Survey on virtual coaching for older adults

Virtual coaching has emerged as a promising solution to extend independent living for older adults. A virtual coach system is an always-attentive personalized system that continuously monitors user's activity and surroundings and delivers interventions - that is, intentional messages - in the appropriate moment. This article presents a survey of different approaches in virtual coaching for older adults, from the less technically supported tools to the latest developments and future avenues for research. It focuses on the technical aspects, especially on software architectures, user interaction and coaching personalization. Nevertheless, some aspects from the fields of personality/social psychology are also presented in the context of coaching strategies. Coaching is considered holistically, including matters such as physical and cognitive training, nutrition, social interaction and mood.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 769830

Implementing a National Cancer Clinical Trials System for the 21st Century - Second Workshop Summary

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=1836

Transatlantic Taskforce on Antimicrobial Resistance : progress report

The Transatlantic Taskforce on Antimicrobial Resistance (TATFAR) was created in 2009 with the goal of improving cooperation between the US and the EU in three key areas: appropriate therapeutic use of antimicrobial drugs in medical and veterinary communities, prevention of healthcare- and community-associated drug-resistant infections, and strategies for improving the pipeline of new antimicrobial drugs. TATFAR identified and adopted 17 recommendations for future collaborations between the US and the EU. The implementation of the recommendations has been carried out through increased communication; regular meetings and joint workshops; and exchange of information and approaches, best practises and methods.This report summarises the progress and the outcomes of the implementation of the 17 recommendations, as well as the decision about the future of each recommendation. In addition, it also includes one new recommendation.Based on the promise shown by our early cooperation, we decided to renew TATFAR in 2013 for another two-year term. In addition, we agreed to transfer the Secretariat from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the renewal term. As TATFAR moved into its two-year renewal period, this report reviews the progress that has been made for each recommendation and feedback to determine whether work toward the recommendation should continue in the future. Work on 15 of the original TATFAR recommendations and one new recommendation will continue into 2015, a strong testament to the benefits of the cooperation between the US and EU.tatfar-progress_report_2014.pdfForeword -- Executive summary -- Introduction -- Recommendations -- Key Area I. Appropriate therapeutic use of antimicrobial drugs in medicine -- Key Area II. Prevention of drug resistant infections -- Key Area III. Strategies to improve the pipeline of new antibacterial drugs for use in human medicine -- Conclusions -- Acknowledgement -- Annex A: Abbreviations and acronyms -- Annex B: TATFAR members -- Annex C: Scope and term of reference of TATFAR -- Annex D: The TATFAR recommendations for future collaboration -- Annex E: Timeline of the TATFAR, 2009-2013 -- Annex F: Ongoing activities: joint, EU, and US

Implementing core outcomes in kidney disease: report of the Standardized Outcomes in Nephrology (SONG) implementation workshop.

There are an estimated 14,000 randomized trials published in chronic kidney disease. The most frequently reported outcomes are biochemical endpoints, rather than clinical and patient-reported outcomes including cardiovascular disease, mortality, and quality of life. While many trials have focused on optimizing kidney health, the heterogeneity and uncertain relevance of outcomes reported across trials may limit their policy and practice impact. The international Standardized Outcomes in Nephrology (SONG) Initiative was formed to identify core outcomes that are critically important to patients and health professionals, to be reported consistently across trials. We convened a SONG Implementation Workshop to discuss the implementation of core outcomes. Eighty-two patients/caregivers and health professionals participated in plenary and breakout discussions. In this report, we summarize the findings of the workshop in two main themes: socializing the concept of core outcomes, and demonstrating feasibility and usability. We outline implementation strategies and pathways to be established through partnership with stakeholders, which may bolster acceptance and reporting of core outcomes in trials, and encourage their use by end-users such as guideline producers and policymakers to help improve patient-important outcomes

Wearables at work:preferences from an employee’s perspective

This exploratory study aims to obtain a first impression of the wishes and needs of employees on the use of wearables at work for health promotion. 76 employ-ees with a mean age of 40 years old (SD ±11.7) filled in a survey after trying out a wearable. Most employees see the potential of using wearable devices for workplace health promotion. However, according to employees, some negative aspects should be overcome before wearables can effectively contribute to health promotion. The most mentioned negative aspects were poor visualization and un-pleasantness of wearing. Specifically for the workplace, employees were con-cerned about the privacy of data collection

PICES Press, Vol. 28, No. 1, Winter 2020

PICES science in 2019: Notes from the Science Board Chair. 2019 PICES awards. Working Group 37 organizes Phase 2 of a Practical Workshop. Communicating science. Integrating biological research, fisheries science and management of Pacific halibut and other widely distributed fish species across the North Pacific. Two decades of the North Pacific CPR program. PICES calendar of events for 2020. PICES/ICES collaborative research initiative. PICES/NPFC collaborative research. The 2019 International Gulf of Alaska Expedition. GlobalHAB: Evaluating, reducing and mitigating the cost of Harmful Algal Blooms. PICES on the cloud. New leadership in PICES. PICES Interns. PICES Special Project: Sea turtle ecology in relation to environmental stressors in North Pacific regions. Regional Consultative and Planning Workshop towards the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Towards an integrated approach to understanding ecosystem predictability in the North Pacific. Shellfish –Resources and invaders of the North. Highlights of the 2019 FAO International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability. The Bering Sea: Current status and recent trends. Copepod responses to, and recovery from, the recent marine heatwave in the Northeast Pacific . The western North Pacific during the 2019 warm season. Northeast Pacific juvenile salmon summer surveys in 2019

