bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender Gap in the Construction Industry’s Consultancy: Is this a Threat to Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5?
Authors: Ebekozien Andrew , Aigbavboa Clinton , Samsurijan Mohamad , Ahmed Mohamed , Adekunle Samuel , Akinradewo Opeoluwa , Ikuabe Matthew , Nwaole Angeline
Published: June 2024

The target date for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5, one of the 2030 UN Agenda [Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)], is fast approaching. Studies have shown that the construction industry has a role in achieving many SDGs, including Goal 5 in developing countries. However, studies regarding achieving Goal 5 (Gender Equality) in the industry regarding female consultancy participation are scarce and complexly interrelated because of societal problems and divergence. Thus, this study aims to investigate factors hindering gender equality in construction consultants’ career growth and suggest measures to encourage more female construction consultants through policy to achieve Goal 5 in Nigeria. The study adopted face-to-face data collection via a qualitative mechanism. This is an ongoing study. The first phase covered Lagos, Nigeria, and adopted a thematic approach to analyse the collected data. The perceived major encumbrances facing Nigerian construction consultants regarding gender equality are religious/cultural, family/marital, marginalised identities, microaggressions, absence of career advancement, absence of mentors/role models, consultancy fees discrimination (gender pay gap), bullying and discrimination, and lax equity and inclusion. Achieving Goal 5 will be a mirage if these issues are not addressed. Thus, the study recommended measures to motivate females to study construction-related programmes and employment opportunities, including consultancy services slots through policy mechanisms to achieve Goal 5. As part of the implications, the study identifies major hindrances facing female Nigerian construction consultants and proffers measures to improve gender equality to achieve Goal 5.
Fundamental Study on Requirements for Old RC Piers to Continue to be used without Seismic reinforcement
Authors: Kobayashi Hisako , Kiku Hiroyoshi , Sawada Ryo
Published: June 2024

Many older RC piers in Japan have stepped section (referred to as the cut-off section) where the amount of longitudinal reinforcement decreases in response to cross-sectional forces. In such piers, the cover concrete may delaminate at the cut-off section during a major earthquake.When damage progresses at the cut-off section of the axial rebar, RC piers are deformed so that they bend above the cut-off section. RC piers damaged at the cut-of section have inferior deformation performance compared to those damaged at base. Therefore, it is now a common design practice to avoid damage at the cut-off section of piers.In the current Japanese design method, the anchorage length of steel bars anchored in the middle of piers should be about 50φ, or axial steel bars should not be anchored in the middle of piers. In the case of existing piers where these design methods are not applied, the cut-off section are reinforced by wrapping steel plates or other materials. In this study, cyclic positive and negative loading tests were conducted on pier specimens with cut-off section, and dynamic response analysis was conducted for each soil type based on the test results.The analysis results showed that non-linear response spectrum were obtained for different yielding positions, and that response seismic yielding coefficient could be generally evaluated. This shows that for a given natural period and seismic yielding coefficient, it is possible for piers to withstand a large earthquake even if they yield at cut-off section.
Gender Disparities in Wrist Movement Patterns Among Collegiate Amateur Golfers: A Biomechanical Case Study
Authors: Hin Kevin Lee Ka , Li Yueqing
Published: June 2024

The study investigated how gender impacts college golfers' wrist angles as they execute swings. While many studies have been done on numerous aspects of golf biomechanics, little has been done to fully investigate gender differences in wrist movement patterns in college golf. Understanding these differences can be helpful in developing specialized training plans and methods to prevent injuries for male and female college golf players and improve performance. Many previous studies have only focused on the professional level of golfers when gender was an independent variable, this study will focus on the collegiate amateur golfers and explore if there are any significant gender-related disparities between male and female golfers, specifically in wrist angles. A sample of collegiate golfers will be selected from Division One college golf teams. Four collegiate golfers evenly split between the males and females will make up the sample. To guarantee appropriate representation, efforts will be made to engage an equal number of male and female participants. Wearing motion sensors connected to their wrists, participants must execute a series of golf swings. The motion sensors will record wrist angle data in real-time during the swings, including pitch, roll, and yaw, using accelerometer and gyroscope technology. To reduce external influences on the execution of the swing, data collecting will take place in controlled settings, such as indoor golf practice facilities. In this proposed research we will be using a combination of Xsens Wireless motion sensors, as well as software such as MATLAB, to help filter the data so we can perform statistical analysis. The collected data will be analyzed in this research to compare and analyze the variations in wrist motion between male and female collegiate golfers. The study will utilize statistical techniques to examine any gender-based differences in wrist movement patterns during golf swings. The investigation will concentrate on certain wrist angle measures to identify significant variations between individuals who are male and female. The results of this study may provide significant insight into the biomechanical differences in wrist angles that occur across genders in college golfers' swings. Recognizing these differences might help with creating individualized training plans, improving teaching techniques, and producing injury prevention plans for male and female college golf players. This study intends to add to the body of knowledge on sports biomechanics by examining gender-specific disparities in wrist angles during golf swings among collegiate players. The results have important significance for improving performance, injury prevention methods, and training methodology refinement in collegiate golf.
Complementary Approach and Mixed Assessments – INNOAGON's Basic Research Methods
Authors: Maciej Kalina Roman
Published: June 2024

