放送ニュースの自動音声認識とインデクシングに関する研究

制度:新 ; 文部省報告番号:乙2056号 ; 学位の種類:博士(工学) ; 授与年月日:2006/12/21 ; 早大学位記番号:新435

Identification of Opportunity Barriers and Supports for Individuals Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Stakeholders

Individuals using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) are supported by many AAC stakeholders and communication partners. Clinical decision making and AAC assessment models consider the capabilities and access needs of the individual using AAC, as well as opportunity barriers and supports imposed by communication partners and environments. The purpose of this research was to investigate opportunity barriers and supports identified by two critical AAC stakeholders: speechlanguage pathologists and caregivers. The first study investigated characteristics of AAC service provision reported by post-professional speech-language pathologists. Speech-language pathologists reported lack of perceived knowledge related to AAC service delivery, inconsistent use of AAC modalities, and persistent barriers to AAC service provision. The second study analyzed parent, guardian, and caregiver perceptions of AAC interventions for school-aged children. Caregivers preferred family-centered rather than patient-centered service delivery models to facilitate AAC use by their child. The third study investigated experiences and contributing factors of stress in adult caregivers of children using AAC. Caregivers’ stress was impacted by the multiple enveloping systems. Within the family, caregivers’ experiences of stress were predicted by number of children and the caregivers’ educational level. Stress was mitigated by support systems which meet caregivers’ needs and expectations. This research reveals opportunity barriers and supports are a critical component to AAC service delivery and clinical decision making as perceived by speech-language pathologists and caregivers. Sustainable and adequate AAC service delivery requires AAC stakeholders to recognize opportunity barriers and implement supports to facilitate the long-term participation and communication of individuals using AAC. Augmentative and alternative communication service delivery in the absence of explicit consideration for communication partners and environments does not address opportunity barriers for the individual using AAC

Post 9/11 Military Spouse Caregivers: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, the United States Armed Forces has been involved in military conflicts across the globe. Innovations in battlefield medicine have resulted in the highest battlefield survival rates that America has ever seen. Injured veterans are returning to their homes by the thousands, in need of daily caregiving that encompasses many domains of life. Many times, the spouses of these individuals answer the call and become primary caregivers for their injured servicemember partners. Taking on the identity of military spouse caregiver puts these individuals at increased risk of many physical and mental health concerns along with financial strain, marital discord, separation, and divorce. This study sought to illuminate the experiences of military spouse caregivers; the changes in identity they undergo along with the barriers and burdens they face. Six individuals completed one to two hour semi structured interviews. Data from the interviews were analyzed using a descriptive phenomenological approach. Four themes emerged: information gathering and planning, advocacy, support, and resilience. The essence of the phenomenon was described with the word transformation. The implications of the study point to the need for increased support for these individuals from a strengths based, holistic perspective. Implications and limitations of the study also provided directions for future research

Medical tourism: Development of competitive medical tourism facilities in Portugal

Medical tourism is an extremely growing industry that stimulates intense rivalry between different countries. Starting from 2008 Portugal has joined a list of destinations, which internationally promote medical services. However, due to the lack of reputation in healthcare, current activities do not result in generation of continuous patient flows. The aim of this study is to develop framework for establishment of medical tourism facilities which would be competitive and sustainable in the context of national strategy of Portugal. Four pillars of the frameworks are set as follows: quality as a main factor of attractiveness; stimulation of reputation through stakeholders’ cooperation; effective marketing activities and sustainability due to follow-up and post-operation services. The objective of the study is reached through qualitative method that implies semi-structured interviews with some key specialists of Portugal in medical tourism. The findings show that the lack of cooperation between stakeholders has one of the biggest impacts on the results of international performance. Additionally, insufficient dedication of private medical companies to internalization process, which is due to high internal demand, only intensifies the problem. Further study determines several factors of competitiveness of Portuguese medical providers, specifically linked to medical service quality. For that reason, during international promotion it is suggested focussing on specific medical area that would represent strength of Portuguese healthcare sector. One of such areas is rehabilitation that can be presented either as separated offer or in form of follow-up systems. In this instance, the study reviews the concept of shifting post-treatment services to hotel facilities under medical supervision.Turismo médico é uma indústria em crescendo exponencial que estimula uma intensa rivalidade. Desde de ano 2008 que Portugal aderiu à lista dos destinos que internacionalmente promovem serviços médicos. No entanto, devido à falta de reputação e associação do país com o sector de saúde, as atividades atuais não resultam na criaçao de um fluxo continuo de pacientes. O objetivo deste estudo é desenvolver um quadro para desenvolvimento de turismo médico. Os quatro pilares do quadro são definidos da seguinte forma: qualidade como principal fator de atratividade; estímulo à reputação através da cooperação das partes interessadas; atividades de marketing eficazes; e sustentabilidade devido aos serviços de follow-up e pós-operatórios. O principal objetivo do estudo é alcançado através do método qualitativo que se baseia em entrevistas semi-estruturadas com os principais especialistas Portugueses na área de turismo medico. As conclusões obtidas mostram que a falta de cooperação entre as principais partes interessadas resulta num dos impactos negativos mais relevantes para o desempenho internacional. Além disso, a insuficiente dedicação das empresas médicas privadas ao processo de internacionalização apenas intensifica o problema. Um estudo mais aprofundado identifica vários factores de competitividade dos prestadores de serviços médicos portugueses, especificamente ligados à qualidade do serviço médico. É por isso que, durante a promoção internacional, se sugere o foco numa área médica específica representativa da força do sector de saúde Português. Uma dessas áreas é a reabilitação, que pode ser apresentada como uma oferta separada ou sob forma de sistemas de acompanhamento. Neste contexto, o estudo revê o conceito de mudança de serviços de pós-tratamento para instalações hoteleiras, sob supervisão médica

