a part of the Global Research, Innovation and Education on Assistive Technology (GREAT) Summit, this position paper provides a "state of the science" view of AT users, conceptualized as "People" within the set of GATE strategic "P"s. People are at the core of policy, products, personnel and provision. AT is an interface between the person and the life they would like to lead. People's preferences, perspectives and goals are fundamental to defining and determining the success of AT. Maximizing the impact of AT in enabling participation requires an individualized and holistic understanding of the value and meaning of AT for the individual, taking a universal model perspective, focusing on the person, in context, and then considering the condition and/or the technology. This paper aims to situate and emphasize people at the centre of AT systems: we highlight personal meanings and perspectives on AT use and consider the role of advocacy, empowerment and co-design in developing and driving AT processes.

Assisted reproductive technology and major birth defects in Western Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Michele; Kurinczuk, Jennifer J; de Klerk, Nicholas; Burton, Peter; Bower, Carol

2012-10-01

To estimate the prevalence of major birth defects diagnosed by 6 years of age in all births and terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly conceived by assisted reproductive technology (when this included intracytoplasmic sperm injection and in vitro fertilization [IVF]) and the remainder of nonassisted reproductive technology-conceived children born in Western Australia from 1994 to 2002. This retrospective cohort study used data linkage between three population-based registers (Reproductive Technology Register, Western Australian Register of Developmental Anomalies, and Midwives' Notification of Birth System) to identify all assisted reproductive technology (n=2,911) and nonassisted reproductive technology (n=210,997) births with and without birth defects diagnosed by age 6 and all terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly. A major birth defect was diagnosed in 8.7% of assisted reproductive technology and 5.4% of nonassisted reproductive technology singletons (odds ratio [OR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30-1.79), as well as 7.1% of assisted reproductive technology twins and 5.9% of nonassisted reproductive technology twins of unlike sex (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.77-1.51). The prevalence of birth defects in assisted reproductive technology singletons and twins decreased markedly over the study period. This change was evident across all three clinics contributing data over the whole study and was particularly marked for children conceived as a result of IVF. There has been a decrease in the prevalence of birth defects over time in children born as a result of assisted reproductive technology in Western Australia; however, the prevalence of major birth defects in assisted reproductive technology singletons remains increased compared with nonassisted reproductive technology singletons. II.

Assisted reproductive technology with donor sperm: national trends and perinatal outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerkowicz, Sabrina A; Crawford, Sara B; Hipp, Heather S; Boulet, Sheree L; Kissin, Dmitry M; Kawwass, Jennifer F

2018-04-01

Information regarding the use of donor sperm in assisted reproductive technology, as well as subsequent treatment and perinatal outcomes, remains limited. Outcome data would aid patient counseling and clinical decision making. The objectives of the study were to report national trends in donor sperm utilization and live birth rates of donor sperm-assisted reproductive technology cycles in the United States and to compare assisted reproductive technology treatment and perinatal outcomes between cycles using donor and nondonor sperm. We hypothesize these outcomes to be comparable between donor and nondonor sperm cycles. This was a retrospective cohort study using data from all US fertility centers reporting to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance System, accounting for ∼98% of assisted reproductive technology cycles (definition excludes intrauterine insemination). The number and percentage of assisted reproductive technology cycles using donor sperm and rates of pregnancy, live birth, preterm birth (accounting for approximately 6% of all assisted reproductive technology cycles in 2014. Assisted reproductive technology treatment and perinatal outcomes were clinically similar in donor and nondonor sperm cycles. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assistive technology in occupational therapy practice with a child with degenerative disease of the central nervous system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tácia Caroline de Lima Rodrigues

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to report the effects of the interventions, using the resource of assistive technology, carried out with a child with degenerative disease of the central nervous system at his home. This is a study case, which was conducted in seven meetings, addressing the child and his caregivers during a process of evaluation, preparation of assistive devices, family orientation, and evaluation of the family environment repercussion. The results showed that the child presents significant motor, cognitive, and psychosocial impairments, resulting in difficulties in performing activities of daily living, communication, and play. Adjustments were proposed to facilitate the child’s involvement and alleviate family difficulties on equipment and environments, such as wheelchair, bedroom, bathroom, orthosis, toys and communication. Finally, it was possible to note that the assistive technology resources were used according to the child’s needs and his own reality, and that the domiciliary visits contributed positively to the family’s life because they facilitated the child’s care, despite the limitations faced.

Flexible and Affordable Foreign Language Learning Environment based on Web 2.0 Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Guetl

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Web technologies and educational platforms have greatly evolved over the past decade. One of the most significant factors contributing to education on the Internet has been the development of Web 2.0 technologies. These technologies, socially interactive in nature, have much to contribute to the area of Computer Assisted Language Leaning. Unfortunately, Web 2.0 technologies for the most part have been used in an ad hoc manner, permitting language learners acquire knowledge through interaction, but not through a more structured manner as these technologies were not developed to help lean languages as such. The goal of our work is to research and develop an environment, which employs Web 2.0 technology plus online language learning tools to provide a more integrated language learning environment. This paper will explore the technologies and provide information about how tools can be better integrated to provide a more productive working environment for language learners. A first working proof of concept based on our approach introduced is promising supporting modern language requirements and first findings and space for improvements are discussed.

Assistive technology for communication of older adults: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Pedrozo Campos Antunes, Thaiany; Souza Bulle de Oliveira, Acary; Hudec, Robert; Brusque Crocetta, Tania; Ferreira de Lima Antão, Jennifer Yohanna; de Almeida Barbosa, Renata Thais; Guarnieri, Regiani; Massetti, Thais; Garner, David M; de Abreu, Luiz Carlos

2018-02-16

Describe the use of assistive technology to enhance communication opportunities for older adults. A systematic review was conducted in two databases, PubMed and Web of Science, by using two different searches in each. The search was limited to original articles, in English language, including people aged 60 years and older that used any type of assistive technology for communication. The articles found in the initial search were filtered by title, abstracts and the remaining articles were fully read. Eighteen studies were included in this review after the reading of full-texts. Most of the studies included apparently healthy participants with communication limitations due to aging related changes and the others included people with some pathology that prevent them from normal communication. Four categories of assistive technology were identified: assistive technology for people with speech problems; robot or videoconferencing systems; Information and Communication Technologies and, other types of assistive technology for communication, such as hearing aids and scrapbooks. Assistive technology for communication of older adults is not only used by people with disabilities that prevent them from usual communication. They are mostly for older adults without a pathological communication problem.

Non invasive Brain-Computer Interface system: towards its application as assistive technology

Science.gov (United States)

Cincotti, Febo; Mattia, Donatella; Aloise, Fabio; Bufalari, Simona; Schalk, Gerwin; Oriolo, Giuseppe; Cherubini, Andrea; Marciani, Maria Grazia; Babiloni, Fabio

2010-01-01

The quality of life of people suffering from severe motor disabilities can benefit from the use of current assistive technology capable of ameliorating communication, house-environment management and mobility, according to the user's residual motor abilities. Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are systems that can translate brain activity into signals that control external devices. Thus they can represent the only technology for severely paralyzed patients to increase or maintain their communication and control options. Here we report on a pilot study in which a system was implemented and validated to allow disabled persons to improve or recover their mobility (directly or by emulation) and communication within the surrounding environment. The system is based on a software controller that offers to the user a communication interface that is matched with the individual's residual motor abilities. Patients (n=14) with severe motor disabilities due to progressive neurodegenerative disorders were trained to use the system prototype under a rehabilitation program carried out in a house-like furnished space. All users utilized regular assistive control options (e.g., microswitches or head trackers). In addition, four subjects learned to operate the system by means of a non-invasive EEG-based BCI. This system was controlled by the subjects' voluntary modulations of EEG sensorimotor rhythms recorded on the scalp; this skill was learnt even though the subjects have not had control over their limbs for a long time. We conclude that such a prototype system, which integrates several different assistive technologies including a BCI system, can potentially facilitate the translation from pre-clinical demonstrations to a clinical useful BCI. PMID:18394526

How Does Rehabilitative & Assistive Technology Benefit People With Disabilities?

Science.gov (United States)

... institutions Access information through computers and reading Enjoy music, sports, travel, and the arts Participate fully in ... of screen enlargers and magnifiers. 4 Assistive Technology Industry Association. (n.d.). What is assistive technology? How ...

Working Environment and Technological Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Christian; Nielsen, Klaus T.; Jensen, Per Langaa

1997-01-01

and their and their concept of working environment2) Technology renewal, which considers the role of the working environment in connection with the development and use of concrete technologies3) Working environment planning, which considers the existing efforts to place the working environment in a planning process.......The paper describes the purpose, themes, overarching research questions and specific projects of the programme: Working Environment and Technological Development. The major research themes are:1) Management concepts and the working environment, which considers the visions...

Performance Analyses in an Assistive Technology Service Delivery Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Anne Karin

Performance Analyses in an Assistive Technology Service Delivery Process.Keywords: process model, occupational performance, assistive technologiesThe Poster is about teaching students, using models and theory in education and practice. It is related to Occupational therapy process and professional...... af top-til-bund, klientcentreret og aktivitetsbaseret interventioner, ERGO/MunksgaardFisher, A. &, Griswold, L. A., 2014. Performance Skills. I: B.Schell red.2014 Occupational Therapy. Willard &Spackman’s occupational therapy. -12th ed., p.249-264Cook A.M., Polgar J.M. (2015) Assistive Technologies...

Adaptive Dialogue Systems for Assistive Living Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Papangelis, Alexandros

2013-01-01

Adaptive Dialogue Systems (ADS) are intelligent systems, able to interact with users via multiple modalities, such as speech, gestures, facial expressions and others. Such systems are able to make conversation with their users, usually on a specific, narrow topic. Assistive Living Environments are environments where the users are by definition not…

Recent trends in assistive technology for mobility

OpenAIRE

Cowan, RE; Fregly, BJ; Boninger, ML; Chan, L; Rodgers, MM; Reinkensmeyer, DJ

2012-01-01

Loss of physical mobility makes maximal participation in desired activities more difficult and in the worst case fully prevents participation. This paper surveys recent work in assistive technology to improve mobility for persons with a disability, drawing on examples observ ed during a tour of academic and industrial research sites in Europe. The underlying theme of this recent work is a more seamless integration of the capabilities of the user and the assistive technology. This improved int...

Self Assistive Technology for Disabled People – Voice Controlled Wheel Chair and Home Automation System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Puviarasi

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the design of an innovative and low cost self-assistive technology that is used to facilitate the control of a wheelchair and home appliances by using advanced voice commands of the disabled people. This proposed system will provide an alternative to the physically challenged people with quadriplegics who is permanently unable to move their limbs (but who is able to speak and hear and elderly people in controlling the motion of the wheelchair and home appliances using their voices to lead an independent, confident and enjoyable life. The performance of this microcontroller based and voice integrated design is evaluated in terms of accuracy and velocity in various environments. The results show that it could be part of an assistive technology for the disabled persons without any third person’s assistance.

Use of assistive technologies in academic libraries: a survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathi, Manorama; Shukla, Archana

2014-01-01

The present article attempts to highlight the use of assistive technologies in academic libraries in India, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. It dwells upon the use and importance of assistive technologies in general and their use for visually challenged learners in particular. Further, it gives suggestions for implementing assistive technologies in academic libraries for making visually challenged students self-reliant learners in accomplishing their academic and research pursuits. The present study adopted convenience sampling for collecting the data, which was collected between December 15, 2012 and January 18, 2013.

Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology and assisted reproductive technology in the United States: a 2016 update.

Science.gov (United States)

Toner, James P; Coddington, Charles C; Doody, Kevin; Van Voorhis, Brad; Seifer, David B; Ball, G David; Luke, Barbara; Wantman, Ethan

2016-09-01

The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) was established within a few years of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in the United States, and has not only reported on the evolution of infertility care, but also guided it toward improved success and safety. Moving beyond its initial role as a registry, SART has expanded its role to include quality assurance, data validation, practice and advertising guidelines, research, patient education and advocacy, and membership support. The success of ART in this country has greatly benefited from SART's role, as highlighted by a series of graphs. SART continues to set the standard and lead the way. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Epigenetics and assisted reproductive technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pinborg, Anja; Loft, Anne; Romundstad, Liv Bente

2016-01-01

Epigenetic modification controls gene activity without changes in the DNA sequence. The genome undergoes several phases of epigenetic programming during gametogenesis and early embryo development coinciding with assisted reproductive technologies (ART) treatments. Imprinting disorders have been...

Reducing multiple births in assisted reproduction technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, Siladitya; Kamath, Mohan S

2014-02-01

Multiple pregnancy, a complication of assisted reproduction technology, is associated with poorer maternal and perinatal outcomes. The primary reason behind this is the strategy of replacing more than one embryo during an assisted reproduction technology cycle to maximise pregnancy rates. The solution to this problem is to reduce the number of embryos transferred during in-vitro fertilisation. The transition from triple- to double-embryo transfer, which decreased the risk of triplets without compromising pregnancy rates, was easily implemented. The adoption of a single embryo transfer policy has been slow because of concerns about impaired pregnancy rates in a fresh assisted reproduction technology cycle. Widespread availability of effective cryopreservation programmes means that elective single embryo transfer, along with subsequent frozen embryo transfers, could provide a way forward. Any such strategy will need to consider couples' preferences and existing funding policies, both of which have a profound influence on decision making around embryo transfer. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

32 CFR 700.325 - The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... (Installations and Environment). 700.325 Section 700.325 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued... Assistants § 700.325 The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment). The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment) is responsible for: (a) Policy relating to Navy...

Middle school special education teachers' perceptions and use of assistive technology in literacy instruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Flanagan, Sara; Bouck, Emily C; Richardson, Jennifer

2013-01-01

In this research the authors examined middle school special education teachers' perceptions of assistive technology during literacy instruction with students with high incidence disabilities. A survey explored the use, effectiveness, and factors impacting use or effectiveness of assistive technology for literacy teaching and learning. Results suggested teachers' perceived assistive technology to be an effective tool for literacy, but use it minimally. When assistive technology was used, teachers indicated it was an effective literacy support. Teachers also reported barriers to using assistive technology in literacy including cost, usability, and lack of training/experience. However, factors such as previous successful experiences with assistive technology and assistive technology supporting students' learning encouraged assistive technology use. The consistency of teachers' reports of needing more experience and knowledge in assistive technology to fully use it suggests implications for preservice preparation such as providing additional experiences and information on assistive technology.

Has Technology Been Considered? A Guide for IEP Teams. CASE/TAM Assistive Technology Policy and Practice Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, A. C.

This guide compiles information essential to a working knowledge of assistive technology for children with disabilities. It addresses the definition of assistive technology and provides information on laws which direct the provision of assistive technology. The manual provides a framework to guide the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team as…

Inclusive Design for Assistive Technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Herriott, Richard

2014-01-01

Objectives/focus/background: Design for Assistive Technology (AT) requires a special focus on user-requirements during product development. Inclusive Design theory and methodology thus has been relevant to AT design processes. Research in AT design has both drawn from and added to the ID knowledge...... the question of whether AT design processes fit neatly into a model created for a different context . Semi-structured interviews were carried out with eight/nine designers of assistive technology. This provided raw data concerning the processes used by the designers in a range of products including...... a wheelchair for children, a washbasin system, a rollator and breathing apparatus for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. The interviews conducted showed that there was required a different emphasis in the means by which users´ requirements were incorporated into the design process...

The future of the provision process for mobility assistive technology: a survey of providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Dicianno, Brad E; Joseph, James; Eckstein, Stacy; Zigler, Christina K; Quinby, Eleanor J; Schmeler, Mark R; Schein, Richard M; Pearlman, Jon; Cooper, Rory A

2018-03-20

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the opinions of providers of mobility assistive technologies to help inform a research agenda and set priorities. This survey study was anonymous and gathered opinions of individuals who participate in the process to provide wheelchairs and other assistive technologies to clients. Participants were asked to rank the importance of developing various technologies and rank items against each other in terms of order of importance. Participants were also asked to respond to several open-ended questions or statements. A total of 161 providers from 35 states within the USA consented to participation and completed the survey. This survey revealed themes of advanced wheelchair design, assistive robotics and intelligent systems, human machine interfaces and smart device applications. It also outlined priorities for researchers to provide continuing education to clients and providers. These themes will be used to develop research and development priorities. Implications for Rehabilitation • Research in advanced wheelchair design is needed to facilitate travel and environmental access with wheelchairs and to develop alternative power sources for wheelchairs.• New assistive robotics and intelligent systems are needed to help wheelchairs overcome obstacles or self-adjust, assist wheelchair navigation in the community, assist caregivers and transfers, and aid ambulation.• Innovations in human machine interfaces may help advance the control of mobility devices and robots with the brain, eye movements, facial gesture recognition or other systems.• Development of new smart devices is needed for better control of the environment, monitoring activity and promoting healthy behaviours.

The use of assistive technology resources for disabled children in regular schooling: the teachers’ perception

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The national School Census revealed that 702,603 disabled people were enrolled in regular educationin 2010. The use of assistive technology resources in the school context has been indicated to favor the executionof tasks and the access to educational content and school environments and, consequently, help disabledindividuals’ learning. However, there are few studies showing the impact of these resources in the educationprocess of children with physical disabilities. The aim of this study was to identify, from the teacher’s viewpoint,the contributions and difficulties in the use of technology resources with students with cerebral palsy, focusingon those with severe motor impairment, attending regular education. The study included five teachers of these students who were using assistive technology resources in the execution of writing and/or communicationassignments. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and data were analyzed following the CollectiveSubject Discourse (CSD technique. Results indicated that assistive technology resources are already includedin regular schools and that they have brought contributions to the education process of children with cerebralpalsy in regular class; nevertheless, they are being implemented without systematization, monitoring and/orpartnerships. The study pointed to the need to consider the opinions and requirements of the people involved inthe context where the use of technology is inserted.

The impact of mobility assistive technology devices on participation for individuals with disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Carver, Jordan; Ganus, Ashley; Ivey, Jon Mark; Plummer, Teresa; Eubank, Ann

2016-08-01

This study aims to address the gap in research and contribute to the body of knowledge on the perspectives assistive technology device users have toward their devices. Mixed methods were used to better understand the impact of mobility assistive technology devices (MATDs) on participation for individuals with disabilities. The Functional Mobility Assessment was administered in conjunction with two qualitative questions developed by the research team allowing participants to expound on the impact of their MATD experience. Participants were recruited online via the National Spinal Cord Injury Association website and in-person at Abilities Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, and the International Seating Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee. Results are consistent with findings from prior research regarding accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Corresponding findings were found in both the quantitative and qualitative data and are categorized into several major themes: environment (indoor and outdoor), surface heights, transportation, dependence, independence, quality of life and participation. Quantitative data from this study indicate that users of MATD are satisfied with the way in which their devices enable maneuvering indoors, while qualitative data suggest otherwise. Implications for healthcare practitioners are described and future recommendations are provided. Implications for Rehabilitation Healthcare professionals should advocate for proper mobility assistive technology devices (MATDs) for their patients in order to enable increased independence, safety and efficiency. Healthcare professionals must be cognizant of the impact of the environment and/or environmental barriers when prescribing MATD. Additional areas of interest for future research may include investigating the impact of MATD in association with date of onset of disability, according to diagnoses, or specific to length of time since acquiring the device.

Systems thinking for assistive technology: a commentary on the GREAT summit.

Science.gov (United States)

MacLachlan, Malcolm; Scherer, Marcia

2018-05-17

The area of assistive technology has a long history of technological ingenuity and innovation. In order to ensure that the benefits of assistive technology are equitably distributed across the population and life course, it is necessary to adopt a systemic approach to the area. We describe examples of systems thinking and non-systems thinking across 10 Ps. These Ps are People (or users, as the primary beneficiaries of assistive technology), Policy, Products, Personnel, Provision (as key strategic drivers at systems level); and Procurement, Place, Pace, Promotion and Partnership (as key situational factors for systems). Together these Ps should constitute a framework for an "open" system that can evolve and adapt, that empowers users, inter-connects key components and locates these in the reality of differing contexts. The adoption of a stronger systems thinking perspective within the assistive technology field should allow for more equitable, more resilient and more sustainable assistive technology across high, middle- and low-income contexts and countries. Implications for Rehabilitation The progress of assistive technology provison has been hampered by disconnected initiatives and activities and this needs to be corrected. Systems thinking is a way of thinking about the connections between things and how these are influenced by contextual and other factors. By encouraging the providers and users of assitive technology to think more systemically we can provide a more cohesive and resilient systems. The user experience is the central component of systems thinking in assistive technologies.

Thirty-five years of assisted reproductive technologies in Israel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daphna Birenbaum-Carmeli

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Israel is known as a pronatalist country. Whether due to the Biblical commandment to ‘be fruitful and multiply’ or the traumas of the Holocaust and perennial wars, reproduction is a central life goal for most Israelis. Israeli women bear substantially more children than their counterparts in industrialized countries and view child-rearing as a key life accomplishment. These personal world-view and real-life individual quests take place in a context of equally pronatalist state policies and religious openness to assisted reproductive technologies. In this paper, I outline 35 years of assisted reproductive technologies in Israel by tracing a principal axis in the development of three major technologies of assisted reproduction: the proliferation of IVF-ICSI; the globalization of gamete donation; and the privatization of surrogacy. The paper is based on a policy analysis as well as various studies of assisted reproductive technologies, conducted in Israel over this period.

Optimizing equine assisted reproductive technologies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Onstein, W.K.

2018-01-01

Application of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) is more common in the horse breeding industries, but there is still room for improvement. Embryo recovery rate after embryo flushing, embryo production rate after ovum pick-up (OPU) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), cryopreservation

The use of information technologies and communication assistive technology as applied in the construction of knowledge of students with visual disabilities who attend rooms multifunction resources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raquel Rosan Christino Gitahy

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This research aimed to investigate the contribution brought by the use of information and communication technologies applied to assistive technology in the construction of knowledge of students with visual impairment who attended the multifunction capabilities room. Research subjects were two students with visual impairment in different school years attending the multifunctional room features two educational institutions. In addition to students, the research subjects were also the teachers of the respective multi-functional resources they attend and the teachers who attended the in mainstream education. To achieve the goal, initially, the theoretical framework and was later carried out the field study procedure through the interview collection was consulted. The results found that two educational institutions surveyed are still building their pedagogical regarding the use and appropriation of ICT when used in multifunctional resource room as assistive technology. It is of fundamental importance to teacher training for the appropriation of ICT especially in relation to work with assistive technology in educational environments. Therefore, that it develops skills and abilities that allow building pedagogical practices in congruence with these technologies.

Using assistive technology services at differing levels of care: healthy older couples' perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrefors, Christina; Axelsson, Karin; Sävenstedt, Stefan

2010-07-01

The aim of the study was to describe healthy older couples' perceptions of using assistive technology services when needing assistance with care. The use of information technology-based assistive technology services in elder care has increased as a result of an increase of care performed in private homes. The use of assistive technology services in care of older people at home has been evaluated as something positive by patients, relatives and nursing staff, while as resistance to their increased use has also been noted. Twelve healthy couples, aged over 70 years, from northern Sweden were interviewed in 2005 about their perceptions of using assistive technology services in the case of being in need of assistance with personal care. Open, individual semi-structured interviews supported by written vignettes describing three levels of caring needs were used and the data analysed with content analysis. The findings were interpreted as one main theme with three categories: Asset or threat depends on caring needs and abilities. Three categories were identified within the theme: Assistive technology services provide an opportunity; The consequences of using assistive technology services are hard to anticipate; and Fear of assistive technology services when completely dependent on care. Trust and security in the care of older people who are severely ill, dependent on care and living at home should be a hallmark in using assistive technology services. Human presence is an important dimension and must be considered when developing concepts for use of assistive technology services.

PROMOTING EQUALITY THROUGH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES, A SOCIOECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana-Maria NEAGU

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of the proposed paper is to identify a possible cost benefit evaluation of assistive technologies in the context of promoting equal opportunities in life. Equal opportunities represent more than just ensuring an equitable framework for all individuals; equality represents recognition and respect for all individuals no matter the differences among us. The paper debates the issues of equality in the context of assistive technologies advance. The use of assistive technology was found to be predictive of enjoyment of human rights and increased capabilities for those with special needs. Because promoting equality among individuals necessitates more than doing nothing it is obvious that we should think of evaluating the costs and the benefits of such actions taking into consideration socio and economic aspects. The topic has a novelty and an applicability character mostly for our country.

Occupational Therapy and assistive technology: thoughts about the experience with collaborative school consulting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luciana Ramos Baleotti

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This study presents thoughts and ideas based on the experience developed in the project entitled Assistive Technology for Inclusion of Students with Physical Disorders: Resources and Procedures, in development since 2009. This project aims to help in the process of school inclusion of students with physical disorder in Early Childhood Education in the city of Marilia, Brazil, through the collaboration between Health and Education departments. Health professionals contribute through the implementation of the Assistive Technology by means of school consulting. The project has been developed in six different stages, namely: Gaining access and establishing goals for the team; Identifying the problem; Interventions/Recommendations; Implementation; Evaluation and further actions. This working model, seeks to insert occupational therapy in the school environment. This project showed the importance of occupational therapists as team members in school settings, and the importance of a collaborative work between Education and Health departments.

Exploring assistive technology and post-school outcomes for students with severe disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouck, Emily C; Flanagan, Sara M

2016-11-01

This study sought to understand the extent to which students with severe disabilities receive assistive technology in school and out-of-school, and the relationship between receipt of assistive technology in school and post-school outcomes for these students. This study was a secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) from the USA. To analyze the data in this correlational study, researchers conducted frequency distributions, Chi Square Tests of Associations, significance tests and logistic regressions. The main results suggest (a) receipt of assistive technology in school varied greatly by disability identification; (b) receipt of assistive technology post-school also varied by disability identification, but receipt was generally lower; and (c) few statistically significant post-school outcome differences existed between students who received assistive technology and those who did not. An under-utilization of assistive technology exists in practice in the USA for students with severe disabilities. Implications for Rehabilitation An under-utilization of assistive technology for secondary students and adults with severe disabilities likely exists. A need exists for improved collaboration between professionals in rehabilitation and professionals in schools to ensure continuation of needed services or aids, such as assistive technology. Additional research is needed to better understand the adult life (or post-school) outcomes of individuals with severe disabilities, factors from PK-12 schooling or post-school services that positively and negative impact those outcomes.

15 CFR 1160.3 - Assistance to industrial technology partnerships.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Trade (Continued) TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PRODUCTIVITY, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION Promotion of Private Sector Industrial Technology Partnerships § 1160.3 Assistance to industrial...

Feasibility of integrating other federal information systems into the Global Network of Environment and Technology, GNET{reg_sign}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-05-01

The Global Environment and Technology Enterprise (GETE) of the Global Environment and Technology Foundation (GETF) has been tasked by the US Department of Energy`s (DOE), Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC) to assist in reducing DOE`s cost for the Global Network of Environment and Technology (GNET{reg_sign}). As part of this task, GETE is seeking federal partners to invest in GNET{reg_sign}. The authors are also seeking FETC`s commitment to serve as GNET`s federal agency champion promoting the system to potential agency partners. This report assesses the benefits of partnering with GNET{reg_sign} and provides recommendations for identifying and integrating other federally funded (non-DOE) environmental information management systems into GNET{reg_sign}.

A Review of Technology-Assisted Interventions for Diabetes Prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Grock, Shira; Ku, Jeong-Hee; Kim, Julie; Moin, Tannaz

2017-09-23

The high prevalence of prediabetes and success of the diabetes prevention program (DPP) has led to increasing efforts to provide readily accessible, cost-effective DPP interventions to the general public. Technology-assisted DPP interventions are of particular interest since they may be easier to widely distribute and sustain as compared to traditional in-person DPP. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of currently available technology-assisted DPP interventions. This review focuses on studies that have examined the use of mobile phone text messaging, smartphone/web-based apps, and telehealth programs to help prevent or delay the onset of incident type 2 diabetes. While there is variability in the results of studies focused on technology-assisted DPP and weight loss interventions, there is evidence to suggest that these programs have been associated with clinically meaningful weight loss and can be cost-effective. Patients who are at risk for diabetes can be offered technology-assisted DPP and weight loss interventions to lower their risk of incident diabetes. Further research should determine what specific combination of intervention features would be most successful.

Assistive Technology for Persons with Physical Disabilities: Evaluation and Outcomes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rigby, P.J.

2009-01-01

This thesis presents a compilation of published studies that evaluated assistive technology interventions for children and adults with physical disabilities. The first chapter introduces the need for and the challenges involved in studying the outcomes of assistive technology interventions. The

Investigating the effectiveness of technologies applied to assist seniors: A systematic literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Khosravi, Pouria; Ghapanchi, Amir Hossein

2016-01-01

Recently, a number of Information and Communication Technologies have emerged with the aim to provide innovative and efficient ways to help seniors in their daily life and to reduce the cost of healthcare. Studies have been conducted to introduce an assistive technology to support seniors and to investigate the acceptance of these assistive technologies; however, research illustrating the effectiveness of assistive technologies is scant. This study undertakes a systematic literature review of ScienceDirect, PubMed, ProQuest and IEEE Explore databases to investigate current empirical studies on the assistive technologies applied in aged care. Our systematic review of an initial set of 2035 studies published from 2000 to 2014 examines the role of assistive technologies in seniors' daily lives, from enhancements in their mobility to improvements in the social connectedness and decreases in readmission to hospitals. This study found eight key issues in aged care that have been targeted by researchers from different disciplines (e.g., ICT, health and social science), namely, dependent living, fall risk, chronic disease, dementia, social isolation, depression, poor well-being, and poor medication management. This paper also identified the assistive technologies that have been proposed to overcome those problems, and we categorised these assistive technologies into six clusters, namely, general ICT, robotics, telemedicine, sensor technology, medication management applications, and video games. In addition, we analyzed the effectiveness of the identified technologies and noted that some technologies can change and enhance seniors' daily lives and relieve their problems. Our analysis showed a significant growth in the number of publications in this area in the past few years. It also showed that most of the studies in this area have been conducted in North America. Assistive technologies are a reality and can be applied to improve quality of life, especially among older age

Final priority; Rehabilitation Services Administration--Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program. Final priority.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-08-14

The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services announces a priority under the Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program administered by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). The Assistant Secretary may use this priority for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2014 and later years. This priority is designed to ensure that the Department funds high-quality assistive technology (AT) alternative financing programs (AFPs) that meet rigorous standards in order to enable individuals with disabilities to access and acquire assistive technology devices and services necessary to achieve education, community living, and employment goals.

Designing Assistive Technologies for the ADHD Domain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sonne, Tobias; Grønbæk, Kaj

(ADHD). In this paper, we identify a set of challenges that children with ADHD typically experience, which provides an empirical foundation for pervasive health researchers to address the ADHD domain. The work is grounded in extensive empirical studies and it is contextualized using literature on ADHD....... Based on these studies, we also present lessons learned that are relevant to consider when designing assistive technology to support children with ADHD. Finally, we provide an example (CASTT) of our own work to illustrate how the presented findings can frame research activities and be used to develop...... novel assistive technology to empower children with ADHD and improve their wellbeing....

Sound-based assistive technology support to hearing, speaking and seeing

CERN Document Server

Ifukube, Tohru

2017-01-01

This book "Sound-based Assistive Technology" explains a technology to help speech-, hearing- and sight-impaired people. They might benefit in some way from an enhancement in their ability to recognize and produce speech or to detect sounds in their surroundings. Additionally, it is considered how sound-based assistive technology might be applied to the areas of speech recognition, speech synthesis, environmental recognition, virtual reality and robots. It is the primary focus of this book to provide an understanding of both the methodology and basic concepts of assistive technology rather than listing the variety of assistive devices developed in Japan or other countries. Although this book presents a number of different topics, they are sufficiently independent from one another that the reader may begin at any chapter without experiencing confusion. It should be acknowledged that much of the research quoted in this book was conducted in the author's laboratories both at Hokkaido University and the University...

Human-inspired sound environment recognition system for assistive vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

González Vidal, Eduardo; Fredes Zarricueta, Ernesto; Auat Cheein, Fernando

2015-02-01

Objective. The human auditory system acquires environmental information under sound stimuli faster than visual or touch systems, which in turn, allows for faster human responses to such stimuli. It also complements senses such as sight, where direct line-of-view is necessary to identify objects, in the environment recognition process. This work focuses on implementing human reaction to sound stimuli and environment recognition on assistive robotic devices, such as robotic wheelchairs or robotized cars. These vehicles need environment information to ensure safe navigation. Approach. In the field of environment recognition, range sensors (such as LiDAR and ultrasonic systems) and artificial vision devices are widely used; however, these sensors depend on environment constraints (such as lighting variability or color of objects), and sound can provide important information for the characterization of an environment. In this work, we propose a sound-based approach to enhance the environment recognition process, mainly for cases that compromise human integrity, according to the International Classification of Functioning (ICF). Our proposal is based on a neural network implementation that is able to classify up to 15 different environments, each selected according to the ICF considerations on environment factors in the community-based physical activities of people with disabilities. Main results. The accuracy rates in environment classification ranges from 84% to 93%. This classification is later used to constrain assistive vehicle navigation in order to protect the user during daily activities. This work also includes real-time outdoor experimentation (performed on an assistive vehicle) by seven volunteers with different disabilities (but without cognitive impairment and experienced in the use of wheelchairs), statistical validation, comparison with previously published work, and a discussion section where the pros and cons of our system are evaluated. Significance

Identifying the Potential for Robotics to Assist Older Adults in Different Living Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Mitzner, Tracy L.; Chen, Tiffany L.; Kemp, Charles C.; Rogers, Wendy A.

2014-01-01

As the older adult population grows and becomes more diverse, so will their needs and preferences for living environments. Many adults over 65 years of age require some assistance [1, 2]; yet it is important for their feelings of well-being that the assistance not restrict their autonomy [3]. Not only is autonomy correlated with quality of life [4], autonomy enhancement may improve functionality [2, 5]. The goal of this paper is to provide guidance for the development of technology to enhance autonomy and quality of life for older adults. We explore the potential for robotics to meet these needs. We evaluated older adults' diverse living situations and the predictors of residential moves to higher levels of care in the United States. We also examined older adults' needs for assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), and medical conditions when living independently or in a long-term care residence. By providing support for older adults, mobile manipulator robots may reduce need-driven, undesired moves from residences with lower levels of care (i.e., private homes, assisted living) to those with higher levels of care (i.e., skilled nursing). PMID:24729800

Assisted reproductive technology in Europe, 2009

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ferraretti, A P; Goossens, V; Kupka, M

2013-01-01

The 13th European in vitro fertilization (IVF)-monitoring (EIM) report presents the results of treatments involving assisted reproductive technology (ART) initiated in Europe during 2009: are there any changes in the trends compared with previous years?...

Assisted reproductive technology has no association with autism spectrum disorders: The Taiwan Birth Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lung, For-Wey; Chiang, Tung-Liang; Lin, Shio-Jean; Lee, Meng-Chih; Shu, Bih-Ching

2018-04-01

The use of assisted reproduction technology has increased over the last two decades. Autism spectrum disorders and assisted reproduction technology share many risk factors. However, previous studies on the association between autism spectrum disorders and assisted reproduction technology have shown inconsistent results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between assisted reproduction technology and autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in a national birth cohort database. Furthermore, the results from the assisted reproduction technology and autism spectrum disorder propensity score matching exact matched datasets were compared. For this study, the 6- and 66-month Taiwan Birth Cohort Study datasets were used (N = 20,095). In all, 744 families were propensity score matching exact matched and selected as the assisted reproduction technology sample (ratio of assisted reproduction technology to controls: 1:2) and 415 families as the autism spectrum disorder sample (ratio of autism spectrum disorder to controls: 1:4). Using a national birth cohort dataset, controlling for the confounding factors of assisted reproduction technology conception and autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, both assisted reproduction technology and autism spectrum disorder propensity score matching matched datasets showed the same results of no association between assisted reproduction technology and autism spectrum disorder. Further study on the detailed information regarding the processes and methods of assisted reproduction technology may provide us with more information on the association between assisted reproduction technology and autism spectrum disorder.

New Technologies to Assist Training in Hospitality Sector

Science.gov (United States)

Balta, Sabah

2007-01-01

Hospitality sector needs new technological training tools, which can assist to improve sector employees' skills and services quality. The sector might be more interactive when these technological training tools used on the job-training program. This study addresses to issue of illumination of new technologic tools that enforce training in which…

Investigating walking environments in and around assisted living facilities: a facility visit study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Zhipeng

2010-01-01

This study explores assisted living residents' walking behaviors, locations where residents prefer to walk, and walking environments in and around assisted living facilities. Regular walking is beneficial to older adults' physical and psychological health. Yet frail older residents in assisted living are usually too sedentary to achieve these benefits. The physical environment plays an important role in promoting physical activity. However, there is little research exploring this relationship in assisted living settings. The researcher visited 34 assisted living facilities in a major Texas city. Methods included walk-through observation with the Assisted Living Facility Walking Environment Checklist, and interviews with administrators by open- and close-ended questions. The data from 26 facilities were analyzed using descriptive statistics (for quantitative data) and content analysis (for qualitative data). The results indicate that (a) residents were walking both indoors and outdoors for exercise or other purposes (e.g., going to destinations); (b) assisted living facility planning and design details-such as neighborhood sidewalk conditions, facility site selection, availability of seating, walking path configuration (e.g., looped/nonlooped path), amount of shading along the path, presence of handrails, existence of signage, etc.-may influence residents' walking behaviors; and (c) current assisted living facilities need improvement in all aspects to make their environments more walkable for residents. Findings of the study provide recommendations for assisted living facilities to improve the walkability of environments and to create environmental interventions to promote regular walking among their residents. This study also implies several directions for future research.

Technology Survey Assistance Tool Focusing on Their Advantages

Science.gov (United States)

Nishiyama, Risa; Takeuchi, Hironori; Watanabe, Hideo; Nasukawa, Tetsuya

It is important for R&D managers, consultants, and other people seeking broad knowledge in technology fields to survey technical literature such as research papers, white papers, and technology news articles. One of the important kinds of information for those people regards the effectiveness of new technologies in their own businesses. General search engines are good at selecting documents revealing the details of a specific technology or a technology field, but it is hard to obtain useful information about how a technology will apply to individual business cases from such search results. There is a need for a technology survey assistance tool that helps users find technologies with suitable capabilities. In this paper, two technical tasks were tackled to develop the prototype of this assistance tool: Extraction of advantage phrases and scoring for the advantage phrases to find novel applications in the target technology field. We describe a new method to identify advantage phrases in technical documents and our scoring function that gives higher scores to novel applications of the technology. The results of evaluations showed our phrase identification method with only a few phrasal patterns performs almost as well as human annotators, and the proposed scoring conforms better to the decisions made by professionals than random sort.