Every complementary approach is at the same time interdisciplinary, but not vice versa. This elementary methodological rule at INNOAGON (an acronym for the new applied science ‘innovative agonology’) is crucial because it applies whenever the word ‘struggle’ (or its synonyms) emphasises the extremity of the phenomenon under study The aim of this work is to highlight the two basic methods of INNOAGON in the most general terms. If one accepts the most general definition of method as 'a means of achieving an end', it is clear that in the field of research methodology the cognitive layer dominates over the applied one. Science is a human activity, so it is not surprising that also in this area there is room for 'fashionable lines of research', as well as crushes on 'fashionable theories'. The simplest definition of the word 'everything' – 'without exception', intuitively raises doubts: when it comes to 'theory of everything', is it really about the capabilities (competences) of science? At the core of the complementary approach is the awareness of the already available valuable knowledge about the explored phenomenon, the knowledge about the hypotheses and new questions posed by the experts studying this phenomenon, but also the awareness of the necessity to face the unknown. More in the text.
The role of human factors in transport accident investigation
Authors: Young Mark
Published: June 2024

In the immediate aftermath of major transport accidents, there are often calls for blame and accusations of ‘human error’. From the perspective of human factors and ergonomics (HF/E), though, any such errors are the starting point – not the conclusion – of a safety investigation into the deeper, sociotechnical system factors that created the context for the accident to occur. This paper aims to challenge both investigators and HF/E practitioners regarding both the integration and boundaries of HF/E in transport accident investigations. The systems model aligns with the approaches taken by the major transport accident investigation bodies around the world. But there remain barriers in integrating HF/E within investigations, not least around the validity and usability of causal analysis methods. Similarly, although techniques for interviewing witnesses are well served in the literature, there is a gap in the HF/E knowledge base concerning guidance for collecting and analysing evidence relating to human factors in a safety investigation, due to the variable nature of human performance. Such variability can also be at the heart of many positive outcomes aside from accidents and incidents which, whilst seemingly contrary to the very approach of investigating accidents, can also be integrated into a safety investigation. This paper concludes by considering how the HF/E perspective applies to the ultimate output of safety investigations in the form of recommendations.
AI-enhanced Ergonomics: Revolutionizing Industrial Safety through real-time Posture analysis and PPE detection
Authors: Luque Rafael , Ramón Vilanova José , Diaz Gonzalo , Ferrera Eduardo
Published: June 2024

Despite the continuous advancements in technology and safety regulations, professional accidents in the industry remain a persistent challenge. In the Industry 5.0 era, Artificial Intelligence and cutting-edge Computer Vision techniques are expected to have a transformative impact on industrial environments. In this context, Deep Learning applications can exhibit significant potential in both the primary detection of safety issues and the quick reaction in accidental scenarios. The system proposed in this publication uses tracking algorithms to identify human safety vulnerabilities and early detect people falling or requesting help. Specifically, the first component employs a Transfer Learning technique with YOLOv7 to efficiently determine and detect whether human Personal Protective Equipment is worn correctly. Additionally, the system utilizes YOLOv7 key points detection model to assess the human posture in real time, allowing machines to detect people falling or requesting help. The work concludes presenting experiments that scrutinize the algorithm's detection performance, under varied positions, evaluating the impact of GPUs and cameras and operator’s distance to camera in a pilot aerospace experimental facility.
Prospective Gains in Safety and Cost Management; Using the HFACS to Proactively Address Organization Influences that Cause Human Error
Authors: Miller Mark , Hight Michelle
Published: June 2024