2006 Eighteenth Annual IMSA Presentation Day

We believe that our goal of creating decidedly-different learners is already being met and will make a profound impact on the future of humanity.https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/archives_sir/1020/thumbnail.jp

Communication Resources for Deaf or Hard of Hearing Children in Mississippi: Parents’ Perspectives

A parent’s ability to communicate with their child through formative years may often be taken for granted, as the options for such communication seem intuitive and apparent. However, hearing parents of children with hearing loss must not only make a choice between several communication methods, but they must also navigate an environment where the methodologies are not clearly delineated. Blaiser and colleague provide succinct descriptions of the most common methods which can be chosen. These methods include listening and spoken language systems, manual-visual systems, and systems combining these two modalities (Blaiser & Bargen, 2018). This choice is often challenging because many factors impact the accessibility to and availability of each. Availability of communication resources can vary across geographic locations, and absence of access to certain services render some options moot. It has been reported that rural areas are especially lacking in such resources (Furno et al., 2020; Meadow-Orlans et al., 2003). Consequently, the purpose of this study is twofold: Primarily, it explores variables that may affect the communication choices of hearing parents for their deaf or hard of hearing child. Secondarily, it seeks to gain a better understanding of these choices, investigating why parents chose their communication method and exploring the choices they felt they had available. A mixed methods research design was employed to address the question: What factors contribute to the communication choices made by hearing parents of deaf and hard of hearing children in the state of Mississippi? Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed on the data to reveal correlations between variables and themes in the decision-making processes of parents. The results indicated correlations between (a) parent age and child age, (b) parent proficiency in American Sign Language (ASL) and child proficiency in ASL, and (c) parent ratings of communicative support in recreational environments and community environments. Themes identified in the qualitative data were (a) general knowledge on hearing loss prior to the child’s diagnosis, (b) support systems, and (c) methods of communication used

Strategies to Implement Efficient Closing Cycles

Many financial leaders lack strategies to make the timely fiscal reporting needed for business to obtain profitability, competitive advantage, and sustainability. The purpose of this single case study was to explore successful strategies used to complete efficient closing cycles to evaluate performance and support business decisions. The conceptual framework for this study was process improvement and the theory of constraints. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 5 purposively selected leaders; data were supplemented with information from the organization\u27s website and print materials. Financial leaders who had developed successful strategies to complete timely financial statements were selected to participate in the study from a U.S. healthcare organization. Data were analyzed using Yin\u27s 5-step approach, which included examining, categorizing, tabulating, creating a data display, and testing the data. Transcript review validated that emerging themes were in alignment with participant experiences. Four major themes emerged from data analysis: provide training and professional development, promote teamwork, engage in effective communication, and use information technology. Social change implications include potential process improvement in hospitals that could provide insight into specific system processes that contribute to the rising cost of global healthcare. Financial leaders achieving increased profitability through process improvement could enable administrators to make financial contributions to their communities, expand to new markets, and create new employment opportunities

The professional expertise of community-practicing occupational therapists

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Agent AI: Surveying the Horizons of Multimodal Interaction

Multi-modal AI systems will likely become a ubiquitous presence in our everyday lives. A promising approach to making these systems more interactive is to embody them as agents within physical and virtual environments. At present, systems leverage existing foundation models as the basic building blocks for the creation of embodied agents. Embedding agents within such environments facilitates the ability of models to process and interpret visual and contextual data, which is critical for the creation of more sophisticated and context-aware AI systems. For example, a system that can perceive user actions, human behavior, environmental objects, audio expressions, and the collective sentiment of a scene can be used to inform and direct agent responses within the given environment. To accelerate research on agent-based multimodal intelligence, we define "Agent AI" as a class of interactive systems that can perceive visual stimuli, language inputs, and other environmentally-grounded data, and can produce meaningful embodied actions. In particular, we explore systems that aim to improve agents based on next-embodied action prediction by incorporating external knowledge, multi-sensory inputs, and human feedback. We argue that by developing agentic AI systems in grounded environments, one can also mitigate the hallucinations of large foundation models and their tendency to generate environmentally incorrect outputs. The emerging field of Agent AI subsumes the broader embodied and agentic aspects of multimodal interactions. Beyond agents acting and interacting in the physical world, we envision a future where people can easily create any virtual reality or simulated scene and interact with agents embodied within the virtual environment