Ambient Assistive Technologies (AAT: socio-technology as a powerful tool for facing the inevitable sociodemographic challenges?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Plischke Herbert

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Due to the socio-demographic change in most developed western countries, elderly populations have been continuously increasing. Therefore, preventive and assistive systems that allow elderly people to independently live in their own homes as long as possible will become an economical if not ethical necessity. These respective technologies are being developed under the term "Ambient Assistive Technologies" (AAT. The EU-funded AAT-project Ambient Lighting Assistance for an Ageing Population (ALADIN has established the long-term goal to create an adaptive system capable of improving the residential lighting conditions of single living elderly persons also aiming at supporting the preservation of their independence. Results of an earlier survey revealed that the elderly perceived their current lighting situation as satisfactory, whereas interviewers assessed in-house lighting as too dark and risk-laden. The overall results of ALADIN showed a significant increase in well-being from the baseline final testing with the new adaptive lighting system. Positive results for wellbeing and life quality suggest that the outcome effects may be attributed to the introduction of technology as well as to social contacts arising from participating in the study. The technological guidance of the study supervisors, in particular, may have produced a strong social reactivity effect that was first observed in the famous Hawthorne experiments in the 1930s. As older adults seem to benefit both from meaningful social contacts as well as assistive technologies, the question arises how assistive technology can be socially embedded to be able to maximize positive health effects. Therefore ethical guidelines for development and use of new assistive technologies for handicapped/older persons have to be developed and should be discussed with regard to their applicability in the context of AAT.

[Assisted reproductive technologies and ethics].

Science.gov (United States)

Belaisch-Allart, Joëlle

2014-01-01

Since the first birth after in vitro fertilization more than 5 million of IVF babies are born in the world. Assisted reproductive technologies captivate the public, they allow maternity without ovary (oocyte donation), without uterus (surrogate mother), paternity without spermatozoids (sperm donation), parentality without limits of age, parentality after death and homoparentality. These technologies arise a lot of ethics questions, the problem is that the answers are not the same all-round the world, laws are based on morals, beliefs, faiths, and convictions. Theses variations arise themselves questions on the value of these non-universal answers.

Providing Assistive Technology Applications as a Service Through Cloud Computing.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulfari, Davide; Celesti, Antonio; Villari, Massimo; Puliafito, Antonio

2015-01-01

Users with disabilities interact with Personal Computers (PCs) using Assistive Technology (AT) software solutions. Such applications run on a PC that a person with a disability commonly uses. However the configuration of AT applications is not trivial at all, especially whenever the user needs to work on a PC that does not allow him/her to rely on his / her AT tools (e.g., at work, at university, in an Internet point). In this paper, we discuss how cloud computing provides a valid technological solution to enhance such a scenario.With the emergence of cloud computing, many applications are executed on top of virtual machines (VMs). Virtualization allows us to achieve a software implementation of a real computer able to execute a standard operating system and any kind of application. In this paper we propose to build personalized VMs running AT programs and settings. By using the remote desktop technology, our solution enables users to control their customized virtual desktop environment by means of an HTML5-based web interface running on any computer equipped with a browser, whenever they are.

National Rehabilitation Hospital Assistive Technology Research Center

Science.gov (United States)

1995-10-01

Shoulder-Arm Orthoses Several years ago, the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Rehabilitation Robotics in Delaware1 identified a... exoskeletal applications for persons with disabilities. 2. Create a center of expertise in rehabilitation technology transfer that benefits persons with...AD COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT NUMBER: DAMD17-94-V-4036 TITLE: National Rehabilitation Hospital Assistive Technology- Research Center PRINCIPAL

Using assistive technology for schoolwork: the experience of children with physical disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Murchland, Sonya; Parkyn, Helen

2010-01-01

This study explored the experience of children with physical disabilities using assistive technology for participation with schoolwork to gain a greater understanding of their perspectives and subjective experiences. A qualitative study involving thematic analysis of in-depth interviews of the child with a parent or significant adult. Purposeful sampling from a larger study recruited five children aged between 10 and 14 years, with differing physical disabilities who attended mainstream schools. All children used computer-based assistive technology. All of the children recognised that assistive technology enabled them to participate and reduced the impact of their physical disability, allowing independent participation, and facilitated higher learning outcomes. Issues related to ease of use, social implications and assistive technology systems are discussed.

Assistive technologies for brain-injured gamers

OpenAIRE

Colman, Jason; Gnanayutham, Paul

2013-01-01

This chapter surveys assistive technologies which make video games more accessible for people who have an acquired brain injury (ABI). As medical care improves, an increasing number of people survive ABI. Video games have been shown to provide therapeutic benefits in many medical contexts, and rehabilitation for ABI survivors has been shown to be facilitated by playing some types of video game. Therefore, technologies which improve the accessibility of games have the potential to bring a form...

Assisted Reproductive Technology: MedlinePlus Health Topic

Science.gov (United States)

... can be prevented or minimized by limiting the number of embryos that are put into the woman's body. Learn More Assisted Reproductive Technologies (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) - PDF Also ...

Application of the Human Activity Assistive Technology model for occupational therapy research.

Science.gov (United States)

Giesbrecht, Ed

2013-08-01

Theoretical models provide a framework for describing practice and integrating evidence into systematic research. There are few models that relate specifically to the provision of assistive technology in occupational therapy practice. The Human Activity Assistive Technology model is an enduring example that has continued to develop by integrating a social model of disability, concepts from occupational therapy theory and principles of assistive technology adoption and abandonment. This study first describes the core concepts of the Human Activity Assistive Technology model and reviews its development over three successive published versions. A review of the research literature reflects application of the model to clinical practice, study design, outcome measure selection and interpretation of results, particularly among occupational therapists. An evaluative framework is used to critique the adequacy of the Human Activity Assistive Technology model for practice and research, exploring attributes of clarity, simplicity, generality, accessibility and importance. Finally, recommendations are proposed for continued development of the model and research applications. Most of the existing research literature employs the Human Activity Assistive Technology model for background and study design; there is emerging evidence to support the core concepts as predictive factors. Although the concepts are generally simple, clear and applicable to occupational therapy practice and research, evolving terminology and outcomes become more complex with the conflation of integrated theories. The development of the Human Activity Assistive Technology model offers enhanced access and application for occupational therapists, but poses challenges to clarity among concepts. Suggestions are made for further development and applications of the model. © 2013 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Technology-assisted rehabilitation interventions following pediatric brain injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Wade, Shari L; Narad, Megan E; Shultz, Emily L; Kurowski, Brad G; Miley, Aimee E; Aguilar, Jessica M; Adlam, Anna-Lynne R

2018-04-01

Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), children experience a variety of physical, motor, speech, and cognitive deficits that can have a long-term detrimental impact. The emergence and popularity of new technologies has led to research into the development of various apps, gaming systems, websites, and robotics that might be applied to rehabilitation. The objective of this narrative review was to describe the current literature regarding technologically-assisted interventions for the rehabilitation of motor, neurocognitive, behavioral, and family impairments following pediatric TBI. We conducted a series of searches for peer-reviewed manuscripts published between 2000 and 2017 that included a technology-assisted component in the domains of motor, language/communication, cognition, behavior, social competence/functioning, family, and academic/school-based functioning. Findings suggested several benefits of utilizing technology in TBI rehabilitation including facilitating engagement/adherence, increasing access to therapies, and improving generalizability across settings. There is fairly robust evidence regarding the efficacy of online family problem-solving therapy in improving behavior problems, executive functioning, and family functioning. There was less compelling, but still promising, evidence regarding the efficacy other technology for motor deficits, apps for social skills, and computerized programs for cognitive skills. Overall, many studies were limited in the rigor of their methodology due to small heterogeneous samples and lack of control groups. Technology-assisted interventions have the potential to enhance pediatric rehabilitation after TBI. Future research is needed to further support their efficacy with larger controlled trials and to identify characteristics of children who are most likely to benefit.

The provision of assistive technology products and services for people with dementia in the United Kingdom.

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Grant; Newton, Lisa; Pritchard, Gary; Finch, Tracy; Brittain, Katie; Robinson, Louise

2016-07-01

In this review we explore the provision of assistive technology products and services currently available for people with dementia within the United Kingdom. A scoping review of assistive technology products and services currently available highlighted 171 products or product types and 331 services. In addition, we assimilated data on the amount and quality of information provided by assistive technology services alongside assistive technology costs. We identify a range of products available across three areas: assistive technology used 'by', 'with' and 'on' people with dementia. Assistive technology provision is dominated by 'telecare' provided by local authorities, with services being subject to major variations in pricing and information provision; few currently used available resources for assistive technology in dementia. We argue that greater attention should be paid to information provision about assistive technology services across an increasingly mixed economy of dementia care providers, including primary care, local authorities, private companies and local/national assistive technology resources. © The Author(s) 2014.

IN SITU GEOTHERMAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY: AN APPROACH FOR BUILDING CLEANER AND GREENER ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md. Faruque Hossain

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Geothermal energy is abundant everywhere in the world. It certainly would be a great benefit for human being once it is produced by a sophisticated technology. Consequently, it would be the biggest console for earth considering environmental sustainability. Unfortunately, the current status of commercial production of geothermal energy primarily from hydrothermal, geopressured, hot dry rock, and magma are limited to a few countries due to technological difficulties and production cost. This paper describes a simple technology where an in situ geothermal plant assisted by a heat pump would act as a high-temperature production (>150°C to provide excellent capacity of energy generation. The issue related to costs is interestingly cheaper on production, comparing to other technologies, such as solar, hydro, wind, and traditional geothermal technology as described in this article. Therefore, it is suggested that heat pump assisted in situ geothermal energy sources has a great potentiality to be a prime energy source in near future. Since the technology has a number of positive characteristics (simple, safe, and provides continuous baseload, load following, or peaking capacity and benign environmental attributes (zero emissions of CO2, SOx, and NOx, it certainly would be an interesting technology in both developed, and developing countries as an attractive option to produce clean energy to confirm a better environment.

A Multi-Agent Framework for Coordination of Intelligent Assistive Technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valente, Pedro Ricardo da Nova; Hossain, S.; Groenbaek, B.

2010-01-01

Intelligent care for the future is the IntelliCare project's main priority. This paper describes the design of a generic multi-agent framework for coordination of intelligent assistive technologies. The paper overviews technologies and software systems suitable for context awareness...... and housekeeping tasks, especially for performing a multi-robot cleaning-task activity. It also describes conducted work in the design of a multi-agent platform for coordination of intelligent assistive technologies. Instead of using traditional robot odometry estimation methods, we have tested an independent...

Blended Learning in Personalized Assistive Learning Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Marinagi, Catherine; Skourlas, Christos

2013-01-01

In this paper, the special needs/requirements of disabled students and cost-benefits for applying blended learning in Personalized Educational Learning Environments (PELE) in Higher Education are studied. The authors describe how blended learning can form an attractive and helpful framework for assisting Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (D-HH) students to…

Employee assistance programme in the offshore environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, J.R.B.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on an Employee Assistance Programme that has a lot to offer in the offshore environment, and represents excellent value for money. To be successful though it must be thoroughly explained to the workforce as a beneficial resource for their own use, and be supported by a committed Management group

Application requirements for Robotic Nursing Assistants in hospital environments

Science.gov (United States)

Cremer, Sven; Doelling, Kris; Lundberg, Cody L.; McNair, Mike; Shin, Jeongsik; Popa, Dan

2016-05-01

In this paper we report on analysis toward identifying design requirements for an Adaptive Robotic Nursing Assistant (ARNA). Specifically, the paper focuses on application requirements for ARNA, envisioned as a mobile assistive robot that can navigate hospital environments to perform chores in roles such as patient sitter and patient walker. The role of a sitter is primarily related to patient observation from a distance, and fetching objects at the patient's request, while a walker provides physical assistance for ambulation and rehabilitation. The robot will be expected to not only understand nurse and patient intent but also close the decision loop by automating several routine tasks. As a result, the robot will be equipped with sensors such as distributed pressure sensitive skins, 3D range sensors, and so on. Modular sensor and actuator hardware configured in the form of several multi-degree-of-freedom manipulators, and a mobile base are expected to be deployed in reconfigurable platforms for physical assistance tasks. Furthermore, adaptive human-machine interfaces are expected to play a key role, as they directly impact the ability of robots to assist nurses in a dynamic and unstructured environment. This paper discusses required tasks for the ARNA robot, as well as sensors and software infrastructure to carry out those tasks in the aspects of technical resource availability, gaps, and needed experimental studies.

Influences on selection of assistive technology for young children in South Africa: perspectives from rehabilitation professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

van Niekerk, Karin; Dada, Shakila; Tönsing, Kerstin

2017-12-20

Selection of assistive technology for young children is a complex process. Within a context with limited resources, such as South Africa, research is needed to determine the factors influencing the assistive technology selection process, as these could ultimately either facilitate or hinder the availability and accessibility of affordable, adaptable, acceptable, and high quality assistive technology for this age group. Two asynchronous online focus groups were conducted with 16 rehabilitation professionals to identify the factors they perceived to influence the selection and provision of assistive technology to young children within the South African context. A process of deductive thematic analysis was followed by inductive analysis of the data. Components of the Assistive Technology Device Selection Framework were used as themes to guide the deductive analysis, followed by inductive analysis to create subthemes. The important role of the professional was highlighted in negotiating all the factors to consider in the assistive technology selection and provision process. Adaptation of the Assistive Technology Device Selection Framework is suggested in order to facilitate application to low resourced contexts, such as South Africa. Implications for rehabilitation Assistive technology selection is a complex process with factors pertaining to the users (child and family) of the assistive technology, as well as the rehabilitation professional recommending the assistive technology influencing the process. Although it may be an important factor, the availability of financial resources to purchase assistive technology is not the only determining factor in providing appropriate assistive technology to young children in contexts with limited resources. Formalized support, such as reflective supervision or mentorship programs should be facilitated and utilized by recommending professionals. Home and school visits during assessment ensure a good match between assistive

Theoretic models for recommendation and implementation of assistive technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Cristina de Jesus Alves

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The latest international researches seek to understand the factors affecting the successful use of assistive technology devices through studies regarding the assessments systematizing; abandonment of devices; or theoric models that consider the aspects of those devices implementation. In Brazil the researches are focused on developing new technologies and there are still not sufficient studies related to the successful use of devices and ways of assistive technology implementation. Objective: To identify conceptual models used for indication and implementation of assistive technology devices. Method: Literature review. The survey was conducted in six databases: CINAHAL, Eric, GALE, LILACS, MEDLINE e PsycInfo. A critical analysis described by Grant and Booth was used. Results: There are no records of a Brazilian survey and among 29 selected articles, 17 conceptual models used in the area of AT were found; of these, 14 were specific to AT. The results showed that the new conceptual models of TA are under development and the conceptual model “Matching Person and Technology – MPT” was the most mentioned. Conclusion: We can observe that the practices related to TA area in international context shows a correlation with conceptual models, thus, we hope this study might have the capacity to contribute for the propagation of this precepts at national level

Cloud-Based Speech Technology for Assistive Technology Applications (CloudCAST).

Science.gov (United States)

Cunningham, Stuart; Green, Phil; Christensen, Heidi; Atria, José Joaquín; Coy, André; Malavasi, Massimiliano; Desideri, Lorenzo; Rudzicz, Frank

2017-01-01

The CloudCAST platform provides a series of speech recognition services that can be integrated into assistive technology applications. The platform and the services provided by the public API are described. Several exemplar applications have been developed to demonstrate the platform to potential developers and users.

Collision of Media Positions on Assisted Reproductive Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Emelyanova, T. P.; Vopilova, I. E.

2016-01-01

An analysis of the discourse on assisted reproductive technologies (ART) indicates the predominance of conservative representations of the family. The appearance of new technologies does not change the image of a "normal" family, because concepts connected with surrogate mothers and egg donors are minimally present in the discourse. In…

Barriers and Facilitators to Community Mobility for Assistive Technology Users

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natasha Layton

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Mobility is frequently described in terms of individual body function and structures however contemporary views of disability also recognise the role of environment in creating disability. Aim. To identify consumer perspectives regarding barriers and facilitators to optimal mobility for a heterogeneous population of impaired Victorians who use assistive technology in their daily lives. Method. An accessible survey investigated the impact of supports or facilitators upon actual and desired life outcomes and health-related quality of life, from 100 AT users in Victoria, Australia. This paper reports upon data pertaining to community mobility. Results. A range of barriers and enablers to community mobility were identified including access to AT devices, environmental interventions, public transport, and inclusive community environs. Substantial levels of unmet need result in limited personal mobility and community participation. Outcomes fall short of many principles enshrined in current policy and human rights frameworks. Conclusion. AT devices as well as accessible and inclusive home and community environs are essential to maximizing mobility for many. Given the impact of the environment upon the capacity of individuals to realise community mobility, this raises the question as to whether rehabilitation practitioners, as well as prescribing AT devices, should work to build accessible communities via systemic advocacy.

Preferences and Practices among Students Who Read Braille and Use Assistive Technology

Science.gov (United States)

D'Andrea, Frances Mary

2012-01-01

Introduction: Students who read braille use assistive technology to engage in literacy tasks and to access the general curriculum. There is little research on the ways in which technology has changed the reading and writing practices and preferences of students who use braille, nor is there much research on how assistive technology is learned by…

Enhancing public involvement in assistive technology design research.

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, Tracey; Kenney, Laurence; Barker, Anthony T; Cooper, Glen; Good, Tim; Healey, Jamie; Heller, Ben; Howard, David; Matthews, Martin; Prenton, Sarah; Ryan, Julia; Smith, Christine

2015-05-01

To appraise the application of accepted good practice guidance on public involvement in assistive technology research and to identify its impact on the research team, the public, device and trial design. Critical reflection and within-project evaluation were undertaken in a case study of the development of a functional electrical stimulation device. Individual and group interviews were undertaken with lay members of a 10 strong study user advisory group and also research team members. Public involvement was seen positively by research team members, who reported a positive impact on device and study designs. The public identified positive impact on confidence, skills, self-esteem, enjoyment, contribution to improving the care of others and opportunities for further involvement in research. A negative impact concerned the challenge of engaging the public in dissemination after the study end. The public were able to impact significantly on the design of an assistive technology device which was made more fit for purpose. Research team attitudes to public involvement were more positive after having witnessed its potential first hand. Within-project evaluation underpins this case study which presents a much needed detailed account of public involvement in assistive technology design research to add to the existing weak evidence base. The evidence base for impact of public involvement in rehabilitation technology design is in need of development. Public involvement in co-design of rehabilitation devices can lead to technologies that are fit for purpose. Rehabilitation researchers need to consider the merits of active public involvement in research.

[Cognitive remediation and cognitive assistive technologies in schizophrenia].

Science.gov (United States)

Sablier, J; Stip, E; Franck, N

2009-04-01

Cognitive impairments are a core feature in schizophrenia. They impact several cognitive abilities but most importantly attention, memory and executive functions, consequently leading to great difficulties in everyday life. Most schizophrenia patients need assurance and require assistance and help from care workers, family members and friends. Family members taking care of a patient have additional daily work burden, and suffer psychological anguish and anxiety. Therefore, improving cognitive functions in schizophrenia patients is essential for the well-being of patients and their relatives. Reducing these deficits may decrease the economic burden to the health care system through lower numbers of hospital admissions and shorter hospitalisation periods, for example. Cognitive rehabilitation was developed to address the limited benefits of conventional treatments on cognitive deficits through the use of assistive technology as a means of enhancing memory and executive skills in schizophrenia patients. To provide clinicians with comprehensive knowledge on cognitive trainings, programs of remediation, and cognitive assistive technologies. Literature review. A search in the electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Index Medicus) for recent articles in the last 10 years related to cognitive remediation published in any language using the words: cognitive and remediation or rehabilitation and schizophrenia, and a search for chapters in psychiatry and rehabilitation textbooks. We found 392 articles and 112 review paper mainly in English. First, we identified cognitive remediation programs that were beneficial to schizophrenia patients. Programs available in French (IPT, RECOS, and RehaCom) and others (CET, NET, CRT, NEAR, APT and CAT) were identified. In addition, since memory and executive function impairments could be present in people without schizophrenia, we reviewed inventories of cognitive assistive technologies proven to enhance cognitive skills in other populations

Using an artificial agent as a behavior model to promote assistive technology acceptance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fountoukidou, Sofia; Ham, Jaap; Matzat, Uwe; Midden, Cees

2018-01-01

Despite technological advancements in assistive technologies, studies show high rates of non-use. Because of the rising numbers of people with disabilities, it is important to develop strategies to increase assistive technology acceptance. The current research investigated the use of an artificial

Technology-assisted education in graduate medical education: a review of the literature

OpenAIRE

Jwayyed, Sharhabeel; Stiffler, Kirk A; Wilber, Scott T; Southern, Alison; Weigand, John; Bare, Rudd; Gerson, Lowell W

2011-01-01

Studies on computer-aided instruction and web-based learning have left many questions unanswered about the most effective use of technology-assisted education in graduate medical education. Objective We conducted a review of the current medical literature to report the techniques, methods, frequency and effectiveness of technology-assisted education in graduate medical education. Methods A structured review of MEDLINE articles dealing with "Computer-Assisted Instruction," "Internet or World W...

A brain-computer interface as input channel for a standard assistive technology software.

Science.gov (United States)

Zickler, Claudia; Riccio, Angela; Leotta, Francesco; Hillian-Tress, Sandra; Halder, Sebastian; Holz, Elisa; Staiger-Sälzer, Pit; Hoogerwerf, Evert-Jan; Desideri, Lorenzo; Mattia, Donatella; Kübler, Andrea

2011-10-01

Recently brain-computer interface (BCI) control was integrated into the commercial assistive technology product QualiWORLD (QualiLife Inc., Paradiso-Lugano, CH). Usability of the first prototype was evaluated in terms of effectiveness (accuracy), efficiency (information transfer rate and subjective workload/NASA Task Load Index) and user satisfaction (Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology, QUEST 2.0) by four end-users with severe disabilities. Three assistive technology experts evaluated the device from a third person perspective. The results revealed high performance levels in communication and internet tasks. Users and assistive technology experts were quite satisfied with the device. However, none could imagine using the device in daily life without improvements. Main obstacles were the EEG-cap and low speed.

Fix It with TAPE: Repurposing Technology to Be Assistive Technology for Students with High-Incidence Disabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Bouck, Emily C.; Shurr, Jordan C.; Tom, Kinsey; Jasper, Andrea D.; Bassette, Laura; Miller, Bridget; Flanagan, Sara M.

2012-01-01

This article discusses how practitioners can repurpose technology--common and socially desirable technology in particular--to be assistive technology for students with high-incidence disabilities. The authors provide a framework for practitioners to consider technology for repurposing: TAPE (Transportable, Available, Practical, Engaging) and…

Emerging issues and current trends in assistive technology use 2007-2010: practising, assisting and enabling learning for all.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbott, Chris; Brown, David; Evett, Lindsay; Standen, Penny

2014-11-01

Following an earlier review in 2007, a further review of the academic literature relating to the uses of assistive technology (AT) by children and young people was completed, covering the period 2007-2011. As in the earlier review, a tripartite taxonomy: technology uses to train or practise, technology uses to assist learning and technology uses to enable learning, was used in order to structure the findings. The key markers for research in this field and during these three years were user involvement, AT on mobile mainstream devices, the visibility of AT, technology for interaction and collaboration, new and developing interfaces and inclusive design principles. The paper concludes by locating these developments within the broader framework of the Digital Divide.

Assisted Reproductive Technology Has No Association with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Taiwan Birth Cohort Study

Science.gov (United States)

Lung, For-Wey; Chiang, Tung-Liang; Lin, Shio-Jean; Lee, Meng-Chih; Shu, Bih-Ching

2018-01-01

The use of assisted reproduction technology has increased over the last two decades. Autism spectrum disorders and assisted reproduction technology share many risk factors. However, previous studies on the association between autism spectrum disorders and assisted reproduction technology have shown inconsistent results. The purpose of this study…

Advanced Training Technologies and Learning Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Noor, Ahmed K. (Compiler); Malone, John B. (Compiler)

1999-01-01

This document contains the proceedings of the Workshop on Advanced Training Technologies and Learning Environments held at NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, March 9-10, 1999. The workshop was jointly sponsored by the University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Computational Technology and NASA. Workshop attendees were from NASA, other government agencies, industry, and universities. The objective of the workshop was to assess the status and effectiveness of different advanced training technologies and learning environments.

Stay in the Box! Embedded Assistive Technology Improves Access for Students with Disabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine Koch

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Assistive technology is not only a required component of a student’s IEP; it can be an effective way to help students with (and without disabilities access their education and to provide them with required instructional accommodations. Teachers, however, are often not adequately prepared in their pre-service course work and ongoing professional development to address the technology needs of their special education students and have not had the opportunities to access technology due to limited availability and cost. While assistive technology can be purchased to augment an existing computer, it is often unnecessary to do that. Both Microsoft and Apple operating systems in “off-the-shelf” computers and handheld devices have embedded assistive technology that is easy to access and easy to use. This embedded technology can help teachers become familiar with technology and assist students with sensory, physical, learning, and attention disabilities, and it might have practical applications with Universal Design for Learning. This paper provides a discussion on how embedded technology can support students with disabilities in the school setting and provides examples for access and use.

The "Second Place" Problem: Assistive Technology in Sports and (Re) Constructing Normal.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, D A

2016-02-01

Objections to the use of assistive technologies (such as prostheses) in elite sports are generally raised when the technology in question is perceived to afford the user a potentially "unfair advantage," when it is perceived as a threat to the purity of the sport, and/or when it is perceived as a precursor to a slippery slope toward undesirable changes in the sport. These objections rely on being able to quantify standards of "normal" within a sport so that changes attributed to the use of assistive technology can be judged as causing a significant deviation from some baseline standard. This holds athletes using assistive technologies accountable to standards that restrict their opportunities to achieve greatness, while athletes who do not use assistive technologies are able to push beyond the boundaries of these standards without moral scrutiny. This paper explores how constructions of fairness and "normality" impact athletes who use assistive technology to compete in a sporting venue traditionally populated with "able-bodied" competitors. It argues that the dynamic and obfuscated construction of "normal" standards in elite sports should move away from using body performance as the measuring stick of "normal," toward alternate forms of constructing norms such as defining, quantifying, and regulating the mechanical actions that constitute the critical components of a sport. Though framed within the context of elite sports, this paper can be interpreted more broadly to consider problems with defining "normal" bodies in a society in which technologies are constantly changing our abilities and expectations of what normal means.

High-Temperature Adhesives for Thermally Stable Aero-Assist Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Eberts, Kenneth; Ou, Runqing

2013-01-01

Aero-assist technologies are used to control the velocity of exploration vehicles (EVs) when entering Earth or other planetary atmospheres. Since entry of EVs in planetary atmospheres results in significant heating, thermally stable aero-assist technologies are required to avoid the high heating rates while maintaining low mass. Polymer adhesives are used in aero-assist structures because of the need for high flexibility and good bonding between layers of polymer films or fabrics. However, current polymer adhesives cannot withstand temperatures above 400 C. This innovation utilizes nanotechnology capabilities to address this need, leading to the development of high-temperature adhesives that exhibit high thermal conductivity in addition to increased thermal decomposition temperature. Enhanced thermal conductivity will help to dissipate heat quickly and effectively to avoid temperature rising to harmful levels. This, together with increased thermal decomposition temperature, will enable the adhesives to sustain transient high-temperature conditions.

[APPLICATION OF COMPUTER-ASSISTED TECHNOLOGY IN ANALYSIS OF REVISION REASON OF UNICOMPARTMENTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY].

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Di; Li, Yanlin; Wang, Guoliang; Gao, Huanyu; Yu, Yang

2016-01-01

To conclude the revision reason of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) using computer-assisted technology so as to provide reference for reducing the revision incidence and improving the level of surgical technique and rehabilitation. The relevant literature on analyzing revision reason of UKA using computer-assisted technology in recent years was extensively reviewed. The revision reasons by computer-assisted technology are fracture of the medial tibial plateau, progressive osteoarthritis of reserved compartment, dislocation of mobile bearing, prosthesis loosening, polyethylene wear, and unexplained persistent pain. Computer-assisted technology can be used to analyze the revision reason of UKA and guide the best operating method and rehabilitation scheme by simulating the operative process and knee joint activities.

8th Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology

CERN Document Server

Lazar, Jonathan; Heylighen, Ann; Dong, Hua

2016-01-01

This book presents the proceedings of the 8th Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology (CWUAAT '14), incorporating the 11th Cambridge Workshop on Rehabilitation Robotics, held in Cambridge, England in March 2016. It presents novel and state-of-the-art research from an international group of leaders in the fields of universal access and assistive technology. It explores various issues including the reconciliation of usability, accessibility and inclusive design, the design of inclusive assistive and rehabilitation systems, measuring product demand and human capabilities, data mining and visualizing inclusion, legislation in inclusive design, and situational inclusive interfaces (automotive and aerospace). This book provides an invaluable resource to researchers, postgraduates, design practitioners, therapists and clinical practitioners, as well as design teachers.

The Use of Technology in the Medical Assisting Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Kozielski, Tracy L.

2014-01-01

The growing presence of technology in health care has infiltrated educational institutions. Numerous software and hardware technologies have been designed to improve student learning; however, their use in the classroom is unclear. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the experiences of medical assisting faculty using…

The Effects of Assistive Technology on Students with Disabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Sze, Susan

2009-01-01

The purpose of this article is to analyze assistive technology literature for students with disabilities. The literature search rendered N = 57 literature and n = 17 manuscripts were identified in the special education technology field studies. Each source was evaluated according to the following criteria: types of disability, learning objectives…

Assistive technology evaluations: Remote-microphone technology for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Schafer, Erin C; Wright, Suzanne; Anderson, Christine; Jones, Jessalyn; Pitts, Katie; Bryant, Danielle; Watson, Melissa; Box, Jerrica; Neve, Melissa; Mathews, Lauren; Reed, Mary Pat

The goal of this study was to conduct assistive technology evaluations on 12 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to evaluate the potential benefits of remote-microphone (RM) technology. A single group, within-subjects design was utilized to explore individual and group data from functional questionnaires and behavioral test measures administered, designed to assess school- and home-based listening abilities, once with and once without RM technology. Because some of the children were unable to complete the behavioral test measures, particular focus was given to the functional questionnaires completed by primary teachers, participants, and parents. Behavioral test measures with and without the RM technology included speech recognition in noise, auditory comprehension, and acceptable noise levels. The individual and group teacher (n=8-9), parent (n=8-9), and participant (n=9) questionnaire ratings revealed substantially less listening difficulty when RM technology was used compared to the no-device ratings. On the behavioral measures, individual data revealed varied findings, which will be discussed in detail in the results section. However, on average, the use of the RM technology resulted in improvements in speech recognition in noise (4.6dB improvement) in eight children, higher auditory working memory and comprehension scores (12-13 point improvement) in seven children, and acceptance of poorer signal-to-noise ratios (8.6dB improvement) in five children. The individual and group data from this study suggest that RM technology may improve auditory function in children with ASD in the classroom, at home, and in social situations. However, variability in the data and the inability of some children to complete the behavioral measures indicates that individualized assistive technology evaluations including functional questionnaires will be necessary to determine if the RM technology will be of benefit to a particular child who has ASD. Copyright �

Technology assisted training in the nuclear regulatory environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin, D J [Atomic Energy Control Board, Ottawa, ON (Canada)

1993-11-01

The mechanics of presenting material can impede or enhance the flow and clarity of information presented during a course. This paper describes briefly how the Training Centre of the Atomic Energy Control Board enhances the effectiveness of courses by using appropriate technology: desktop publishing, video, and computer-based interactive modules. 4 figs.

Access to the Arts through Assistive Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Frame, Charles

Personnel in the rehabilitation field have come to recognize the possibilities and implications of computers as assistive technology for disabled persons. This manual provides information on how to adapt the Unicorn Board, Touch Talker/Light Talker overlays, the Adaptive Firmware Card setup disk, and Trace-Transparent Access Module (T-TAM) to…

Assistive technology for memory support in dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Van der Roest, Henriëtte G; Wenborn, Jennifer; Pastink, Channah; Dröes, Rose-Marie; Orrell, Martin

2017-06-11

The sustained interest in electronic assistive technology in dementia care has been fuelled by the urgent need to develop useful approaches to help support people with dementia at home. Also the low costs and wide availability of electronic devices make it more feasible to use electronic devices for the benefit of disabled persons. Information Communication Technology (ICT) devices designed to support people with dementia are usually referred to as Assistive Technology (AT) or Electronic Assistive Technology (EAT). By using AT in this review we refer to electronic assistive devices. A range of AT devices has been developed to support people with dementia and their carers to manage their daily activities and to enhance safety, for example electronic pill boxes, picture phones, or mobile tracking devices. Many are commercially available. However, the usefulness and user-friendliness of these devices are often poorly evaluated. Although reviews of (electronic) memory aids do exist, a systematic review of studies focusing on the efficacy of AT for memory support in people with dementia is lacking. Such a review would guide people with dementia and their informal and professional carers in selecting appropriate AT devices. Primary objectiveTo assess the efficacy of AT for memory support in people with dementia in terms of daily performance of personal and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL), level of dependency, and admission to long-term care. Secondary objectiveTo assess the impact of AT on: users (autonomy, usefulness and user-friendliness, adoption of AT); cognitive function and neuropsychiatric symptoms; need for informal and formal care; perceived quality of life; informal carer burden, self-esteem and feelings of competence; formal carer work satisfaction, workload and feelings of competence; and adverse events. We searched ALOIS, the Specialised Register of the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group (CDCIG), on 10 November 2016. ALOIS is

Center for Advanced Energy Studies: Computer Assisted Virtual Environment (CAVE)

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The laboratory contains a four-walled 3D computer assisted virtual environment - or CAVE TM — that allows scientists and engineers to literally walk into their data...

Commercialization of Plasma-Assisted Technologies: The Indian Experience

Science.gov (United States)

John, P. I.

The paper describes an initiative by the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), India in establishing links with the Indian industry for developing and commercialising advanced plasma-based industrial technologies. This has culminated in the creation of a self-financing technology development, incubation, demonstration and delivery facility. A business plan for converting the knowledge base to commercially viable technologies conceived technology as a product and the industry as the market and addressed issues like resistance to new technologies, the key role of entrepreneur, thrust areas and the necessity of technology incubation and delivery. Success of this strategy is discussed in a few case studies. We conclude by identifying the cost, environmental, strategic and techno-economic aspects, which would be the prime drivers for plasma-assisted manufacturing technology in India.

Internet-Assisted Technologies for English Language Teaching in Turkish Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Celik, Serkan

2013-01-01

Although the enormous potential of the Internet has gained attention in Internet-assisted language teaching (IALT), a solid background of research is still lacking about/investigating English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' use of Internet assistive technologies. This study set out to determine Turkish university level EFL instructors'…

New generation emerging technologies for neurorehabilitation and motor assistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Frisoli, Antonio; Solazzi, Massimiliano; Loconsole, Claudio; Barsotti, Michele

2016-12-01

This paper illustrates the application of emerging technologies and human-machine interfaces to the neurorehabilitation and motor assistance fields. The contribution focuses on wearable technologies and in particular on robotic exoskeleton as tools for increasing freedom to move and performing Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). This would result in a deep improvement in quality of life, also in terms of improved function of internal organs and general health status. Furthermore, the integration of these robotic systems with advanced bio-signal driven human-machine interface can increase the degree of participation of patient in robotic training allowing to recognize user's intention and assisting the patient in rehabilitation tasks, thus representing a fundamental aspect to elicit motor learning.

Preschool teachers' perception and use of hearing assistive technology in educational settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Lauri H; Poole, Bridget; Muñoz, Karen

2013-07-01

This study explored how often sound-field amplification and personal frequency-modulated (FM) systems are used in preschool classrooms, teacher perceptions of advantages and disadvantages of using hearing assistive technology, and teacher recommendations for hearing assistive technology use. The study used a cross-sectional survey design. Participants were professionals who provided services to preschool-age children who are deaf or hard of hearing in public or private schools. A total of 306 surveys were sent to 162 deaf education programs throughout the United States; 99 surveys were returned (32%). Simple statistics were used to describe the quantitative survey results; content analysis was completed on open-ended survey comments. Surveys were received from teachers working at listening and spoken language preschool programs (65%) and at bilingual-bicultural and total communication preschool programs (35%). Most respondents perceived that hearing assistive technology improved students' academic performance, speech and language development, behavior, and attention in the classroom. The majority of respondents also reported that they definitely would or probably would recommend a sound-field system (77%) or personal FM system (71%) to other educators. Hearing assistive technology is frequently used in preschool classrooms of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, with generally positive teacher perceptions of the benefits of using such technology.

Preschool Teachers' Perception and Use of Hearing Assistive Technology in Educational Settings

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Lauri H.; Poole, Bridget; Munoz, Karen

2013-01-01

Purpose: This study explored how often sound-field amplification and personal frequency-modulated (FM) systems are used in preschool classrooms, teacher perceptions of advantages and disadvantages of using hearing assistive technology, and teacher recommendations for hearing assistive technology use. Method: The study used a cross-sectional survey…

Trends and correlates of good perinatal outcomes in assisted reproductive technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Joshi, Nikhil; Kissin, Dmitry; Anderson, John E; Session, Donna; Macaluso, Maurizio; Jamieson, Denise J

2012-10-01

To estimate trends in good perinatal outcomes (singleton live births at term with birthweight more than 2,500 g) among live births after assisted reproductive technology in the United States from 2000 to 2008, and associated factors among singletons in 2008. Using retrospective cohort data from the National Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance System from 2000 to 2008, we calculated relative change and χ tests for trend in the proportion of good perinatal outcomes among assisted reproductive technology live births (n=444,909) and liveborn singletons (n=222,500). We conducted univariable analyses followed by multiple logistic regression to estimate the effects of various characteristics on the outcome among singletons born in 2008 after fresh, nondonor assisted reproductive technology cycles (n=20,780). The proportion of good perinatal outcomes among all liveborn neonates increased from 38.6% in 2000 to 42.5% in 2008, whereas it declined marginally among singletons from 83.6% to 83.4%. One previous birth, transfer of fewer than three embryos, and the presence of fewer than three fetal hearts on 6-week ultrasound examination were associated with good perinatal outcome among singletons. Non-Hispanic black race, tubal factor infertility, uterine factor infertility, ovulatory disorder, and 5-day embryo culture were associated with reduced odds for a good outcome. The strongest association was the presence of one fetal heart compared with more than two (adjusted odds ratio 2.43, 95% confidence interval 1.73-3.42). From 2000 to 2008, good perinatal outcomes increased among assisted reproductive technology live births. Among singleton live births, odds for good outcome were greatest with the presence of a single fetal heart and lowest in women of non-Hispanic black race. II.

Field Test of Advanced Duct-Sealing Technologies Within the Weatherization Assistance Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ternes, MP

2001-12-05

A field test of an aerosol-spray duct-sealing technology and a conventional, best-practice approach was performed in 80 homes to determine the efficacy and programmatic needs of the duct-sealing technologies as applied in the U.S. Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program. The field test was performed in five states: Iowa, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The study found that, compared with the best-practice approach, the aerosol-spray technology is 50% more effective at sealing duct leaks and can potentially reduce labor time and costs for duct sealing by 70%, or almost 4 crew-hours. Further study to encourage and promote use of the aerosol-spray technology within the Weatherization Assistance Program is recommended. A pilot test of full production weatherization programs using the aerosol-spray technology is recommended to develop approaches for integrating this technology with other energy conservation measures and minimizing impacts on weatherization agency logistics. In order to allow or improve adoption of the aerosol spray technology within the Weatherization Assistance Program, issues must be addressed concerning equipment costs, use of the technology under franchise arrangements with Aeroseal, Inc. (the holders of an exclusive license to use this technology), software used to control the equipment, safety, and training. Application testing of the aerosol-spray technology in mobile homes is also recommended.

Environment-assisted error correction of single-qubit phase damping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trendelkamp-Schroer, Benjamin; Helm, Julius; Strunz, Walter T.