Created from the original work of James Reason’s Swiss Cheese accident causation model featuring human error and latent organizational influences, the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) has become a proven model for analysing human error in aviation accidents. HFACS classifies human error into four levels of organizational influence that can set the stage for unsafe acts to occur. In modern terms of Safety Management Systems (SMS) proactivity, however, the HFACS is still utilized largely as a reactive accident investigation tool, focused on analysis of historical events to form ideas about system deficiencies and negative trends. This study emphasizes that human error on the bottom portion of the HFACS model often carries a substantial monetary and human cost to the organization, even when an aircraft is not involved in a classified accident. Here, the researchers sought a more proactive and systematic way of pre-identifying latent negative organizational influences causing the costliest human errors and finding mitigating solutions by tapping into front line perspectives. This project began with the development of a strategic aviation leadership course for a commercial aviation organization, “Airline X,” with the intent of gathering qualitative data to systematically address HFACS organizational influences that could lead to costly human error accidents and incidents. Researchers proposed top-down, proactive mitigations based on an extensive thematic analysis of front-line perspectives on various safety threats and other organizational deficiencies. After a year of collecting data from over 1,100 individuals during the leadership course through the Airline X pilot group, the qualitative data was compiled and analysed from the responses to two short surveys; one was given early in the course after guided discussions, and the other at the end of the course. The qualitative methodology enabled categorization of the pilots’ answers into common themes. Ten sub-themes were established, all related to organizational influences, then prioritized, and superimposed on the HFACS. During the study, sub-themes related to ramp safety literally manifested themselves in the form of two costly ramp incidents that resulted in revenue loss, as both aircraft were temporarily removed from service for repair. In a display of prescient, timely feedback from the pilot group and supporting accident data showing the direct cost of a potentially failed ramp policy (organizational influences) as evidence, the researchers recommended a continuous cycle of ‘Bottom up (reactive), Top down (proactive)’ Human Factors Safety Management Systems (HFSMS) feedback to senior and middle management to enhance the company’s existing SMS.
Information ergonomics and factors related to sociotechnical environments of work among Ghanaian HE faculty members
Authors: Okkonen Jussi , Oksa Reetta , White Edward , Laine Mia
Published: June 2024

Maintaining performance in ubiquitous work environment is increasingly dependent on the quality of physical, cognitive and organizational ergonomics of work. During and after the pandemic there has been significant change in higher education of working environments. More work is done in sociotechnical environments spatially dispersed and even asynchronously. Recent changes cause challenges assessed by sense of self-efficacy, sense of self-regulation and directly information ergonomics related factors. It is also about the daily flow of work and how it has effect also on personal level. The paper brings about the findings of a survey conducted in two Ghanaian universities during autumn and winter 2023. Relatively large sample (n=250) helps to shed light on the key factors of information ergonomics. The paper also presents framework to assess organizational and individual perspectives of information ergonomics when working in sociotechnical environments. There are implications to digital literacy and organizational norms too.
Human Factors and Facial Recognition Technology in Emergency Response: An Integrative Review
Authors: Roundtree Aimee
Published: June 2024

Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) has the potential to enhance emergency response by improving efficiency, reducing response times, and potentially saving lives. It is important to explore both the benefits and challenges of implementing FRT in emergency response protocols and identify the gaps in research on its application in emergency response. This integrative review collected articles from 2010 onwards through keyword searches in titles and abstracts across multiple databases, with inclusion and exclusion criteria applied, focusing on English-language peer-reviewed articles mentioning specific keywords related to emergency services and facial recognition. Data collection involved converting PDFs to plain text and coding--both human and non-human--for thematic analysis refined over rounds of close readings for accuracy. The results reveal positive and mixed findings regarding FRT in emergency response across various studies. Several methodologies were employed, including machine learning and deep learning techniques, achieving high accuracy rates in identifying individuals, particularly in scenarios like disaster rescue and masked-face recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies also evaluated FRT's effectiveness in disaster victim identification, safety systems integration, and medical applications, showcasing its potential across different contexts. However, limitations such as challenges in real-world deployment, concerns regarding privacy and bias, and the need for further validation and standardization were highlighted across the studies, indicating areas for future research and development to enhance the technology's efficacy and ethical use. The review emphasizes the importance of addressing technical, ethical, and governance challenges to deploy FRT effectively and responsibly in emergency response, serving as a valuable resource for stakeholders and researchers seeking to understand and advance the field.
Immersive assistive technologies for knowledge transfer of crafts: Exploration and technical challenges
Authors: Garcia Ian , Verlinden Jouke
Published: June 2024

