13,389 research outputs found
Digital Innovations for Occupational Safety: Empowering Workers in Hazardous Environments
Background:
The quest to increase safety awareness, make job sites safer, and promote decent work for all has led to the utilization of digital technologies in hazardous occupations. This study investigated the use of digital innovations for safety and health management in hazardous industries. The key challenges and recommendations associated with such use were also explored.
Method:
Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, a total of 48 studies were reviewed to provide a framework for future pathways for the effective implementation of these innovations.
Findings:
The results revealed four main categories of digital safety systems: wearable-based systems, augmented/virtual reality-based systems, artificial intelligence-based systems, and navigation-based systems. A wide range of technological, behavioral, and organizational challenges were identified in relation to the key themes.
Conclusion:
Outcomes from this review can inform policymakers and industrial decision-makers about the application of digital innovations for best safety practices in various hazardous work conditions
A Holistic Analysis of Internet of Things (IoT) Security : Principles, Practices, and New Perspectives
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Analysis and Design of Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) Techniques for Next Generation Wireless Communication Systems
The current surge in wireless connectivity, anticipated to amplify significantly in future wireless technologies, brings a new wave of users. Given the impracticality of an endlessly expanding bandwidth, there’s a pressing need for communication techniques that efficiently serve this burgeoning user base with limited resources. Multiple Access (MA) techniques, notably Orthogonal Multiple Access (OMA), have long addressed bandwidth constraints. However, with escalating user numbers, OMA’s orthogonality becomes limiting for emerging wireless technologies. Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA), employing superposition coding, serves more users within the same bandwidth as OMA by allocating different power levels to users whose signals can then be detected using the gap between them, thus offering superior spectral efficiency and massive connectivity. This thesis examines the integration of NOMA techniques with cooperative relaying, EXtrinsic Information Transfer (EXIT) chart analysis, and deep learning for enhancing 6G and beyond communication systems. The adopted methodology aims to optimize the systems’ performance, spanning from bit-error rate (BER) versus signal to noise ratio (SNR) to overall system efficiency and data rates. The primary focus of this thesis is the investigation of the integration of NOMA with cooperative relaying, EXIT chart analysis, and deep learning techniques. In the cooperative relaying context, NOMA notably improved diversity gains, thereby proving the superiority of combining NOMA with cooperative relaying over just NOMA. With EXIT chart analysis, NOMA achieved low BER at mid-range SNR as well as achieved optimal user fairness in the power allocation stage. Additionally, employing a trained neural network enhanced signal detection for NOMA in the deep learning scenario, thereby producing a simpler signal detection for NOMA which addresses NOMAs’ complex receiver problem
A Privacy Calculus Perspective
Sandhu, R. K., Vasconcelos-Gomes, J., Thomas, M. A., & Oliveira, T. (2023). Unfolding the Popularity of Video Conferencing Apps: A Privacy Calculus Perspective. International Journal Of Information Management, 68(February), 1-17. [102569]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2022.102569. Funding: This work was supported by national funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) under the project - UIDB/04152/2020 - Centro de Investigação em Gestão de Informação (MagIC).Videoconferencing (VC) applications (apps) have surged in popularity as an alternative to face-to-face communications especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although VC apps offer myriad benefits, it has caught much media attention owing to concerns of privacy infringements. This study examines the key determinants of working professional’s intentions to use VC apps in the backdrop of this conflicting duality. A conceptual research model is proposed that is based on theoretical foundations of privacy calculus and extended with conceptualizations of mobile users’ information privacy concerns (MUIPC), trust, technicality, ubiquity, as well as theoretical underpinnings of social presence theory. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to empirically test the model using data collected from 487 working professionals. For researchers, the study offers insights on the extent to which social richness and technological capabilities afforded by the virtual environment serve as predictors of the continuance intentions of using VC apps. Researchers may also find the model applicable to other studies of surveillance-based technologies. For practitioners, key recommendations pivotal to the design and development mobile video-conferencing apps are presented to ensure higher acceptance and continued usage of VC apps in professional settings.preprintauthorsversionepub_ahead_of_prin
Enhancing Proprioception and Regulating Cognitive Load in Neurodiverse Populations through Biometric Monitoring with Wearable Technologies
This paper considers the realm of wearable technologies and their prospective applications for individuals with neurodivergent conditions, specifically Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). The study undertakes a multifaceted analysis that encompasses biomarker sensing technologies, AI-driven biofeedback mechanisms, and haptic devices, focusing on their implications for enhancing proprioception and social interaction among neurodivergent populations. While wearables offer a range of opportunities for societal advancement, a discernable gap remains: a scarcity of consumer-oriented applications tailored to the unique physiological and psychological needs of these individuals. Key takeaways underscore the emergent promise of tailored auditory stimuli in workplace dynamics and the efficacy of haptic feedback in sensory substitution. The investigation concludes with an urgent call for multidisciplinary research aimed at the development of specific consumer applications, rigorous empirical validation, and an ethical framework encompassing data privacy and user consent. As the pervasiveness of technology in daily life continues to expand, the article posits that there is an imperative for future research to shift from generalized solutions to individualized applications, thereby ensuring that the spectrum of wearable technology truly accommodates the full scope of human neurodiversity
Study of stress detection and proposal of stress-related features using commercial-off-the-shelf wrist wearables
This paper discusses the possibility of detecting personal stress making use of popular wearable devices available in the market. Different instruments found in the literature to measure stress-related features are reviewed, distinguishing between subjective tests and mechanisms supported by the analysis of physiological signals from clinical devices. Taking them as a reference, a solution to estimate stress based on the use of commercial-off-the-shelf wrist wearables and machine learning techniques is described. A mobile app was developed to induce stress in a uniform and systematic way. The app implements well-known stress inducers, such as the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, the Stroop Color-Word Interference Test, and a hyperventilation activity. Wearables are used to collect physiological data used to train classifiers that provide estimations on personal stress levels. The solution has been validated in an experiment involving 19 subjects, offering an average accuracy and F-measures close to 0.99 in an individual model and an accuracy and F-measure close to 0.85 in a global 2-level classifier model. Stress can be a worrying problem in different scenarios, such as in educational settings. Thus, the last part of the paper describes the proposal of a set of stress related indicators aimed to support the management of stress over time in such settings.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. TIN2016-80515-RUniversidade de Vig
Running to Your Own Beat:An Embodied Approach to Auditory Display Design
Personal fitness trackers represent a multi-billion-dollar industry, predicated on devices for assisting users in achieving their health goals. However, most current products only offer activity tracking and measurement of performance metrics, which do not ultimately address the need for technique related assistive feedback in a cost-effective way. Addressing this gap in the design space for assistive run training interfaces is also crucial in combating the negative effects of Forward Head Position, a condition resulting from mobile device use, with a rapid growth of incidence in the population. As such, Auditory Displays (AD) offer an innovative set of tools for creating such a device for runners. ADs present the opportunity to design interfaces which allow natural unencumbered motion, detached from the mobile or smartwatch screen, thus making them ideal for providing real-time assistive feedback for correcting head posture during running. However, issues with AD design have centred around overall usability and user-experience, therefore, in this thesis an ecological and embodied approach to AD design is presented as a vehicle for designing an assistive auditory interface for runners, which integrates seamlessly into their everyday environments
Functional Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites: Current Uses and Potential Applications
This book covers a broad range of subjects, from smart nanoparticles and polymer nanocomposite synthesis and the study of their fundamental properties to the fabrication and characterization of devices and emerging technologies with smart nanoparticles and polymer integration
- …