2011-01-01

Open quantum system dynamics of random unitary type may in principle be fully undone. Closely following the scheme of environment-assisted error correction proposed by Gregoratti and Werner [J. Mod. Opt. 50, 915 (2003)], we explicitly carry out all steps needed to invert a phase-damping error on a single qubit. Furthermore, we extend the scheme to a mixed-state environment. Surprisingly, we find cases for which the uncorrected state is closer to the desired state than any of the corrected ones.

Use, non-use and perceived unmet needs of assistive technology among Swedish people in the third age.

Science.gov (United States)

Löfqvist, Charlotte; Slaug, Björn; Ekström, Henrik; Kylberg, Marianne; Haak, Maria

2016-01-01

To describe the most prominent use of or perceived unmet need of assistive technology (AT) and to compare the characteristics of users, non-users and those expressing perceived unmet need with respect to overall health, independence in everyday life, environmental barriers and socio-demographic features. The study is based on data collected in the "Home and Health in the Third Age Project". In all, 371 individuals participated and data were collected during home visits in southern Sweden by interviewers trained specifically for this project. The data collection comprised well-proven self-report scales and observational formats on the home environment and health indicators as well as questions about basic demographics and socio-structural data. The proportion of users constituted almost half of the total sample. The most common types of AT used were for furnishing/adaptation (35%) and the highest perceived unmet need concerned AT for communication, in total 8%. Those cohabiting were to a higher extent users of AT for furnishing/adaptation, compared to those who lived alone. A higher perceived unmet need was seen among those who lived alone compared with cohabiting people. These findings are of importance for future planning and development of policy to improve health services for the new generation of elderly. Implications for Rehabilitation In order to support the ageing process, the need for assistive technology has to be monitored in the third age. Assistive technology for furnishings and adaptation are frequently used by individuals in their third age and are important to support ageing in the home. Not only do health aspects impact the use of assistive technology, but gender, living conditions and social situation also matter - older men especially need to be monitored thoroughly according to their perceived unmet needs as well as do older persons living alone.

Pacific Northwest Laboratory annual report for 1979 to the DOE Assistant Secretary for Environment. Part 5. Environmental assessment, control, health, and safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baalman, R.W.; Dotson, C.W.

1980-02-01

Part 5 of the 1979 Annual Report to the Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for the Environment presents Pacific Northwest Laboratory's progress on work performed for the Office of Technology Impacts, the Office of Environmental Compliance and Overview, and the Office of Health and Environmental Research. The report is in four sections, corresponding to the program elements: technology impacts, environmental control engineering, operational and environmental compliance, and human health studies. In each section, articles describe progress made during FY 1979 on individual projects

From assistive to enhancing technology: should the treatment-enhancement distinction apply to future assistive and augmenting technologies?

Science.gov (United States)

Minerva, Francesca; Giubilini, Alberto

2018-04-01

The treatment-enhancement distinction is often used to delineate acceptable and unacceptable medical interventions. It is likely that future assistive and augmenting technologies will also soon develop to a level that they might be considered to provide users, in particular those with disabilities, with abilities that go beyond natural human limits, and become in effect an enhancing technology. In this paper, we describe how this process might take place, and discuss the moral implications of such developments. We argue that such developments are morally acceptable and indeed desirable. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Assisted reproductive technology in Saudi Arabia.

Science.gov (United States)

Abduljabbar, Hassan S; Amin, Rubina

2009-04-01

This paper aims at presenting details of the application of assisted reproductive technology and the impact of the Islamic law (Sharia) on its practice in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Analysis of the data sourced from manual searches of bibliographies from key articles showed that this technology in KSA is practiced in a strictly religious manner and certain aspects of the technology are completely forbidden. It further showed that lack of an official government in-vitro fertilization (IVF) registry to gather information on the activities of IVF clinics has limited the data available for international comparisons. Sharing information internationally could allow religiously concerned infertile couples to have access to the reproductive services in the Kingdom. It would further improve the quality of care, enhance certain techniques like in-vitro maturation and experimentation on embryos, by providing resources that are currently unavailable, keeping in view the religious beliefs and avoiding conflicts.

Feeding assistive robotics, socio-technological imaginaries and care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nickelsen, Niels Christian Mossfeldt

The media and political/managerial levels focus on the opportunities to re-perform Denmark through digitization. Feeding assistive robotics is a welfare technology, relevant to citizens with low or no function in their arms. Despite national dissemination strategies, it proves difficult to recruit...

Continuing education for Physical Education teachers: Assistive Technology in inclusive education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Luiza Salzani Fiorini

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at describing the development of continuing education for physical education teachers towards the incorporation of Assistive Technology and the creation of favorable conditions to an inclusive school. The methodology employed was reflective and collaborative research. Two teachers who were facing difficulties to include a physically disabled student and one student with global developmental delay took part in the study. The continuing education plan comprised three steps: 1 reflecting on their own practice after watching a video and planning one lesson, together with the researcher, seeking to incorporate Assistive Technology and favor inclusion; 2 videoing the lesson; 3 evaluating and reflecting on what was planned and what was executed and planning a new lesson. Some factors were seen to be essential to the development of continuing education: considering the teacher’s demand, developing collaborative work, promoting reflection on the practices and having Assistive Technology as a support to the human element.

Assistive Technologies for Aged Care: Supportive or Empowering?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suchada Vichitvanichphong

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this paper is to explore the potentials of assistive technologies to support seniors’ independent living. The work looks at two salient aspects of utilizing technologies for elderly, namely direct support and empowering technologies. The research undertakes a comprehensive analysis of attempts that have been made through investigation of the literature. For this purpose, a realist review of relevant papers published since 2000 has been conducted. The paper concludes that although much research in this area targets the direct support for older adults, the effective use of technologies to maintain seniors’ physical and cognitive abilities requires further investigations. This can provide avenues of opportunities that would empower seniors for their independent living.

Effects of the use of assisted reproductive technologies and an obesogenic environment on resistance artery function and diabetes biomarkers in mice offspring.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco I Ramirez-Perez

Full Text Available Maternal obesity affects the incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in offspring. Also the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART has been associated with cardiovascular deficiencies in offspring. Obese women often suffer from infertility and use ART to achieve a pregnancy, but the combined effects of maternal obesity and ART on cardiovascular health and incidence of diabetes in the offspring is not known. Here, we report the effects of the use of ART within an obesogenic environment, consisting of feeding a western diet (WD to dams and offspring, on resistance artery function and presence of diabetes biomarkers in juvenile mice offspring. Our results indicate that WD and ART interacted to induce endothelial dysfunction in mesenteric resistance arteries isolated from 7-week-old mice offspring. This was determined by presence of a reduced acetylcholine-induced dilation compared to controls. The arteries from these WD-ART mice also had greater wall cross-sectional areas and wall to lumen ratios indicative of vascular hypertrophic remodeling. Of the diabetes biomarkers measured, only resistin was affected by a WD×ART interaction. Serum resistin was significantly greater in WD-ART offspring compared to controls. Diet and sex effects were observed in other diabetes biomarkers. Our conclusion is that in mice the use of ART within an obesogenic environment interacts to favor the development of endothelial dysfunction in the resistance arteries of juvenile offspring, while having marginal effects on diabetes biomarkers.

Inclusive Design for Assistive Technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Herriott, Richard

2014-01-01

base. However, the conditions under which mainstream ID operates are not the same as those for AT. The scale of projects is smaller as tend to be the organisations that do such work. The models for ID design processes are designed for commercially-driven, medium-to-large scale concerns. This raises...... the question of whether AT design processes fit neatly into a model created for a different context . Semi-structured interviews were carried out with eight/nine designers of assistive technology. This provided raw data concerning the processes used by the designers in a range of products including...

Pacific Northwest Laboratory annual report for 1979 to the DOE Assistant Secretary for Environment. Part 5. Environmental assessment, control, health, and safety

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baalman, R.W.; Dotson, C.W. (eds.)

1980-02-01

Part 5 of the 1979 Annual Report to the Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for the Environment presents Pacific Northwest Laboratory's progress on work performed for the Office of Technology Impacts, the Office of Environmental Compliance and Overview, and the Office of Health and Environmental Research. The report is in four sections, corresponding to the program elements: technology impacts, environmental control engineering, operational and environmental compliance, and human health studies. In each section, articles describe progress made during FY 1979 on individual projects.

SuperAssist: A User-Assistant Collaborative Environment for the supervision of medical instrument use at home

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blanson Henkemans, O.A.; Neerincx, M.A.; Lindenberg, J.; Mast, C.A.P.G. van der

2007-01-01

With the rise of Transmural care, patients increasingly use medical instruments at home. Maintenance and troubleshooting greatly determines the safety and accuracy of these instruments. For the supervision of these complex tasks, we developed a User-Assistant Collaborative Environment (U-ACE). We

Validating a measure to assess factors that affect assistive technology use by students with disabilities in elementary and secondary education.

Science.gov (United States)

Zapf, Susan A; Scherer, Marcia J; Baxter, Mary F; H Rintala, Diana

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to measure the predictive validity, internal consistency and clinical utility of the Matching Assistive Technology to Child & Augmentative Communication Evaluation Simplified (MATCH-ACES) assessment. Twenty-three assistive technology team evaluators assessed 35 children using the MATCH-ACES assessment. This quasi-experimental study examined the internal consistency, predictive validity and clinical utility of the MATCH-ACES assessment. The MATCH-ACES assessment predisposition scales had good internal consistency across all three scales. A significant relationship was found between (a) high student perseverance and need for assistive technology and (b) high teacher comfort and interest in technology use (p = (0).002). Study results indicate that the MATCH-ACES assessment has good internal consistency and validity. Predisposition characteristics of student and teacher combined can influence the level of assistive technology use; therefore, assistive technology teams should assess predisposition factors of the user when recommending assistive technology. Implications for Rehabilitation Educational and medical professionals should be educated on evidence-based assistive technology assessments. Personal experience and psychosocial factors can influence the outcome use of assistive technology. Assistive technology assessments must include an intervention plan for assistive technology service delivery to measure effective outcome use.

Innovative assistive technology in Finnish public elderly-care services: a focus on productivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Melkas, Helinä

2013-01-01

The study investigates ways in which technology use may help municipalities improve productivity in elderly-care services. A case study of Finnish elderly-care services provides responses concerning impacts, decisions and options in technology use. The research data were collected during a 'smart home pilot' implemented in four housing service units. Over 60 assistive devices were introduced in the smart homes used during short-term housing periods. Both customers and care staff's experiences as well as processes related to the use of assistive devices were investigated on the basis of survey questionnaires, interviews and feedback. Assistive device-related operational processes were investigated with the help of concepts of 'resource focus', 'lost motion' and 'intermediate storage'. Four central operational processes were identified. Design and desirability as well as costs, such as opportunity costs of assistive devices were also a focus. Significant factors related to productivity were disclosed in this way. Technology use versus productivity needs to be 'circled' from the points of view of individual users, workplaces, service processes, and larger technology options. There must be long-term patience to introduce technology properly into use to produce positive impacts on productivity. Customers and care staff have an interlinked, vital role to play as decision-makers' informants.

Working Environment and Technological Development - An Introduction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Christian; Nielsen, Klaus T.

1997-01-01

The chapter is concerned with the different departures, research questions, positions and controversies that is identified in the research programme: Working Environment and Technological Environment. The chapter counterposes positions from six different chapters and raises four themes for debate...... and further research. 1) Whast is planning? 2) Organisational change - learning or political processes? 3) Transformations of technology. 4) Strategies for considering working conditions....

Preparing Mathematics Teachers for Technology-Rich Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Sturdivant, Rodney X.; Dunham, Penelope; Jardine, Richard

2009-01-01

This article describes key elements for faculty development programs to prepare mathematics teachers for technology-rich environments. We offer practical examples from our experiences in teaching mathematics with technology and in teaching others to incorporate technology-based pedagogies. We address challenges faced by faculty using technology,…

Standardization of green building technologies for environment design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benuzh Andrey

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article describes the structure and field of standardization ISO / TC 205 “Building environment design”, provides examples of green building technologies. The main purpose of the article is to show the interaction between international ISO / TC 205 “Building environment design” and created in Russia in 2016 the Technical Committee of Standardization № 366 “Green technology of the build environment and green innovative products”. Both of these technical committees promote green building technologies for environment design, thereby deal with the negative impact on the environment and the reasons of global warming. Instead of buildings that attempt to suppress and overcome nature, why not design buildings that integrate with the environment, on every possible level? The international standardization work which ISO/TC 205 “Building environment design” performs seeks, in addition to lowering trade barriers for engineering design, to promote and facilitate the design of high performance buildings: higher performing as economic assets for their owners, higher performing as buildings that provide amenable indoor environment for their occupants, and higher performing with respect to resource utilization and environmental impact.

Trends over time in congenital malformations in live-born children conceived after assisted reproductive technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Henningsen, Anna-Karina A; Bergh, Christina; Skjaerven, Rolv; Tiitinen, Aila; Wennerholm, Ulla-Britt; Romundstad, Liv B; Gissler, Mika; Opdahl, Signe; Nyboe Andersen, Anders; Lidegaard, Øjvind; Forman, Julie L; Pinborg, Anja

2018-03-23

Children born after assisted reproductive technology, particularly singletons, have been shown to have an increased risk of congenital malformations compared with children born after spontaneous conception. We wished to study whether there has been a change in the past 20 years in the risk of major congenital malformations in children conceived after assisted reproductive technology compared with children spontaneously conceived. Population-based cohort study including 90 201 assisted reproductive technology children and 482 552 children spontaneously conceived, born in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Both singletons and twins born after in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmatic sperm injection and frozen embryo transfer were included. Data on children was taken from when the national Nordic assisted reproductive technology registries were established until 2007. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the risks and adjusted odds ratios for congenital malformations in four time periods: 1988-1992, 1993-1997, 1998-2002 and 2003-2007. Only major malformations were included. The absolute risk for singletons of being born with a major malformation was 3.4% among assisted reproductive technology children vs. 2.9% among children spontaneously conceived during the study period. The relative risk of being born with a major congenital malformation between all assisted reproductive technology children and children spontaneously conceived remained similar through all four time periods (p = 0.39). However, we found that over time the number of children diagnosed with a major malformation increased in both groups across all four time periods. When comparing children conceived after assisted reproductive technology and spontaneously conceived, the relative risk of being born with a major congenital malformation did not change during the study period. © 2018 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"Learning to Assess" and "Assessing to Learn": The Construction of Knowledge about Assistive Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Folkes, Clare; Carmichael, Patrick

2006-01-01

A key role in the development and deployment of Assistive Technology solutions is that of the "assessor-consultant". Assessor-consultants for the UK-based charity Abilitynet work with clients to develop customized computer-based assistive technology systems and draw on a range of shared knowledge from the assessor-consultant community.…

Using Assistive Technology in Teaching Children with Learning Disabilities in the 21st Century

Science.gov (United States)

Adebisi, Rufus Olanrewaju; Liman, Nalado Abubakar; Longpoe, Patricia Kwalzoom

2015-01-01

This paper was written to expose the meaning, benefits, and answer why the use of assistive technology for children with learning disabilities. The paper discussed the various types of assistive technology devices that were designed and used to solve written language, reading, listening, memory and mathematic problems of children with learning…

The intersection of culture, disability and assistive technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Ripat, Jacquie; Woodgate, Roberta

2011-01-01

Although the use of assistive technology (AT) is by an individual, it occurs within a much larger socio-cultural environment. The purpose of this article is to describe and analyse current knowledge about the intersection of culture and disability in the context of the AT user. Literature review of theoretical and empirical study papers that discuss cultural aspects related to AT use or provision. Understanding how an individual's culturally defined identity is shaped as an AT user, and the meaning the AT holds to that person and family, is essential to providing culturally appropriate AT services. AT providers also belong to a culture framed by their professional experiences; needed are ways of addressing ethnocentricity within culturally diverse practice settings. Some AT users may identify with a disability culture, a culture formed by a shared set of beliefs, values and behaviours around the construct of disability. This review reveals there is a paucity of knowledge about the intersection of AT and culture, and that this intersection requires further research. Embarking on this investigation is mandatory if we seek to meet the needs of the culturally diverse individuals who use AT.

CDC-reported assisted reproductive technology live-birth rates may mislead the public.

Science.gov (United States)

Kushnir, Vitaly A; Choi, Jennifer; Darmon, Sarah K; Albertini, David F; Barad, David H; Gleicher, Norbert

2017-08-01

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publicly reports assisted reproductive technology live-birth rates (LBR) for each US fertility clinic under legal mandate. The 2014 CDC report excluded 35,406 of 184,527 (19.2%) autologous assisted reproductive technology cycles that involved embryo or oocyte banking from LBR calculations. This study calculated 2014 total clinic LBR for all patients utilizing autologous oocytes two ways: including all initiated assisted reproductive technology cycles or excluding banking cycles, as done by the CDC. The main limitation of this analysis is the CDC report did not differentiate between cycles involving long-term banking of embryos or oocytes for fertility preservation from cycles involving short-term embryo banking. Twenty-seven of 458 (6%) clinics reported over 40% of autologous cycles involved banking, collectively performing 12% of all US assisted reproductive technology cycles. LBR in these outlier clinics calculated by the CDC method, was higher than the other 94% of clinics (33.1% versus 31.1%). However, recalculated LBR including banking cycles in the outlier clinics was lower than the other 94% of clinics (15.5% versus 26.6%). LBR calculated by the two methods increasingly diverged based on proportion of banking cycles performed by each clinic reaching 4.5-fold, thereby, potentially misleading the public. Copyright © 2017 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Smart Technology Applications in Business Environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Issa, Tomayess; Kommers, Petrus A.M.; Issa, Theodora; Isaías, Pedro; Issa, Touma B.

2017-01-01

Technology continues to make great strides in society by providing opportunities for advancement, inclusion, and global competency. As new systems and tools arise, novel applications are created as well. Smart Technology Applications in Business Environments is an essential reference source for the

Examination of studies on technology-assisted collaborative learning published between 2010-2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmet Arnavut

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract This study is a content analysis of the articles about technology-assisted collaborative learning published in Science Direct database between the years of 2010 and 2014. Developing technology has become a topic that we encounter in every aspect of our lives. Educators deal with the contribution and integration of technology into education. Therefore, in this study it was aimed to examine how integration of collaborative learning into technology would contribute to education or it would contribute to education or not. According to the results of the studies obtained from Science Direct database, there are many research related with technology-assisted collaborative learning. However, since all of the studies did not fulfill our search criteria for content analysis, a total number of 58 articles published between the years of 2010 and 2014 were used in this study.

Improving Vocabulary Skills through Assistive Technology: Rick's Story

Science.gov (United States)

Lindsey-Glenn, Pam F.; Gentry, James E.

2008-01-01

This case study examines the use of two assistive technologies, the Franklin Language Master 6000b and Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, as visual support systems to aid in the vocabulary acquisition skills of a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The intervention used children's literature and best practices in teaching vocabulary skills in…

Accuracy of self-reported survey data on assisted reproductive technology treatment parameters and reproductive history.

Science.gov (United States)

Stern, Judy E; McLain, Alexander C; Buck Louis, Germaine M; Luke, Barbara; Yeung, Edwina H

2016-08-01

It is unknown whether data obtained from maternal self-report for assisted reproductive technology treatment parameters and reproductive history are accurate for use in research studies. We evaluated the accuracy of self-reported in assisted reproductive technology treatment and reproductive history from the Upstate KIDS study in comparison with clinical data reported to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System. Upstate KIDS maternal questionnaire data from deliveries between 2008 and 2010 were linked to data reported to Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System. The 617 index deliveries were compared as to treatment type (frozen embryo transfer and donor egg or sperm) and use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection and assisted hatching. Use of injectable medications, self-report for assisted reproductive technology, or frozen embryo transfer prior to the index deliveries were also compared. We report agreement in which both sources had yes or both no and sensitivity of maternal report using Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System as the gold standard. Significance was determined using χ(2) at P < 0.05. Universal agreement was not reached on any parameter but was best for treatment type of frozen embryo transfer (agreement, 96%; sensitivity, 93%) and use of donor eggs (agreement, 97%; sensitivity, 82%) or sperm (agreement, 98%; sensitivity, 82%). Use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (agreement, 78%: sensitivity, 78%) and assisted hatching (agreement, 57%; sensitivity, 38%) agreed less well with self-reported use (P < .0001). In vitro fertilization (agreement, 82%) and frozen embryo transfer (agreement, 90%) prior to the index delivery were more consistently reported than was use of injectable medication (agreement, 76%) (P < .0001). Women accurately report in vitro fertilization treatment but are less accurate about procedures handled in the

An HL7-FHIR-based Object Model for a Home-Centered Data Warehouse for Ambient Assisted Living Environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartze, Jonas; Jansen, Lars; Schrom, Harald; Wolf, Klaus-Hendrik; Haux, Reinhold; Marschollek, Michael

2015-01-01

Current AAL environments focus on assisting a single person with seperated technologies. There is no interoperability between sub-domains in home environments, like building energy management or housing industry services. BASIS (Building Automation by a Scalable and Intelligent System) aims to integrate all sensors and actuators into a single, efficient home bus. First step is to create a semtically enriched data warehouse object model. We choose FHIR and built an object model mainly based on the Observation, Device and Location resources with minor extensions needed by AAL-foreign sub domains. FHIR turned out to be very flexible and complete for other home related sub-domains. The object model is implemented in a separated software-partition storing all structural and procedural data of BASIS.

Assistive Technology Service Delivery in Rural School Districts

Science.gov (United States)

Ault, Melinda Jones; Bausch, Margaret E.; Mclaren, Elizabeth M.

2013-01-01

Little is known about the implementation of assistive technology (AT) services for students in rural areas. This study investigated the AT service delivery in 10 rural districts across six states. The results indicated that students use AT across functional areas, but considerably fewer number of devices than do those not living in rural areas. AT…

Congenital anomalies after assisted reproductive technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pinborg, Anja; Henningsen, Anna-Karina Aaris; Malchau, Sara Sofie

2013-01-01

Worldwide, more than 5 million children have been born after assisted reproductive technology (ART), and in many developed countries ART infants represent more than 1% of the birth cohorts. It is well known that ART children are at increased risk of congenital malformations even after adjustment...... for known confounders such as maternal age. The proportion of ART children is not negligible, and knowledge about the causes of the higher risk of congenital malformations is crucial to develop prevention strategies to reduce the future risk in ART children. The aim of this review is to summarize...

Locating assistive technology research in a clinical setting: an occupational perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler-Davis, Sally; Evans, Laura; Cudd, Peter

2015-01-01

Peer research was used to identify the experience and perceptions of assistive technology and telecare adoption in a UK healthcare context. A narrative account of participation and learning is intended to provoke further dialogue. There have been a range of policy and implementation initiatives that are within the direct experience of organisational actors over the last 15 years and this engagement allows for specific reflection on the service achievements and some of the barriers to implementation of technology changes in rehabilitation practice and service design. Insights are presented that suggest a reification of research priorities and a need to align technology, through patient and public engagement, to provider priorities. In addition, an improvement in adoption would be based on sustained capacity building within the Occupational Therapy workforce and a re-focus on specific knowledge sharing and learning about technology. Given the shared desire to promote the sustained adoption of appropriate technology for assistance and rehabilitation it is suggested the voice of practitioners is strengthened through research and knowledge exchange in the clinical setting.

Socio-technological imaginaries, assistive robotics and transformation of care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nickelsen, Niels Christian Mossfeldt

The media and political/managerial levels focus on the opportunities to re-perform Denmark through digitization. Feeding assistive robotics (FAR) is a welfare technology, relevant to citizens with no function in their arms. Despite national dissemination strategies, it proves difficult to recruit...

Socio-technological imaginaries, assistive robotics and transformation of care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nickelsen, Niels Christian Mossfeldt; Simonsen Abildgaard, Johan

2018-01-01

The media and political/managerial levels focus on the opportunities to re-perform Denmark through digitization. Feeding assistive robotics (FAR) is a welfare technology, relevant to citizens with no function in their arms. Despite national dissemination strategies, it proves difficult to recruit...

Teachers' Initial and Sustained Use of an Instructional Assistive Technology Tool: Exploring the Mitigating Factors

Science.gov (United States)

Bouck, Emily C.; Flanagan, Sara; Heutsche, Anne; Okolo, Cynthia M.; Englert, Carol Sue

2011-01-01

This qualitative research project explored factors that mitigated teachers implementing an instructional assistive technology and factors that mitigated its sustained use. Specifically, it explored these issues in relation to a social studies based instructional assistive technology (Virtual History Museum [VHM]), which was originally implemented…

Assistive technology and passengers with special assistance needs in air transport: contributions to cabin design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carina Campese

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract There has been significant growth in air transport worldwide, as well as in Brazil. However, studies have emphasized that disabled, obese, and elderly passengers face difficulties when using this means of transport. Among these difficulties, issues related to passengers’ own assistive devices, including damage, loss, or the impossibility of using during the entire flight, stand out. Therefore, the present study aims to understand the trends in assistive technology focusing on cabin design. This research is based upon literature review, interviews with manufacturers and research centers, visits to specialized trade fairs, and patent search. The results revealed a great diversity of assistive products, its trends, and an increase in their use, which affect aircraft cabin design, especially in terms of space, access, and stowage of these devices.

Assistive technology use is associated with reduced capability poverty: a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Borg, Johan; Ostergren, Per-Olof; Larsson, Stig; Rahman, Asm Atiqur; Bari, Nazmul; Khan, Ahm Noman

2012-03-01

About half of all people with disabilities in developing countries live in extreme poverty. Focusing on the ends rather than the economic means of human development, the capability approach offers an alternative view of poverty. The purpose of this study was to explore the relation between assistive technology use and capability poverty in a low-income country. Self-reported data on food intake, health care, education, politics, self-determination, self-respect, family relationships and friendships were collected in Bangladesh through interviews of people with hearing impairments using and not using hearings aids, and people with ambulatory impairments using and not using manual wheelchairs (N = 583). Differences in outcomes between users and non-users of assistive technology were analyzed using logistic regression. Assistive technology users were more likely than non-users to report enhanced capabilities, hearing aid users to a larger extent than wheelchair users. Synergistic effects between assistive technology use and education were found. The use of assistive technology is predictive of reduced capability poverty in Bangladesh. Lack of wheelchair accessibility and the nature of selected outcomes may explain the limited association in the ambulatory group. Enhancing the effects of the other, there is support for providing education in combination with hearing aids. [Box: see text].

[Horus: technological innovation in pharmaceutical assistance within the Brazilian unified health system].

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Karen Sarmento; Nascimento, José Miguel do

2012-12-01

To analyze results of the Horus Information System, comparing elements of this system with some international experiences. Horus is a technological innovation introduced in 2009 in the Pharmaceutical management information system of the Sistema Único de Saúde (Brazilian Unified Health System). In 2011, local managers and health professionals of 1,247 municipalities (16 states) that adhered to Horus answered questionnaires on pharmaceutical assistance in primary care and about the Horus system. This is a descriptive and exploratory study, developed with the use of quantitative and qualitative methods of research. Multivariate tools were used for data collection and interpretative support of the statistical inference and thematic analysis. The main changes identified after the implementation of this system were: improvement on technical and scientific quality control of Pharmaceutical Assistance, improvement on the supply of medications and health care; training of human resources and knowledge management; improvement on the relationship health managers/users; development in the administrative management and greater inter-state management; and improvement on the technological infrastructure. In terms of health information systems, these categories are consistent with programs and obstacles observed in international experiences. The biggest gap identified was the fact that Horus was not included in a national policy of health information systems, which is in a process of consolidation in Brazil. The national database of actions and services within the Pharmaceutical Assistance will enable the collection, analysis and dissemination of information regarding integrated pharmaceutical assistance in the Brazilian context. The Horus System is a technological innovation that enables the management of the Pharmaceutical Assistance. The national base will enable the definition and agreement on national indicators of Pharmaceutical Assistance, aiming to produce evidence of

Birth environment facilitation by midwives assisting in non-hospital births: a qualitative interview study.

Science.gov (United States)

Igarashi, Toshiko; Wakita, Mariko; Miyazaki, Kikuko; Nakayama, Takeo

2014-07-01

midwifery homes (similar to birth centres) are rich in midwifery wisdom and skills that differ from those in hospital obstetrical departments, and a certain percentage of pregnant women prefer birth in these settings. This study aimed to understand the organisation of the perinatal environment considered important by independent midwives in non-hospital settings and to clarify the processes involved. semi-structured qualitative interview study and constant comparative analysis. 14 independent midwives assisting at births in midwifery homes in Japan, and six independent midwives assisting at home births. Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Shiga, Japan. midwives assisting at non-hospital births organised the birth environment based on the following four categories: 'an environment where the mother and family are autonomous'; 'a physical environment that facilitates birth'; 'an environment that facilitates the movement of the mother for birth'; and 'scrupulous safety preparation'. These, along with their sub-categories, are presented in this paper. independent midwives considered it important to create a candid relationship between the midwife and the woman/family from the period of pregnancy to facilitate birth in which the woman and her family were autonomous. They also organised a distinctive environment for non-hospital birth, with preparations to guarantee safety. Experiential knowledge and skills played a major part in creating an environment to facilitate birth, and the effectiveness of this needs to be investigated objectively in future research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assistive Technology in Special Education and the Universal Design for Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Alnahdi, Ghaleb

2014-01-01

Using technology can help students with disabilities to enhance and improve their independence in academic and employment tasks, their participation in classroom discussions, along with helping them to accomplish some difficult academic tasks. This paper discusses the role and benefits of using assistive technology in the Universal Design for…

Distributed Scaffolding: Synergy in Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Ustunel, Hale H.; Tokel, Saniye Tugba

2018-01-01

When technology is employed challenges increase in learning environments. Kim et al. ("Sci Educ" 91(6):1010-1030, 2007) presented a pedagogical framework that provides a valid technology-enhanced learning environment. The purpose of the present design-based study was to investigate the micro context dimension of this framework and to…

Space Environment Automated Alerts and Anomaly Analysis Assistant (SEA^5) for NASA

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose to develop a comprehensive analysis and dissemination system (Space Environment Automated Alerts  & Anomaly Analysis Assistant: SEA5) that will...

Assistive Technologies Promoting the Experience of Self for People with Alzheimer’s Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Bosco

2015-08-01

Full Text Available There is growing evidence on the importance of rehabilitation interventions promoting the persistence of the sense of self in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD or other forms of dementia. Assistive Technologies (AT may contribute to the development of interventions aimed to improve adaptive responses to environmental demands. This, in turns, can promote self-awareness. At the same time AT can manage computer interfaces able to record and reproduce autobiographical multimedia contents that can be very useful during reminiscence tasks carried out during conversations with supportive staff. These tasks could promote the self-concept. Globally the AT can be of great help in setting up rehabilitation and leisure environments promoting the experience of self in people with AD and other dementias.

Computer-Assisted Foreign Language Teaching and Learning: Technological Advances

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Bin; Xing, Minjie; Wang, Yuping; Sun, Mingyu; Xiang, Catherine H.

2013-01-01

Computer-Assisted Foreign Language Teaching and Learning: Technological Advances highlights new research and an original framework that brings together foreign language teaching, experiments and testing practices that utilize the most recent and widely used e-learning resources. This comprehensive collection of research will offer linguistic…

Examination of Studies on Technology-Assisted Collaborative Learning Published between 2010-2014

Science.gov (United States)

Arnavut, Ahmet; Özdamli, Fezile

2016-01-01

This study is a content analysis of the articles about technology-assisted collaborative learning published in Science Direct database between the years of 2010 and 2014. Developing technology has become a topic that we encounter in every aspect of our lives. Educators deal with the contribution and integration of technology into education.…

Human monitoring, smart health and assisted living techniques and technologies

CERN Document Server

Longhi, Sauro; Freddi, Alessandro

2017-01-01

This book covers the three main scientific and technological areas critical for improving people's quality of life - namely human monitoring, smart health and assisted living - from both the research and development points of view.

Basic Technology Competencies, Attitude towards Computer Assisted Education and Usage of Technologies in Turkish Lesson: A Correlation

Science.gov (United States)

Özdemir, Serpil

2017-01-01

The present research was done to determine the basic technology competency of Turkish teachers, their attitude towards computer-assisted education, and their technology operation level in Turkish lessons, and to designate the relationship between them. 85 Turkish teachers studying in public schools in Bartin participated in the research. The…

Technical assistance and the transfer of remote sensing technology. [for economic development

Science.gov (United States)

Chipman, R.

1977-01-01

The transfer of technology from industrialized countries to the third world is a very complicated process and one that requires a great deal of research and development. The political and social obstacles to this transfer are generally greater than the technical obstacles, but technical assistance programs have neither the competence nor the inclination to deal with these factors adequately. Funding for technical assistance in remote sensing is now expanding rapidly, and there is a growing need for institutions to study and promote the effective use of this technology for economic development. The United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Bank, the United States Agency for International Development and the Canadian technical assistance agencies take different approaches to the problem and deal with the political pressures in different ways.

Outcomes Of Assisted Reproductive Technologies At The Nairobi In ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Infertility is a common problem affecting up to ten per cent of married couples. A systematic evaluation of aetiologic factors forms the basis for choice of treatment and future fertility. On the global perspective, Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) has become internationally recognised treatment option for ...

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment in women with schizophrenia or related psychotic disorder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ebdrup, Ninna H; Assens, Maria; Hougaard, Charlotte O

2014-01-01

To determine the prevalence rate of women with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or related psychotic disorder in assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment and to study these women's fertility treatment outcome in comparison to women with no psychotic disorders.......To determine the prevalence rate of women with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or related psychotic disorder in assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment and to study these women's fertility treatment outcome in comparison to women with no psychotic disorders....

Arranging for personal assistance services and assistive technology at work. A report of the rehabilitation research and training center on personal assistance services.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoddard, Susan; Kraus, Lewis

2006-01-01

For an employee with a disability, reasonable accommodation can make the difference in finding work, maintaining employment, and succeeding on the job. Today, employers and employees alike are more aware that appropriate accommodation, including workplace personal assistance services (PAS) as well as assistive technology, improves an employee's ability to succeed. While assistive technology is in widespread use as an accommodation, workplace personal assistance is less understood. The goal of the study was to learn more about how workplace PAS and AT are arranged for in the workplace, and the issues that arise. Structured phone interviews were conducted with 20 workplace PAS users, 21 employers familiar with workplace PAS, and 19 employment organizations. Interview transcripts are the basis for the qualitative analysis of findings. Requirements for personal assistance accommodations focus on task-related needs. Personal care needs at work are not included in the Americans with Disabilities act but may be needed by the employee. Employers and PAS users have developed many creative ways to address PAS need. Organizations can construct an approach that fits the needs, abilities, and constraints of each organization. The interview respondents have identified a number of practices that are succeeding, including establishment of policies for arranging for PAS; centralization of accommodation budgets to remove work unit disincentives; and providing a shared personal assistant for interpreting or for task-related and personal care tasks. A number of important research questions remain. What is the extent of the need for PAS in the workplace? Will an expanded PAS supply increase the employment opportunities for people with disabilities? Will better models of workplace PAS be adopted by employers?

An update to inplace testing of safety/relief valves utilizing lift assist technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heorman, K.R.

1992-01-01

Inplace testing of safety and relief valves with lift-assist devices has received mixed reviews from nuclear power plant testing personnel. While many plants use the technology, most limit its use to testing main steam safety valves (even though both OM-1-1981 and PTC 25.3-1976 allow its use for several different service applications). Test coordinator concerns regarding the technology range from lift set point accuracy and repeatability to the quality of the test result output. In addition, OM-1-1981 and PTC 25.3-1976 differ in their approach to the technology. The reasons for the differences between PTC 25.3-1976 and OM-1-1981 are discussed along with additional considerations applicable to the use of the technology in testing liquid service valves. This paper shows that lift assist technology is capable of determining lift set points within the accuracy requirements of OM-1 and PTC 25.3. It also demonstrates that the technology should not be limited to compressible service systems. Also, improvements in test repeatability and output quality are discussed as a function of the assist device design used and valve characteristics. Lift assist testing is often preferred over inplace testing that uses direct system pressure. It is often more cost efficient than bench testing because it does not require removal of critical systems from service and transportation of components. Also, duplicating system temperatures and other environmental factors is not an issue during inplace testing. Valve testing that once required an outage and maintenance period can now be conducted prior to such periods. This approach minimizes the possibility of failures becoming critical path limiting items

Effective Assistive Technology Consideration and Implications for Diverse Students

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Vita L.; Hinesmon-Matthews, Lezlee J.

2014-01-01

Often the consideration of assistive technology devices and services during the individualized education program (IEP) process is overlooked. Because the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) authorized this consideration, IEP team members must be keenly aware of the importance they hold in providing this valuable input. Thus, IEP…

Wireless sEMG-Based Body-Machine Interface for Assistive Technology Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Fall, Cheikh Latyr; Gagnon-Turcotte, Gabriel; Dube, Jean-Francois; Gagne, Jean Simon; Delisle, Yanick; Campeau-Lecours, Alexandre; Gosselin, Clement; Gosselin, Benoit

2017-07-01

Assistive technology (AT) tools and appliances are being more and more widely used and developed worldwide to improve the autonomy of people living with disabilities and ease the interaction with their environment. This paper describes an intuitive and wireless surface electromyography (sEMG) based body-machine interface for AT tools. Spinal cord injuries at C5-C8 levels affect patients' arms, forearms, hands, and fingers control. Thus, using classical AT control interfaces (keypads, joysticks, etc.) is often difficult or impossible. The proposed system reads the AT users' residual functional capacities through their sEMG activity, and converts them into appropriate commands using a threshold-based control algorithm. It has proven to be suitable as a control alternative for assistive devices and has been tested with the JACO arm, an articulated assistive device of which the vocation is to help people living with upper-body disabilities in their daily life activities. The wireless prototype, the architecture of which is based on a 3-channel sEMG measurement system and a 915-MHz wireless transceiver built around a low-power microcontroller, uses low-cost off-the-shelf commercial components. The embedded controller is compared with JACO's regular joystick-based interface, using combinations of forearm, pectoral, masseter, and trapeze muscles. The measured index of performance values is 0.88, 0.51, and 0.41 bits/s, respectively, for correlation coefficients with the Fitt's model of 0.75, 0.85, and 0.67. These results demonstrate that the proposed controller offers an attractive alternative to conventional interfaces, such as joystick devices, for upper-body disabled people using ATs such as JACO.

Environment-Assisted Speed-up of the Field Evolution in Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Cimmarusti, A D; Yan, Z; Patterson, B D; Corcos, L P; Orozco, L A; Deffner, S

2015-06-12

We measure the quantum speed of the state evolution of the field in a weakly driven optical cavity QED system. To this end, the mode of the electromagnetic field is considered as a quantum system of interest with a preferential coupling to a tunable environment: the atoms. By controlling the environment, i.e., changing the number of atoms coupled to the optical cavity mode, an environment-assisted speed-up is realized: the quantum speed of the state repopulation in the optical cavity increases with the coupling strength between the optical cavity mode and this non-Markovian environment (the number of atoms).

Environment-Assisted Speed-up of the Field Evolution in Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cimmarusti, A. D.; Yan, Z.; Patterson, B. D.; Corcos, L. P.; Orozco, L. A.; Deffner, S.