Immersive technologies have created a paradigm shift in the realm of traditional crafts, offering unprecedented avenues for digitization and knowledge transfer. This scoping review explores the integration of immersive technologies within the traditional crafts domain, focusing on their utilization for digitization and their impact on knowledge transfer processes. Through a systematic analysis of available literature, this review aims to map the existing landscape of immersive technology applications in traditional craftsmanship, dissecting the modalities and influence on knowledge transfer. Emphasizing the use of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), this study endeavours to identify trends, gaps, and prospects for leveraging immersive technologies in the preservation, transmission, and enhancement of traditional craft knowledge. As set of results will be presented, namely a positioning map of existing solutions within immersive technology and their activeness in assistance. An overview of topics occurrences, visualized in a Venn diagram. An identification of the perspectives throughout the literature articles, a used methods overview and lastly a set of fundamental elements providing a set of tendencies to include when dealing with knowledge transfer of immersive technologies in crafts. It becomes clear from literature that existing studies focus rather on very specific test setups due to the unique nature of each craft or craft process. This leaves opportunity for generalization and creation of a structured repository. There is a trend towards usage of virtual avatars in studies that make use of immersive virtual elements in their experiment setups. There is a clear motive across the literature to combine the flexibility of the virtual with the familiarity of physical work environments. Therefore, mixed reality could form a possible solution, combining virtual and real-world components.
The impact of the natural environment on the design of infrastructure in national parks in terms of ergonomics, safety and accessibility
Authors: Grzeskowiak Michal , Maciejko Alicja
Published: June 2024

National parks are located in naturally attractive areas. In practice, this means that these are the areas that are less accessible, legally protected, or where intense, violent, or even extreme climatic conditions occur. These problems significantly affect the design solutions of tourist infrastructure facilities such as pedestrian and access roads, parking lots, ticket offices, sanitary buildings, camping sites; elements of small architecture such as handrails, stairs, bridges, huts, and places to relax, information signs as well as extensive architectural facilities such as shelters and catering facilities. The article presents the problems of designing tourist infrastructure for tourists and disabled people in protected landscape areas with difficult environmental conditions, such as intense rain and snowfall, high humidity, violent wind, low or high temperatures, dangerous rock formations, wetlands or deserts, high mountain areas, wild animals, assuming that both the safety and comfort of users as well as maximum protection of nature are important. These factors are largely mutually exclusive, which is why the quality of the proposed architectural solutions and materials used is so important, so as not to have a destructive impact on the existing natural conditions with optimal accessibility. Design problems were discussed based on the analysis of existing solutions and divided into groups of factors affecting access, safety, comfort, design and implementation possibilities, and use.
Problems of designing infrastructure of tourist trails in protected landscape and nature areas: Analysis of selected examples
Authors: Maciejko Alicja , Grzeskowiak Michal
Published: June 2024

The article presents problems of designing the tourist infrastructure for turists as also disabled people in protected landscape areas on the selected examples from Poland, Europe and United States. They concern design problems and intensity tourist traffic towards and within protected areas. The quality of access to protected areas is significantly influenced by the architecture of tourist infrastructure objects presented in the article. At the introduction, there is an analysis of current regulations and implementation practice from the designer’s and user points of view. Design problems were discussed on the selected examples of in terms of changing regulations and under the influence of increasing the social sensitivity to the problem of accessibility for the people with disabilities and also, which is the essence of the design in an area of unique natural values, responsibility for the quality of natural open spaces, protected landscapes. There are many studies discussing the problems of disabled people in the apartments, public spaces and buildings. Now, this issue is expanding into open landscape areas, tourist routes and areas of legal nature protection. However, the implementation of full accessibility, as well as making the protected landscape available for tourism, is conditioned by many limitations. The article presents an analysis of what actions can be taken and what areas can be designated for full and partial accessibility.
An Appraisal of the benefits of supply chain management Integration in the South African Construction Industry
Authors: Ayorinde Emmanuel , Ncogbo Ntebo , Mudzusi Vhahangwele , Mahachi Jeffrey , Aigbavboa Clinton
Published: June 2024