Unravelling the Temporal Process of Learning Design and Student Engagement in Distance Education using Learning Analytics

Designing a curriculum in online and distance education can be challenging because the processes of what, when, and how students study are not always visible to teachers due to the limited opportunities for face-to-face interactions. The aim of this thesis is to explore how teachers design for learning, together with how the learning design impacts upon the students’ actual engagement with the learning materials, with the subsequent effect on their academic performance. One way forward, is to build on the intersection between the most recent work in learning analytics and learning design research. I have therefore argued for and investigated the potential of incorporating the design of learning activities into the analysis of student learning behaviour. On the one hand, the visualisation of learning activities designed by teachers provides the pedagogical context to improve the interpreta-tion of the observed learning behaviour and its effect on academic performance. On the oth-er hand, the analysis of online digital traces of learning activities offers a dynamic account of how students learn in practice in a distance learning environment. As a result, this thesis sheds new light on the implicit process of how learning design influences student engagement in distance education By employing a mixed-method research design, I first examined how teachers design for learning using visualisations and network analysis of 37 modules over 30 weeks at The Open University. In the next step, I conducted an in-depth qualitative investigation with 12 teachers into the underlying factors that influenced their design decisions, as well as the perceived barriers and affordances of adopting approaches from the Open University Learning Design Initiative. The findings revealed common patterns as well as variations in learning design across modules and their disciplines of study. Analysis of the interviews revealed underlying tensions between teachers’ autonomy and the influence of management and institutional policies in the design process and the adoption of learning design tools. After laying out the foundation for understanding the learning design processes, I carried out a large-scale analysis of 37 modules and 45,190 students to examine how learning design influences student engagement, satisfaction, and performance. The findings indicated that learning design explained up to 69% of the variance in student engagement, which was strongly driven by assimilative, assessment, and communication activities. Finally, I conducted a fine-grained analysis exploring the (in)consistencies between learning design and student behaviour and how different engagement patterns impact academic performance. The analysis found misalignments between how teachers designed for learning and how students actually studied. In most weeks, students spent less time studying the assigned materials compared to the number of hours recommended by instructors. High-performing students not only studied ‘harder’ by spending more time, but also ‘smarter’ by engaging in a timely manner. Altogether, this thesis has contributed new scientific insights into the dynamic temporal aspects of how teachers design for learning and the relations between learning design, engagement, and academic performance in distance education. As an implication, the findings reported here demonstrated how learning design could improve the accuracy and interpretability of learning analytics models, and how learning analytics could help teachers identify potential inconsistencies between learning design and student behaviour

Design thinkin metodit laivan konseptisuunnittelun alkuvaiheessa

The widely used for ship concept design is the traditional ship spiral. The spiral model has not changed or developed since it was introduced back in 1959. This causes problems in the modern-day work environment, as cruise ship design changes and develops fast and often during the first stages of the concept development. Due to this new model of designing is needed. In addition to a new model, newer methods are also needed. This research aims to study different design thinking models and methods and suggest a new process connecting the double spiral model with design thinking methods. The design thinking methods are analysed through the point of view of the usage in naval architecture work, and for each method, an example of the usage is suggested. In addition to the example, the methods are also divided into three groups based on the usage of them by Meyer Sales and Design team. Finally, the suggested methods are evaluated by using them to find out the wants and need of the passenger in future cruise ships and is this knowledge important for the shipyard. Based on the data collected by using several different design thinking methods, the conclusion is that the passengers can point out what does and does not work and if there is room for improvement. In addition, the data collected from the methods support the claim that the shipyard would benefit from the information.Laivojen konseptisuunnittelussa käytetään yleisesti perinteistä suunnitteluspiraalia. Spiraalimalli ei ole muuttunut tai kehittynyt sen jälkeen, kun se otettiin käyttöön vuonna 1959. Tämä aiheuttaa ongelmia nykyaikaisessa työympäristössä, koska risteilyalusten suunnittelu muuttuu ja kehittyy nopeasti ja usein konseptikehityksen ensimmäisissä vaiheissa tarvitaan uusia menetelmiä. Tämän uuden suunnittelumallin vuoksi tarvitaan. Uuden mallin lisäksi tarvitaan myös uudempia menetelmiä. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on tutkia erilaisia design thinking malleja ja menetelmiä ja ehdottaa uutta prosessia, joka yhdistää double spiral -mallin design thinking menetelmiin. Design thinking menetelmiä analysoidaan laivasuunnittelutyön käytön näkökulmasta, ja kunkin menetelmän osalta ehdotetaan esimerkkiä tämän käytöstä. Esimerkin lisäksi menetelmät on jaettu kolmeen ryhmään, jotka perustuvat Meyerin Sales and Design tiimin käyttöön. Lopuksi ehdotetut menetelmät arvioidaan käyttämällä niitä selvittäämään matkustajan halut ja tarpeet tulevissa risteilyaluksissa, ja onko tämä tieto telakalle tärkeä. Useiden eri suunnittelun ajattelutapojen avulla kerättyjen tietojen perusteella voidaan päätellä, että matkustajat voivat huomauttaa, mikä ei toimi ja mikä on parannettavaa. Lisäksi menetelmistä kerätyt tiedot tukevat väitettä, jonka mukaan telakka hyötyisi tiedoista