2015-01-01

We measure the quantum speed of the state evolution of the field in a weakly-driven optical cavity QED system. To this end, the mode of the electromagnetic field is considered as a quantum system of interest with a preferential coupling to a tunable environment: the atoms. By controlling the environment, i.e., changing the number of atoms coupled to the optical cavity mode, an environment assisted speed-up is realized: the quantum speed of the state re-population in the optical cavity increases with the coupling strength between the optical cavity mode and this non-Markovian environment (the number of atoms)

Evaluating Assistive Technology in Early Childhood Education: The Use of a Concurrent Time Series Probe Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Parette, Howard P.; Blum, Craig; Boeckmann, Nichole M.

2009-01-01

As assistive technology applications are increasingly implemented in early childhood settings for children who are at risk or who have disabilities, it is critical that teachers utilize observational approaches to determine whether targeted assistive technology-supported interventions make a difference in children's learning. One structured…

Risk of hypertensive disorders in pregnancies following assisted reproductive technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Opdahl, S; Henningsen, A A; Tiitinen, A

2015-01-01

STUDY QUESTION: Is the risk of hypertensive disorders in pregnancies conceived following specific assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures different from the risk in spontaneously conceived (SC) pregnancies? SUMMARY ANSWER: ART pregnancies had a higher risk of hypertensive disorders, in ...

Assisted reproductive technology treatment in women with severe eating disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Assens, Maria; Ebdrup, Ninna H; Pinborg, Anja

2015-01-01

INTRODUCTION: This national retrospective cohort study investigates the prevalence of women with severe eating disorders in assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment compared with an age-matched background population without ART treatment. It assesses the frequency distribution of the firs...

Environment-friendly drilling operation technology

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Huaidong; Jing, Ning; Zhang, Yanna; Huang, Hongjun; Wei, Jun

2017-01-01

Under the circumstance that international safety and environmental standards being more and more stringent, drilling engineering is facing unprecedented challenges, the extensive traditional process flow is no longer accepted, the new safe and environment-friendly process is more suitable to the healthy development of the industry. In 2015, CNPCIC adopted environment-friendly drilling technology for the first time in the Chad region, ensured the safety of well control, at the same time increased the environmental protection measure, reduced the risk of environmental pollution what obtain the ratification from local government. This technology carries out recovery and disposal of crude oil, cuttings and mud without falling on the ground. The final products are used in road and well site construction, which realizes the reutilization of drilling waste, reduces the operating cost, and provides a strong technical support for cost-cutting and performance-increase of drilling engineering under low oil price.

Enduring politics: the culture of obstacles in legislating for assisted reproduction technologies in Ireland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jill Allison

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Assisted reproductive technology has become a normalized part of reproductive medicine in many countries around the world. Access, however, is uneven and inconsistent, facilitated and restricted by such factors as affordability, social and moral acceptance or refusal and local cultures of medical practice. In Ireland, assisted reproductive technology has been available since 1987 but remains unregulated by legislation. This creates an uncertain and untenable legal circumstance given the contested issues related to constitutional protection of the right to life of the unborn and the indeterminate legal status of embryos in vitro. This paper examines the impact of an enduring political impasse. It explores how clinical assisted reproductive technology services in Ireland operate both inside and outside dominant institutional frameworks, meeting a pronatalist and pro-family social and political agenda, while sometimes contradicting the pro-life politics that has continued to shape women’s reproductive lives. The medical approaches to infertility thus intersect with the ongoing debates around abortion, the failure of the government to regulate, and notions of embodied motherhood and responsibility within changing meanings of family and kinship. At the same time women and their partners seek assisted reproductive technology treatment in other countries throughout the European Union where laws differ and availability of services varies. A decade has passed since the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction in Ireland released its recommendations; the enduring legislative vacuum leaves women, families and practitioners in potential legal limbo.

The importance of assistive technology in the productivity pursuits of young adults with disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Ripat, Jacquie D; Woodgate, Roberta L

2017-01-01

Young adults with disabilities often use assistive technology (AT) to address personal needs, engage in communities and pursue educational and vocational goals. Little is known about their personal experiences and challenges of accessing and using AT for productivity-related activities. This study aimed to learn from young adults about their experiences and use of AT in supporting their productivity. Using a qualitative approach, 20 young adult AT users engaged in semi-structured interviews and a photovoice process. Data were analysed inductively. Three primary themes were identified: I Have to Figure it out Myself, With the Right AT, and Relational Aspects of AT Use. Although participants were experienced AT users, they were often left alone to figure out their emerging needs. They relied on AT to participate in productivity pursuits however stigma around AT use in unsupportive work environments were new concerns. Young adults with disabilities draw on their experiences of AT use but may need to develop advocacy skills to ensure their needs are met in productivity-related environments. Employers and supervisors should recognize AT as essential to young adult's engagement with productivity-related activities and have an important role in developing inclusive work environments.

Correct coding for laboratory procedures during assisted reproductive technology cycles.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-01

This document provides updated coding information for services related to assisted reproductive technology procedures. This document replaces the 2012 ASRM document of the same name. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Psychosocial Factors Associated with the Use of Technological Assistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Scherer, Marcia J.

This follow-up study was conducted to assess changes in functioning and adjustment over time of individuals with spinal cord injuries who had participated in 1986 and 1988 studies. The original studies interviewed five adult males with quadriplegia about the use of their assistive technologies and about how easily, comfortably, and effectively…

Assisted reproductive technologies in South Dakota: the first ten years.

Science.gov (United States)

Brannian, John; Hansen, Keith

2006-07-01

One in six couples experience infertility. New assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) have helped thousands of couples worldwide to have a family. IVF has been available in South Dakota for the past ten years. Improvements in the clinic and laboratory have led to better live birth rates and lower incidences of multiple pregnancies. Advances in technology will help even more people overcome fertility problems in the near future.

Preferences for technology versus human assistance and control over technology in the performance of kitchen and personal care tasks in baby boomers and older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Beach, Scott R; Schulz, Richard; Matthews, Judith T; Courtney, Karen; Dabbs, Annette DeVito

2014-11-01

Quality of Life technology (QoLT) stresses humans and technology as mutually dependent and aware, working together to improve task performance and quality of life. This study examines preferences for technology versus human assistance and control in the context of QoLT. Data are from a nationally representative, cross-sectional web-based sample of 416 US baby boomers (45-64) and 114 older adults (65+) on preferences for technology versus human assistance and control in the performance of kitchen and personal care tasks. Multinomial logistic regression and ordinary least squares regression were used to determine predictors of these preferences. Respondents were generally accepting of technology assistance but wanted to maintain control over its' operation. Baby boomers were more likely to prefer technology than older adults, and those with fewer QoLT privacy concerns and who thought they were more likely to need future help were more likely to prefer technology over human assistance and more willing to relinquish control to technology. Results suggest the need for design of person- and context-aware QoLT systems that are responsive to user desires for level of control over operation of the technology. The predictors of these preferences suggest potentially receptive markets for the targeting of QoLT systems.

Merging assistance function with task distribution model to enhance user performance in collaborative virtual environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalid, S.; Alam, A.

2016-01-01

Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) falls under Virtual Reality (VR) where two or more users manipulate objects collaboratively. In this paper we have made some experiments to make assembly from constituents parts scattered in Virtual Environment (VE) based on task distribution model using assistance functions for checking and enhancing user performance. The CVEs subjects setting on distinct connected machines via local area network. In this perspective, we consider the effects of assistance function with oral communication on collaboration, co-presence and users performance. Twenty subjects performed collaboratively an assembly task on static and dynamic based task distribution. We examine the degree of influence of assistance function with oral communications on user's performance based on task distribution model. The results show that assistance functions with oral communication based on task distribution model not only increase user performance but also enhance the sense of copresence and awareness. (author)

The economic impact of assisted reproductive technology: a review of selected developed countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, Georgina M; Sullivan, Elizabeth A; Ishihara, Osamu; Chapman, Michael G; Adamson, G David

2009-06-01

To compare regulatory and economic aspects of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in developed countries. Comparative policy and economic analysis. Couples undergoing ART treatment in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Japan, and Australia. Description of regulatory and financing arrangements, cycle costs, cost-effectiveness ratios, total expenditure, utilization, and price elasticity. Regulation and financing of ART share few general characteristics in developed countries. The cost of treatment reflects the costliness of the underlying healthcare system rather than the regulatory or funding environment. The cost (in 2006 United States dollars) of a standard IVF cycle ranged from $12,513 in the United States to $3,956 in Japan. The cost per live birth was highest in the United States and United Kingdom ($41,132 and $40,364, respectively) and lowest in Scandinavia and Japan ($24,485 and $24,329, respectively). The cost of an IVF cycle after government subsidization ranged from 50% of annual disposable income in the United States to 6% in Australia. The cost of ART treatment did not exceed 0.25% of total healthcare expenditure in any country. Australia and Scandinavia were the only country/region to reach levels of utilization approximating demand, with North America meeting only 24% of estimated demand. Demand displayed variable price elasticity. Assisted reproductive technology is expensive from a patient perspective but not from a societal perspective. Only countries with funding arrangements that minimize out-of-pocket expenses met expected demand. Funding mechanisms should maximize efficiency and equity of access while minimizing the potential harm from multiple births.

Five years of interdisciplinary research on ageing and technology: Outcomes of the Lower Saxony Research Network Design of Environments for Ageing (GAL)--an introduction to this Special Issue on Ageing and Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Haux, Reinhold; Hein, Andreas; Kolb, Gerald; Künemund, Harald; Eichelberg, Marco

2014-01-01

This Special Issue of Informatics for Health and Social Care is presenting outcomes of the Lower Saxony Research Network Design of Environments for Ageing (abbreviated as GAL), probably one of the largest inter- and multidisciplinary research projects on aging and technology. In order to investigate and provide answers on whether new information and communication technologies can contribute to keeping, or even improving quality of life, health and self-sufficiency in ageing societies through new ways of living and new forms of care, GAL had been established as a five-year research project, running from 2008 to 2013. Ambient-assisted living technologies in personal and home environments were especially important. During the five years of research in GAL, more than seventy researchers from computer science, economics, engineering, geriatrics, gerontology, informatics, medicine, nursing science and rehabilitation pedagogy intensively collaborated in finding answers.

Environmental barriers to participation and facilitators for use of three types of assistive technology devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Widehammar, Cathrine; Lidström, Helene; Hermansson, Liselotte

2017-08-07

The aim was to compare the presence of environmental barriers to participation and facilitators for assistive technology (AT) use and study the relation between barriers and AT use in three different AT devices. A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Inclusion criteria were ≥one year of experience as a user of myoelectric prosthesis (MEP), powered mobility device (PMD), or assistive technology for cognition (ATC) and age 20-90 years. Overall, 156 participants answered the Swedish version of the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors and a study-specific questionnaire on facilitating factors. Non-parametric tests were used for comparisons. Barriers to participation were lowest in MEP users (md=0.12; p>0.001), and highest in ATC users (md=1.56; p>0.001) with the least support for AT use (p>0.001 - p=0.048). A positive correlation between fewer barriers and higher use of MEP was seen (r=0.30, p=0.038). The greatest barriers to participation were Natural environment, Surroundings and Information, and the most support came from relatives and professionals. Support, training and education are vital in the use of AT. These factors may lead to a more sustained and prolonged use of AT and may enable increased participation. Future research should focus on interventions that meet the needs of people with cognitive disabilities.

Teaching for Application: A Model for Assisting Pre-Service Teachers with Technology Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Hur, Jung Won; Cullen, Theresa; Brush, Thomas

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a technology integration model designed to assist pre-service teachers to learn meaningful uses of technology in K-12 classrooms. Based on studies in teacher education, learning theory, and technology integration, the authors define five essential characteristics necessary for pre-service teacher…

SLAM algorithm applied to robotics assistance for navigation in unknown environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lobo Pereira Fernando

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The combination of robotic tools with assistance technology determines a slightly explored area of applications and advantages for disability or elder people in their daily tasks. Autonomous motorized wheelchair navigation inside an environment, behaviour based control of orthopaedic arms or user's preference learning from a friendly interface are some examples of this new field. In this paper, a Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM algorithm is implemented to allow the environmental learning by a mobile robot while its navigation is governed by electromyographic signals. The entire system is part autonomous and part user-decision dependent (semi-autonomous. The environmental learning executed by the SLAM algorithm and the low level behaviour-based reactions of the mobile robot are robotic autonomous tasks, whereas the mobile robot navigation inside an environment is commanded by a Muscle-Computer Interface (MCI. Methods In this paper, a sequential Extended Kalman Filter (EKF feature-based SLAM algorithm is implemented. The features correspond to lines and corners -concave and convex- of the environment. From the SLAM architecture, a global metric map of the environment is derived. The electromyographic signals that command the robot's movements can be adapted to the patient's disabilities. For mobile robot navigation purposes, five commands were obtained from the MCI: turn to the left, turn to the right, stop, start and exit. A kinematic controller to control the mobile robot was implemented. A low level behavior strategy was also implemented to avoid robot's collisions with the environment and moving agents. Results The entire system was tested in a population of seven volunteers: three elder, two below-elbow amputees and two young normally limbed patients. The experiments were performed within a closed low dynamic environment. Subjects took an average time of 35 minutes to navigate the environment and to learn how

The Role of Assistive Technology in Self-Perceived Participation

Science.gov (United States)

Ripat, Jacquie D.; Woodgate, Roberta L.

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop an understanding of how assistive technology (AT) contributes to self-perceived participation for individuals with spinal cord injuries and to propose a revised definition of AT in light of the findings. A grounded theory study of 19 adults with spinal cord injuries was conducted. Participants engaged in…

Feedback in Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training: When technology meets pedagogy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neri, A.; Cucchiarini, C.; Strik, H.

2002-01-01

Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has now established itself as a prolific and fast growing area whose advantages are already well-known to educators. Yet, many authors lament the lack of a reliable integrated conceptual framework linking technology advances and second language acquisition

Technology-assisted Interventions for Parents of Young Children: Emerging Practices, Current Research, and Future Directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Cristin M; Bierman, Karen L

Technology can potentially expand the reach and cut the costs of providing effective, evidence-based interventions. This paper reviews existing publications that describe the application and evaluation of technology-assisted interventions for parents of young children. A broad review of the early childhood literature revealed 48 studies describing technology-assisted parent education and interventions. Across these studies, multiple forms of technology were used, including web-based platforms, discussion forums, mobile devices, and video conferencing. Results are described moving from feasibility and acceptability of technology-based delivery systems to more rigorous evaluations examining their impact on parent and child outcomes. Potential exists for technology to deliver interventions to parents. Limitations are discussed including differential acceptability and elevated attrition associated with internet-only intervention delivery.

Provision of assistive technology services method (ATSM) according to evidence-based information and knowledge management.

Science.gov (United States)

Elsaesser, Linda-Jeanne; Bauer, Stephen M

2011-01-01

PURPOSE. This article develops a standardised method for assistive technology service (ATS) provision and a logical basis for research to improve health care quality. The method is 'interoperable' across disabilities, disciplines, assistive technology devices and ATSs. BACKGROUND. Absence of a standardised and interoperable method for ATS provision results in ineffective communication between providers, manufacturers, researchers, policy-makers and individuals with disabilities (IWD), a fragmented service delivery system, inefficient resource allocation and sub-optimal outcomes. OBJECTIVES. Synthesise a standardised, interoperable AT service method (ATSM) fully consistent with key guidelines, systems, models and Federal legislation. Express the ATSM using common and unambiguous language. RESULTS. Guidelines, systems, models and Federal legislation relevant to ATS provision are reviewed. These include the RESNA Guidelines for Knowledge and Skills for Provision of Assistive Technology Products and Services (RESNA Guidelines), IMPACT2 model, international classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF) and AT device classification (ATDC). Federal legislation includes the Assistive Technology Act of 2004, Americans with Disabilities Act of 2008 and Social Security Act. Based on these findings, the ATSM is synthesised and translated into common and accessible language. CONCLUSION. ATSM usage will improve communication between stakeholders, service delivery coherence, resource allocation and intervention outcomes.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the assistive technology device - Predisposition assessment (ATD PA) for use in Brazil (ATD PA Br).

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, Ana Cristina de Jesus; Matsukura, Thelma Simões; Scherer, Marcia J

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study is to conduct a cross-cultural adaptation of the Assistive Technology Device Predisposition Assessment (ATD PA) for use in Brazil. The selection of the Assistive Technology Device Predisposition Assessment (ATD PA) was determined by previous literature reviews of articles published in 2014 and 2016 in six databases with the terms "assistive device" or "assistive technology" or "self-help device" combined with "evidence-based practice" or "framework" or "measurement scale" or "model and outcome assessment". This review indicated that the conceptual model of Assistive Technology (AT) most discussed in the literature was the Matching Person and Technology (MPT) model, and this finding determined the selection of ATD PA as an assessment within the MPT portfolio of measures. The procedures for cross-cultural adaptation were as follows: Equivalence of Concept, Semantic and Operational. Five experts were asked to translate 725 items and these translations were evaluated and a high level of agreement was demonstrated. The Portuguese version, Avaliação de Tecnologia Assistiva - Predisposição ao Uso - ATD PA Br, was derived from the original version in English (ATD PA). The ATD PA Br will support professionals and people with disabilities in Brazil to better select AT devices according to the clients' needs. Implications for rehabilitation Provides a systematic way of selecting assistive technology devices for the use of individuals with disabilities according to the Brazilian reality. A systematic way of selecting the assistive technology that can help decrease the abandonment of the assistive technology use. The use of the Matching Person and Technology theorical model and of the assessment ATD PA Br is essential to guide the researches and clinical practice in Brazil.

Convergence of anatomy, technology, and therapeutics: a review of laser-assisted drug delivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Brauer, Jeremy A; Krakowski, Andrew C; Bloom, Bradley S; Nguyen, Tuyet A; Geronemus, Roy G

2014-12-01

This is a very exciting time in cutaneous laser surgery with an ever-expanding therapeutic armamentarium and an increased sophistication of available technology. These recent trends have allowed for both a rapid development of interest and exploration of laser-assisted drug delivery and its potential applications. We review the current literature on anatomy, technology, and therapeutics as it relates to laser-assisted drug delivery. The focus of our review is on two areas of interest that have received much attention to date - photodynamic therapy in the treatment of actinic keratoses and nonmelanoma skin cancers as well as the treatment of scarring. We will also discuss potential complications of existing modalities used independently and in laser-assisted drug delivery and conclude with future indications for this burgeoning therapeutic methodology.

Assistive technologies along supply chains in health care and in the social services sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayer, Peter; Hauer, Katharina; Schloffer, Evelyn; Leyrer, Barbara

2015-01-01

Health care systems in Austria and Slovenia are currently facing challenges due to scarce resources and demographic change which can be seen especially along the supply chains. The main objective of this paper is to present an option to improve the use of assistive technologies. An extensive literature research for the theoretic part as well as a qualitative survey for the empiric part focusing on short-term care were carried out. Results show that there is a lack of information and training on assistive technologies. As a consequence, their full potential cannot be exploited. Therefore a guideline for nursing consultations was developed. To conclude, both the literature research and the qualitative survey show that assistive technologies have high potentials to improve the supply chains in the health care and social services sector, but there is a lot of information and training on them needed.

Ethics of emergent information and communication technology applications in humanitarian medical assistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, Matthew; Pringle, John; Christen, Markus; Eckenwiler, Lisa; Schwartz, Lisa; Davé, Anushree

2016-07-01

New applications of information and communication technology (ICT) are shaping the way we understand and provide humanitarian medical assistance in situations of disaster, disease outbreak or conflict. Each new crisis appears to be accompanied by advancements in humanitarian technology, leading to significant improvements in the humanitarian aid sector. However, ICTs raise ethical questions that warrant attention. Focusing on the context of humanitarian medical assistance, we review key domains of ICT innovation. We then discuss ethical challenges and uncertainties associated with the development and application of new ICTs in humanitarian medical assistance, including avoiding harm, ensuring privacy and security, responding to inequalities, demonstrating respect, protecting relationships, and addressing expectations. In doing so, we emphasize the centrality of ethics in humanitarian ICT design, application and evaluation. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Energy, society and environment. Technology for a sustainable future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elliott, D.

1997-04-01

Energy, Society and Environment examines energy and energy use, and the interactions between technology, society and the environment. The book is clearly structured to examine; Key environmental issues, and the harmful impacts of energy use; New technological solutions to environmental problems; Implementation of possible solutions, and Implications for society in developing a sustainable approach to energy use. Social processes and strategic solutions to problems are located within a clear, technological context with topical case studies. (UK)

Driver trust in five driver assistance technologies following real-world use in four production vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Kidd, David G; Cicchino, Jessica B; Reagan, Ian J; Kerfoot, Laura B

2017-05-29

Information about drivers' experiences with driver assistance technologies in real driving conditions is sparse. This study characterized driver interactions with forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, active lane keeping, side-view assist, and lane departure warning systems following real-world use. Fifty-four Insurance Institute for Highway Safety employees participated and drove a 2016 Toyota Prius, 2016 Honda Civic, 2017 Audi Q7, or 2016 Infiniti QX60 for up to several weeks. Participants reported mileage and warnings from the technologies in an online daily-use survey. Participants reported their level of agreement with five statements regarding trust in an online post-use survey. Responses were averaged to create a composite measure of trust ranging from -2 (strongly disagree) to +2 (strongly agree) for each technology. Mixed-effect regression models were constructed to compare trust among technologies and separately among the study vehicles. Participants' free-response answers about what they liked least about each system were coded and examined. Participants reported driving 33,584 miles during 4 months of data collection. At least one forward collision warning was reported in 26% of the 354 daily reports. The proportion of daily reports indicating a forward collision warning was much larger for the Honda (70%) than for the Audi (18%), Infiniti (15%), and Toyota (10%). Trust was highest for side-view assist (0.98) and lowest for active lane keeping (0.20). Trust in side-view assist was significantly higher than trust in active lane keeping and lane departure warning (0.53). Trust in active lane keeping was significantly lower than trust in adaptive cruise control (0.67) and forward collision warning (0.71). Trust in adaptive cruise control was higher for the Audi (0.72) and Toyota (0.75) compared with the Honda (0.30), and significantly higher for the Infiniti (0.93). Trust in Infiniti's side-view assist (0.58) was significantly lower than

Does assistive technology contribute to social inclusion for people with intellectual disability? A systematic review protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Owuor, John; Larkan, Fiona; Kayabu, Bonnix; Fitzgerald, Geraldine; Sheaf, Greg; Dinsmore, John; McConkey, Roy; Clarke, Mike; MacLachlan, Malcolm

2018-02-10

The aim of this review is to answer the following question: Does assistive technology contribute to social inclusion for people with intellectual disability? Previous research on assistive technology has focused on socioeconomic impacts such as education, employment and access to healthcare by people with intellectual disability. There is a need to consolidate evidence on the interaction between intellectual disability, assistive technology, community living and social inclusion. The review will consider studies from all settings: geographical, socioeconomic and care (institutional and community care), published in English. Studies reported in other languages with abstracts in English will be included if they can be translated using Google Translate, otherwise such studies will be included in the appendix. The review will include both qualitative and quantitative studies. The intervention in this review refers to the use of assistive technology to promote community participation or interpersonal relationships (social inclusion) for people with intellectual disability. The outcomes will be behavioural and social benefits of using assistive technology by people with intellectual disability. Enhanced interpersonal relationships and community participation by people with intellectual disability. Data analysis will be in two phases. The first phase will involve analysis of individual study designs separately. The second phase will be narrative/thematic synthesis of all study groups. The review will not create any ethical or safety concerns. At least one peer-reviewed article in a leading journal such as the BMJ is planned. The findings will also be disseminated through a seminar session involving internal audience at Trinity College Dublin and within the Assistive Technologies for people with Intellectual Disability and Autism research programme. CRD42017065447; Pre-results. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article

Handling the Misalignment of Interests in Assisted Reproductive Technology Practices

OpenAIRE

Pierson, Anne

2010-01-01

One of the major problems we see in the use of reproductive technology at this time is that there is very little regulation of embryo transfer practices that lead to multigestational pregnancies. While the FDA must approve assisted reproductive technology (ART) devices and drugs that stimulate ovulation, it has no jurisdiction over the practice of medicine, how these drugs and devices are used on the ground, often in off-label procedures. The only current regulation of these practices is at...

Technological enhancement of natural radionuclides in the marine environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, P.; Baxter, M.S.; Scott, E.M.

1996-01-01

This review summarizes aspects of technologically enhanced radioactivity in the UK marine environment, considers briefly related investigations in western Europe and then discusses some models for the kinetics of series decay and ingrowth which can be applied to technological inputs of series members to the marine environment and to their differential elemental biogeochemistries. (author)

An Informationally Structured Room for Robotic Assistance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tokuo Tsuji

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The application of assistive technologies for elderly people is one of the most promising and interesting scenarios for intelligent technologies in the present and near future. Moreover, the improvement of the quality of life for the elderly is one of the first priorities in modern countries and societies. In this work, we present an informationally structured room that is aimed at supporting the daily life activities of elderly people. This room integrates different sensor modalities in a natural and non-invasive way inside the environment. The information gathered by the sensors is processed and sent to a centralized management system, which makes it available to a service robot assisting the people. One important restriction of our intelligent room is reducing as much as possible any interference with daily activities. Finally, this paper presents several experiments and situations using our intelligent environment in cooperation with our service robot.

Care robots for the supermarket shelf: a product gap in assistive technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Blackman, Tim

2013-07-01

The literature on the development of assistive robots is dominated by technological papers with little consideration of how such devices might be commercialised for a mass market at a price that is affordable for older people and their families as well as public services and care insurers. This article argues that the focus of technical development in this field is too ambitious, neglecting the potential market for an affordable device that is aleady in the realm of the 'adjacent possible' given current technology capabilities. It also questions on both ethical and marketing grounds the current effort to develop assistive robots with pet-like or human-like features. The marketing literature on 'really new products' has so far not appeared to inform the development of assistive robots but has some important lessons. These include using analogies with existing products and giving particular attention to the role of early adopters. Relevant analogies for care robots are not animals or humans but useful domestic appliances and personal technologies with attractive designs, engaging functionality and intuitive usability. This points to a strategy for enabling mass adoption - which has so far eluded even conventional telecare - of emphasising how such an appliance is part of older people's contemporary lifestyles rather than a sign of age-related decline and loss of independence.

A Follow-up Study of a Successful Assistive Technology for Children with ADHD and Their Families

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sonne, Tobias; Marshall, Paul; Müller, Jörg

2016-01-01

in the first phase of the study, continued even after the study period, when the technology was no longer available. We furthermore present insights into family practices in families of children with ADHD and how these could lead to unexpected challenges and implications related to the adoption, use......Little research on assistive technologies for families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has investigated the long-term impact, after the assistive technology is returned to the researchers. In this paper, we report the outcomes of a follow-up study, conducted four......-weeks after a field study of 13 children with ADHD and their families who used an assistive technology designed to help establish and change family practices. We show that some of the positive effects on parent frustration level and conflict level around morning and bedtime routines that we observed...

Parents of Autistic Children and Their Experiences with Assistive Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Curran, David

2017-01-01

Assistive Technology (AT) has become an important tool used by special needs children for improving their quality of life by empowering their abilities, therefore improving their personal independence. The purpose of this Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study was to closely examine the experiences and meaning-making of parents, of…

ACOG Technology Assessment in Obstetrics and Gynecology No. 6: Robot-assisted surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-11-01

The field of robotic surgery is developing rapidly, but experience with this technology is currently limited. In response to increasing interest in robotics technology, the Committee on Gynecologic Practice's Technology Assessment was developed to describe the robotic surgical system,potential advantages and disadvantages, gynecologic applications, and the current state of the evidence. Randomized trials comparing robot-assisted surgery with traditional laparoscopic, vaginal, or abdominal surgery are needed to evaluate long-term clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness, as well as to identify the best applications of this technology.

Counseling Issues for Gay Men and Lesbians Seeking Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART)

Science.gov (United States)

... for Reproductive Medicine Counseling issues to discuss with gay men and lesbians seeking assisted reproductive technology (ART) More lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and couples are ...

Evaluation of a Cooperative Extension Service Curriculum on Empowering Older Adults with Assistive Technology to Grocery Shop, Prepare Food, and Eat

Science.gov (United States)

Hermann, Janice R.; Johnston, Jan H.; Brosi, Whitney A.; Jaco, Linda

2012-01-01

The Empowering Older Adults with Assistive Technology to Shop, Cook and Eat curriculum was designed to provide education about concepts of empowerment and assistive technology for grocery shopping, preparing food, and eating. The curriculum included examples and hands-on demonstrations of assistive technology devices for grocery shopping, food…

Research on technology environment improvement of related industries based on internet governance

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jing; Guan, Zhongliang

2017-08-01

The technology of Internet is an important factor of industry’s development. Constructing a good technical environment is the foundation of the Internet and related industries’ development. This paper demonstrates the necessity of the construction and improvement of the Internet and the related industries technology environment through comparing the current situation of the related industries. It also points out that China needs to improve the environment of the Internet technology urgently. The paper establishes the technology demand pattern of different related industries, and explores strategies of the different Internet technology environment’s construction and perfection according to the different demand of the strong related Internet and the weak related Internet to the industries environment. This paper analyzes the factors that threaten the security of the Internet, and fully demonstrates the methods and tactics of establishing and improving the technology environment Internet hardware, the Internet and related industries in China under the basis of the framework of comprehensive management of Internet. This paper also studies the construction and improvement of the comprehensive management technology environment based on the Internet industry in China.

Assessing acceptance of assistive social agent technology by older adults: the Almere model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heerink, M.; Kröse, B.; Evers, V.; Wielinga, B.

2010-01-01

This paper proposes a model of technology acceptance that is specifically developed to test the acceptance of assistive social agents by elderly users. The research in this paper develops and tests an adaptation and theoretical extension of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology

The influence of assistive technology on occupational performance and satisfaction of leprosy patients with grade 2 disabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucas da Silva Muniz

Full Text Available Abstract INTRODUCTION: We aimed to investigate the feasibility of assistive technology (AT devices to improve leprosy patients' occupational performances and satisfaction. METHODS: This is a pretest-posttest design study. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure was used to assess the occupational performance and satisfaction of five leprosy participants with grade 2 disabilities before and after ten 45-minute interventions using assistive technology devices. RESULTS: The data showed a statistically significant 7-point average improvement (p<0.05 in participants' post-intervention performance and satisfaction scores. CONCLUSIONS: Assistive technology devices may be useful therapeutic tools to enhance autonomy/independence and satisfaction of leprosy patients with grade 2 disabilities.

Assistant director of intramural sports and technology recognized for innovative contributions

OpenAIRE

Kropff, Catherine L.

2009-01-01

Jennifer Rezac, assistant director of intramural sports and technology at Virginia Tech, was recognized at the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Annual Conference in Charlotte, N.C., in April for her contributions to the Virginia Tech Recreational Sports department.

Extraction of substances assisted by ultrasound (UAE)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azuola, Rocio; Vargas, Pedro

2007-01-01

Different compounds present in vegetables with functional or technological properties, have gained great importance in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic markets. Efficient methods, economical and environment friendly are sought for the extraction of these substances. A literature review has been performanced of recent publications on different extraction methods and their comparison to the ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) to assess their effectiveness and industrial viability. The ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) has been found to be more efficient than traditional mining methods, and cheaper and easier than non-traditional extraction methods such as microwave-assisted extraction, so it checks its industrial viability. (author) [es

The relationship of positive work environments and workplace injury: evidence from the National Nursing Assistant Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

McCaughey, Deirdre; McGhan, Gwen; Walsh, Erin M; Rathert, Cheryl; Belue, Rhonda

2014-01-01

With estimates of a 51% growth in the number of nursing assistants needed by 2016, there is a critical need to examine workplace factors that negatively contribute to the recruitment and retention of nursing assistants. Studies have shown that high demands, physical stress, and chronic workforce shortages contribute to a working environment that fosters one of the highest workforce injury rates in the United States. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between nursing assistant injury rates and key outcomes, such as job satisfaction and turnover intent, while exploring workplace environment factors, such as injury prevention training, supervisor support, and employee engagement, that can decrease the rates of workplace injury. Data from the 2004 National Nursing Assistant Survey were used to examine the negative effects of workplace injury on nursing assistants and the workplace environment factors that are related to the rate of worker injury. Nursing assistants who experience job-related injuries have lower levels of job satisfaction, increased turnover intentions, and are less likely to recommend their facility as a place to work or seek care services. It was also found that nursing assistant injury rates are related to employee ratings of injury prevention training, supervisor support, and employee engagement. NAs with multiple injuries (>2) were 1.3-1.6 times more likely to report being injured at work than NAs who had not been injured when supervisor support, employee engagement, and training ratings were low. Evidence that health care organizations can use to better understand how workplace injuries occur and insight into ways to reduce the current staggering rate of on-the-job injuries occurring in health care workplaces were offered in this study. The findings also offer empirical support for an extension of the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety/National Occupational Research Agenda Work Organization Framework for

The DFKI Competence Center for Ambient Assisted Living

Science.gov (United States)

Frey, Jochen; Stahl, Christoph; Röfer, Thomas; Krieg-Brückner, Bernd; Alexandersson, Jan

The DFKI Competence Center for Ambient Assisted Living (CCAAL) is a cross-project and cross-department virtual organization within the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence coordinating and conducting research and development in the area of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL). Our demonstrators range from multimodal speech dialog systems to fully instrumented environments allowing the development of intelligent assistant systems, for instance an autonomous wheelchair, or the recognition and processing of everyday activities in a smart home. These innovative technologies are then tested, evaluated and demonstrated in DFKI's living labs.

A profile of technology-assisted children and young people in north west England.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirk, Susan

2008-11-01

To obtain a profile of children and young people in north west England who needed the ongoing support of medical technology. As part of a larger study, 28 community children's nursing teams in the north west of England were asked to profile the children and young people on their caseloads who needed the ongoing support of medical technology. Twenty-five teams returned data, from which a total of 591 children and young people were identified. The most prevalent technology used was gastrostomy/jejunostomy, which was used by more than two-thirds of the sample. Over a quarter of the children/young people were supported by more than one technology. The majority of the children/young people were seven years old or younger Although most had used the technology for five years or less (71 per cent), there were 164 children/ young people who had been technology-assisted for six or more years. Although there are limitations in this study, the data is nevertheless useful for planning future services and support, including identifying the numbers of young people who will be transferring to adult services. A more efficient means of collecting these data would be to systematically record long-term conditions and technology assistance in electronic health records.

Physician attitudes regarding pregnancy, fertility care, and assisted reproductive technologies for HIV-infected individuals and couples.

Science.gov (United States)

Yudin, Mark H; Money, Deborah M; Cheung, Matthew C; Loutfy, Mona R

2012-01-01

Family and pregnancy planning are important for HIV-infected individuals and couples. There is a paucity of data regarding physician attitudes with respect to reproduction in this population, but some evidence suggests that attitudes can influence the information, advice, and services they will provide. To determine physician attitudes toward pregnancy, fertility care, and access to assisted reproductive technologies for HIV-infected individuals, and to determine whether attitudes differed based on specific physician characteristics. A survey was sent electronically to obstetrician/gynecologists and infectious disease specialists in Canada. Items were grouped into 5 key domains: physician demographics, physician attitudes toward pregnancy and adoption, physician attitudes toward fertility care, physician attitudes toward assisted reproductive technology, and challenges for an HIV-infected population. Attitudes were determined based on answers to individual questions and also for each domain. Univariate and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the influence of specific physician characteristics on attitudes. Completed surveys were received from 165 physicians. Most had positive attitudes regarding pregnancy or adoption (89%), fertility care (72%), and assisted reproductive technology (79%). In multivariate analyses, having cared for HIV-infected patients was significantly associated with having a positive attitude toward fertility care or assisted reproductive technology. In this national survey of Canadian physicians, most had positive attitudes toward pregnancy, adoption, fertility care, and use of assisted reproductive technology among HIV-infected persons. Physicians who had cared for HIV-infected individuals in the past were more likely to have positive attitudes than those who had not.

Using assistive technology outcomes research to inform policy related to the employment of individuals with disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendelsohn, Steven; Edyburn, Dave L; Rust, Kathy L; Schwanke, Todd D; Smith, Roger O

2008-01-01

We know that work is recognized as a central component of life for individuals with and without disabilities. It yields many physical and psychological benefits to the individual while simultaneously contributing numerous benefits to society. Lawmakers have enacted a plethora of laws designed to prevent discrimination, provide incentives for employers to hire individuals with disabilities, and facilitate job training/career preparation. Assistive technology figures prominently in disability employment law as a critical strategy for gaining access and supporting employment and upward mobility in the workplace. However, little systematic effort has been devoted to examining assistive technology use and outcomes as they relate to the employment of individuals with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to articulate a series of issues that permeate assistive technology outcome measurement in employment settings and subsequently affect the use of research knowledge for federal and state policy makers. For each issue, the authors pose three questions for critical analysis: Does the law compel the provision of assistive technology? Does outcome data play any part in the operation of the law? When it does, what kind of data would be useful to collect and where could it be found? Finally, the authors provide a brief glimpse of the current and future research efforts concerning the RSA-911 database. The recent database summaries exemplify the importance of such a national data collection system for informing federal policy, particularly concerning the contributions of assistive technology device use and services on improving the employment of individuals with disabilities.

Matching technologies of home automation, robotics, assistance, geriatric telecare and telemedicine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Franchimon, F.; Brink, M.

2009-01-01

The aging society could have a greater societal impact than the current financial crisis. The percentage of older adults has increased while the size of the health care workforce has remained constant. Home automation, robotics, assistive technology, geriatric telecare and telemedicine can support

Technology and Community Behavior in Online Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Blanchard, Anita L.; Markus, M. Lynne

The literature on virtual or online communities contains two largely disjoint bodies of scholarship. One, which we call the “communities” literature, is concerned primarily with the social and psychological processes observable within groups of people that interact regularly in online environments. The other, concerned primarily with the effects of technological environments on individual and group behavior, we call the “environments” literature.

Mobile Assisted Language Learning: Review of the Recent Applications of Emerging Mobile Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jaeseok

2013-01-01

As mobile computing technologies have been more powerful and inclusive in people's daily life, the issue of mobile assisted language learning (MALL) has also been widely explored in CALL research. Many researches on MALL consider the emerging mobile technologies have considerable potentials for the effective language learning. This review study…

Communication technologies in the study environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorhauge, Anne Mette

2012-01-01

will argue that the ways in which these technologies are used reflects two different perspectives on the interplay between communication technology and organisational structure: organisational structure as an anticipation of communication patterns implied in course management system’s design......In this article, I will analyse and discuss two qualitative case studies concerning ICT in the study environment at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. I will place special focus on the way in which organisational perspectives as well as technological affordances shape how communication...... technologies are integrated into organisational structures and practices on campus. This involves a comparison between course management systems on the one hand and students’ personal media (mobile phones, e-mails) on the other hand, with regard to how these are used on campus. On the basis of this analysis, I...

IRANIAN LEARNERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION ON THEIR ENGLISH AURAL/ORAL SKILLS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rozi Souzanzan

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed to investigate the perceptions of Iranian English as Foreign Language (EFL learners regarding the impact of technology-assisted instruction through the utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs on their listening comprehension and speaking ability. To this end, eighty Iranian EFL learners whose age range was between twenty to thirty five took part in the study. They were randomly divided into four groups and were exposed to technology-assisted instruction on their course-related contents through different ICTs as their out-of-class activities for one hour per week during two and a half months. The ICTs which were the focus of this study included: Podcasts, YouTube, Skype, and Instagram. The analysis of the participants’ answers indicated that the majority of them (83.8% were positive toward technology-assisted instruction. In addition, 80% of them tended to use ICTs for their future language learning purposes.