The construction industry due to its ever-evolving collaborative focus on sustainability and technology integration, is pivotal in fostering economic and social development in nations across the globe. Supply chain management (SCM) has an enormous role to play in ushering in this unique development, due to its impact on the quality of the final constructed output. SCM ensure the coordination and optimizing process of every construction product to ensure an overall responsiveness of the construction industry market demand and output in the society. This study identifies the benefits of SCM adoption in the South African construction industry (SACI). The study adopted a quantitative research approach with data gathered from the participants with the SACI. Information gathered was analyzed using mean item score, standard deviation, and Cronbach alpha. The findings revealed the benefits of SCM in the SACI to be, improved sustainability and productivity in the construction sector, construction project cost reduction, improved quality control in the construction sector, adequate risk reduction in the construction sector and improved construction project delivery time. These were seen as a direct impact the adoption SCM have in the SACI. The lack of SCM integration can stifle the economic development in the society. Therefore, it requires effective public policies and stakeholders’ collaboration to help ensure smooth integration and usher in economic prosperity in the region. The central government through effective policies must ensure communications, technology adoption, collaboration, training, and development among construction stakeholders in the industry. This study will benefit the construction industry researchers and stakeholders around cost savings, better risk management and improved efficiency in adequately delivery of construction projects.
Analysis of the Willingness and Path of Metropolitan Residents to Participate in Rural Landscape Design：A Case Study of Yanjing Village, Yexie Town
Authors: Ni Zihan , Jiang Xinyi , Xu Xiaoyu , Zi Wu Chun , Fang Tianhong
Published: June 2024

With the introduction of the concept of "people's city and people's construction", participatory construction has gradually attracted people's attention and attention. In Yanjing Village, on the outskirts of Shanghai, there is a rural "retirement home" where managers and elderly people from nearby villages are actively involved in landscaping activities. Taking the village as the research object, this paper sorted out the participation intention, influencing factors, participation methods, organizational forms, funding sources, technical support and other issues of rural participatory landscape design on the basis of literature research, and formed a semi-structured questionnaire. Through field observation and in-depth interviews, the interview texts of the above questions were obtained, and then the conclusions were drawn through text analysis and inductive summary methods. The results show that the villagers have a strong willingness to participate, and are currently in the spontaneous stage, mainly in front of and behind their own houses or on the vacant land near the nursing home, and the main difficulties include insufficient plant design and planting technology, insufficient aesthetic resources, insufficient funding sources, arbitrary organizational forms, and lack of norms and rules, resulting in insufficient sustainability. It can be through technical guidance, such as joint construction with relevant majors in colleges and universities, to improve the ability of villagers' landscape design, to expand the channels of funding sources, such as villagers' self-raising + government subsidies + enterprise donations, and to establish a multi-party participation of the coordination mechanism, such as the establishment of a rural landscape design team composed of villagers, village committees, volunteers, and experts, to formulate rules to ensure the sustainable development of rural participatory landscape design.
Evaluation of Architectural Perception in Urban Industrial Heritage Buildings Based on Eye Tracking Technology
Authors: Zhang Xiaozhen , Lu Yiming , Luo Yakun , Yang Rui , Yang Xiaonan
Published: June 2024

In the context of China's urban renewal era, the transformation of urban industrial heritage buildings is increasingly welcomed by architects and citizens. It is crucial to scientifically and effectively identify and evaluate the visual perception brought to viewers by the renovated industrial buildings. This study combines eye-tracking technology from human factors analysis with subjective questionnaire results to assess the visual perception of architectural spaces in a typical industrial heritage renovation project in Beijing—Langyuan Station. The results show that focusing solely on prominence (e.g., using bright colours) in renovation may not necessarily increase observers' likability or desire to explore. We recommend that in the process of renovating urban historical industrial buildings, full consideration should be given to the authenticity of the building itself, the continuity of its style, and the consistency of its style. Design innovation based on these considerations (e.g., using materials or structures with similar styles) tends to be more attractive. The findings of this study provide valuable information and practical guidance for architects and designers.
Technical and Socio-Technical Success Factors of AI-Based Knowledge Management Projects
Authors: Cost Reyes Christian , Ottersböck Nicole , Prange Christian , Discher Adrian , Peters Sven , Dander Holger
Published: June 2024