A Rapid Prototyping Environment for Cooperative Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kay Massow

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS were strong innovation drivers in recent years, towards the enhancement of traffic safety and efficiency. Today’s ADAS adopt an autonomous approach with all instrumentation and intelligence on board of one vehicle. However, to further enhance their benefit, ADAS need to cooperate in the future, using communication technologies. The resulting combination of vehicle automation and cooperation, for instance, enables solving hazardous situations by a coordinated safety intervention on multiple vehicles at the same point in time. Since the complexity of such cooperative ADAS grows with each vehicle involved, very large parameter spaces need to be regarded during their development, which necessitate novel development approaches. In this paper, we present an environment for rapidly prototyping cooperative ADAS based on vehicle simulation. Its underlying approach is either to bring ideas for cooperative ADAS through the prototyping stage towards plausible candidates for further development or to discard them as quickly as possible. This is enabled by an iterative process of refining and assessment. We reconcile the aspects of automation and cooperation in simulation by a tradeoff between precision and scalability. Reducing precise mapping of vehicle dynamics below the limits of driving dynamics enables simulating multiple vehicles at the same time. In order to validate this precision, we also present a method to validate the vehicle dynamics in simulation against real world vehicles.

Potential of Exoskeleton Technology to Assist Older Adults with Daily Living

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jung, Merel Madeleine; Ludden, Geke D.S.

Mobility impairments can prevent older adults from performing their daily activities which highly impacts a person's quality of life. Exoskeleton technology can assist older adults by providing additional support to compensate for age-related decline in muscle strength. To date little is known about

Effectiveness of Assistive Technologies for Low Vision Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review

Science.gov (United States)

Jutai, Jeffrey W.; Strong, J. Graham; Russell-Minda, Elizabeth

2009-01-01

"Low vision" describes any condition of diminished vision that is uncorrectable by standard eyeglasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery that disrupts a person's ability to perform common age-appropriate visual tasks. Examples of assistive technologies for vision rehabilitation include handheld magnifiers; electronic vision-enhancement…

Modeling Sources of Teaching Self-Efficacy for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Graduate Teaching Assistants

Science.gov (United States)

DeChenne, Sue Ellen; Koziol, Natalie; Needham, Mark; Enochs, Larry

2015-01-01

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have a large impact on undergraduate instruction but are often poorly prepared to teach. Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach specific student populations a specific subject, is an important predictor of teaching skill and student achievement. A model of sources of teaching self-efficacy is developed from the GTA literature. This model indicates that teaching experience, departmental teaching climate (including peer and supervisor relationships), and GTA professional development (PD) can act as sources of teaching self-efficacy. The model is pilot tested with 128 GTAs from nine different STEM departments at a midsized research university. Structural equation modeling reveals that K–12 teaching experience, hours and perceived quality of GTA PD, and perception of the departmental facilitating environment are significant factors that explain 32% of the variance in the teaching self-efficacy of STEM GTAs. This model highlights the important contributions of the departmental environment and GTA PD in the development of teaching self-efficacy for STEM GTAs. PMID:26250562

The expert surgical assistant. An intelligent virtual environment with multimodal input.

Science.gov (United States)

Billinghurst, M; Savage, J; Oppenheimer, P; Edmond, C

1996-01-01

Virtual Reality has made computer interfaces more intuitive but not more intelligent. This paper shows how an expert system can be coupled with multimodal input in a virtual environment to provide an intelligent simulation tool or surgical assistant. This is accomplished in three steps. First, voice and gestural input is interpreted and represented in a common semantic form. Second, a rule-based expert system is used to infer context and user actions from this semantic representation. Finally, the inferred user actions are matched against steps in a surgical procedure to monitor the user's progress and provide automatic feedback. In addition, the system can respond immediately to multimodal commands for navigational assistance and/or identification of critical anatomical structures. To show how these methods are used we present a prototype sinus surgery interface. The approach described here may easily be extended to a wide variety of medical and non-medical training applications by making simple changes to the expert system database and virtual environment models. Successful implementation of an expert system in both simulated and real surgery has enormous potential for the surgeon both in training and clinical practice.

Physical Learning Environment and its Suitability to the Objectives of Technology Education

Science.gov (United States)

Soobik, Mart

2013-01-01

The present article focuses on Technology Education teachers' opinions on the physical learning environment of Technology Education. The study compares and analyses the changes in the physical learning environment of Technology Education. Two questionnaire surveys (Study I and Study II) were carried out among teachers of Technology Education in…

Gaze-based assistive technology used in daily life by children with severe physical impairments - parents' experiences

OpenAIRE

Borgestig, Maria; Rytterstrom, Patrik; Hemmingsson, Helena

2017-01-01

Objective: To describe and explore parents' experiences when their children with severe physical impairments receive gaze-based assistive technology (gaze-based assistive technology (AT)) for use in daily life. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted twice, with one year in between, with parents of eight children with cerebral palsy that used gaze-based AT in their daily activities. To understand the parents' experiences, hermeneutical interpretations were used during data analysis...

I've got a mobile phone too! Hard and soft assistive technology customization and supportive call centres for people with disability.

Science.gov (United States)

Darcy, Simon; Green, Jenny; Maxwell, Hazel

2017-05-01

The purpose of this article is to examine the use of a mobile technology platform, software customization and technical support services by people with disability. The disability experience is framed through the participants' use of the technology, their social participation. A qualitative and interpretive research design was employed using a three-stage process of observation and semi-structured interviews of people with disability, a significant other and their service provider. Transcripts were analyzed to examine the research questions through the theoretical framework of PHAATE - Policy, Human, Activity, Assistance and Technology and Environment. The analysis revealed three emergent themes: 1. Engagement and activity; 2. Training, support and customization; and 3. Enablers, barriers and attitudes. The findings indicate that for the majority of users, the mobile technology increased the participants' communication and social participation. However, this was not true for all members of the pilot with variations due to disability type, support needs and availability of support services. Most participants, significant others and service providers identified improvements in confidence, security, safety and independence of those involved. Yet, the actions and attitudes of some of the significant others and service providers acted as a constraint to the adoption of the technology. Implications for Rehabilitation Customized mobile technology can operate as assistive technology providing a distinct benefit in terms of promoting disability citizenship. Mobile technology used in conjunction with a supportive call centre can lead to improvements in confidence, safety and independence for people experiencing disability. Training and support are critical in increasing independent use of mobile technology for people with disability. The enjoyment, development of skills and empowerment gained through the use of mobile technology facilitate the social inclusion of people with

Assistance system for nuclear data evaluation in an object-oriented environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwasaki, S.; Odano, N.; Sugiyama, K.

1994-01-01

An object-oriented framework for an assistance system for neutron nuclear data evaluation has been proposed, and an assisting system for theoretical model fitting to the experimental data has been developed. In the model fitting procedure, we employed a method based on the general least-squares technique. Almost all things appearing in the process were easily and naturally modeled by objects in this environment. The objects can also be connected by a set of rules either with other objects, with the existing or newly developed external processes and with data bases. In total twelve sub-processes were supported by each knowledge base. As an example of the fitting procedure the case of 59 Co as the target nuclide is presented. (Author)

Role of varicocele treatment in assisted reproductive technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet G. Sönmez

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: In this review, we investigate the advantage of varicocele repair prior to assisted reproductive technologies (ART for infertile couples and provide cost analysis information. Materials and methods: We searched the following electronic databases: PubMed, Medline, Excerpta Medica Database (Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL. The following search strategy was modified for the various databases and search engines: ‘varicocele’, ‘varicocelectomy’, ‘varicocele repair’, ‘ART’, ‘in vitro fertilisation (IVF’, ‘intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI’. Results: A total of 49 articles, including six meta-analyses, 32 systematic reviews, and 11 original articles, were included in the analysis. Bypassing potentially reversible male subfertility factors using ART is currently common practice. However, varicocele may be present in 35% of men with primary infertility and 80% of men with secondary infertility. Varicocele repair has been shown to be an effective treatment for infertile men with clinical varicocele, thus should play an important role in the treatment of such patients due to the foetal/genetic risks and high costs that are associated with increased ART use. Conclusion: Varicocele repair is a cost-effective treatment method that can improve semen parameters, pregnancy rates, and live-birth rates in most infertile men with clinical varicocele. By improving semen parameters and sperm structure, varicocele repair can decrease or even eliminate ART requirement. Keywords: Assisted reproductive technology, In vitro fertilisation, Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, Varicocele, Varicocelectomy

Secondary School Students' Attitudes towards Mathematics Computer--Assisted Instruction Environment in Kenya

Science.gov (United States)

Mwei, Philip K.; Wando, Dave; Too, Jackson K.

2012-01-01

This paper reports the results of research conducted in six classes (Form IV) with 205 students with a sample of 94 respondents. Data represent students' statements that describe (a) the role of Mathematics teachers in a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) environment and (b) effectiveness of CAI in Mathematics instruction. The results indicated…

The costs and consequences of assisted reproductive technology : an economic perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Connolly, Mark P.; Hoorens, Stijn; Chambers, Georgina M.

2010-01-01

Despite the growing use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) worldwide, there is only a limited understanding of the economics of ART to inform policy about effective, safe and equitable financing of ART treatment. A review was undertaken of key studies regarding the costs and consequences of

Assistive technology use and human rights enjoyment: a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Borg, Johan; Larsson, Stig; Ostergren, Per-Olof; Rahman, Asm Atiqur; Bari, Nazmul; Khan, Ahm Noman

2012-09-19

About half a billion people with disabilities in developing countries have limited access to assistive technology. The Convention on the Rights of persons with Disabilities requires governments to take measures to ensure provision of such technologies. To guide implementation of these measures there is a need for understanding health outcomes from a human rights perspective. The objective of this study was therefore to explore the relation between assistive technology use and enjoyment of human rights in a low-income country. Data was collected in eight districts of Bangladesh through interviews of people with hearing impairments using and not using hearings aids, and people with ambulatory impairments using and not using manual wheelchairs (N = 583). Using logistic regression, self-reported outcomes on standard of living, health, education, work, receiving information and movement were analyzed. The adjusted likelihood of reporting greater enjoyment of human rights was significantly higher among people using hearing aids compared to non-users for all outcomes except working status. Compared to non-users, users of wheelchairs reported a significantly higher adjusted likelihood of good ambulatory performance and a significantly lower adjusted likelihood of reporting a positive working status. Further analyses indicated that physical accessibility to working places and duration of wheelchair use had a statistically significant impact on the likelihood of reporting positive work outcomes. The findings support the notion that assistive technology use increases the likelihood of human rights enjoyment, particularly hearing aid use. Physical accessibility should always be addressed in wheelchair provision.

Risk disparities in the globalisation of assisted reproductive technology: the case of Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Jung-Ok

2013-01-01

This paper analyses the disparities in risks associated with biomedical technology focusing on the results of assisted reproductive technology (ART). ART among biomedical technologies transferred to Asia is a representative case that reveals in its clinical use and related scientific research the global politics of technology. This study notes the global politics at work in the recognition of and reaction to such risks. While many Asian countries aggressively pursue technological development, weak legislative and administrative regulations have created various problems and controversial cases. This study asserts that risks associated with technology are characterised as social facts not natural ones or mere 'side effects', since technological development and risk are closely intertwined.

Energy technologies and the environment: environmental information handbook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-06-01

This manual draws together information on the environmental consequences of energy technologies that will be in use in the United States during the next 20 years. We hope it will prove useful to planners, policymakers, legislators, researchers, and environmentalists. The information on environmental issues, control technologies, and energy production and conservation processes should also be a convenient starting point for deeper exploration. Published references are given for the statements, data, and conclusions so that the interested reader can obtain more detailed information where necessary. Environmental aspects of energy technologies are presented in a form suitable for government and public use and are intended to assist decisionmakers, researchers, and the public with basic information and references that can be relied upon through changing policies and changing world energy prices

International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies world report: Assisted Reproductive Technology 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Dyer, S; Chambers, G M; de Mouzon, J; Nygren, K G; Zegers-Hochschild, F; Mansour, R; Ishihara, O; Banker, M; Adamson, G D

2016-07-01

What were utilization, outcomes and practices in assisted reproductive technology (ART) globally in 2008, 2009 and 2010? Global utilization and effectiveness remained relatively constant despite marked variations among countries, while the rate of single and frozen embryo transfers (FETs) increased with a concomitant slight reduction in multiple birth rates. ART is widely practised in all regions of the world. Monitoring utilization, an approximation of availability and access, as well as effectiveness and safety is an important component of universal access to reproductive health. This is a retrospective, cross-sectional survey on utilization, effectiveness and safety of ART procedures performed globally from 2008 to 2010. Between 58 and 61 countries submitted data from a total of nearly 2500 ART clinics each year. Aggregate country data were processed and analyzed based on forms and methods developed by the International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ICMART). Results are presented at country, regional and global level. For the years 2008, 2009 and 2010, >4 461 309 ART cycles were initiated, resulting in an estimated 1 144 858 babies born. The number of aspirations increased by 6.4% between 2008 and 2010, while FET cycles increased by 27.6%. Globally, ART utilization remained relatively constant at 436 cycles/million in 2008 and 474 cycles/million population in 2010, but with a wide country range of 8-4775 cycles/million population. ICSI remained constant at around 66% of non-donor aspiration cycles. The IVF/ICSI combined delivery rate (DR) per fresh aspiration was 19.8% in 2008; 19.7% in 2009 and 20.0% in 2010, with corresponding DRs for FET of 18.8, 19.7 and 20.7%. In fresh non-donor cycles, single embryo transfer increased from 25.7% in 2008 to 30.0% in 2010, while the average number of embryos transferred fell from 2.1 to 1.9, again with wide regional variation. The rates of twin deliveries following fresh non-donor transfers

Technology-Supported Learning Environments in Science Classrooms in India

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Adit; Fisher, Darrell

2012-01-01

The adoption of technology has created a major impact in the field of education at all levels. Technology-supported classroom learning environments, involving modern information and communication technologies, are also entering the Indian educational system in general and the schools in Jammu region (Jammu & Kashmir State, India) in…

Ubiquitous and Ambient Intelligence Assisted Learning Environment Infrastructures Development--A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Kanagarajan, Sujith; Ramakrishnan, Sivakumar

2018-01-01

Ubiquitous Learning Environment (ULE) has been becoming a mobile and sensor based technology equipped environment that suits the modern world education discipline requirements for the past few years. Ambient Intelligence (AmI) makes much smarter the ULE by the support of optimization and intelligent techniques. Various efforts have been so far…

Innovation Environment in Small Technology-Based Companies

OpenAIRE

Gonçalves Silveira Fiates, Gabriela; Azevedo Fiates, José Eduardo; Ribeiro Serra, Fernando A; Portugal Ferreira, Manuel

2010-01-01

Innovation has been identified as a strategy to achieve competitive advantage, particularly in contexts of change and especially for technology-based companies – TBCs. Although the adoption of innovation strategies is not easy, small companies have an organizational environment more conducive to innovation. This article examines how managers and employees of small TBCs perceive aspects of the internal environment of innovation in the organization (culture, organizational structure, personnel ...

Assistive Technology for Students with Disabilities: A Legal Analysis of Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Etscheidt, Susan Larson

2016-01-01

Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams are required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to consider a student's need for assistive technology (AT). Despite this legal requirement, AT supports are often not available to students with disabilities. Many students with disabilities and their families have addressed the…

The Effects of Computer-Assisted Feedback Strategies in Technology Education: A Comparison of Learning Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Ruifang Hope; Strickland, Jane

2012-01-01

This study investigated the effects of computer-assisted feedback strategies that have been utilized by university students in a technology education curriculum. Specifically, the study examined the effectiveness of the computer-assisted feedback strategy "Knowledge of Response feedback" (KOR), and the "Knowledge of Correct Responses feedback"…

Using assistive technology adaptations to include students with learning disabilities in cooperative learning activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Bryant, D P; Bryant, B R

1998-01-01

Cooperative learning (CL) is a common instructional arrangement that is used by classroom teachers to foster academic achievement and social acceptance of students with and without learning disabilities. Cooperative learning is appealing to classroom teachers because it can provide an opportunity for more instruction and feedback by peers than can be provided by teachers to individual students who require extra assistance. Recent studies suggest that students with LD may need adaptations during cooperative learning activities. The use of assistive technology adaptations may be necessary to help some students with LD compensate for their specific learning difficulties so that they can engage more readily in cooperative learning activities. A process for integrating technology adaptations into cooperative learning activities is discussed in terms of three components: selecting adaptations, monitoring the use of the adaptations during cooperative learning activities, and evaluating the adaptations' effectiveness. The article concludes with comments regarding barriers to and support systems for technology integration, technology and effective instructional practices, and the need to consider technology adaptations for students who have learning disabilities.

User involvement in service delivery predicts outcomes of assistive technology use: A cross-sectional study in Bangladesh

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Borg Johan

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Knowledge about the relation between user involvement in the provision of assistive technology and outcomes of assistive technology use is a prerequisite for the development of efficient service delivery strategies. However, current knowledge is limited, particularly from low-income countries where affordability is an issue. The objective was therefore to explore the relation between outcomes of assistive technology use and user involvement in the service delivery process in Bangladesh. Methods Using structured interviews, data from 136 users of hearing aids and 149 users of manual wheelchairs were collected. Outcomes were measured using the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA, which was adapted for wheelchair users. Predictors of user involvement included preference, measurement and training. Results Users reported outcomes comparable to those found in other high- and low-income countries. User involvement increased the likelihood for reporting better outcomes except for measurement among hearing aid users. Conclusions The findings support the provision of assistive technology as a strategy to improve the participation of people with disabilities in society. They also support current policies and guidelines for user-involvement in the service delivery process. Simplified strategies for provision of hearing aids may be explored.

Controlling quantum memory-assisted entropic uncertainty in non-Markovian environments

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yanliang; Fang, Maofa; Kang, Guodong; Zhou, Qingping

2018-03-01

Quantum memory-assisted entropic uncertainty relation (QMA EUR) addresses that the lower bound of Maassen and Uffink's entropic uncertainty relation (without quantum memory) can be broken. In this paper, we investigated the dynamical features of QMA EUR in the Markovian and non-Markovian dissipative environments. It is found that dynamical process of QMA EUR is oscillation in non-Markovian environment, and the strong interaction is favorable for suppressing the amount of entropic uncertainty. Furthermore, we presented two schemes by means of prior weak measurement and posterior weak measurement reversal to control the amount of entropic uncertainty of Pauli observables in dissipative environments. The numerical results show that the prior weak measurement can effectively reduce the wave peak values of the QMA-EUA dynamic process in non-Markovian environment for long periods of time, but it is ineffectual on the wave minima of dynamic process. However, the posterior weak measurement reversal has an opposite effects on the dynamic process. Moreover, the success probability entirely depends on the quantum measurement strength. We hope that our proposal could be verified experimentally and might possibly have future applications in quantum information processing.

People-centric sensing in assistive healthcare

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Giannetsos, Thanassis; Dimitriou, Tassos; Prasad, Neeli R.

2011-01-01

, we discuss the latest advances in security and privacy protection strategies that hold promise in this new exciting paradigm. We hope this work will better highlight the need for privacy in people-centric sensing applications and spawn further research in this area. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons......As the domains of pervasive computing and sensor networking are expanding, there is an ongoing trend towards assistive living and healthcare support environments that can effectively assimilate these technologies according to human needs. Most of the existing research in assistive healthcare...... follows a more passive approach and has focused on collecting and processing data using a static-topology and an application-aware infrastructure. However, with the technological advances in sensing, computation, storage, and communications, a new era is about to emerge changing the traditional view...

Protection for Children Born Through Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act, B.E. 2558: The Changing Profile of Surrogacy in Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Stasi, Alessandro

2017-01-01

The National Legislative Assembly of Thailand has enacted on February 19, 2015 the Protection for Children Born through Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act (ART Act). Its primary objective aims at protecting children born through assisted reproductive technologies and providing the legal procedures that the intended parents must follow. The focus of this article is to discuss the ongoing issues involving assisted reproduction in Thailand. After reviewing the past legal framework surrounding surrogate motherhood and the downsides of the assisted reproductive technology market in Thailand, the article will discuss the new ART Act and its regulatory framework. It will conclude that although the new law contains some flaws and limitations, it has so far been successful in tackling surrogacy trafficking and preventing reproductive scandals from occurring again.

A description of assistive technology sources, services and outcomes of use in a number of African settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Visagie, Surona; Eide, Arne H; Mannan, Hasheem; Schneider, Marguerite; Swartz, Leslie; Mji, Gubela; Munthali, Alister; Khogali, Mustafa; van Rooy, Gert; Hem, Karl-Gerhard; MacLachlan, Malcolm

2017-10-01

Purpose statement: The article explores assistive technology sources, services and outcomes in South Africa, Namibia, Malawi and Sudan. A survey was done in purposively selected sites of the study countries. Cluster sampling followed by random sampling served to identify 400-500 households (HHs) with members with disabilities per country. A HH questionnaire and individual questionnaire was completed. Country level analysis was limited to descriptive statistics. Walking mobility aids was most commonly bought/provided (46.3%), followed by visual aids (42.6%). The most common sources for assistive technology were government health services (37.8%), "other" (29.8%), and private health services (22.9%). Out of the participants, 59.3% received full information in how to use the device. Maintenance was mostly done by users and their families (37.3%). Devices helped a lot in 73.3% of cases and improved quality of life for 67.9% of participants, while 39.1% experienced functional difficulties despite the devices. Although there is variation between the study settings, the main impression is that of fragmented or absent systems of provision of assistive technology. Implications for rehabilitation Provision of assistive technology and services varied between countries, but the overall impression was of poor provision and fragmented services. The limited provision of assistive technology for personal care and handling products is of concern as many of these devices requires little training and ongoing support while they can make big functional differences. Rural respondents experienced more difficulties when using the device and received less information on use and maintenance of the device than their urban counterparts. A lack of government responsibility for assistive device services correlated with a lack of information and/or training of participants and maintenance of devices.

Smart Home : A Social, Technological and Virtual Learning and Development Environment

OpenAIRE

Heimovaara-Kotonen, Essi (ed.)

2014-01-01

All people have the right to good housing regardless of their age or functional capacity. The objective of the Smart Home environment is to present solutions that enable accessible and safe housing and promote meaningful assistance and life at home. The goal of building the Smart Home environment was to find a useroriented, comprehensive solution for the client, which maintains the client’s own control over his or her home environment. The Smart Home was also built to serve the developme...

Grand Challenge Problem 3: Empowering Science Teachers Using Technology-Enhanced Scaffolding to Improve Inquiry Learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pedaste, Margus; Lazonder, Adrianus W.; Raes, Annelies; Wajeman, Claire; Moore, Emily; Girault, Isabelle; Eberle, Julia; Lund, Kristine; Tchounikine, Pierre; Fischer, Frank

2016-01-01

Inquiry learning in technology-enhanced learning (TEL) environments has potential to support science learning. The “symbiosis” between teachers and TEL environments is needed and, therefore, virtual assistants should be “taught” based on pedagogical theories. These assistants should be dynamically

Assistive technology for promoting adaptive skills of children with cerebral palsy: ten cases evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Stasolla, Fabrizio; Caffò, Alessandro O; Perilli, Viviana; Boccasini, Adele; Damiani, Rita; D'Amico, Fiora

2018-05-06

To extend the use of assistive technology for promoting adaptive skills of children with cerebral palsy. To assess its effects on positive participation of ten participants involved. To carry out a social validation recruiting parents, physiotherapists and support teachers as external raters. A multiple probe design was implemented for Studies I and II. Study I involved five participants exposed to a combined program aimed at enhancing choice process of preferred items and locomotion fluency. Study II involved five further children for a combined intervention finalized at ensuring them with literacy access and ambulation responses. Study III recruited 60 external raters for a social validation assessment. All participants improved their performance, although differences among children occurred. Indices of positive participation increased as well. Social raters favorably scored the use of both technology and programs. Assistive technology-based programs were effective for promoting independence of children with cerebral palsy. Implications for Rehabilitation A basic form of assistive technology such as a microswitch-based program may be useful and helpful for supporting adaptive skills of children with cerebral palsy and different levels of functioning. The same program may improve the participants' indices of positive participation and constructive engagement with beneficial effects on their quality of life. The positive social rating provided by external experts sensitive to the matter may recommend a favorable acceptance and implementation of the program in daily settings.

Mapping Students Use of Technologies in Problem Based Learning Environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rongbutsri, Nikorn; Khalid, Md. Saifuddin; Ryberg, Thomas

2011-01-01

This paper aims to understand how students use technology to enhance their learning in problem-based learning environments. The research methodology is based on both qualitative and quantitative studies. The results are based on students’ interviews, a survey and students’ reflections in course......-related blog posts; they show that students have positive perceptions toward using technologies in problem-based learning environments....

Assistive technology as reading interventions for children with reading impairments with a one-year follow-up.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindeblad, Emma; Nilsson, Staffan; Gustafson, Stefan; Svensson, Idor

2017-10-01

This pilot study investigated the possible transfer effect on reading ability in children with reading difficulties after a systematic intervention to train and compensate for reading deficiencies by using applications in smartphones and tablets. The effects of using assistive technology (AT) one year after the interventions were completely studied. School related motivation, independent learning and family relations were also considered. 35 pupils aged 10-12 years participated. They were assessed five times with reading tests. The participants, their parents and teachers were surveyed with questionnaires regarding their experience of using AT. The data from the assessments were analyzed with paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. The data from the questionnaires were analyzed using content analysis. The paper shows that using AT can create transfer effects on reading ability one year after the interventions were finished. This means that reading impaired children may develop at the same rate as non-impaired readers. Also, increased school motivation and an increase in independent learning and family effects have been shown. This paper provides implications in how to facilitate reading impaired pupils' learning process and realizes the need to challenge the concept of reading to change to fit modern means of gaining information. Implications for rehabilitation Children with reading impairment could benefit from assistive technology in regards of their reading development process and increase their chances of not falling behind peers. Assistive technology as applications in smartphones and tablets may aid children with reading impairment to have an equal platform for learning in school as their peers without reading difficulties. Assistive technology could facilitate the information gaining process and subsequently increase motivation to learn and increase interest in reading activities. Assistive technology had wider effects on its users: stigmatizing

Why do singletons conceived after assisted reproduction technology have adverse perinatal outcome?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pinborg, A; Wennerholm, U B; Romundstad, L B

2013-01-01

Assisted reproduction technology (ART) is used worldwide, at increasing rates, and data show that some adverse outcomes occur more frequently than following spontaneous conception (SC). Possible explanatory factors for the well-known adverse perinatal outcome in ART singletons were evaluated....

Intelligent navigation and accurate positioning of an assist robot in indoor environments

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, Bin; Rama, Endri; Capi, Genci; Jindai, Mitsuru; Tsuri, Yosuke

2017-12-01

Intact robot's navigation and accurate positioning in indoor environments are still challenging tasks. Especially in robot applications, assisting disabled and/or elderly people in museums/art gallery environments. In this paper, we present a human-like navigation method, where the neural networks control the wheelchair robot to reach the goal location safely, by imitating the supervisor's motions, and positioning in the intended location. In a museum similar environment, the mobile robot starts navigation from various positions, and uses a low-cost camera to track the target picture, and a laser range finder to make a safe navigation. Results show that the neural controller with the Conjugate Gradient Backpropagation training algorithm gives a robust response to guide the mobile robot accurately to the goal position.

Pacific Northwest Laboratory annual report for 1980 to the DOE Assistant Secretary for Environment. Part 5. Environmental assessment, control, health and safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baalman, R.W.; Hays, I.D.

1981-02-01

Pacific Northwest Laboratory's (PNL) 1980 annual report to the DOE Assistant Secretary for Environment describes research in environment, health, and safety conducted during fiscal year 1980. Part 5 includes technology assessments for natural gas, enhanced oil recovery, oil shale, uranium mining, magnetic fusion energy, solar energy, uranium enrichment and industrial energy utilization; regional analysis studies of environmental transport and community impacts; environmental and safety engineering for LNG, oil spills, LPG, shale oil waste waters, geothermal liquid waste disposal, compressed air energy storage, and nuclear/fusion fuel cycles; operational and environmental safety studies of decommissioning, environmental monitoring, personnel dosimetry, and analysis of criticality safety; health physics studies; and epidemiological studies. Also included are an author index, organization of PNL charts and distribution lists of the annual report, along with lists of presentations and publications

TELEGRAM: contribution in assistive technology indication for individuals with hearing impairment.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacob, Regina Tangerino de Souza; Lopes, Natália Barreto Frederigue; Cruz, Aline Duarte da; Alves, Tacianne Kriscia Machado; Santos, Larissa Germiniani Dos; Angelo, Thais Corina Said de; Mondelli, Maria Fernanda Capoani Garcia; Moret, Adriane Lima Mortari

2017-02-23

The objective of the study was to translate and culturally adapt to Portuguese the TELEGRAM instrument and to evaluate its effectiveness in adults with hearing impairment using hearing aids. The TELEGRAM was translated into the Portuguese language, reviewed for grammatical and idiomatic equivalences (reverse translations) and linguistic and cultural adaptations. After translation, the TELEGRAM was applied to 20 individuals with hearing impairment. A descriptive analysis of the results was performed. After the grammatical and idiomatic equivalence, the replacement of one term/item was suggested, which was modified and adapted to the Brazilian context. In general, the questions of the instrument were considered easy to understand. Among the categories assessed, individuals with hearing loss had greater difficulty using the telephone and in activities such as attending church gatherings, parties, or in situations of noisy environments, distance and reverberation. The TELEGRAM translated into Brazilian Portuguese proved to be an easily applicable tool in population studies and effective to assess which are the main situations where individuals with hearing impairment have greater difficulty in communication, reinforcing the importance of hearing rehabilitation and assistive technology to minimize these difficulties.

THE USE OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES IN MULTIMEDIA-SUPPORTED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suzan DUYGU ERIŞTI

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study is to reveal the students’ opinions about the use of PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant in learning environment within the context of multimedia based applications. Through purposeful sampling, 17 undergraduate students attending the elective course of BTÖ 323 Character Design in Computer Environment in the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology at Anadolu University were involved in the study. Additionally, the present study was conducted in two phases; in the first phase, within the scope of the course, an interactive Learning content including the subject of “Interactive Multimedia Design” was prepared and installed on PDAs. Then, the PDAs installed with these prepared contents were distributed to the students, and two-hour training on how to use the PDAs was given to the students. In the second phase of the study, a three-week application regarding students’ following the course content via PDAs was conducted. Throughout the application, the students communicated with the instructor for extracurricular feedback by means of PDAs. After the application, semi-structured interviews were held with the students regarding the course application performed via PDAs and its effectiveness. The interview data collected were examined with descriptive analysis. The results demonstrated that most of the students explained the hardware inadequacies in the use of multimedia environment facilities via PDAs such as visual images, videos, animation particularly in learning content. Besides this, for the interactive dimension and communication, the students mentioned negativities particularly regarding file sharing. Consequently, it was concluded that the students had negative opinions about the presentation of multimedia-supported Learning content via PDAs.

Artificial Intelligence Applications to High-Technology Training.

Science.gov (United States)

Dede, Christopher

1987-01-01

Discusses the use of artificial intelligence to improve occupational instruction in complex subjects with high performance goals, such as those required for high-technology jobs. Highlights include intelligent computer assisted instruction, examples in space technology training, intelligent simulation environments, and the need for adult training…

Management accounting for advanced technological environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, R S

1989-08-25

Management accounting systems designed decades ago no longer provide timely, relevant information for companies in today's highly competitive environment. New operational control and performance measurement systems are recognizing the importance of direct measurement of quality, manufacturing lead times, flexibility, and customer responsiveness, as well as more accurate measures of the actual costs of consumed resources. Activity-based cost systems can assign the costs of indirect and support resources to the specific products and activities that benefit from these resources. Both operational control and activity-based systems represent new opportunities for improved managerial information in complex, technologically advanced environments.

Assisted reproductive technology: Islamic Sunni perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Chamsi-Pasha, Hassan; Albar, Mohammed Ali

2015-06-01

Islam acknowledges that infertility is a significant hardship. Attempts to cure infertility are not only permissible, but also encouraged in Islam. Over the last three decades, a multitude of advances in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have appeared. This review was carried out to inform readers, who are not familiar with Islamic doctrine, about the Sunni perspective on this topic. Systematic review of the literature. A series of searches was conducted of Medline databases published in English between January 1978 and December 2013 with the following assisted reproduction, infertility, gender selection, ethics, bioethics, and Islam. In Islamic Sunni law, all ARTs are allowed, provided that the source of the sperm, ovum, and uterus comes from a legally married couple during the span of their marriage. All forms of surrogacy are forbidden. A third-party donor is not allowed, whether he or she is providing sperm, eggs, embryos, or a uterus. Frozen preimplantation may be transferred to the wife in a successive cycle provided the marital bondage is not absolved by death or divorce. Gender selection for medical reasons is permitted. It is allowed for limited social reasons by some jurists, provided it does not involve discrimination against either sex. ART is acceptable and commendable in Islamic Sunni law provided it is practiced within the husband and wife dyad during the span of their marital contract. No third party should intrude upon the marital function of procreation. Surrogacy is not accepted by Sunni Islamic authorities.

Meeting the Assistive Technology Needs of Students with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Science.gov (United States)

Heller, Kathryn Wolff; Mezei, Peter J.; Avant, Mary Jane Thompson

2009-01-01

Students with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) have a degenerative disease that requires ongoing changes in assistive technology (AT). The AT team needs to be knowledgeable about the disease and its progression in order to meet these students' changing needs in a timely manner. The unique needs of students with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in…

[Cost of assisted reproduction technology in a public hospital].

Science.gov (United States)

Navarro Espigares, José Luis; Martínez Navarro, Luis; Castilla Alcalá, José Antonio; Hernández Torres, Elisa

2006-01-01

Most studies on the costs of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) identify the total cost of the procedure with the direct cost, without considering important items such as overhead or intermediate costs. The objective of this study was to determine the cost per ART procedure in a public hospital in 2003 and to compare the results with those in the same hospital in 1998. Data from the Human Reproduction Unit of the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital in Granada (Spain) from 1998 and 2003 were analyzed. Since the total costs of the unit were known, the cost of the distinct ART procedures performed in the hospital was calculated by means of a methodology for cost distribution. Between 1998 and 2003, the activity and costs of the Human Reproduction Unit analyzed evolved differently. Analysis of activity showed that some techniques, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection, were consolidated while others, such as stimulation without assisted reproduction or intracervical insemination were abandoned. In all procedures, unit costs per cycle and per delivery decreased in the period analyzed. Important changes took place in the structure of costs of ART in the Human Reproduction Unit of the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital between 1998 and 2003. Some techniques were discontinued, while others gained importance. Technological advances and structural innovations, together with a "learning effect," modified the structure of ART-related costs.

What is quality in assisted living technology? The ARCHIE framework for effective telehealth and telecare services.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenhalgh, Trisha; Procter, Rob; Wherton, Joe; Sugarhood, Paul; Hinder, Sue; Rouncefield, Mark

2015-04-23

We sought to define quality in telehealth and telecare with the aim of improving the proportion of patients who receive appropriate, acceptable and workable technologies and services to support them living with illness or disability. This was a three-phase study: (1) interviews with seven technology suppliers and 14 service providers, (2) ethnographic case studies of 40 people, 60 to 98 years old, with multi-morbidity and assisted living needs and (3) 10 co-design workshops. In phase 1, we explored barriers to uptake of telehealth and telecare. In phase 2, we used ethnographic methods to build a detailed picture of participants' lives, illness experiences and technology use. In phase 3, we brought users and their carers together with suppliers and providers to derive quality principles for assistive technology products and services. Interviews identified practical, material and organisational barriers to smooth introduction and continued support of assistive technologies. The experience of multi-morbidity was characterised by multiple, mutually reinforcing and inexorably worsening impairments, producing diverse and unique care challenges. Participants and their carers managed these pragmatically, obtaining technologies and adapting the home. Installed technologies were rarely fit for purpose. Support services for technologies made high (and sometimes oppressive) demands on users. Six principles emerged from the workshops. Quality telehealth or telecare is 1) ANCHORED in a shared understanding of what matters to the user; 2) REALISTIC about the natural history of illness; 3) CO-CREATIVE, evolving and adapting solutions with users; 4) HUMAN, supported through interpersonal relationships and social networks; 5) INTEGRATED, through attention to mutual awareness and knowledge sharing; 6) EVALUATED to drive system learning. Technological advances are important, but must be underpinned by industry and service providers following a user-centred approach to design and

ASPECTS OF USING CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES IN VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

OpenAIRE

ZHVANIA, Taliko; KAPANADZE, David; KIKNADZE, Mzia; TANDILASHVILI, George

2016-01-01

Thereare increased using the e-Learning technologies at the modern institutions ofhigher education, which favored to integrate the various instruments in thevirtual learning environment. Recently,the cloud technologies have become the most popular, which offer e-Learninginternet technologies based dynamical and actual new opportunities to theeducational institutions. The cloud technologies provide a high level of theservice and they impact on the design of the training courses, offered servic...

Scientific Assistant Virtual Laboratory (SAVL)

Science.gov (United States)

Alaghband, Gita; Fardi, Hamid; Gnabasik, David

2007-03-01

The Scientific Assistant Virtual Laboratory (SAVL) is a scientific discovery environment, an interactive simulated virtual laboratory, for learning physics and mathematics. The purpose of this computer-assisted intervention is to improve middle and high school student interest, insight and scores in physics and mathematics. SAVL develops scientific and mathematical imagination in a visual, symbolic, and experimental simulation environment. It directly addresses the issues of scientific and technological competency by providing critical thinking training through integrated modules. This on-going research provides a virtual laboratory environment in which the student directs the building of the experiment rather than observing a packaged simulation. SAVL: * Engages the persistent interest of young minds in physics and math by visually linking simulation objects and events with mathematical relations. * Teaches integrated concepts by the hands-on exploration and focused visualization of classic physics experiments within software. * Systematically and uniformly assesses and scores students by their ability to answer their own questions within the context of a Master Question Network. We will demonstrate how the Master Question Network uses polymorphic interfaces and C# lambda expressions to manage simulation objects.

Protection for Children Born Through Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act, B.E. 2558: The Changing Profile of Surrogacy in Thailand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandro Stasi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The National Legislative Assembly of Thailand has enacted on February 19, 2015 the Protection for Children Born through Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act (ART Act. Its primary objective aims at protecting children born through assisted reproductive technologies and providing the legal procedures that the intended parents must follow. The focus of this article is to discuss the ongoing issues involving assisted reproduction in Thailand. After reviewing the past legal framework surrounding surrogate motherhood and the downsides of the assisted reproductive technology market in Thailand, the article will discuss the new ART Act and its regulatory framework. It will conclude that although the new law contains some flaws and limitations, it has so far been successful in tackling surrogacy trafficking and preventing reproductive scandals from occurring again.

Japanese policy on science and technology for the global environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawasaki, M.