The demographic change has a large impact on the labour market and poses a challenge to companies. With many employees going into retirement within the next 10 years, it is not just the workforce itself leaving the firms, but also their experiential knowledge that the workers gained over the years. Much of it is tacit and thus unobtainable through common documentaries of work processes. Keeping it inside of the company is crucial to ensure productivity and educate the upcoming generation of workers in their company. The project “KI_eeper – Know how to keep” has the goal to capture experiential knowledge and provide it to the workers during the production process automatically through an AI-based assistance system. The system is currently under development and requires careful consideration of the users’ needs at the production line. By choosing a participative approach, the employees are directly in touch with the developers and can influence the development of the system significantly. Managing both the available technical capabilities as well as the demands of the employees towards the system at the same time is key to have a successful outcome of the project. This paper shares the essential success factors both on the technical and socio-technical level to secure a seamless integration of an AI-based assistance system into production processes, based on a case study in a German manufacturing company.
The Potential of Haptic Motion Cueing to mitigate Motion Sickness in Highly Automated Passenger Cars
Authors: Emond William , Zare Mohsen
Published: June 2024

The evolution of road vehicle towards high levels of automation is forecasted along with a higher prevalence of motion sickness on board such transportation systems. Experiencing such situations may precipitate concerns related to comfort, safety and trust, potentially compromising the overall acceptability of these vehicles among users. While prevalent in various modes of transportation, motion sickness is an intricate physiological reaction of the human body, likely to be caused by inconsistent perception of the motion forces, and a lack of postural stability. The use of haptic stimuli as sensory motion cues (“haptic cues”) should be underscored as an effective countermeasure. This approach offers the advantage of seamless integration with other mitigation techniques. Haptic cues also have virtues for helping in the estimation of self-motion in space and anticipation. Through a concise analysis of the prior research, this paper surveys the potential strategies and systems for the effective delivery of haptic cues to alleviate motion sickness in cars while considering the prerequisites associated with passenger comfort. The results show that vibrotactile and arthrokinetic signals can act as force-based haptic cues to mitigate motion sickness in cars. The provision of airflow, concurrently serving as a thermal cue, shows potential for motion sickness mitigation, but the exact underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Studies conducted in cars suggest that haptic stimulations can only be effective when congruent visual cues are provided. The different types of haptic systems are proffered for potential in-car integration, along with their respective operating principles to enhance perceptibility.
Are Structured Analytic Techniques (SATs) the Missing Component in Cognitive Warfare? The Future of ISR Military Operations
Authors: Nelson Justin
Published: June 2024

U.S. Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) operators collect critical information with respect to our adversaries ground movement patterns, weapon capabilities, and strategic framework to support future military direction and enhance Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) situational awareness. However, the ability for ISR operators to (1) detect and identify essential elements of information (EEI) within vague or ill-defined content and (2) fuse and disseminate collected information across the JADC2 enterprise is extremely challenging. To combat these issues, ISR tools have been developed to assist and facilitate the comprehension of collected intelligence in an effort to augment and enhance decision-making efficacy. More recently, Structured Analytic Techniques (SATs) has been an area of interest within military applications in an effort to support processing, exploitation, and dissemination (PED) of collected intelligence. SATs comprise of a systematic process that enhances critical thinking and logical reasoning by reducing cognitive biases. Previous research has discovered that implementing SATs when providing vague/ill-defined content has been shown to improve decision-making performance. Therefore, the objective of this study was to add to the body of knowledge by evaluating the effectiveness of Sphinx, an ISR decision-support tool focused on SAT methodology, when providing vague/ill-defined content. Four groups of 10 active-duty military operators (N=40) were randomly assigned to one of two analytic techniques (Sphinx or Control) and provided textual content in either incremental or complete sections with the objective of correctly detecting embedded EEIs resulting in improved performance accuracy. The findings discovered that providing active-duty military operators with Sphinx coupled with an incremental workflow methodology resulted in the highest solution accuracy compared to all other conditions (i.e., 6 of 10 operators identified the correct solution – 60%). Moreover, operators that were provided Sphinx detected significantly more EEIs compared to the Control condition (p<0.01). This discovery provides new evidence that equipping active-duty military operators with Sphinx, an ISR decision-support tool, can enhance the detection of EEIs resulting in improved performance. More specifically, Sphinx enabled the operators to better understand vague content leading to greater detection of EEIs. The processing, exploitation, and dissemination (PED) of EEIs within Sphinx can greatly benefit the JADC2 enterprise by enhancing situational awareness and future military direction and recommendations.
Negative Emotional Valence Shades, but Does Not Inhibit, Interaction and Spatial Processes
Authors: Olmos Pineda Lorena , Gil Tejeda Jorge
Published: June 2024