1994-01-01

The current state of Japanese science and technology policy is discussed within the framework of overall global environmental policy. Principles of Japanese environmental policy include participation in international schemes for conservation of the global environment, promotion of Japanese research on the global environment, development and diffusion of technologies contributing to conservation of the global environment, contribution to conservation of the environment in developing countries, and maintenance of economic and social activities in Japan at an environmentally beneficial level. The Japanese environmental budget includes expenditures for earth observation and monitoring by satellite, energy-related research and development, and control of greenhouse gas emissions. The proportion of overall Japanese research and development (R ampersand D) expenditures which were spent on the global environment was about 2% in 1991. Of governmental research expenditures, ca 22% involve the global environment; however, some part of the expenditures on energy R ampersand D and on earth observation satellite R ampersand D are also environment-related. 5 figs

Laser assisted drug delivery: a review of an evolving technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Sklar, Lindsay R; Burnett, Christopher T; Waibel, Jill S; Moy, Ronald L; Ozog, David M

2014-04-01

Topically applied drugs have a relatively low cutaneous bioavailability. This article reviews the existing applications of laser assisted drug delivery, a means by which the permeation of topically applied agents can be enhanced into the skin. The existing literature suggests that lasers are a safe and effective means of enhancing the delivery of topically applied agents through the skin. The types of lasers most commonly studied in regards to drug delivery are the carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) lasers. Both conventional ablative and fractional ablative modalities have been utilized and are summarized herein. The majority of the existing studies on laser assisted drug delivery have been performed on animal models and additional human studies are needed. Laser assisted drug delivery is an evolving technology with potentially broad clinical applications. Multiple studies demonstrate that laser pretreatment of the skin can increase the permeability and depth of penetration of topically applied drug molecules for both local cutaneous and systemic applications. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Navigation-synchronized multimodal control wheelchair from brain to alternative assistive technologies for persons with severe disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Puanhvuan, Dilok; Khemmachotikun, Sarawin; Wechakarn, Pongsakorn; Wijarn, Boonyanuch; Wongsawat, Yodchanan

2017-04-01

Currently, electric wheelchairs are commonly used to improve mobility in disabled people. In severe cases, the user is unable to control the wheelchair by themselves because his/her motor functions are disabled. To restore mobility function, a brain-controlled wheelchair (BCW) would be a promising system that would allow the patient to control the wheelchair by their thoughts. P300 is a reliable brain electrical signal, a component of visual event-related potentials (ERPs), that could be used for interpreting user commands. This research aimed to propose a prototype BCW to allowed severe motor disabled patients to practically control a wheelchair for use in their home environment. The users were able to select from 9 possible destination commands in the automatic mode and from 4 directional commands (forward, backward, turn left and right) in the shared-control mode. These commands were selected via the designed P300 processing system. The wheelchair was steered to the desired location by the implemented navigation system. Safety of the user was ensured during wheelchair navigation due to the included obstacle detection and avoidance features. A combination of P300 and EOG was used as a hybrid BCW system. The user could fully operate the system such as enabling P300 detection system, mode shifting and stop/cancelation command by performing a different consecutive blinks to generate eye blinking patterns. The results revealed that the prototype BCW could be operated in either of the proposed modes. With the new design of the LED-based P300 stimulator, the average accuracies of the P300 detection algorithm in the shared-control and automatic modes were 95.31 and 83.42% with 3.09 and 3.79 bits/min, respectively. The P300 classification error was acceptable, as the user could cancel an incorrect command by blinking 2 times. Moreover, the proposed navigation system had a flexible design that could be interfaced with other assistive technologies. This research developed

Advantages and disadvantages of interdisciplinary consultation in the prescription of assistive technologies for mobility limitations.

Science.gov (United States)

de Laat, Fred A; van Heerebeek, Bart; van Netten, Jaap J

2018-03-28

To explore the advantages and disadvantages experienced by professionals in interdisciplinary consultation involving the user, prescriber and technician in the prescription of assistive technologies for mobility limitations. Cross-sectional study. Prescribers (N = 39) and orthopaedic technicians (N = 50), who were regularly involved in an interdisciplinary consultation completed a questionnaire about advantages and disadvantages of the interdisciplinary consultation. Advantages of the interdisciplinary consultation were mentioned within all CanMEDS areas of medical practice, including better and quicker prescription of the assistive technology, shared knowledge of medical diagnosis and device possibilities, shared decision making of the device prescription and clear communication rules. Disadvantages were mentioned in the CanMEDS areas management and collaboration, including planning problems (financial) reimbursement of this type of consultation, and time efficiency. On a 10-point scale, mean (standard deviation) rates of interdisciplinary consultations were 7.9 (0.6) according to prescribers, and 7.8 (0.9) by technicians. All participants wanted to continue the interdisciplinary consultation. Prescribers and technicians in the field of assistive technologies for walking mobility limitations appreciate an interdisciplinary consultation. Advantages are found in all CanMEDS areas, whereas disadvantages only concern coordination. It should be encouraged to realize this kind of consultation in all situations where such technologies are prescribed. Implications for rehabilitation Interdisciplinary consultation involving the user, prescriber and technician to prescribe assistive technologies for mobility limitations has many advantages in all CanMEDS areas of medical practice, and few disadvantages, related to management and collaboration only. The disadvantages of interdisciplinary consultation, such as (financial) reimbursement by health insurance companies

Assisted reproductive technology in Japan: a summary report of 1992-2014 by the Ethics Committee, Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Irahara, Minoru; Kuwahara, Akira; Iwasa, Takeshi; Ishikawa, Tomonori; Ishihara, Osamu; Kugu, Koji; Sawa, Rintaro; Banno, Kouji; Saito, Hidekazu

2017-04-01

The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology implemented a registry report system for the clinical practice of assisted reproductive technology in 1986. The aggregated results from 1992 to 2014 are reported herein. The total number of registered treatments was 393 745 cycles, of which 66 550 were pregnancy cycles and 46 008 were cycles with a live birth. Compared to the number of registered treatments in 2008, when the cycle-based registry was newly introduced, there was a 2.07-fold increase in the total number of treatments and a 2.25-fold increase in the number of cycles with a live birth. As the average age of patients who receive assisted reproductive technology has become markedly higher year by year, the most common age of those patients who received assisted reproductive technology in 2014 was 40 years. The total numbers of both assisted reproductive technology treatments and assisted reproductive technology live births are likely to be higher in the future. In addition, the trend toward aging patients seems to be continuing into the future.

Perinatal outcomes among singletons after assisted reproductive technology with single-embryo or double-embryo transfer versus no assisted reproductive technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Angela S; Chang, Jeani; Zhang, Yujia; Kawwass, Jennifer F; Boulet, Sheree L; McKane, Patricia; Bernson, Dana; Kissin, Dmitry M; Jamieson, Denise J

2017-04-01

To examine outcomes of singleton pregnancies conceived without assisted reproductive technology (non-ART) compared with singletons conceived with ART by elective single-embryo transfer (eSET), nonelective single-embryo transfer (non-eSET), and double-embryo transfer with the establishment of 1 (DET -1) or ≥2 (DET ≥2) early fetal heartbeats. Retrospective cohort using linked ART surveillance data and vital records from Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Connecticut. Not applicable. Singleton live-born infants. None. Preterm birth (PTB score score approach, we found that singletons conceived after eSET were less likely to have a 5-minute Apgar Reproductive Medicine. All rights reserved.

HUMANIZATION OF THE NURSING ASSISTANCE IN THE SURGICAL UNIT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eliana Bedin

2006-12-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: This study consisted in a bibliographic review, which goal was a survey of the main national literature that approaches the humanization in the surgical unit, identifying and demonstrating the needs and the importance of the nursing staff daily activities. The search was made selecting the key words and the period between 1985 and 2002, where 31 articles were selected. Analyzing them we discussed about the theme, classifying it in four stages that made sense to the humanization for the nursing assistance in the surgical unit, describing aspects of the nursing graduation releasing for humanization, making ethics considerations to the assistance and demonstrating the needs of the humanized care in the presence of the technological development. We concluded that the humanization of the nursing assistance in the surgical units is a challenge, however, the humanized care is possible and essential to the nursing practice, mainly in a technological environment like the surgical unit. KEYWORDS: Operating Room Nursing; Assistance; Ethics.

Maximizing Employment Outcomes through the Use of "Lower-Tech" Assistive Technology & Rehabilitation Engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Grott, Ray

2015-01-01

For many people with disabilities, Assistive Technology tools and Rehabilitation Engineering principles are key to successful employment outcomes. At the same time, employers and service providers are often under the impression that accommodations and AT solutions require high-tech, complicated, and expensive technologies. This paper discusses how creative problem solving and a "keep it simple" mindset can result in very functional low-cost solutions.

Design A Situated Learning Environment Using Mixed Reality Technology - A Case Study

OpenAIRE

Rasimah Che Mohd Yusoff; Halimah Badioze Zaman; Azlina Ahmad

2010-01-01

Mixed Reality (MR) is one of the newest technologies explored in education. It promises the potential to promote teaching and learning and making learners- experience more "engaging". However, there still lack of research on designing a virtual learning environment using MR technology. In this paper, we describe the Mixed Reality technology, the characteristics of situated learning as instructional design for virtual environment using mixed reality technology. We also exp...

The influence of assistive technology on occupational performance and satisfaction of leprosy patients with grade 2 disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Muniz, Lucas da Silva; Amaral, Irmara Géssica Santos; Dias, Thiago da Silva; Rodrigues, Jorge Lopes

2016-01-01

We aimed to investigate the feasibility of assistive technology (AT) devices to improve leprosy patients' occupational performances and satisfaction. This is a pretest-posttest design study. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure was used to assess the occupational performance and satisfaction of five leprosy participants with grade 2 disabilities before and after ten 45-minute interventions using assistive technology devices. The data showed a statistically significant 7-point average improvement (pgrade 2 disabilities.

Designing assisted living technologies ‘in the wild’: preliminary experiences with cultural probe methodology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wherton Joseph

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is growing interest in assisted living technologies to support independence at home. Such technologies should ideally be designed ‘in the wild’ i.e. taking account of how real people live in real homes and communities. The ATHENE (Assistive Technologies for Healthy Living in Elders: Needs Assessment by Ethnography project seeks to illuminate the living needs of older people and facilitate the co-production with older people of technologies and services. This paper describes the development of a cultural probe tool produced as part of the ATHENE project and how it was used to support home visit interviews with elders with a range of ethnic and social backgrounds, family circumstances, health conditions and assisted living needs. Method Thirty one people aged 60 to 98 were visited in their homes on three occasions. Following an initial interview, participants were given a set of cultural probe materials, including a digital camera and the ‘Home and Life Scrapbook’ to complete in their own time for one week. Activities within the Home and Life Scrapbook included maps (indicating their relationships to people, places and objects, lists (e.g. likes, dislikes, things they were concerned about, things they were comfortable with, wishes (things they wanted to change or improve, body outline (indicating symptoms or impairments, home plan (room layouts of their homes to indicate spaces and objects used and a diary. After one week, the researcher and participant reviewed any digital photos taken and the content of the Home and Life Scrapbook as part of the home visit interview. Findings The cultural probe facilitated collection of visual, narrative and material data by older people, and appeared to generate high levels of engagement from some participants. However, others used the probe minimally or not at all for various reasons including limited literacy, physical problems (e.g. holding a pen, lack of time or energy

Fear of technology - trust in creation?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobmeier, G.

1991-01-01

With the assistance of science and technology, man has been altering all areas of life and the environment in an increasingly varying manner, particularly since the time of the industrial revolution. Even the environment of future generations has already been affected. Concern over this development has brought together well-known representatives from the areas of science, technology, theology and ethics for an exchange of views on the technological and ethical problems. The basic conflict between nature and technology, ecology and economy, between the task of creation and the egoistic wishes of mankind is presented in this book in a very readable way by experts. (orig.) [de

Applications of electron beam technology for healthcare and environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varshney, Lalit

2013-01-01

Radiation technology has matured from lab scale to industrial scale in many areas of interests to industry, healthcare, agriculture and environment. Some of the well established applications include radiation sterilization, wires and cable, composites for automobiles, radiation surface curing, nanomaterials, hydrogels and special materials for nuclear and aerospace industry, radiation treatment of effluents, sewage sludge etc. These applications are as a result of characteristics of high energy radiation like gamma and electron beams which are able to deliver energy directly at molecular level. Unlike nuclear based radiations, electron beam accelerator technology is amenable to easy acceptance by public as well has capability to manipulate processes and product treatment to produce varieties of advanced/smart materials for healthcare and environment. Faster dose rates and depth profiling are the important characteristics of electron beam technology which gives it an edge over gamma radiation processing. Department of Atomic Energy has an ambitious program to indigenously develop accelerator technology and utilize them for national progress. In the presentation some important applications of radiation technology will be discussed. (author)

Mobile-Assisted Second Language Learning: Developing a Learner-Centered Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Leow, Choy Khim; Yahaya, Wan Ahmad Jaafar Wan; Samsudin, Zarina

2014-01-01

The Mobile Assisted Language Learning concept has offered infinite language learning opportunities since its inception 20 years ago. Second Language Acquisition however embraces a considerably different body of knowledge from first language learning. While technological advances have optimized the psycholinguistic environment for language…

Reaction time for processing visual stimulus in a computer-assisted rehabilitation environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez, Yerly; Pinzon, David; Zheng, Bin

2017-10-01

To examine the reaction time when human subjects process information presented in the visual channel under both a direct vision and a virtual rehabilitation environment when walking was performed. Visual stimulus included eight math problems displayed on the peripheral vision to seven healthy human subjects in a virtual rehabilitation training (computer-assisted rehabilitation environment (CAREN)) and a direct vision environment. Subjects were required to verbally report the results of these math calculations in a short period of time. Reaction time measured by Tobii Eye tracker and calculation accuracy were recorded and compared between the direct vision and virtual rehabilitation environment. Performance outcomes measured for both groups included reaction time, reading time, answering time and the verbal answer score. A significant difference between the groups was only found for the reaction time (p = .004). Participants had more difficulty recognizing the first equation of the virtual environment. Participants reaction time was faster in the direct vision environment. This reaction time delay should be kept in mind when designing skill training scenarios in virtual environments. This was a pilot project to a series of studies assessing cognition ability of stroke patients who are undertaking a rehabilitation program with a virtual training environment. Implications for rehabilitation Eye tracking is a reliable tool that can be employed in rehabilitation virtual environments. Reaction time changes between direct vision and virtual environment.

Application of computer-assisted imaging technology in human musculoskeletal joint research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xudong Liu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Computer-assisted imaging analysis technology has been widely used in the musculoskeletal joint biomechanics research in recent years. Imaging techniques can accurately reconstruct the anatomic features of the target joint and reproduce its in vivo motion characters. The data has greatly improved our understanding of normal joint function, joint injury mechanism, and surgical treatment, and can provide foundations for using reverse-engineering methods to develop biomimetic artificial joints. In this paper, we systematically reviewed the investigation of in vivo kinematics of the human knee, shoulder, lumber spine, and ankle using advanced imaging technologies, especially those using a dual fluoroscopic imaging system (DFIS. We also briefly discuss future development of imaging analysis technology in musculoskeletal joint research.

Low cost assistive technology to support educational activities for adolescents with cerebral palsy.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Alan Patricio; Bulle Oliveira, Acary Souza; Pinheiro Bezerra, Italla Maria; Pedrozo Campos Antunes, Thaiany; Guerrero Daboin, Blanca Elena; Raimundo, Rodrigo Daminello; Dos Santos, Vagner Rogério; de Abreu, Luiz Carlos

2017-08-30

The concept of assistive technology covers several areas of action; one of them is communication with the elaboration of accessible solutions to overcome daily difficulties. It contributes to the resumption of functional abilities, expanding and facilitating inclusion and independent living. To analyze the usability of a low cost prototype device to support educational activities of adolescents with cerebral palsy. A descriptive observational study. The evaluation of a prototype device was made through a validated questionnaire, Quest Version 2.0, on the level of the user's satisfaction with an assistive technology, composed of 12 evaluation items. The questionnaire was filled out by the educator based on the observation of four wheelchair-bound participants diagnosed with cerebral palsy according to the international classification of diseases and health-related problems, ICD-10, who attend a coexistence and teaching institution in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The device developed was considered an assistive technology, which provided an experience with a positive level of satisfaction for the participants. The tested prototype contributes to communication and interaction allowing adolescents with cerebral palsy to participate in educational activities. Implications for Rehabilitation The device assists the individual in the educational activities and can positively influence their development, observe the individual number 5, who has an important limitation in coordination and fine movements, placing the role of the task in the vertical position offers a new perspective to perform the task, this stimulates him to try to perform the work, so the challenge was adjusted to the demands of each individual which can contribute to its neuromotor development, the amplitude of the distal movements and the manual ability, since it must look for alternatives to complete the task requested.

DEFACTO: A Design Environment for Adaptive Computing Technology

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hall, Mary

2003-01-01

This report describes the activities of the DEFACTO project, a Design Environment for Adaptive Computing Technology funded under the DARPA Adaptive Computing Systems and Just-In-Time-Hardware programs...

Knowledge from Research and Practice on the Barriers and Carriers to Successful Technology Transfer for Assistive Technology Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Leahy, James A.; Lane, Joseph P.

2010-01-01

Historically, the assistive technology (AT) industry is made up of small to medium size companies serving relatively small markets with products characterized as "niche" or "orphan" products. Presenting opportunities to AT companies that are created by outside sources is difficult. Presenting such opportunities to companies serving larger markets…

Low-technology assisted reproduction and the risk of preterm birth in a hospital-based cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Messerlian, Carmen; Platt, Robert W; Tan, Seang-Lin; Gagnon, Robert; Basso, Olga

2015-01-01

To estimate the risk of preterm birth in singleton infants conceived through low-technology assisted reproduction (intrauterine insemination and/or ovulation induction/stimulation). Hospital-based cohort study. University-affiliated hospital. Singleton babies born between 2001 and 2007 to 16,712 couples with no reported infertility (reference category), 378 babies conceived with low-technology treatment; 437 conceived with high-technology treatment; and 620 conceived naturally after a period of infertility. None. Treatment data were obtained from couples undergoing standard infertility investigation and care. Preterm birth, defined at three clinical endpoints: assisted reproduction appeared to be a moderately strong predictor of preterm birth, with similar associations observed in the high-technology treatment group. After adjusting for confounders, as well as the shared characteristics of infertile couples, associations were attenuated but remained significant, suggesting that part of the risk is likely attributable to the treatment. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pacific Northwest Laboratory annual report for 1980 to the DOE Assistant Secretary for Environment. Part 5. Environmental assessment, control, health and safety

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baalman, R.W.; Hays, I.D. (eds.)

1981-02-01

Pacific Northwest Laboratory's (PNL) 1980 annual report to the DOE Assistant Secretary for Environment describes research in environment, health, and safety conducted during fiscal year 1980. Part 5 includes technology assessments for natural gas, enhanced oil recovery, oil shale, uranium mining, magnetic fusion energy, solar energy, uranium enrichment and industrial energy utilization; regional analysis studies of environmental transport and community impacts; environmental and safety engineering for LNG, oil spills, LPG, shale oil waste waters, geothermal liquid waste disposal, compressed air energy storage, and nuclear/fusion fuel cycles; operational and environmental safety studies of decommissioning, environmental monitoring, personnel dosimetry, and analysis of criticality safety; health physics studies; and epidemiological studies. Also included are an author index, organization of PNL charts and distribution lists of the annual report, along with lists of presentations and publications. (DLS)

Young people and environment, technology, nuclear energy in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernhardt-Crochet, L.

1995-01-01

Young people have a particular attitude on the questions about environment and energy, and also about technology. Several inquiries show that young people are more aware of environmental questions than their elders. Their anxiety is bigger against pollution than the average of French people and it seems that they are more attentive to dangers for the planet: it is the sign of a broader opening on the world. Young people are ready to adhere to a group or association for environment and have sympathy for ecologists; they have hostility against nuclear energy. Age and education level have to be specified to complicate the question. This contribution gives some elements about the opinion of young people between 15-25 years old on environment, technology and nuclear energy in France. (N.C.)

Executive Assistant - Technology and Innovation | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Job Summary Under the direction of the Director, the Director's Assistant provides operational and administrative assistance to the Director, performs a variety of administrative, research, coordinating and logistical services in support of the operations of the Director's office and assists with information management functions ...

Regulatory framework in assisted reproductive technologies, relevance and main issues.

OpenAIRE

Françoise Merlet

2010-01-01

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have changed life for the past 25 years and many ethical and social issues have emerged following this new method of conception. In order to protect individuals against scientific and ethical abuses without inhibiting scientific progress, a specific legal framework is necessary. The first French law on Bioethics was voted after an extensive debate in 1994 then reviewed in 2004. This review previously scheduled every five years is currently being discus...

Inducing omnipotence or powerlessness in learners with developmental and attention difficulties through structuring technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Voldborg, Hanne; Sorensen, Elsebeth Korsgaard

2017-01-01

at school? Using this lens, the authors examine, to what extent technology may assist teachers to create more ideal learning environments by reducing the threat for these learners and enable them to participate in learning. Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), digital templates, timers and calendars......, become aware and understand their own role in the classroom. This paper suggests technologies for structuring and overviewing as basic assistive tools for equalizing the learning possibilities for learners with developmental and attention difficulties in an inclusive school setting....

Can Better Outdoor Environments Lead to Cost Benefits in Assisted Living Facilities Through Increased Word-of-Mouth Referrals?

Science.gov (United States)

Rodiek, Susan; Boggess, May M; Lee, Chanam; Booth, Geoffrey J; Morris, Alisan

2013-01-01

This study explores how better outdoor environments may produce cost benefits for assisted living providers by raising occupancy levels through increased resident satisfaction and word-of-mouth referrals. Older adults who spend even minimal time outdoors may reap substantial health benefits. However, many existing outdoor areas in assisted living facilities are reportedly underutilized, in part because of design issues. Providers may be more willing to improve outdoor areas if they produce cost benefits for provider organizations. This study used data from a recent assisted living survey to assess the relationship between satisfaction with outdoor spaces, time spent outdoors, and resulting improvements in mood. A financial analysis was developed to estimate potential benefits from improved outdoor areas attributable to increased occupancy and decreased marketing costs associated with increased word-of-mouth referrals. Increasing resident satisfaction with outdoor areas (from approximately 29% to 96%) results in residents spending more time outdoors (increase of 1½ hours per week per resident) and improved psychological well-being (12% increase in feeling better). This greater overall satisfaction leads to 8% more residents willing to refer potential residents to their community. Because word-of-mouth referrals by current residents are a major factor in resident recruitment, improving outdoors areas leads to an estimated 4% increase in new residents, resulting in over $170,000 of increased revenue per year for a community of 100 residents. Improved outdoor space can provide substantial cost benefits for assisted living providers. Increasing resident well-being and satisfaction, and thereby generating additional word-of-mouth referrals, can result in higher occupancy levels. Outdoor environments, assisted living, cost benefits, resident satisfaction, occupancy levels, seniors, rental income, word-of-mouth referralPreferred Citation: Rodiek, S., Boggess, M. M., Lee

Living labs an arena for development and testing Ambient Assisted living technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lassen, Anna Marie; Bangshaab, Jette

everyday activities. Conclusion: Based on staff and end user interviews, the study were able to conclude that independence is the main motivation for using AAL-technology. Application to Practice: The results are now used at the municipality level in several areas. The project has provided a more user......Background: This gives an example of Living labs as an arena for development/testing Ambient Assisted Living technology (AAL-technology). The selected Living lab is part of an EU-supported development project in collaboration with practice and concerns a Living lab that has developed...... an implementation model for an AAL-technology – toilets with douche and drying. (2) Method: The study involves Living lab as location for technology development/testing as well as user-driven approaches to obtain initial data. (1) Moreover, the study is based on process interviews, qualitative research interviews...

Environment-assisted cracking of cast WE43-T6 magnesium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marrow, T.J.; Bin Ahmad, A.; Khan, I.N.; Sim, S.M.A.; Torkamani, S.

2004-01-01

Environment-assisted cracking of WE43 cast magnesium (4.2 wt.% Yt, 2.3 wt.% Nd, 0.7% Zr, 0.8% HRE) in the T6 peak-aged condition was induced in ambient air in notched specimens. The mechanism of fracture was studied using electron backscatter diffraction, serial sectioning and in situ observations of crack propagation. Cracks initiated at the intergranular brittle intermetallic, and propagated by transgranular cleavage. These observations imply that a microstructural model for the static fatigue limit in cast magnesium alloys may be developed which includes the effects of notch-like defects such as porosity

Humanity and Environment Co-influence in the Shadow of Technological Convergence

Science.gov (United States)

Ezdina, Natalya

2017-11-01

Today one of the most important issues is the search for controlled ways of sustainable development of civilization, society, and a human. Previously, the development of society was determined by natural and evolutionary factors based on the principle of natural selection of living organisms and populations. However, as social institutions are developing, the technological factors of development, determined by the ideas about this phenomenon - the special arrangement of productive forces and the need to protect or change the environment, began to appear. The end of the 20th century was marked by the realization of a new, universal form of economic and technological synthesis - convergence, which, in the process of developing science and improving technology, became so comprehensive and widespread that today it can be called the force that transforms the environment. In this regard, it is convergent technologies that become the focus and the basis for research of the processes uniting the main spheres of human activity - science, society and technology, which will lead to a new form of interaction with the environment, conditioned not only by scientific and technological changes and social factors, but also new organizational forms of their interaction.

Humanity and Environment Co-influence in the Shadow of Technological Convergence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ezdina Natalya

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Today one of the most important issues is the search for controlled ways of sustainable development of civilization, society, and a human. Previously, the development of society was determined by natural and evolutionary factors based on the principle of natural selection of living organisms and populations. However, as social institutions are developing, the technological factors of development, determined by the ideas about this phenomenon - the special arrangement of productive forces and the need to protect or change the environment, began to appear. The end of the 20th century was marked by the realization of a new, universal form of economic and technological synthesis - convergence, which, in the process of developing science and improving technology, became so comprehensive and widespread that today it can be called the force that transforms the environment. In this regard, it is convergent technologies that become the focus and the basis for research of the processes uniting the main spheres of human activity - science, society and technology, which will lead to a new form of interaction with the environment, conditioned not only by scientific and technological changes and social factors, but also new organizational forms of their interaction.

The Right to Assistive Technology: For Whom, for What, and by Whom?

Science.gov (United States)

Borg, Johan; Larsson, Stig; Ostergren, Per-Olof

2011-01-01

Despite its facilitating role in creating opportunities for people with disabilities to exercise human rights, access to assistive technology is limited in many countries. It is therefore promising that the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) addresses this area. The purpose of this study was to analyse the assistive…

COMPOEX Technology to Assist Leaders in Planning and Executing Campaigns in Complex Operational Environments

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kott, Alexander; Corpac, Peter S

2007-01-01

... in a complex operational environment. Leaders must understand the operational environment, develop campaign plans that include multiple lines of effort such as security, governance, political-economic development, rule of law and employ...

Assessment of Technologies Used to Characterize Wildlife Populations in the Offshore Environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duberstein, Corey A.; Tagestad, Jerry D.; Larson, Kyle B.

2011-12-09

Wind energy development in the offshore environment can have both direct and indirect effects on wildlife, yet little is known about most species that use near-shore and offshore waters due in part to the difficulty involved in studying animals in remote, challenging environments. Traditional methods to characterize offshore wildlife populations include shipboard observations. Technological advances have provided researches with an array of technologies to gather information about fauna from afar. This report describes the use and application of radar, thermal and optical imagery, and acoustic detection technologies for monitoring birds, bats, and marine mammals in offshore environments.

Human walking in virtual environments perception, technology, and applications

CERN Document Server

Visell, Yon; Campos, Jennifer; Lécuyer, Anatole

2013-01-01

This book presents a survey of past and recent developments on human walking in virtual environments with an emphasis on human self-motion perception, the multisensory nature of experiences of walking, conceptual design approaches, current technologies, and applications. The use of virtual reality and movement simulation systems is becoming increasingly popular and more accessible to a wide variety of research fields and applications. While, in the past, simulation technologies have focused on developing realistic, interactive visual environments, it is becoming increasingly obvious that our everyday interactions are highly multisensory. Therefore, investigators are beginning to understand the critical importance of developing and validating locomotor interfaces that can allow for realistic, natural behaviours. The book aims to present an overview of what is currently understood about human perception and performance when moving in virtual environments and to situate it relative to the broader scientific and ...

The Importance of Trust in the Adoption and Use of Intelligent Assistive Technology by Older Adults to Support Aging in Place: Scoping Review Protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

McMurray, Josephine; Strudwick, Gillian; Forchuk, Cheryl; Morse, Adam; Lachance, Jessica; Baskaran, Arani; Allison, Lauren; Booth, Richard

2017-11-02

Intelligent assistive technologies that complement and extend human abilities have proliferated in recent years. Service robots, home automation equipment, and other digital assistant devices possessing artificial intelligence are forms of assistive technologies that have become popular in society. Older adults (>55 years of age) have been identified by industry, government, and researchers as a demographic who can benefit significantly from the use of intelligent assistive technology to support various activities of daily living. The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize the literature on the importance of the concept of "trust" in the adoption of intelligent assistive technologies to assist aging in place by older adults. Using a scoping review methodology, our search strategy will examine the following databases: ACM Digital Library, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science. Two reviewers will independently screen the initial titles obtained from the search, and these results will be further inspected by other members of the research team for inclusion in the review. This review will provide insights into how the concept of trust is actualized in the adoption of intelligent assistive technology by older adults. Preliminary sensitization to the literature suggests that the concept of trust is fluid, unstable, and intimately tied to the type of intelligent assistive technology being examined. Furthermore, a wide range of theoretical lenses that include elements of trust have been used to examine this concept. This review will describe the concept of trust in the adoption of intelligent assistive technology by older adults, and will provide insights for practitioners, policy makers, and technology vendors for future practice. ©Josephine McMurray, Gillian Strudwick, Cheryl Forchuk, Adam Morse, Jessica Lachance, Arani Baskaran, Lauren

Modeling Users, Context and Devices for Ambient Assisted Living Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Castillejo, Eduardo; Almeida, Aitor; López-de-Ipiña, Diego; Chen, Liming

2014-01-01

The participation of users within AAL environments is increasing thanks to the capabilities of the current wearable devices. Furthermore, the significance of considering user's preferences, context conditions and device's capabilities help smart environments to personalize services and resources for them. Being aware of different characteristics of the entities participating in these situations is vital for reaching the main goals of the corresponding systems efficiently. To collect different information from these entities, it is necessary to design several formal models which help designers to organize and give some meaning to the gathered data. In this paper, we analyze several literature solutions for modeling users, context and devices considering different approaches in the Ambient Assisted Living domain. Besides, we remark different ongoing standardization works in this area. We also discuss the used techniques, modeled characteristics and the advantages and drawbacks of each approach to finally draw several conclusions about the reviewed works. PMID:24643006

Sustainability of environment-assisted energy transfer in quantum photobiological complexes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zloshchastiev, Konstantin G. [Institute of Systems Science, Durban University of Technology (South Africa)

2017-09-15

It is shown that quantum sustainability is a universal phenomenon which emerges during environment-assisted electronic excitation energy transfer (EET) in photobiological complexes (PBCs), such as photosynthetic reaction centers and centers of melanogenesis. We demonstrate that quantum photobiological systems must be sustainable for them to simultaneously endure continuous energy transfer and keep their internal structure from destruction or critical instability. These quantum effects occur due to the interaction of PBCs with their environment which can be described by means of the reduced density operator and effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian (NH). Sustainable NH models of EET predict the coherence beats, followed by the decrease of coherence down to a small, yet non-zero value. This indicates that in sustainable PBCs, quantum effects survive on a much larger time scale than the energy relaxation of an exciton. We show that sustainable evolution significantly lowers the entropy of PBCs and improves the speed and capacity of EET. (copyright 2017 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Library macro-environment: New technological and economic rules

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karmen Štular-Sotošek

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Fast and flexible adaptation to changes in the macro-environment is also crucial for libraries, which have to review them, respond to them and become a part of them. Consequently, the application of marketing science and tools helps libraries to find out how to survive in the competitive world and how to become better and stronger. The article, which draws from marketing, economic and information disciplines, introduces the main principles in the technological and economic environment of libraries and finds the knowledge about these disciplines to be most crucial for successful management of modern libraries, especially on the pretentious publishing market and on the market of information suppliers. Within the technological and economic environment, the cooperation is the only logical solution, which benefits the producers of information services and products as well as libraries. The following text finds that libraries will achieve long-term success and will be proactive in developing partnerships only by using relationship marketing. This relatively new approach offers libraries new ways for successful and long-term management of alliances between partners.

Meanings and experiences of assistive technologies in everyday lives of older citizens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahler, Anne Marie; Maling Rasmussen, Dorte; Andersen, Pernille Tanggaard

2016-01-01

. Results: Review of these studies show that older people generally have positive attitudes towards AT, but also that acceptance of technologies is a potentially stressful process where trust towards technologies and other people are of importance. Older people have ambivalent experiences with technology......Purpose: The purpose of this study was to synthesize the available qualitative studies on the meanings of assistive technologies (AT) in elderly people's everyday lives in order to identify central concepts, themes, and findings from existing research. Method: A systematic search of the literature...... was conducted, using predetermined search strategies. Exclusion criteria were, in accordance with the meta-interpretive approach, developed iteratively during the reading of abstracts and articles. Interpretations from the included studies were used as data for thematic analysis and synthesis of findings...

How assistive technology changes the brain: the critical role of hippocampal-striatal interactions during cognitive training.

Science.gov (United States)

Kéri, Szabolcs

2015-01-01

Recent studies found structural changes of the brain during cognitive training. These changes may be important when assistive technologies are used, for example, to boost memory and navigation abilities in patients with neurocognitive disorders. In this study, we show that extensive training with a platformer game simulating navigation and real-life spatial abilities, patients with Alzheimer's disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairmant exhibit an increased volume of the caudate nucleus in contrast to healthy individuals who display increased hippocampal volumes. These results raise the possibility that cognitive training and assistive technology may induce compensatory changes of brain structure in memory disorders.

Effects of solar photovoltaic technology on the environment in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Liqiang; Zhang, Yajuan

2017-10-01

Among the various types of renewable energy, solar photovoltaic has elicited the most attention because of its low pollution, abundant reserve, and endless supply. Solar photovoltaic technology generates both positive and negative effects on the environment. The environmental loss of 0.00666 yuan/kWh from solar photovoltaic technology is lower than that from coal-fired power generation (0.05216 yuan/kWh). The negative effects of solar photovoltaic system production include wastewater and waste gas pollutions, the representatives of which contain fluorine, chromium with wastewater and hydrogen fluoride, and silicon tetrachloride gas. Solar panels are also a source of light pollution. Improper disposal of solar cells that have reached the end of their service life harms the environment through the stench they produce and the damage they cause to the soil. So, the positive and negative effects of green energy photovoltaic power generation technology on the environment should be considered.

“No More Boomerang”: Environment and Technology in Contemporary Aboriginal Australian Poetry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Charles Ryan

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Based in oral traditions and song cycles, contemporary Aboriginal Australian poetry is full of allusions to the environment. Not merely a physical backdrop for human activities, the ancient Aboriginal landscape is a nexus of ecological, spiritual, material, and more-than-human overlays—and one which is increasingly compromised by modern technological impositions. In literary studies, while Aboriginal poetry has become the subject of critical interest, few studies have foregrounded the interconnections between environment and technology. Instead, scholarship tends to focus on the socio-political and cultural dimensions of the writing. How have contemporary Australian Aboriginal poets responded to the impacts of environmental change and degradation? How have poets addressed the effects of modern technology in ancestral environments, or country? This article will develop an ecocritical and technology-focused perspective on contemporary Aboriginal poetry through an analysis of the writings of three significant literary-activists: Jack Davis (1917–2000, Oodgeroo Noonuccal (1920–1993, and Lionel Fogarty (born 1958. Davis, Noonuccal, and Fogarty strive poetically to draw critical attention to the particular impacts of late modernist technologies on Aboriginal people and country. In developing a critique of invasive technologies that adversely affect the environment and culture, their poetry also invokes the Aboriginal technologies that sustained (and, in places, still sustain people in reciprocal relation to country.

Challenges of user-centred assistive technology provision in Australia: shopping without a prescription.

Science.gov (United States)

Steel, Emily J; Layton, Natasha Ann; Foster, Michele M; Bennett, Sally

2016-01-01

People with disability have a right to assistive technology devices and services, to support their inclusion and participation in society. User-centred approaches aim to address consumer dissatisfaction and sub-optimal outcomes from assistive technology (AT) provision, but make assumptions of consumer literacy and empowerment. Policy discourses about consumer choice prompt careful reflection, and this paper aims to provide a critical perspective on user involvement in assistive technology provision. User-centred approaches are considered, using literature to critically reflect on what user involvement means in AT provision. Challenges at the level of interactions between practitioners and consumers, and also the level of markets and policies are discussed, using examples from Australia. There is no unanimous conceptual framework for user-centred practice. Power imbalances and differing perspectives between practitioners and consumers make it difficult for consumers to feel empowered. Online access to information and international suppliers has not surmounted information asymmetries for consumers or lifted the regulation of publicly funded AT devices. Ensuring access and equity in the public provision of AT is challenging in an expanding market with diverse stakeholders. Consumers require personalised information and support to facilitate their involvement and choice in AT provision. Implications for Rehabilitation Variations in approaches informing AT provision practices have a profound impact on equity of access and outcomes for consumers. An internationalised and online market for AT devices is increasing the need for effective information provision strategies and services. Power imbalances between practitioners and consumers present barriers to the realisation of user-centred practice.

Development of assistive technology for the visually impaired: use of the male condom

OpenAIRE

Barbosa, Giselly Oseni Laurentino; Wanderley, Luana Duarte; Reboucas, Cristiana Brasil de Almeida; Oliveira, Paula Marciana Pinheiro de; Pagliuca, Lorita Marlena Freitag

2013-01-01

The objectives were to develop and evaluate an assistive technology for the use of the male condom by visually impaired men. It was a technology development study with the participation of seven subjects. Three workshops were performed between April and May of 2010; they were all filmed and the statements of the participants were transcribed and analyzed by content. Three categories were established: Sexuality of the visually impaired; Utilization of the text, For avoiding STDs, condoms we wi...

Transfer of motor learning from virtual to natural environments in individuals with cerebral palsy.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Massetti, T; da Silva, T.D.; van der Kamp, J.; de Abreu, C.L.; Leone, C.; Savelsbergh, G.J.P.