In the context of developing new inclusive products tailored to the individual needs of users, understanding emotional valence and its influence on human interaction processes is essential. Particularly, when analyzing interaction with specific virtual products, the influence of various factors inherent to both the user and the product in obtaining the experienced emotional valence becomes evident. In a cross-sectional study involving non-equivalent user groups, it was observed that negative emotional valence derived from interaction processes with virtual products did not interfere with the retrospective spatial construction of individuals as users. For this purpose, an experimental group and three control groups were employed to compare behavior regarding spatial processes. The spatial components were derived from the virtual product analyzed in the experimental group.
Optimization of English Learning App Interfaces through Contextual Learning
Authors: Liu Shuo-fang , Hsun Hsieh Ping , Yu Su An , Chieh Wu Yi
Published: June 2024

English, as one of the predominant global languages, holds a significant position in cross-cultural communication. English learning apps serve as convenient platforms for autonomous learning, allowing users to engage in language acquisition anytime, anywhere. Currently, the primary user demographic of English learning apps consists of young individuals, who often encounter psychological stress due to content overload and high cognitive load resulting from complex interfaces during their learning journey.Creating a comfortable learning environment can help alleviate anxiety and stress for learners. Therefore, this research aims to optimize and design the user interface of English learning apps with a focus on contextual learning. The objective is to reduce the difficulty of interface usage and minimize cognitive load during the learning process, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of English learning apps.This study employs the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) research method to explore design elements related to the user interface of English learning apps. The optimization of the English learning app interface will involve iterative design, incorporating user trials and feedback evaluations to refine the interface. During the user needs exploration phase, a combination of literature review and semi-structured interviews with users will be utilized to understand their requirements. Data integration will be facilitated through affinity diagrams, and expert panel meetings will aid in transforming design elements and establishing a relationship matrix to derive the final design elements.In the experimental evaluation phase, the target audience will experience the optimized English learning app interface. Subsequent user interviews will be conducted to gather feedback on interface usage, forming the basis for the conclusive results of this study. This approach ensures the research's reference value and accuracy. The study anticipates that interface design centered around contextual learning will serve as a core reference for future research in the field.
Human Factors in improving engineering education with CDIO framework
Authors: Kontio Juha
Published: June 2024

The CDIO initiative is the largest worldwide engineering education organization with over 200 universities and institutes. The main idea of CDIO is to improve engineering education by providing tools and community to develop degree programs. The CDIO framework provides an idea of what engineering students should learn and how. It offers a methodology for engineering education reform with the CDIO Syllabus and the CDIO Standards. CDIO standards describe a set of principles (best practices) on how to implement modern engineering education. There are altogether 12 core standards and 4 optional standards. Two of these standards focus on human factors and the importance of personnel in making the change and development. Standard 9 is about actions that enhance faculty competence in personal and interpersonal skills, product, process, system, and service building skills, as well as disciplinary fundamentals. Standard 10 is about actions that enhance faculty competence in providing integrated learning experiences, in using active and experiential learning methods, and in assessing student learning. The competencies on which these two standards focus, are essential to promote goals of the other CDIO standards. However, there are very few documented cases on working with these standards suggesting that it is easier to focus the development activities to other parts of the CDIO guidelines than faculty competences. There is also lack of evidence on successful implementation on these standards not to mention the impact of the implementations on overall program success. It is important that the understanding of human factors and faculty development activities are further studied, explored and their impact is documented.
Multimodal Extended Reality for Laparoscopic Surgery Training
Authors: Cai Yang
Published: June 2024