2014-01-01

With the growing accessibility of computer-assisted technology, rehabilitation programs for individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) increasingly use virtual reality environments to enhance motor practice. Thus, it is important to examine whether performance improvements in the virtual environment

The Scope of Assistive Technology in Learning Process of Students with Blindness

Science.gov (United States)

Saleem, Saira; Sajjad, Shahida

2016-01-01

This study was carried out to investigate the scope of assistive technology in learning process of students with blindness. The sample of this study included 56 students with blindness between the ages of 11-22 years from secondary level of education. These students were selected through convenient sampling from five special schools located in…

Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Assistive Technology: Action Research Case Study of Reading Supports

Science.gov (United States)

Lindsey, Pam

2012-01-01

This descriptive action research experience with case study procedures examined the use of best practices paired with assistive technologies as interventions to individualize fiction reading instruction for a high-functioning elementary student, JB (pseudonym), diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. JB's instructional, reading goals were to…

Providing assistive technology in Italy : The perceived delivery process quality as affecting abandonment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Federici, Stefano; Borsci, Simone

2016-01-01

Purpose: The study brings together three aspects rarely observed at once in assistive technology (AT) surveys: (i) the assessment of user interaction/satisfaction with AT and service delivery, (ii) the motivational analysis of AT abandonment, and (iii) the management/design evaluation of AT delivery

Left Ventricular Assist Devices: The Adolescence of a Disruptive Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinney, Sean P

2015-10-01

Clinical outcomes for patients with advanced heart failure receiving left ventricular assist devices are driven by appropriate patient selection, refined surgical technique, and coordinated medical care. Perhaps even more important is innovative pump design. The introduction and widespread adoption of continuous-flow ventricular assist devices has led to a paradigm shift within the field of mechanical circulatory support, making the promise of lifetime device therapy closer to reality. The disruption caused by this new technology, on the one hand, produced meaningful improvements in patient survival and quality of life, but also introduced new clinical challenges, such as bleeding, pump thrombosis, and acquired valvular heart disease. Further evolution within this field will require financial investment to sustain innovation leading to a fully implantable, durable, and cost-effective pump for a larger segment of patients with advanced heart failure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The development of advanced robotics technology in high radiation environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Yong Bum; Cho, Jaiwan; Lee, Nam Ho; Choi, Young Soo; Park, Soon Yong; Lee, Jong Min; Park, Jin Suk; Kim, Seung Ho; Kim, Byung Soo; Moon, Byung Soo

1997-07-01

In the tele-operation technology using tele-presence in high radiation environment, stereo vision target tracking by centroid method, vergence control of stereo camera by moving vector method, stereo observing system by correlation method, horizontal moving axis stereo camera, and 3 dimensional information acquisition by stereo image is developed. Also, gesture image acquisition by computer vision and construction of virtual environment for remote work in nuclear power plant. In the development of intelligent control and monitoring technology for tele-robot in hazardous environment, the characteristics and principle of robot operation. And, robot end-effector tracking algorithm by centroid method and neural network method are developed for the observation and survey in hazardous environment. 3-dimensional information acquisition algorithm by structured light is developed. In the development of radiation hardened sensor technology, radiation-hardened camera module is designed and tested. And radiation characteristics of electric components is robot system is evaluated. Also 2-dimensional radiation monitoring system is developed. These advanced critical robot technology and telepresence techniques developed in this project can be applied to nozzle-dam installation /removal robot system, can be used to realize unmanned remotelization of nozzle-dam installation / removal task in steam generator of nuclear power plant, which can be contributed for people involved in extremely hazardous high radioactivity area to eliminate their exposure to radiation, enhance their task safety, and raise their working efficiency. (author). 75 refs., 21 tabs., 15 figs.

The development of advanced robotics technology in high radiation environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Yong Bum; Cho, Jaiwan; Lee, Nam Ho; Choi, Young Soo; Park, Soon Yong; Lee, Jong Min; Park, Jin Suk; Kim, Seung Ho; Kim, Byung Soo; Moon, Byung Soo.

1997-07-01

In the tele-operation technology using tele-presence in high radiation environment, stereo vision target tracking by centroid method, vergence control of stereo camera by moving vector method, stereo observing system by correlation method, horizontal moving axis stereo camera, and 3 dimensional information acquisition by stereo image is developed. Also, gesture image acquisition by computer vision and construction of virtual environment for remote work in nuclear power plant. In the development of intelligent control and monitoring technology for tele-robot in hazardous environment, the characteristics and principle of robot operation. And, robot end-effector tracking algorithm by centroid method and neural network method are developed for the observation and survey in hazardous environment. 3-dimensional information acquisition algorithm by structured light is developed. In the development of radiation hardened sensor technology, radiation-hardened camera module is designed and tested. And radiation characteristics of electric components is robot system is evaluated. Also 2-dimensional radiation monitoring system is developed. These advanced critical robot technology and telepresence techniques developed in this project can be applied to nozzle-dam installation /removal robot system, can be used to realize unmanned remotelization of nozzle-dam installation / removal task in steam generator of nuclear power plant, which can be contributed for people involved in extremely hazardous high radioactivity area to eliminate their exposure to radiation, enhance their task safety, and raise their working efficiency. (author). 75 refs., 21 tabs., 15 figs

Envisioning Science Environment Technology and Society

Science.gov (United States)

Maknun, J.; Busono, T.; Surasetja, I.

2018-02-01

Science Environment Technology and Society (SETS) approach helps students to connect science concept with the other aspects. This allows them to achieve a clearer depiction of how each concept is linked with the other concepts in SETS. Taking SETS into account will guide students to utilize science as a productive concept in inventing and developing technology, while minimizing its negative impacts on the environment and society. This article discusses the implementation of Sundanese local wisdoms, that can be found in the local stilt house (rumah panggung), in the Building Construction subject in vocational high school on Building Drawing Technique expertise. The stilt house structural system employs ties, pupurus joints, and wedges on its floor, wall, and truss frames, as well as its beams. This local knowledge was incorporated into the Building Construction learning program and applied on the following basic competences: applying wood’s specification and characteristics for building construction, managing wood’s specification and characteristics for building construction, analyzing building structure’s type and function based on their characteristics, reasoning building structure’s type and function based on their characteristics, categorizing wood construction works, and reasoning wood construction works. The research result is the Sundanese traditional-local-wisdom-based learning design of the Building Construction subject.

TELMA: Technology-enhanced learning environment for minimally invasive surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-González, Patricia; Burgos, Daniel; Oropesa, Ignacio; Romero, Vicente; Albacete, Antonio; Sánchez-Peralta, Luisa F; Noguera, José F; Sánchez-Margallo, Francisco M; Gómez, Enrique J

2013-06-01

Cognitive skills training for minimally invasive surgery has traditionally relied upon diverse tools, such as seminars or lectures. Web technologies for e-learning have been adopted to provide ubiquitous training and serve as structured repositories for the vast amount of laparoscopic video sources available. However, these technologies fail to offer such features as formative and summative evaluation, guided learning, or collaborative interaction between users. The "TELMA" environment is presented as a new technology-enhanced learning platform that increases the user's experience using a four-pillared architecture: (1) an authoring tool for the creation of didactic contents; (2) a learning content and knowledge management system that incorporates a modular and scalable system to capture, catalogue, search, and retrieve multimedia content; (3) an evaluation module that provides learning feedback to users; and (4) a professional network for collaborative learning between users. Face validation of the environment and the authoring tool are presented. Face validation of TELMA reveals the positive perception of surgeons regarding the implementation of TELMA and their willingness to use it as a cognitive skills training tool. Preliminary validation data also reflect the importance of providing an easy-to-use, functional authoring tool to create didactic content. The TELMA environment is currently installed and used at the Jesús Usón Minimally Invasive Surgery Centre and several other Spanish hospitals. Face validation results ascertain the acceptance and usefulness of this new minimally invasive surgery training environment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interviewing Objects: Including Educational Technologies as Qualitative Research Participants

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Catherine A.; Thompson, Terrie Lynn

2011-01-01

This article argues the importance of including significant technologies-in-use as key qualitative research participants when studying today's digitally enhanced learning environments. We gather a set of eight heuristics to assist qualitative researchers in "interviewing" technologies-in-use (or other relevant objects), drawing on concrete…

Examining Differences in Psychological Adjustment Problems among Children Conceived by Assisted Reproductive Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Shelton, Katherine H.; Boivin, Jacky; Hay, Dale; van den Bree, Marianne B. M.; Rice, Frances J.; Harold, Gordon T.; Thapar, Anita

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine whether there was variation in levels of psychological adjustment among children conceived through Assisted Reproductive Technologies using the parents' gametes (homologous), sperm donation, egg donation, embryo donation and surrogacy. Information was provided by parents about the psychological functioning of…

Can Technology-Assisted Instruction Improve Theoretical Awareness? The Case of Fundamental Theorem of Calculus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eyüp Sevimli

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of technology-assisted instruction on theoretical awareness in terms of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (FTC, which is one of the important issues of undergraduate mathematics. In this study which is structured with regard to multi-method approach, the impact of the teaching experiment was assessed by using qualitative data on the basis of traditional environment. The research group consists of 84 students from a mathematics teacher training department at a state university; out of these students two groups have randomly been assigned, one as the experimental group and the other as control group. The tests which were carried out before and after implementations, used for determining instructional inputs-outputs and interviews conducted for evaluating students’ way of thinking. The findings show that the students in the experimental group, compared to the before treatment, solved integral problems considering with the necessary and sufficient condition of the FTC. Even though students in the control group achieved expressing the FTC, they failed to reflect their knowledge into practice. It has been concluded that a Computer Algebra System may enable to interpret the solution processes not only more analytical but also with a visual sense in the experimental group.Keywords: Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, technology, awareness of theory

Stakeholders' views of the introduction of assistive technology in the classroom: How family-centred is Australian practice for students with cerebral palsy?

Science.gov (United States)

Karlsson, P; Johnston, C; Barker, K

2017-07-01

With family-centred care widely recognized as a cornerstone for effective assistive technology service provision, the current study was undertaken to investigate to what extent such approaches were used by schools when assistive technology assessments and implementation occurred in the classroom. In this cross-sectional study, we compare survey results from parents (n = 76), school staff (n = 33) and allied health professionals (n = 65) with experience in the use of high-tech assistive technology. Demographic characteristics and the stakeholders' perceived helpfulness and frequency attending assessment and set-up sessions were captured. To evaluate how family-centred the assistive technology services were perceived to be, the parents filled out the Measure of Processes of Care for Caregivers, and the professionals completed the Measure of Processes of Care for Service Providers. Descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance were used to conduct the data analysis. Findings show that parents are more involved during the assessment stage than during the implementation and that classroom teachers are often not involved in the initial stage. Speech pathologists in particular are seen to be to a great extent helpful when implementing assistive technology in the classroom. This study found that family-centred service is not yet fully achieved in schools despite being endorsed in early intervention and disability services for over 20 years. No statistically significant differences were found with respect to school staff and allied health professionals' roles, their years of experience working with students with cerebral palsy and the scales in the Measure of Processes of Care for Service Providers. To enhance the way technology is matched to the student and successfully implemented, classroom teachers need to be fully involved in the whole assistive technology process. The findings also point to the significance of parents' involvement, with the support of

Computer-Assisted Language Learning: Diversity in Research and Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Stockwell, Glenn, Ed.

2012-01-01

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is an approach to teaching and learning languages that uses computers and other technologies to present, reinforce, and assess material to be learned, or to create environments where teachers and learners can interact with one another and the outside world. This book provides a much-needed overview of the…

PROGRAM NETWORK FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION TEACHER SPECIAL EDUCATION IN E-LEARNING INSTITUTION COURSE OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielle Aparecida Nascimento dos Santos

2012-12-01

Full Text Available We describe the analysis of a course in distance mode for the use of Assistive Technology promoted through a Continuing Education Program for Teachers in Special Education from the Ministry of Education. Thus, we performed an analysis of documents (notices, references, manual Course: Assistive Technology, Projects and Accessibility: Promoting Inclusion School (Course TA.The course objective is to support the development of theoretical and practical knowledge to the students in attendance target of special educationin public schools.Thus, we believe that the demonstrations participant teachers are scoring on the need to participate in a process of continuous training on Special Education from the perspective of inclusive education.

Improvement of Inquiry in a Complex Technology-Enhanced Learning Environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pedaste, Margus; Kori, Külli; Maeots, Mario; de Jong, Anthonius J.M.; Riopel, Martin; Smyrnaiou, Zacharoula

2016-01-01

Inquiry learning is an effective approach in science education. Complex technology-enhanced learning environments are needed to apply inquiry worldwide to support knowledge gain and improvement of inquiry skills. In our study, we applied an ecology mission in the SCY-Lab learning environment and

Reproduction in the Genetic Age: A Proposed Scheme for the Regulation of Assisted Reproductive Technologies

OpenAIRE

Lindstrom, Laura J.

2002-01-01

In the last several years, there have been a number of advances in the area of assisted (or advanced) reproductive technology (ART) that are so fantastic that they strain the credulity of even those well-versed in medicine and science. Moreover, the potential medical, legal, psychological, and social repercussions of the applications of these technologies cause most people who hear about their use to worry somewhat about the ramifications. In fact, part of the general fear of these technologi...

Technology advancing the study of animal cognition: using virtual reality to present virtually simulated environments to investigate nonhuman primate spatial cognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolins, Francine L; Schweller, Kenneth; Milne, Scott

2017-02-01

Virtual simulated environments provide multiple ways of testing cognitive function and evaluating problem solving with humans (e.g., Woollett et al. 2009). The use of such interactive technology has increasingly become an essential part of modern life (e.g., autonomously driving vehicles, global positioning systems (GPS), and touchscreen computers; Chinn and Fairlie 2007; Brown 2011). While many nonhuman animals have their own forms of "technology", such as chimpanzees who create and use tools, in captive animal environments the opportunity to actively participate with interactive technology is not often made available. Exceptions can be found in some state-of-the-art zoos and laboratory facilities (e.g., Mallavarapu and Kuhar 2005). When interactive technology is available, captive animals often selectively choose to engage with it. This enhances the animal's sense of control over their immediate surroundings (e.g., Clay et al. 2011; Ackerman 2012). Such self-efficacy may help to fulfill basic requirements in a species' daily activities using problem solving that can involve foraging and other goal-oriented behaviors. It also assists in fulfilling the strong underlying motivation for contrafreeloading and exploration expressed behaviorally by many species in captivity (Young 1999). Moreover, being able to present nonhuman primates virtual reality environments under experimental conditions provides the opportunity to gain insight into their navigational abilities and spatial cognition. It allows for insight into the generation and application of internal mental representations of landmarks and environments under multiple conditions (e.g., small- and large-scale space) and subsequent spatial behavior. This paper reviews methods using virtual reality developed to investigate the spatial cognitive abilities of nonhuman primates, and great apes in particular, in comparison with that of humans of multiple age groups. We make recommendations about training, best

Technology advancing the study of animal cognition: using virtual reality to present virtually simulated environments to investigate nonhuman primate spatial cognition

Science.gov (United States)

Schweller, Kenneth; Milne, Scott

2017-01-01

Abstract Virtual simulated environments provide multiple ways of testing cognitive function and evaluating problem solving with humans (e.g., Woollett et al. 2009). The use of such interactive technology has increasingly become an essential part of modern life (e.g., autonomously driving vehicles, global positioning systems (GPS), and touchscreen computers; Chinn and Fairlie 2007; Brown 2011). While many nonhuman animals have their own forms of "technology", such as chimpanzees who create and use tools, in captive animal environments the opportunity to actively participate with interactive technology is not often made available. Exceptions can be found in some state-of-the-art zoos and laboratory facilities (e.g., Mallavarapu and Kuhar 2005). When interactive technology is available, captive animals often selectively choose to engage with it. This enhances the animal’s sense of control over their immediate surroundings (e.g., Clay et al. 2011; Ackerman 2012). Such self-efficacy may help to fulfill basic requirements in a species’ daily activities using problem solving that can involve foraging and other goal-oriented behaviors. It also assists in fulfilling the strong underlying motivation for contrafreeloading and exploration expressed behaviorally by many species in captivity (Young 1999). Moreover, being able to present nonhuman primates virtual reality environments under experimental conditions provides the opportunity to gain insight into their navigational abilities and spatial cognition. It allows for insight into the generation and application of internal mental representations of landmarks and environments under multiple conditions (e.g., small- and large-scale space) and subsequent spatial behavior. This paper reviews methods using virtual reality developed to investigate the spatial cognitive abilities of nonhuman primates, and great apes in particular, in comparison with that of humans of multiple age groups. We make recommendations about training

Digital literacy and problem solving in technology-rich environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vesna Dolničar

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Rapid development and progress, as well as the growing presence of information and communications technologies dictate the need for more highly developed digital skills in individuals. The paper focuses on the concepts of digital skills and problem solving in technology-rich environments. It examines these on the basis of empirical data obtained in the international study PIAAC. The introductory part presents an overview of the literature and the results of previous research in the field of measurement of digital skills, and data on the use of information society services among the EU Member States. The second part of the article refers to the results obtained in the study PIAAC. The results, confirmed by the results of other studies, showed the impact of age and education level on the problem solving in technology-rich environments. Article concludes with suggestions for improving the current state of integration of all population groups in training programs in the field of digital skills.

Older individuals' experiences during the assistive technology device service delivery process.

Science.gov (United States)

Gramstad, Astrid; Storli, Sissel Lisa; Hamran, Torunn

2014-07-01

Providing assistive technology devices to older individuals living in their ordinary homes is an important intervention to increase and sustain independence and to enable ageing at home. However, little is known about older individuals' experiences and needs in the assistive technology device (ATD) service delivery process. The purpose of this study was to investigate older individuals' experiences during the service delivery process of ATDs. Nine older individuals were interviewed three times each throughout the ATD service delivery process. The interviews were analysed within a hermeneutical phenomenological perspective. The results show that the service delivery process could be interpreted as an enigmatic journey and described using four themes: "hope and optimistic expectations", "managing after delivery or needing additional help", "having available help versus being abandoned", and "taking charge or putting up". The results emphasize the need for occupational therapists to maintain an individualized approach towards older clients throughout the service delivery process. The experiences of older individuals were diverse and related to expectations that were not necessarily articulated to the occupational therapist. The situation when the ATD is delivered to the client was highlighted by the clients as an important event with the potential to facilitate a successful service delivery process.

Technology and the Prepared Environment for the Third-Plane Child

Science.gov (United States)

Castiglione, Cynthia

2016-01-01

Cynthia Castiglione presents Near North Montessori School's (Chicago) adolescent community's approach to technology. Her framework begins with the needs of the adolescent for social independence, social acceptance, and social justice. Using that template, she defines seven keys or characteristics that make up the technological environment:…

Standard test method for determining a threshold stress intensity factor for environment-assisted cracking of metallic materials

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2003-01-01

1.1 This test method covers the determination of the environment-assisted cracking threshold stress intensity factor parameters, KIEAC and KEAC, for metallic materials from constant-force testing of fatigue precracked beam or compact fracture specimens and from constant-displacement testing of fatigue precracked bolt-load compact fracture specimens. 1.2 This test method is applicable to environment-assisted cracking in aqueous or other aggressive environments. 1.3 Materials that can be tested by this test method are not limited by thickness or by strength as long as specimens are of sufficient thickness and planar size to meet the size requirements of this test method. 1.4 A range of specimen sizes with proportional planar dimensions is provided, but size may be variable and adjusted for yield strength and applied force. Specimen thickness is a variable independent of planar size. 1.5 Specimen configurations other than those contained in this test method may be used, provided that well-established stress ...

Environment assisted degradation mechanisms in aluminum-lithium alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Gangloff, Richard P.; Stoner, Glenn E.; Swanson, Robert E.

1988-01-01

Section 1 of this report records the progress achieved on NASA-LaRC Grant NAG-1-745 (Environment Assisted Degradation Mechanisms in Al-Li Alloys), and is based on research conducted during the period April 1 to November 30, 1987. A discussion of work proposed for the project's second year is included. Section 2 provides an overview of the need for research on the mechanisms of environmental-mechanical degradation of advanced aerospace alloys based on aluminum and lithium. This research is to provide NASA with the basis necessary to permit metallurgical optimization of alloy performance and engineering design with respect to damage tolerance, long term durability and reliability. Section 3 reports on damage localization mechanisms in aqueous chloride corrosion fatigue of aluminum-lithium alloys. Section 4 reports on progress made on measurements and mechanisms of localized aqueous corrosion in aluminum-lithium alloys. Section 5 provides a detailed technical proposal for research on environmental degradation of Al-Li alloys, and the effect of hydrogen in this.

Bioenergy '97: Nordic Bioenergy Conference, market, environment and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

(Leading abstract). The conference ''Bioenergy '97: Nordic Bioenergy Conference, market, environment and technology'' took place in Oslo, Norway, 7-8 Oct 1997. The conference papers are grouped under three headings: (1) The nordic energy market. 12 papers. (2) Production and sale of biofuels. 8 papers. (3) Conversion and utilization of biofuels. With subsections New technologies, 4 papers, and Power/heat production from biofuels, 4 papers

Dialectic Antidotes to Critics of the Technology Acceptance Model: Conceptual, Methodological, and Replication Treatments for Behavioural Modelling in Technology-Mediated Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weng Marc Lim

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The technology acceptance model (TAM is a prominent and parsimonious conceptual lens that is often applied for behavioural modelling in technology-mediated environments. However, TAM has received a great deal of criticism in recent years. This article aims to address some of the most pertinent issues confronting TAM through a rejoinder that offers dialectic antidotes—in the form of conceptual, methodological, and replication treatments—to support the continued use of TAM to understand the peculiarities of user interactions with technology in technology-mediated environments. In doing so, this article offers a useful response to a common but often inadequately answered question about how TAM can continue to be relevant for behavioural modelling in contemporary technology-mediated environments.

Translation and validation of the assistive technology device predisposition assessment in Greek in order to assess satisfaction with use of the selected assistive device.

Science.gov (United States)

Koumpouros, Yiannis; Papageorgiou, Effie; Karavasili, Alexandra; Alexopoulou, Despoina

2017-07-01

To examine the Assistive Technology Device Predisposition Assessment scale and provide evidence of validity and reliability of the Greek version. We translated and adapted the original instrument in Greek according to the most well-known guidelines recommendations. Field test studies were conducted in a rehabilitation hospital to validate the appropriateness of the final results. Ratings of the different items were statistically analyzed. We recruited 115 subjects who were administered the Form E of the original questionnaire. The experimental analysis conducted revealed a three subscales structure: (i) Adaptability, (ii) Fit to Use, and (iii) Socializing. According to the results of our study the three subscales measure different constructs. Reliability measures (ICC = 0.981, Pearson's correlation = 0.963, Cronbach's α = 0.701) yielded high values. Test-retest outcome showed great stability. This is the first study, at least to the knowledge of the authors, which focuses merely on measuring the satisfaction of the users from the used assistive device, while exploring the Assistive Technology Device Predisposition Assessment - Device Form in such depth. According to the results, it is a stable, valid and reliable instrument and applicable to the Greek population. Thus, it can be used to measure the satisfaction of patients with assistive devices. Implications for Rehabilitation The paper explores the cultural adaptability and applicability of ATD PA - Device Form. ATD PA - Device Form can be used to assess user satisfaction by the selected assistive device. ATD PA - Device Form is a valid and reliable instrument in measuring users' satisfaction in Greekreality.

7th Cambridge Workshops on Universal Access and Assistive Technology

CERN Document Server

Lazar, J; Heylighen, A; Dong, H; Inclusive Designing : Joining Usability, Accessibility, and Inclusion

2014-01-01

‘Inclusive Designing’ presents the proceedings of the seventh Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology (CWUAAT '14). It represents a unique multi-disciplinary workshop for the Inclusive Design Research community where designers, computer scientists, engineers, architects, ergonomists, policymakers and user communities can exchange ideas. The research presented at CWUAAT '14 develops methods, technologies, tools and guidance that support product designers and architects to design for the widest possible population for a given range of capabilities, within a contemporary social and economic context. In the context of developing demographic changes leading to greater numbers of older people and people with disabilities, the general field of Inclusive Design Research strives to relate the capabilities of the population to the design of products. Inclusive populations of older people contain a greater variation in sensory, cognitive and physical user capabilities. These variations may be...

An Investigation of the Compensatory Effectiveness of Assistive Technology on Postsecondary Students with Learning Disabilities. Final Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Harry; Higgins, Eleanor

This final report describes the activities and accomplishments of a 3-year study on the compensatory effectiveness of three assistive technologies, optical character recognition, speech synthesis, and speech recognition, on postsecondary students (N=140) with learning disabilities. These technologies were investigated relative to: (1) immediate…

An extended view on benefits and barriers of ambient assisted living solutions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jaschinski, Christina; Allouch, S.B.

2015-01-01

Motivated by the older adults’ desire to age in their trusted home environment and the increasing financial pressure on the healthcare system, Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) technologies are designed to facilitate healthy and autonomous aging in place. To aid the acceptance of these still immature

Redefining robot based technologies for elderly people assistance: a survey

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pagliarini, Luigi; Lund, Henrik Hautop

2016-01-01

, learning-speed, efficiency, short and long-term effect, active vs. passive, etc. We do so by showing the most important existing examples, and by taking into account all the possible factors that might help researchers when thinking of developing appropriate technologies for elderly care, as well as......, for their relative assistance personnel. Indeed, while in rehabilitation robotics, a major role is played by the human-machine interface (HMI) used to gather the patient's intent from biological signals, and convert them into control signals for the robotic artefacts, surprisingly, decades of research have not yet...

Framework for dementia Quality of Life assessment with Assistive Technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peterson, Carrie Beth; Prasad, Neeli R.; Prasad, Ramjee

2010-01-01

This paper proposes a theoretical framework for a Quality of Life (QOL) evaluation tool that is sensitive, flexible, computerized, and specific to assistive technology (AT) for dementia care. Using the appropriate evaluation tool serves to improve methodologies that are used for AT assessment...... to assessing QOL is that results are subjective and difficult to analyze in an objective, empirical manner. This paper accentuates that this is not a hindrance to measuring OQL, but could be emphasized and adapted to create a precise measurement tool; the consumer voice must be sought and empowered...

Robot Vision to Monitor Structures in Invisible Fog Environments Using Active Imaging Technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Seungkyu; Park, Nakkyu; Baik, Sunghoon; Choi, Youngsoo; Jeong, Kyungmin [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-05-15

Active vision is a direct visualization technique using a highly sensitive image sensor and a high intensity illuminant. Range-gated imaging (RGI) technique providing 2D and 3D images is one of emerging active vision technologies. The RGI technique extracts vision information by summing time sliced vision images. In the RGI system, objects are illuminated for ultra-short time by a high intensity illuminant and then the light reflected from objects is captured by a highly sensitive image sensor with the exposure of ultra-short time. The RGI system provides 2D and 3D image data from several images and it moreover provides clear images from invisible fog and smoke environment by using summing of time-sliced images. Nowadays, the Range-gated (RG) imaging is an emerging technology in the field of surveillance for security applications, especially in the visualization of invisible night and fog environment. Although RGI viewing was discovered in the 1960's, this technology is, nowadays, more and more applicable by virtue of the rapid development of optical and sensor technologies, such as highly sensitive imaging sensor and ultra-short pulse laser light. In contrast to passive vision systems, this technology enables operation even in harsh environments like fog and smoke. During the past decades, several applications of this technology have been applied in target recognition and in harsh environments, such as fog, underwater vision. Also, this technology has been demonstrated 3D imaging based on range-gated imaging. In this paper, a robot system to monitor structures in invisible fog environment is developed using an active range-gated imaging technique. The system consists of an ultra-short pulse laser device and a highly sensitive imaging sensor. The developed vision system is carried out to monitor objects in invisible fog environment. The experimental result of this newly approach vision system is described in this paper. To see invisible objects in fog

Robot Vision to Monitor Structures in Invisible Fog Environments Using Active Imaging Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Seungkyu; Park, Nakkyu; Baik, Sunghoon; Choi, Youngsoo; Jeong, Kyungmin

2014-01-01

Active vision is a direct visualization technique using a highly sensitive image sensor and a high intensity illuminant. Range-gated imaging (RGI) technique providing 2D and 3D images is one of emerging active vision technologies. The RGI technique extracts vision information by summing time sliced vision images. In the RGI system, objects are illuminated for ultra-short time by a high intensity illuminant and then the light reflected from objects is captured by a highly sensitive image sensor with the exposure of ultra-short time. The RGI system provides 2D and 3D image data from several images and it moreover provides clear images from invisible fog and smoke environment by using summing of time-sliced images. Nowadays, the Range-gated (RG) imaging is an emerging technology in the field of surveillance for security applications, especially in the visualization of invisible night and fog environment. Although RGI viewing was discovered in the 1960's, this technology is, nowadays, more and more applicable by virtue of the rapid development of optical and sensor technologies, such as highly sensitive imaging sensor and ultra-short pulse laser light. In contrast to passive vision systems, this technology enables operation even in harsh environments like fog and smoke. During the past decades, several applications of this technology have been applied in target recognition and in harsh environments, such as fog, underwater vision. Also, this technology has been demonstrated 3D imaging based on range-gated imaging. In this paper, a robot system to monitor structures in invisible fog environment is developed using an active range-gated imaging technique. The system consists of an ultra-short pulse laser device and a highly sensitive imaging sensor. The developed vision system is carried out to monitor objects in invisible fog environment. The experimental result of this newly approach vision system is described in this paper. To see invisible objects in fog

Role of Mobile Technology in Promoting Campus-Wide Learning Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Irshad; Adeeb, Muhammad Aslam

2009-01-01

The present study examines the role of mobile technology in promoting campus-wide learning environment. Its main objectives were to a) evaluate the role of mobile technology in higher education in terms of its i). appropriateness ii). flexibility iii). Interactivity, & iv). availability & usefulness and to b). identify the problems of…

Assisted reproductive technology in the United States: 2001 results generated from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine/Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology registry.

Science.gov (United States)

2007-06-01

To summarize the procedures and outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) that were initiated in the United States in 2001. Data were collected electronically using the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) Clinic Outcome Reporting System software and submitted to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine/SART Registry. Three hundred eighty-five clinics submitted data on procedures performed in 2001. Data were collated after November 2002 [corrected] so that the outcomes of all pregnancies would be known. Incidence of clinical pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, abortion, stillbirth, and delivery. Programs reported initiating 108,130 cycles of ART treatment. Of these, 79,042 cycles involved IVF (with and without micromanipulation), with a delivery rate per retrieval of 31.6%; 340 were cycles of gamete intrafallopian transfer, with a delivery rate per retrieval of 21.9%; 661 were cycles of zygote intrafallopian transfer, with a delivery rate per retrieval of 31.0%. The following additional ART procedures were also initiated: 8,147 fresh donor oocyte cycles, with a delivery rate per transfer of 47.3%; 14,509 frozen ET procedures, with a delivery rate per transfer of 23.5%; 3,187 frozen ETs employing donated oocytes or embryos, with a delivery rate per transfer of 27.4%; and 1,366 cycles using a host uterus, with a delivery rate per transfer of 38.7%. In addition, 112 cycles were reported as combinations of more than one treatment type, 8 cycles as research, and 85 as embryo banking. As a result of all procedures, 29,585 deliveries were reported, resulting in 41,168 neonates. In 2001, there were more programs reporting ART treatment and a significant increase in reported cycles compared with 2000.

Environmentally assisted cracking mechanisms in repository environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mills, W.J.

1987-02-01

This paper assesses how environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) mechanisms in candidate container materials can be identified to enhance the accuracy of long-term projections of performance in the repository. In low and intermediate strength steels, the role of the two principal mechanisms, slip dissolution/film rupture (SD/FR) and hydrogen embrittlement (HE), is a very complex and controversial issue. No unanimity exists concerning the operative cracking mechanisms, and there is no unique or rigorous approach that would be persuasive in selecting an appropriate model. Both of the proposed mechanisms have common rate controlling processes such as surface adsorption rate, passivation rate, and oxidation rupture rate, which makes it difficult to identify the operative mechanism. Development of a quantitative model for predicting environmental effects for low-carbon steels in repository environments would provide a theoretical basis for assuring the long-term structural integrity of waste-package containment. To date, only one quantitative model has been developed. The agreement between predicted and observed behavior suggests that SD/FR processes control the environmental acceleration in crack growth rates for this class of materials. Deviations from predicted behavior due to HE effects should be uncovered experimentally. 59 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs

Facilitators and barriers to adopting robotic-assisted surgery: contextualizing the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christine Benmessaoud

Full Text Available Robotic-assisted surgical techniques are not yet well established among surgeon practice groups beyond a few surgical subspecialties. To help identify the facilitators and barriers to their adoption, this belief-elicitation study contextualized and supplemented constructs of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT in robotic-assisted surgery. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 21 surgeons comprising two groups: users and nonusers. The main facilitators to adoption were Perceived Usefulness and Facilitating Conditions among both users and nonusers, followed by Attitude Toward Using Technology among users and Extrinsic Motivation among nonusers. The three main barriers to adoption for both users and nonusers were Perceived Ease of Use and Complexity, Perceived Usefulness, and Perceived Behavioral Control. This study's findings can assist surgeons, hospital and medical school administrators, and other policy makers on the proper adoption of robotic-assisted surgery and can guide future research on the development of theories and framing of hypotheses.

Facilitators and Barriers to Adopting Robotic-Assisted Surgery: Contextualizing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology

Science.gov (United States)

BenMessaoud, Christine; Kharrazi, Hadi; MacDorman, Karl F.

2011-01-01

Robotic-assisted surgical techniques are not yet well established among surgeon practice groups beyond a few surgical subspecialties. To help identify the facilitators and barriers to their adoption, this belief-elicitation study contextualized and supplemented constructs of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) in robotic-assisted surgery. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 21 surgeons comprising two groups: users and nonusers. The main facilitators to adoption were Perceived Usefulness and Facilitating Conditions among both users and nonusers, followed by Attitude Toward Using Technology among users and Extrinsic Motivation among nonusers. The three main barriers to adoption for both users and nonusers were Perceived Ease of Use and Complexity, Perceived Usefulness, and Perceived Behavioral Control. This study's findings can assist surgeons, hospital and medical school administrators, and other policy makers on the proper adoption of robotic-assisted surgery and can guide future research on the development of theories and framing of hypotheses. PMID:21283719

The next step: intelligent digital assistance for clinical operating rooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miehle Juliana

2017-08-01

Full Text Available With the emergence of new technologies, the surgical working environment becomes increasingly complex and comprises many medical devices that have to be taken cared of. However, the goal is to reduce the workload of the surgical team to allow them to fully focus on the actual surgical procedure. Therefore, new strategies are needed to keep the working environment manageable. Existing research projects in the field of intelligent medical environments mostly concentrate on workflow modeling or single smart features rather than building up a complete intelligent environment. In this article, we present the concept of intelligent digital assistance for clinical operating rooms (IDACO, providing the surgeon assistance in many different situations before and during an ongoing procedure using natural spoken language. The speech interface enables the surgeon to concentrate on the surgery and control the technical environment at the same time, without taking care of how to interact with the system. Furthermore, the system observes the context of the surgery and controls several devices autonomously at the appropriate time during the procedure.

Robotic assistants for universal access

OpenAIRE

Keates, Simeon; Kyberd, Peter J.

2017-01-01

Much research is now focusing on how technology is moving away from the traditional computer to a range of smart devices in smart environments, the so-called Internet of Things. With this increase in computing power and decrease in form factor, we are approaching the possibility of a new generation of robotic assistants able to perform a range of tasks and activities to support all kinds of users. However, history shows that unless care is taken early in the design process, the users who may ...

Students’ Views about the Problem Based Collaborative Learning Environment Supported By Dynamic Web Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erhan ÜNAL

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to design a problem based collaborative learning environment supported by dynamic web technologies and examine students’ views about this learning environment. The study was designed as a qualitative research. 36 students who took Object Oriented Programming I-II course from a public university at the department of computer programming participated in the study. During the research process, the Object Oriented Programming I-II course was designed with incorporating different dynamic web technologies (Edmodo, Google Services, and Mind42 and Nelson (1999’s collaborative problem solving method. At the end of the course, there were focus group interviews in regards to the students’ views on a learning environment supported by dynamic web technologies and collaborative problem solving method. At the end of the focus group interviews, 4 themes were obtained from the students’ views, including positive aspects of the learning environment, difficulties faced in the learning environment, advantages of the learning environment, and skills gained as a result of the project. The results suggest that problem based collaborative learning methods and dynamic web technologies can be used in learning environments in community colleges.

Personalized Monitoring and Assistive Systems: Case Study of Efficient Home Solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lhotska, Lenka; Doležal, Jaromír; Adolf, Jindřich; Potůček, Jiří; Křížek, Miroslav; Chbani, Baha

2018-01-01

The rapid emergence and proliferation of connected medical devices and their application in healthcare are already part of the Healthcare Internet of Things (IoT) - as this area started to be named. Their true impact on patient care and other aspects of healthcare remains to be seen and is highly dependent on the quality and relevancy of the data acquired. There is also the trend of application of IoT in telemedicine and home care environment. Currently many research groups focus on design and development of various solutions that can assist elderly and handicapped people in their home environment. However, many of these solutions are sophisticated and require advanced users that are able to control the device, handle error states and exceptions. They are frequently using expensive technologies that are good for laboratory environment but they are not affordable for many elderly or handicapped persons. In the paper we will analyze the current situation, present identified needs of elderly population and propose potential solutions. On a case study of efficient home solution of a personalized and assistive system we will show possibilities of technologically simple solutions using off-the-shelf devices and elements.

A Self-Assessment Framework for Inclusive Schools Supporting Assistive Technology Users.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoogerwerf, Evert-Jan; Solander-Gross, Andrea; Mavrou, Katerina; Traina, Ivan; Hersh, Marion

2017-01-01

In order to support schools to assess their performance in supporting children with disabilities in their ICT and ICT-AT needs, a self-assessment framework was developed by a task force of partners and associate partners of the ENTELIS project. The self-assessment tool aims to help educational establishments that welcome learners with disabilities to assess their current outcomes and to plan improvements in supporting these students in increasing digital literacy and developing digital skills. This includes the use of mainstream Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and specially designed digital Assistive Technologies (ICT-AT). This can only successfully happen if schools fully embrace an inclusive approach to education. In this paper the authors describe the development of the framework and the further steps for its use.

The Effect of a Graph-Oriented Computer-Assisted Project-Based Learning Environment on Argumentation Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, P. -S.; Van Dyke, M.; Chen, Y.; Smith, T. J.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to explore how seventh graders in a suburban school in the United States developed argumentation skills and science knowledge in a project-based learning environment that incorporated a graph-oriented, computer-assisted application. A total of 54 students (three classes) comprised this treatment…

Planning report for establishment of research infrastructure for national advanced radiation technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuk, Il Hyun; Byun, Myung Woo; Lee, Ju Woon

2005-04-01

Establishment of research infrastructure and assistant of industry renovation is needed to achieve technology level-up in the all industry areas including plant engineering, material engineering, polymers, nondestructive tests, radioisotope tracer application, environment engineering, medical science, agriculture, sterilization, sprouting, biotechnology and aerospace, which would be the core motivation of our future industry. Especially for early settlement of research environment for the new RT-specialized national institute, Advanced Radiation Technology Institute (ARTI) in Jeongup, Chonbuk, Korea is essential. For this purpose, an intensive system construction is demanded including: 1) Area of establishment of the system assisting radiation technology advancement: It is expected that radioisotope production for industrial or medical uses and activation of the related researches and training of experts by manufacture, installation, and operation of 30 MeV cyclotron. It also can be contributed in the promotion of national radiation related science and technology by establishment of a basic and advanced analysis system. 2) Area of establishment of training and education system of RT experts. 3) Area of establishment of a system for technological assistance for industry and industry-university-institute network. Contribution to balanced regional development and promotion of national RT-based science through establishment of RT industry cluster with Advanced Radiation Technology Institute (ARTi) at Jeongup as the center figure

Promoting renewable energy technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grenaa Jensen, S.

2004-06-01

Technologies using renewable energy sources are receiving increasing interest from both public authorities and power producing companies, mainly because of the environmental advantages they procure in comparison with conventional energy sources. These technologies can be substitution for conventional energy sources and limit damage to the environment. Furthermore, several of the renewable energy technologies satisfy an increasing political goal of self-sufficiency within energy production. The subject of this thesis is promotion of renewable technologies. The primary goal is to increase understanding on how technological development takes place, and establish a theoretical framework that can assist in the construction of policy strategies including instruments for promotion of renewable energy technologies. Technological development is analysed by through quantitative and qualitative methods. (BA)

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) in humans: facts and uncertainties.