In this study, we explore a multimodal extended reality system for laparoscopic surgery training. The system contains multimodal feedback and holographic overlays. The haptic organs are integrated into the simulator to fill the gap of the mixed reality interfaces for realistic training needs. The holographic overlay synchronizes with the simulated or actual tissue. The 3D objects from the CT data are overlaid to the live simulated tissues in the cavity. The 3D object registration can be controlled by hand gestures. The machine vision algorithms are designed to enable the dynamic overlay process on the live laparoscopic surgery video. For example, we overlay the symbolic Calot’s Triangle based on the Visual or Near-Infrared video data. Machine vision also includes virtual reality to capture, model, and render 3D objects from 2D or 3D image and video sources, including the live 3D scope camera, CT, MRI, NIR images, and tissue scanning. The photorealistic virtualized reality emphasizes that the image data looks natural rather than the synthetic imagery used in virtual reality. The 3D reconstruction results show that the 2D laparoscopic camera can achieve reasonable accuracy in measured distances. Our experiments indicate that multimodal extended reality can increase the fidelity of the laparoscopic surgery simulation and potentially improve training efficiency.
Applying Paper Prototyping to Design an AR Teaching Tool for Novice Woodworkers Practicing Components Arrangement in Material Cutting
Authors: Yang Chia-lin , Chen Chien-Hsu
Published: June 2024

This is a study focusing on Taiwanese university students in the field of vocational education. The research observed a woodworking product elective course in the Department of Industrial Design at National Cheng Kung University, where most students lack relevant experience and feel confused when learning about mechanical operations, physical applications, spatial concepts, and other aspects. The "components arrangement" stage is a crucial step from paper design to actual material processing, where students arrange the spare parts of their designs on the wood to be used, in a manner suitable for machine sawing, to achieve smooth, efficient processing, material saving, and aesthetic results. This stage is also where novices spend much time and feel hesitant during practice. Therefore, this study utilized paper prototyping to conduct operational pre-testing for an augmented reality (AR) woodworking cutting and arranging tool, allowing novice woodworkers to simulate AR-assisted tool operations intuitively and gather firsthand feedback to assist novices in arranging components. Experimental records indicate that during the experiment, researchers could quickly observe defects in AR system design and make rapid adjustments. After model updates, participants could focus on task operations. Through participant interviews, it was evident that users provided positive feedback on the AR teaching tool's willingness to increase practice frequency, reduce task completion time, improve satisfaction with wood grain arrangement, and enhance operational confidence. These results align with the real-time and non-destructive nature of AR tools, enabling students to try operations without worries, eliminate spatial cognition uncertainty, and increase practice frequency to reinforce component arrangement assumptions. This study confirms that early implementation of paper prototyping in AR tool design facilitates rapid operational simulation verification and process optimization, enhancing novice woodworkers' willingness to learn and motivation to operate in material cutting and arranging. This lays the foundation for the subsequent development of AR woodworking cutting and arranging teaching tools. The study also proposes some improvements for using paper prototyping in AR simulations to make simulated operations smoother and more immersive.
User Experience Evaluation for AR Learning Platform on Endangered Animals in Taiwan
Authors: Huang Chieh-ju , Ju Chen Pin , Ting Lin Jyun , Chang Hsiang-yu
Published: June 2024

The study emphasizes enhancing the online learning experience for Taiwanese elementary school students by integrating innovative technology into knowledge acquisition. By incorporating Augmented Reality (AR) to present interactive animations of endangered animals, the researchers aimed to create a more engaging and enriching learning environment. The AR interactive animations were integrated into elementary school natural science supplementary materials, forming an online learning website. To cater to the stylistic preferences of elementary school children, the study utilized playful illustrations for visualizing knowledge. The incorporation of AR aimed to add an element of fun to the learning process, deepening the learners' impressions of biodiversity and fostering an understanding of the importance of animal conservation.The research employed scenario-based tasks and the System Usability Scale (SUS) for evaluation, involving ten elementary school students in testing and assessment. The results indicated that the design of the app, combining AR with vivid illustrative visualizations of endangered animals, significantly improved the overall user experience for elementary school children, thereby enhancing the enjoyment of the learning process.
Correlation Analysis of Mobile Vibration Parameters and Emotional Responses
Authors: Zeng Chao , Haining Wang
Published: June 2024

Different combinations of vibration parameters often provide users with varied emotional experiences in the application scenarios of smartphones. This study examined the subjective preferences of users within specific vibration frequency ranges (50-500Hz) and vibration intensity ranges (0-100) for different vibration parameters. Data was collected from 59 participants on their subjective reactions to different vibration schemes across three emotional dimensions (preference, neutrality, and aversion). Correlation analysis was conducted using the parameters and subjective data. The results of this study will help guide the optimization of vibration parameter combination designs to enhance the vibration feedback experience on smartphones.