Science.gov (United States)

Ménézo, Y J; Veiga, A; Pouly, J L

2000-01-15

Since the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) in human, the number of patients using Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) has increased tremendously. ART technologies have increased in number and their spectrum has also widened. The first IVF babies are now more than 20 years old. All the retrospective analyses have demonstrated that the obstetrical and pediatrical impact has not really affected single births. The main problems observed occur with multiple pregnancies, including high costs for the couples and for society. The decrease in the number of embryos transferred has improved the situation and moreover does not impair the final results. IntraCytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a more debatable and questionable technique with a real negative genetic impact. The main problem is chromosome abnormalities more specifically related to the sex chromosomes. The question of a systematic genetic work-up on the patients entering ICSI programs is discussed. No negative impact of cryopreservation has been demonstrated even though some controversy arises from time to time. Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is now a interesting tool for patients carrying genetic defects. Blastocyst biopsy now has a future role in reproductive medicine. Gender selection through sperm sorting is also now a reality. As with the other developing bio-technologies related to reproduction, there are ethical questions. The decisions concerning these technologies do not belong solely to scientists but are rather a matter for society to decide.

Videocirurgia colorretal com assistência robótica: o próximo passo? Robotic assisted colorrectal surgery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergio Eduardo Alonso Araujo

2008-09-01

Full Text Available O desenvolvimento de técnicas minimamente invasivas é um dos mais importantes avanços da cirurgia colorretal. A assistência robótica integra o arsenal de técnicas em cirurgia minimamente invasiva, e vem sendo aplicado em cirurgia colorretal por um restrito grupo de cirurgiões em alguns centros ao redor do mundo com resultados iniciais que merecem atenção. O objetivo do presente estudo é analisar os resultados do emprego da assistência robótica em videocirurgia colorretal. Dentre as vantagens associadas ao emprego de robôs em videocirurgia colorretal, figuram o incremento na precisão dos movimentos e a visão tridimensional. A experiência clínica é ainda pequena, e advém de uma série de casos e estudos comparativos com a videocirurgia colorretal sem assistência robótica com ainda pequeno número de casos. A dissecção pélvica com incremento da preservação autonômica parece ser a maior vantagem associada à assistência robótica em videocirurgia colorretal. Somente através do treinamento de um número mais representativo de cirurgiões colorretais, bem como com a expansão da experiência clínica será possível prever com maior precisão o papel da assistência robótica em videocirurgia colorretal.The development of minimally invasive surgical techniques represents an important aspect of modern surgical research. Robot-assisted minimally invasive colorectal surgery represents a way of assisting laparoscopic colorectal procedures. Robotic technology overcomes some of these limitations by successfully providing intuitive motion and enhanced precision and accuracy, in an environment that is much more ergonomic. A restrict number of surgeons in specialized centers around the world have been applying robotics. In this review, current evidence about different technologies and its place in colorectal surgery is evaluated. The feasibility of performing robot-assisted colorectal operations has been demonstrated though case

Review of the models and mechanisms for environmentally-assisted crack growth of pressure vessel and piping steels in PWR environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cullen, W.; Gabetta, G.; Hanninen, H.

1985-12-01

The crack-tip micromechanisms and the computational models for environmentally-assisted cracking in pressure vessel and piping steels in high-temperature, low-oxygen (PWR), reactor-grade water are described and evaluated in this report. The report begins with a brief description of the critical variables which are known to affect environmentally-assisted subcritical cracking in these metal/environment systems. The micromechanistic models are discussed in some detail, with anodic dissolution and hydrogen assistance being the prime candidates for the successful explanation of the observed phenomena. The anodic dissolution model offers far better quantification of the environmentally-assisted crack growth rates, but tends to overpredict the rates for a large number of conditions. The hydrogen assistance models qualitatively could account for a wider range of effects, but quantification of the model is virtually nonexistent. A variety of calculational models are in various stages of development; all of them are far from use as a predictive tool. Crack-tip strain rate models have received the most attention, and the approach to their use has been to partition the environmentally-assisted growth rates into a mechanically-driven component, with the environmental enhancement superposed. The environment component is then correlated with a calculated crack-tip strain rate. 141 refs., 59 figs

Using nuclear technology for peace and environment...with open systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, David.

1990-01-01

Prior to the formation of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) in 1987, research was oriented towards the long term. There were no formal project objectives and little project accountability. Under the new organization, all projects are measured on the basis of cost and timeliness, as well as on the achievement of the research objectives. To assist in the implementation of this new objectives ANSTO is introducing a new financial information management system (FIMS). In addition to its main functions, the system will serve as the vehicle for software development in areas such as artifical intelligence and in text facilities for the Ingres database, and will be vital in the development of the Business and Technology Park aimed to provide a means for emerging technology-based Australian industries to have access to the resources of ANSTO. ills

Using nuclear technology for peace and environment. with open systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cook, David

1990-03-01

Prior to the formation of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) in 1987, research was oriented towards the long term. There were no formal project objectives and little project accountability. Under the new organization, all projects are measured on the basis of cost and timeliness, as well as on the achievement of the research objectives. To assist in the implementation of this new objectives ANSTO is introducing a new financial information management system (FIMS). In addition to its main functions, the system will serve as the vehicle for software development in areas such as artifical intelligence and in text facilities for the Ingres database, and will be vital in the development of the Business and Technology Park aimed to provide a means for emerging technology-based Australian industries to have access to the resources of ANSTO. ills.

The Impact of Assistive Technology on Curriculum Accommodation for a Braille-Reading Student

Science.gov (United States)

Farnsworth, Charles R.; Luckner, John L.

2008-01-01

Over 5 months, the authors evaluated the efficacy of electronic assistive technology (the BrailleNote mPower BT-32 notetaker and Tiger Cub Jr. embosser) and associated software components in creating curriculum materials for a middle school Braille-reading student. The authors collected data at the beginning and end of the study from parents,…

The school inclusion and use of assistive technology with myelomeningocele sequelae students: a view of the teachers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline Penteado Assis

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Myelomeningocele is a congenital malformation that affects the fetus during pregnancy. It can causes numerous consequences for the development of the child and consequently in their schooling process. So, there are several challenges that can be experienced by these children in their inclusion at school. The use of assistive technology in the school context has been implanted with goal to high from the functional abilities of these students. In Brazil are conducted a lot of studies to know the reality of children with myelomeningocele. Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate, from the teacher ́s perspective of regular and multifunctional class, as was the process of schooling for students with myelomeningocele sequelae and resource utilization of assistive technology in the school context. The participants of this research were seven teachers and four students with myelomeningocele sequels enclosed in regular scholl.The researcher confectioned the instruments used in interviews. Data were analyzed using content of interview analysis. The results reveal that there are present challenges for inclusion of students with myelomeningocele sequelae and that teachers did not use assistive technology resources at school. It is considered that for the real practice of educational inclusion of these students the knowledge about meningomyelocele and various technologies that can be used in the school context must be published.

Vacuum science, technology, and applications

CERN Document Server

Naik, Pramod K

2018-01-01

Vacuum plays an important role in science and technology. The study of interaction of charged particles, neutrals and radiation with each other and with solid surfaces requires a vacuum environment for reliable investigations. Vacuum has contributed immensely to advancements made in nuclear science, space, metallurgy, electrical/electronic technology, chemical engineering, transportation, robotics and many other fields. This book is intended to assist students, scientists, technicians and engineers to understand the basics of vacuum science and technology for application in their projects. The fundamental theories, concepts, devices, applications, and key inventions are discussed.

Developing Computer-Assisted Instruction Multimedia For Educational Technology Course of Coastal Area Students

Science.gov (United States)

Idris, Husni; Nurhayati, Nurhayati; Satriani, Satriani

2018-05-01

This research aims to a) identify instructional software (interactive multimedia CDs) by developing Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) multimedia that is eligible to be used in the instruction of the Educational Technology course; b) analysis the role of instructional software (interactive multimedia CDs) on the Educational Technology course through the development of Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) multimedia to improve the quality of education and instructional activities. This is Research and Development (R&D). It employed the descriptive procedural model of development, which outlines the steps to be taken to develop a product, which is instructional multimedia. The number of subjects of the research trial or respondents for each stage was 20 people. To maintain development quality, an expert in materials outside the materials under study, an expert in materials who is also a Educational Technology lecturer, a small groupof 3 students, a medium-sized group of 10 students, and 20 students to participate in the field testing took part in this research. Then, data collection instruments were developed in two stages, namely: a) developing the instruments; and b) trying out instruments. Data on students’ responses were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics with percentage and categorization techniques. Based on data analysis results, it is revealed that the Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) multimedia developed and tried out among students during the preliminary field testing falls into the “Good” category, with the aspects of instruction, materials, and media falling into the “Good” category. Subsequently, results of the main field testing among students also suggest that it falls into the “Good” category, with the aspects of instruction, materials, and media falling into the “Good” category. Similarly, results of the operational field testing among students also suggest that it falls into the �

Advanced maternal age: ethical and medical considerations for assisted reproductive technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Brittany J; Hilton, Tara N; Rivière, Raphaël N; Ferraro, Zachary M; Deonandan, Raywat; Walker, Mark C

2017-01-01

This review explores the ethical and medical challenges faced by women of advanced maternal age who decide to have children. Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) make post-menopausal pregnancy physiologically plausible, however, one must consider the associated physical, psychological, and sociological factors involved. A quasi-systematic review was conducted in PubMed and Ovid using the key terms post-menopause, pregnancy + MeSH terms [donations, hormone replacement therapy, assisted reproductive technologies, embryo donation, donor artificial insemination, cryopreservation]. Overall, 28 papers encompassing two major themes (ethical and medical) were included in the review. There are significant ethical considerations and medical (maternal and fetal) complications related to pregnancy in peri- and post-menopausal women. When examining the ethical and sociological perspective, the literature portrays an overall positive attitude toward pregnancy in advanced maternal age. With respect to the medical complications, the general consensus in the evaluated studies suggests that there is greater risk of complication for spontaneous pregnancy when the mother is older (eg, >35 years old). This risk can be mitigated by careful medical screening of the mother and the use of ARTs in healthy women. In these instances, a woman of advanced maternal age who is otherwise healthy can carry a pregnancy with a similar risk profile to that of her younger counterparts when using donated oocytes.

Work of scientific and technological information under network environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Yingxi; Huang Daifu; Yang Lifeng

2010-01-01

With the development of internet and information technology, the work of scientific and technological information is faced with great challenge. This article expounds the new changes of scientific and technological information in enterprise under network environment by giving a minute description on the situation the work faced and characteristic of the work. Not only does it carry out enthusiastic discussion upon problems which are present in the work of scientific and technological information in the company, but puts forward proposals and specific measures as well. Service theory is also offered by adjusting and reforming the resources construction, service ways and the job of providing contents. We should take vigorous action to the research work of scientific and technological information, changing the information directional service into knowledge providing service. (authors)

Surveying wearable human assistive technology for life and safety critical applications: standards, challenges and opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, Muhammad Mahtab; Ben Hamida, Elyes

2014-05-23

In this survey a new application paradigm life and safety for critical operations and missions using wearable Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) technology is introduced. This paradigm has a vast scope of applications, including disaster management, worker safety in harsh environments such as roadside and building workers, mobile health monitoring, ambient assisted living and many more. It is often the case that during the critical operations and the target conditions, the existing infrastructure is either absent, damaged or overcrowded. In this context, it is envisioned that WBANs will enable the quick deployment of ad-hoc/on-the-fly communication networks to help save many lives and ensuring people's safety. However, to understand the applications more deeply and their specific characteristics and requirements, this survey presents a comprehensive study on the applications scenarios, their context and specific requirements. It explores details of the key enabling standards, existing state-of-the-art research studies, and projects to understand their limitations before realizing aforementioned applications. Application-specific challenges and issues are discussed comprehensively from various perspectives and future research and development directions are highlighted as an inspiration for new innovative solutions. To conclude, this survey opens up a good opportunity for companies and research centers to investigate old but still new problems, in the realm of wearable technologies, which are increasingly evolving and getting more and more attention recently.

Spray deposition inside tree canopies from a newly developed variable-rate air assisted sprayer

Science.gov (United States)

Conventional spray applications in orchards and ornamental nurseries are not target-oriented, resulting in significant waste of pesticides and contamination of the environment. To address this problem, a variable-rate air-assisted sprayer implementing laser scanning technology was developed to apply...

Gestational carrier in assisted reproductive technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Murugappan, Gayathree; Farland, Leslie V; Missmer, Stacey A; Correia, Katharine F; Anchan, Raymond M; Ginsburg, Elizabeth S

2018-03-01

To compare clinical outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles with the use of gestational carriers (GCs) with non-GC IVF cycles. Retrospective cohort study of assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles performed with (24,269) and without (1,313,452) the use of a GC. ART centers. Infertile patients seeking IVF with or without use of a GC. Autologous and donor oocyte cycles, fresh and cryopreserved embryo transfer cycles. Live birth rate (LBR), twin and high-order multiple birth rates. Approximately 2% of embryo transfers used a GC. Per embryo transfer, GCs had greater pregnancy rate and LBR across all IVF types compared with non-GC cycles in crude models and models adjusted a priori for potential confounders. For women with uterine-factor infertility, embryo transfer with the use of a GC resulted in a higher odds of live birth for autologous fresh embryos and for cryopreserved embryos compared with patients with non-uterine-factor infertility diagnoses. GC benefits LBRs for some patients seeking ART. The highest LBRs occurred when the indication for GC was uterine-factor infertility. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Trends of racial disparities in assisted reproductive technology outcomes in black women compared with white women: Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology 1999 and 2000 vs. 2004-2006.

Science.gov (United States)

Seifer, David B; Zackula, Rosey; Grainger, David A

2010-02-01

To determine trends in assisted reproductive technology (ART) in black and white women by comparing Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) database outcomes for 2004-2006 with previously reported outcomes for 1999 and 2000. Retrospective, cohort study. The SART member clinics that performed at least 50 cycles of IVF and reported race in more than 95% of cycles. Women receiving 158,693 IVF cycles. In vitro fertilization using nondonor embryos. Live birth rate per cycle started. Reporting of race increased from 52% to 60%. The proportion of black, non-Hispanic (BNH) women increased from 4.6% to 6.5%. For BNH women using fresh embryos and no prior ART, significant increasing trends were observed for older age, male factor, uterine factor, diminished ovarian reserve, and ovulation disorders. The BNH women were 2.5 times more likely to have tubal factor for those cycles with no prior ART. The proportion of live births per cycle started increased across all groups over time, although greater increases occurred for white women. There seems to be widening disparities in IVF outcomes between BNH and white women, perhaps attributable to poor prognostic factors among black women. Race continues to be a marker for prognosis for ART outcomes and should be reported. Copyright 2010 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using RFID Positioning Technology to Construct an Automatic Rehabilitation Scheduling Mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ching-Sheng; Hung, Lun-Ping; Yen, Neil Y

2016-01-01

Accurately and efficiently identifying the location of patients during the course of rehabilitation is an important issue. Wireless transmission technology can reach this goal. Tracking technologies such as RFID (Radio frequency identification) can support process improvement and improve efficiencies of rehabilitation. There are few published models or methods to solve the problem of positioning and apply this technology in the rehabilitation center. We propose a mechanism to enhance the accuracy of positioning technology and provide information about turns and obstacles on the path; and user-centered services based on location-aware to enhanced quality care in rehabilitation environment. This paper outlines the requirements and the role of RFID in assisting rehabilitation environment. A prototype RFID hospital support tool is established. It is designed to provide assistance for monitoring rehabilitation patients. It can simultaneously calculate the rehabilitant's location and the duration of treatment, and automatically record the rehabilitation course of the rehabilitant, so as to improve the management efficiency of the rehabilitation program.

A model for assessing information technology effectiveness in the business environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Cristina Riascos Erazo

2008-05-01

Full Text Available The impact of technology on administrative processes has improved business strategies (especially regarding the e-ffect of information technology - IT, often leading to organisational success. Its effectiveness in this environment was thus modelled due to such importance; this paper describes studying a series of models aimed at assessing IT, its ad-vantages and disadvantages. A model is proposed involving different aspects for an integral assessment of IT effecti-veness and considering administrative activities’ particular characteristics. This analytical study provides guidelines for identifying IT effectiveness in a business environment and current key strategies in technological innovation. This stu-dy was based on ISO 9126, ISO 9001, ISO 15939 and ISO 25000 standards as well as COBIT and CMM stan-dards.

Features of state industrial policy under imperfect technological and institutional environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denisov Igor Vladimirovich

2011-07-01

Full Text Available For all countries with imperfect technology and the institutional environment (low culture and organization of production, high levels of corruption, the small middle class, not necessarily the execution of laws, etc., even such strong measures to support the economy like a direct financing of firms and territories, protectionism, stimulation of demand, etc. does not give significant effect. For Russia, which objectively have to be attributed to such countries, extremely relevant management system development, capable of overcoming difficulties, starting with the knees and the resistance of the imperfect (bad technological and institutional environment. Several theoretical solutions recently obtained through the development of the theory of economic-technological development of civilization, can create the mechanism and conditions of such a system.

Plasma assisted surface coating/modification processes: An emerging technology

Science.gov (United States)

Spalvins, T.

1986-01-01

A broad understanding of the numerous ion or plasma assisted surface coating/modification processes is sought. An awareness of the principles of these processes is needed before discussing in detail the ion nitriding technology. On the basis of surface modifications arising from ion or plasma energizing and interactions, it can be broadly classified as deposition of distinct overlay coatings (sputtering-dc, radio frequency, magnetron, reactive; ion plating-diode, triode) and surface property modification without forming a discrete coating (ion implantation, ion beam mixing, laser beam irradiation, ion nitriding, ion carburizing, plasma oxidation). These techniques offer a great flexibility and are capable in tailoring desirable chemical and structural surface properties independent of the bulk properties.

Plasma assisted surface coating/modification processes - An emerging technology

Science.gov (United States)

Spalvins, T.

1987-01-01

A broad understanding of the numerous ion or plasma assisted surface coating/modification processes is sought. An awareness of the principles of these processes is needed before discussing in detail the ion nitriding technology. On the basis of surface modifications arising from ion or plasma energizing and interactions, it can be broadly classified as deposition of distinct overlay coatings (sputtering-dc, radio frequency, magnetron, reactive; ion plating-diode, triode) and surface property modification without forming a discrete coating (ion implantation, ion beam mixing, laser beam irradiation, ion nitriding, ion carburizing, plasma oxidation. These techniques offer a great flexibility and are capable in tailoring desirable chemical and structural surface properties independent of the bulk properties.

Influences on students' assistive technology use at school: the views of classroom teachers, allied health professionals, students with cerebral palsy and their parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Karlsson, Petra; Johnston, Christine; Barker, Katrina

2017-09-07

This study explored how classroom teachers, allied health professionals, students with cerebral palsy, and their parents view high-tech assistive technology service delivery in the classroom. Semi-structured interviews with six classroom teachers and six parents and their children were conducted. Additionally, two focus groups comprising 10 occupational therapists and six speech pathologists were carried out. Ethical and confidentiality considerations meant that the groups were not matched. Results revealed that it is often untrained staff member who determine students' educational needs. The participants' experiences suggested that, particularly in mainstream settings, there is a need for support and guidance from a professional with knowledge of assistive technology who can also take a lead and guide classroom teachers in how to meet students' needs. Students' motivation to use the technology was also found to be critical for its successful uptake. The study points to the need for classroom teachers to be given sufficient time and skill development opportunities to enable them to work effectively with assistive technology in the classroom. The participants' experiences suggest that such opportunities are not generally forthcoming. Only in this way can it be ensured that students with disabilities receive the education that is their right. Implications for Rehabilitation Classroom teachers, allied health professionals, students, parents need ongoing support and opportunities to practise operational, strategic and linguistic skills with the assistive technology equipment. System barriers to the uptake of assistive technology need to be addressed. To address the lack of time available for training, programing and other support activities around assistive technology, dedicated administrative support is crucial. Professional development around the use of the quality low cost ICF-CY checklist is recommended for both school and allied health staff.

Pacific Northwest Laboratory annual report for 1987 to the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health: Part 5: Environment, safety, health, and quality assurance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faust, L.G.; Steelman, B.L.; Selby, J.M.

1988-02-01

Part 5 of the 1987 Annual Report to the US Department of Energy's Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health presents Pacific Northwest Laboratory's progress on work performed for the Office of Nuclear Safety, the Office of Environmental Guidance and Compliance, the Office of Environmental Audit, and the Office of National Environmental Policy Act Project Assistance. For each project, as identified by the Field Work Proposal, articles describe progress made during fiscal year 1987. Authors of these articles represent a broad spectrum of capabilities derived from five of the seven technical centers of the Laboratory, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the work

Volatile Environments with Virtualisation Technologies

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2016-01-01

Sometimes our job or even our interest to learn something new, requires from us to install a lot of different software to allow a specific program to run on our operating system. This (in the best case) might just prohibit your program to run due to conflicts between different library or language versions; in the worst case your operating system will start becoming full of junk and later on will be slow and insecure. In this course we will explore two relatively new but very well established virtualisation technologies: Vagrant and Docker and how those tools can help us to keep a tidy, exportable and transferable developing environment on our home or work computer.

Assistive Technology Competencies of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments: A Comparison of Perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Li; Smith, Derrick W.; Parker, Amy T.; Griffin-Shirley, Nora

2011-01-01

This study surveyed teachers of students with visual impairments in Texas on their perceptions of a set of assistive technology competencies developed for teachers of students with visual impairments by Smith and colleagues (2009). Differences in opinion between practicing teachers of students with visual impairments and Smith's group of…

Endoscopic and keyhole endoscope-assisted neurosurgical approaches: a qualitative survey on technical challenges and technological solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Marcus, Hani J; Cundy, Thomas P; Hughes-Hallett, Archie; Yang, Guang-Zhong; Darzi, Ara; Nandi, Dipankar

2014-10-01

The literature reflects a resurgence of interest in endoscopic and keyhole endoscope-assisted neurosurgical approaches as alternatives to conventional microsurgical approaches in carefully selected cases. The aim of this study was to assess the technical challenges of neuroendoscopy, and the scope for technological innovations to overcome these barriers. All full members of the Society of British Neurosurgeons (SBNS) were electronically invited to participate in an online survey. The open-ended structured survey asked three questions; firstly, whether the surgeon presently utilises or has experience with endoscopic or endoscope-assisted approaches; secondly, what they consider to be the major technical barriers to adopting such approaches; and thirdly, what technological advances they foresee improving safety and efficacy in the field. Responses were subjected to a qualitative research method of multi-rater emergent theme analysis. Three clear themes emerged: 1) surgical approach and better integration with image-guidance systems (20%), 2) intra-operative visualisation and improvements in neuroendoscopy (49%), and 3) surgical manipulation and improvements in instruments (74%). The analysis of responses to our open-ended survey revealed that although opinion was varied three major themes could be identified. Emerging technological advances such as augmented reality, high-definition stereo-endoscopy, and robotic joint-wristed instruments may help overcome the technical difficulties associated with neuroendoscopic approaches. Results of this qualitative survey provide consensus amongst the technology end-user community such that unambiguous goals and priorities may be defined. Systems integrating these advances could improve the safety and efficacy of endoscopic and endoscope-assisted neurosurgical approaches.

Improving University Students' Science-Technology-Society-Environment Competencies

Science.gov (United States)

Yalaki, Yalçin

2016-01-01

Science, Technology, Society, Environment (STSE) is an education movement that started and developed from 70s through early 2000s. Although this movement had lost emphasis in recent years, it is one of the most important educational reform attempts in science education history. Today, concepts like Socio Scientific Issues (SSI) or Science,…

Impact of assisted reproductive technology on the incidence of multiple-gestation infants: a population perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scholten, Irma; Chambers, Georgina M.; van Loendersloot, Laura; van der Veen, Fulco; Repping, Sjoerd; Gianotten, Judith; Hompes, Peter G. A.; Ledger, William; Mol, Ben W. J.

2015-01-01

To study the value of a population view in assessing assisted reproductive technology (ART) multiple-gestation infants. Descriptive comparison of ART treatment and population statistics in seven developed countries (United States [U.S.], South Korea, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia,

Perinatal outcomes of pregnancies conceived by assisted reproductive technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Šljivančanin Tamara

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Recent epidemiological studies showed significantly higher incidence of perinatal complications in newborns and women after the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART. Multiple pregnancies are more frequent after the use of ART. Singleton pregnancies following ART are more prone to preterm birth, low and very low birth weight (LBW and VLBW, small for gestational age (SGA and perinatal mortality. Objective. The aim of this study was to summarize the results of relevant articles and to evaluate whether the mode of conception is the determining factor for different pregnancy outcomes after assisted and natural conceptions. Methods. Eleven studies were included in this review. The following outcomes were observed: preterm and very preterm birth, SGA, LBW, VLBW, perinatal mortality, admission to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU, and Apgar score (As ≤7 at fifth minute. Qualitative analysis and quantitative assessment were performed. Results. For singletons, odds ratios were 1.794 (95% confidence interval 1.660-1.939 for preterm birth, 1.649 (1.301-2.089 for LBW, 1.265 (1.048-1.527 for SGA. Admission to NICU, As≤7 at fifth minute and perinatal mortality showed significantly different frequency after assisted conception. Summary of results for twin gestations showed no significant difference between ART and spontaneous conception for preterm birth (32-36 weeks, very preterm birth (<32 weeks, LBW and VLBW. Conclusion. Analyzed studies showed that infants from ART have significantly worse perinatal outcome compared with natural conception. More observational studies should be conducted in order to establish the exact mechanism leading to more frequent perinatal morbidity and mortality after the use of ART.

Language Learning in Virtual Reality Environments: Past, Present, and Future

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Tsun-Ju; Lan, Yu-Ju

2015-01-01

This study investigated the research trends in language learning in a virtual reality environment by conducting a content analysis of findings published in the literature from 2004 to 2013 in four top ranked computer-assisted language learning journals: "Language Learning & Technology," "CALICO Journal," "Computer…

A visual assistance environment for cyclotron operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okamura, Tetsuya; Murakami, Tohru; Agematsu, Takashi; Okumura, Susumu; Arakawa, Kazuo.

1993-01-01

A computer-based operation system for a cyclotron which assists inexperienced operators has been developed. Cyclotron start-up operations require dozens of adjustable parameters to be finely tuned to maximize extracted beam current. The human interfaces of the system provide a visual environment designed to enhance beam parameter adjustments. First, the mental model of operators is analyzed. It is supposed to be composed of five partial mental models: beam behavior model, feasible setting regions model, parameter sensitivity model, parameter mutual relation model, and status map model. Next, based on these models, three visual interfaces are developed, i.e., (1) Beam trajectory is rapidly calculated and graphically displayed whenever the operators change the cyclotron parameters. (2) Feasible setting regions (FSR) of the parameters that satisfy the cyclotron's beam acceptance criteria are indicated. (3) Search traces, being a historical visual map of beam current values, are superimposed on the FSRs. Finally, to evaluate system effectiveness, the search time required to reach maximum beam current conditions was measured. In addition, system operability was evaluated using written questionnaires. Results of the experiment showed that the search time to reach specific beam conditions was reduced by approximately 65% using these interfaces. The written questionnaires survey showed the operators highly evaluate system operability. (author)

A Systematic Review of Assistive Technology for Individuals with Intellectual Disability in the Workplace

Science.gov (United States)

Morash-Macneil, Virginia; Johnson, Friggita; Ryan, Joseph B.

2018-01-01

Research has shown that assistive technology (AT) can help support employment skills for individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs). The authors of this review examined the effectiveness of various types of AT support for individuals with ID in the workplace with a focus on the participant's independent ability to demonstrate a specific…

Mechanical Design Technology--Modified. (Computer Assisted Drafting, Computer Aided Design). Curriculum Grant 84/85.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoolcraft Coll., Livonia, MI.

This document is a curriculum guide for a program in mechanical design technology (computer-assisted drafting and design developed at Schoolcraft College, Livonia, Michigan). The program helps students to acquire the skills of drafters and to interact with electronic equipment, with the option of becoming efficient in the computer-aided…

Delivering beneficial impacts in Assistive Technology: Improving government's approach to innovation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, Joseph P

2015-01-01

Society typically relies on the industrial sector to supply product and service innovations through the free market system. In some areas of free market failure deemed important to society - such as Assistive Technology - governments intervene by applying alternative innovation systems. This paper contends that governments consistently and inappropriately support an exploratory grant approach led by academia which generates knowledge in conceptual and prototype states, and instead should shift to a procurement contract approach led by industry which designs, tests and deploys commercial products and services.

Culturally-adapted and audio-technology assisted HIV/AIDS awareness and education program in rural Nigeria: a cohort study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lennox Jeffrey L

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background HIV-awareness programs tailored toward the needs of rural communities are needed. We sought to quantify change in HIV knowledge in three rural Nigerian villages following an integrated culturally adapted and technology assisted educational intervention. Methods A prospective 14-week cohort study was designed to compare short-term changes in HIV knowledge between seminar-based education program and a novel program, which capitalized on the rural culture of small-group oral learning and was delivered by portable digital-audio technology. Results Participants were mostly Moslem (99%, male (53.5%, with no formal education (55%. Baseline HIV knowledge was low ( Conclusions Baseline HIV-awareness was low. Culturally adapted, technology-assisted HIV education program is a feasible cost-effective method of raising HIV awareness among low-literacy rural communities.

A Caregiver Support Platform within the Scope of an Ambient Assisted Living Ecosystem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angelo Costa

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The Ambient Assisted Living (AAL area is in constant evolution, providing new technologies to users and enhancing the level of security and comfort that is ensured by house platforms. The Ambient Assisted Living for All (AAL4ALL project aims to develop a new AAL concept, supported on a unified ecosystem and certification process that enables a heterogeneous environment. The concepts of Intelligent Environments, Ambient Intelligence, and the foundations of the Ambient Assisted Living are all presented in the framework of this project. In this work, we consider a specific platform developed in the scope of AAL4ALL, called UserAccess. The architecture of the platform and its role within the overall AAL4ALL concept, the implementation of the platform, and the available interfaces are presented. In addition, its feasibility is validated through a series of tests.

Development and implementation of an institutional repository within a science, engineering and technology environment

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van der Merwe, Adèle

2008-04-01

Full Text Available . • Siphethile Muswelanto: Thank you for standing in for me during an unforeseen crisis and for your initiative and assistance. Having somebody like you as an assistant was not only a pleasure but also a priceless advantage. • Ciaran Mac Carron: Thank you... and Industrial Research CSIRIS: CSIR Information Services DCMI: Dublin Core Metadata Initiative EBAS: Enterprise-Based Applications and Systems FOSS: Free Open-Source Software ICT: Information, Communication, and Technology IP number: Internet Protocol...

Enhanced neurorehabilitation techniques in the DVBIC Assisted Living Pilot Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, Stuart W; Shesko, Kristina; Harrison, Catherine R

2010-01-01

Traumatic Brain Injury has been labeled the "silent epidemic" in our current wars. Both CBO and the RAND reports predict that the costs of these injuries will be both extensive and enduring. The projected costs are based not only upon the loss contribution of these warriors to our economy, but also the long-term medical and assistive care that will be needed to support these veterans for decades to come. Thus, the primary goal of the Assisted Living Pilot Project (ALPP) at the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center - Johnstown (DVBIC-J) is to promote the ability of the injured warrior to move from assisted living to living independently and to be self-supporting by providing a continuum of care. To accomplish this goal the DVBIC-J ALPP is providing full set of traditional services (physical, occupational, speech, psychological/cognitive, social/familial, vocational, and spiritual), along with "cutting-edge" rehabilitative treatment technologies. These cutting-edge therapies include transdisciplinary clinical consultations, interactive patient and family counseling, and telemedicine-teleconferencing for clinical evaluations and family/significant other care participation. These services will be available to those who require assisted living through their progression to community re-entry. The ALPP also serves as a vehicle for clinical trials to investigate the effects of an enriched environment (e.g., recreational therapies, massage, multisensory stimulation, etc.) on neurorehabilitation therapy, rural telemedicine for servicemembers with traumatic brain injury, and long-term outcome measures of those who have received neurorehabilitation services at the DVBIC-J site. DVBIC-J is also developing collaborative projects with universities and private industry to create an incubator for new rehabilitation technologies. The technologies that DVBIC-J will be focusing on will include assistive technologies (to assist cognitive, physical, and communicative impairments

The Impact of ICT on Work-Life Experiences among University Teaching Assistants

Science.gov (United States)

Osterlund, Katherine; Robson, Karen

2009-01-01

Email is now commonplace in the university environment, but little research has addressed the impact of this technology on the work-life experiences of Teaching Assistants (TAs). These workers are of interest as they are typically responsible for most day-to-day, routine interaction with undergraduates, for ensuring students understand lectures…

Energy technologies and the environment: Environmental information handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1988-10-01

This revision of Energy Technologies and the Environment reflects the changes in energy supply and demand, focus of environmental concern, and emphasis of energy research and development that have occurred since publication of the earlier edition in 1980. The increase in availability of oil and natural gas, at least for the near term, is responsible in part for a reduced emphasis on development of replacement fuels and technologies. Trends in energy development also have been influenced by an increased reliance on private industry initiatives, and a correspondingly reduced government involvement, in demonstrating more developed technologies. Environmental concerns related to acid rain and waste management continue to increase the demand for development of innovative energy systems. The basic criteria for including a technology in this report are that (1) the technology is a major current or potential future energy supply and (2) significant changes in employing or understanding the technology have occurred since publication of the 1980 edition. Coal is seen to be a continuing major source of energy supply, and thus chapters pertaining to the principal coal technologies have been revised from the 1980 edition (those on coal mining and preparation, conventional coal-fired power plants, fluidized-bed combustion, coal gasification, and coal liquefaction) or added as necessary to include emerging technologies (those on oil shale, combined-cycle power plants, coal-liquid mixtures, and fuel cells).

Technological learning in energy-environment-economy modelling: A survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kahouli-Brahmi, Sondes

2008-01-01

This paper aims at providing an overview and a critical analysis of the technological learning concept and its incorporation in energy-environment-economy models. A special emphasis is put on surveying and discussing, through the so-called learning curve, both studies estimating learning rates in the energy field and studies incorporating endogenous technological learning in bottom-up and top-down models. The survey of learning rate estimations gives special attention to interpreting and explaining the sources of variability of estimated rates, which is shown to be mainly inherent in R and D expenditures, the problem of omitted variable bias, the endogeneity relationship and the role of spillovers. Large-scale models survey show that, despite some methodological and computational complexity related to the non-linearity and the non-convexity associated with the learning curve incorporation, results of the numerous modelling experiments give several new insights with regard to the analysis of the prospects of specific technological options and their cost decrease potential (bottom-up models), and with regard to the analysis of strategic considerations, especially inherent in the innovation and energy diffusion process, in particular the energy sector's endogenous responses to environment policy instruments (top-down models)

Environment-assisted Quantum Critical Effect for Excitation Energy Transfer in a LH2-type Trimer

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Lan; Xu, Bo

2015-10-01

In this article, we are investigating excitation energy transfer (EET) in a basic unit cell of light-harvesting complex II (LH2), named a LH2-type trimer. Calculation of energy transfer efficiency (ETE) in the framework of non-Markovian environment is also implemented. With these achievements, we theoretically predict the environment-assisted quantum critical effect, where ETE exhibits a sudden change at the critical point of quantum phase transition (QPT) for the LH2-type trimer. It is found that highly efficient EET with nearly unit efficiency may occur in the vicinity of the critical point of QPT.

A Process for Technology Prioritization in a Competitive Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Stephens, Karen; Herman, Melody; Griffin, Brand

2006-01-01

This slide presentation reviews NASA's process for prioritizing technology requirements where there is a competitive environment. The In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) project is used to exemplify the process. The ISPT project focuses on the mid level Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for development. These are TRL's 4 through 6, (i.e. Technology Development and Technology Demonstration. The objective of the planning activity is to identify the current most likely date each technology is needed and create ISPT technology development schedules based on these dates. There is a minimum of 4 years between flight and pacing mission. The ISPT Project needed to identify the "pacing mission" for each technology in order to provide funding for each area. Graphic representations show the development of the process. A matrix shows which missions are currently receiving pull from the both the Solar System Exploration and the Sun-Solar System Connection Roadmaps. The timeframes of the pacing missions technologies are shown for various types of propulsion. A pacing mission that was in the near future serves to increase the priority for funding. Adaptations were made when budget reductions precluded the total implementation of the plan.

Electricity and the environment: Building partnerships through technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yeager, K.E.; Torrens, I. [Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA (United States)

1995-12-01

The vision for electricity in the world today transcends its role as just an energy medium and focuses on its ability to furnish ever greater productivity of labor, capital and primary energy resources. Its efficiency and precision, through innovative technology, have become essential assets for resolving the interrelated economic, environmental and energy security issues facing the world. As a result, electricity has become a major differentiating factor in the global economy. For example, the fraction of all primary energy converted to electricity is typically used as a rough indication of regional prosperity. This index reflects the importance of electricity in both creating and harvesting technological innovation. Electricity`s advantages in focusing and amplifying physical power during the first century are being complemented in the second by its even greater advantages for focusing and amplifying the power of knowledge. As its importance grows, electricity will likely expand in the next half-century to provide over half the world`s energy demands while providing the means for the most effective conservation of natural resources. Collaborative R&D organizations such as EPRI are acting as new catalysts and partners to transfer technology on a world-wide basis. With respect to Central and Eastern Europe, this effort focuses on new, more cost-effective innovations for the generation and delivery of electricity because obsolete and inefficient technology is contrary to our mutual interest in achieving efficient and sustainable economic development. EPRI stands ready to assist in this international endeavor.

Caregiver Perspectives about Assistive Technology Use with Their Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Cardon, Teresa A.; Wilcox, M. Jeanne; Campbell, Philippa H.

2011-01-01

The purpose was to examine how caregivers of infants and toddlers with autism spectrum disorder view their daily activities/routines and in what way, if any, assistive technology (AT) acts as a support. A total of 134 families who reported their child's disability as autism spectrum disorder/pervasive developmental disorder completed a survey…

Assistive technology for children and young people with low vision.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Rachel; Barker, Lucy; Rubin, Gary; Dahlmann-Noor, Annegret

2015-06-18

Recent technological developments, such as the near universal spread of mobile phones and portable computers and improvements in the accessibility features of these devices, give children and young people with low vision greater independent access to information. Some electronic technologies, such as closed circuit TV, are well established low vision aids and newer versions, such as electronic readers or off-the shelf tablet computers, may offer similar functionalities with easier portability and at lower cost. To assess the effect of electronic assistive technologies on reading, educational outcomes and quality of life in children and young people with low vision. We searched CENTRAL (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group Trials Register) (2014, Issue 9), Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE Daily, Ovid OLDMEDLINE (January 1946 to October 2014), EMBASE (January 1980 to October 2014), the Health Technology Assessment Programme (HTA) (www.hta.ac.uk/), the metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) (www.controlled-trials.com), ClinicalTrials.gov (www.clinicaltrials.gov) and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (www.who.int/ictrp/search/en). We did not use any date or language restrictions in the electronic searches for trials. We last searched the electronic databases on 30 October 2014. We intended to include randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs in this review. We planned to include trials involving children between the ages of 5 and 16 years with low vision as defined by, or equivalent to, the WHO 1992 definition of low vision. We planned to include studies that explore the use of assistive technologies (ATs). These could include all types of closed circuit television/electronic vision enhancement systems (CCTV/EVES), computer technology including tablet computers and adaptive technologies such as screen readers, screen magnification and