Gamers' Reasons for Purchasing Gaming Virtual Products: A Systematic Review

With the development of the gaming industry, the trend of gaming virtual goods consumption is gradually growing, and online gaming goods consumption has become a hot topic. Players spend a lot of money purchasing virtual items. Why do people buy these items? Therefore, we conduct a systematic literature review to investigate the reasons for purchasing virtual goods in games. We use the “The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses” (PRISMA) statement to guide the data collection, analysis and reporting project for the systematic review. This article obtained 37 papers from the Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus databases. The article covers research during the period 2013-2023. We review the independent and dependent variables, research methods, theoretical background, and findings involved in the relevant literature. The study finds that the "enjoyment", "social attributes" and "functional value" of gaming products often play a key role in consumer purchases at certain times and among certain user groups. It is the hope of this paper that these findings will increase gaming companies' understanding of what drives players to purchase virtual items. Game designers can grasp the needs of game users and better convert ideas into payment points so that game companies can get higher profits

Real-time virtual sonography in gynecology & obstetrics. literature's analysis and case series

Fusion Imaging is a latest generation diagnostic technique, designed to combine ultrasonography with a second-tier technique such as magnetic resonance imaging and computer tomography. It has been mainly used until now in urology and hepatology. Concerning gynecology and obstetrics, the studies mostly focus on the diagnosis of prenatal disease, benign pathology and cervical cancer. We provided a systematic review of the literature with the latest publications regarding the role of Fusion technology in gynecological and obstetrics fields and we also described a case series of six emblematic patients enrolled from Gynecology Department of Sant ‘Andrea Hospital, “la Sapienza”, Rome, evaluated with Esaote Virtual Navigator equipment. We consider that Fusion Imaging could add values at the diagnosis of various gynecological and obstetrics conditions, but further studies are needed to better define and improve the role of this fascinating diagnostic tool

COVID-19’s impact on higher education:a rapid review of early reactive literature

This rapid systematic review aims to examine emerging evidence on the effects of COVID-19 on educational institutions and assess the prevalence of e-learning changes in the sector. This paper reviews literature on learning, teaching, and assessment approaches adopted since the COVID-19 outbreak, and assesses the impact on the sector, staff, and students, summarizing findings from peer-reviewed articles. It categorizes these into five key themes: (1) digital learning, (2) e-learning challenges, (3) digital transition to emergency virtual assessment (EVA), (4) psychological impact of COVID-19, and (5) creating collaborative cultures. This represents the first systematic review of COVID-19’s impact on education, clarifying current themes being investigated. The author suggests that the term ‘emergency virtual assessment’ (EVA) is now added for future research discussion. Finally, the paper identifies research gaps, including researching the impact on lesser developed countries, the psychological impact of transition, and the important role of leadership and leadership styles during the transition and handling of the pandemic

Immune system gene polymorphisms associated with severe dengue in Latin America: a systematic review

One of the main challenges in the clinical management of dengue is the early identification of cases that could progress to severe forms of the disease. A biomarker that may enable this identification is the presence of genetic polymorphisms in genes associated with immune responses. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review of the Latin American literature on these genes. An electronic literature search was carried out in PubMed, Scopus, Lilacs, and the Virtual Health Library, and reference lists of systematic reviews in the area. Case-control studies conducted in Latin American countries examining at least one form of genetic polymorphism related to immune responses against severe dengue were included. In total, 424 articles were identified and 26 were included in this systematic review. Of the 26 selected articles, 16 reported polymorphisms associated with the risk of developing severe dengue (Risk); Similarly, 16 articles reported polymorphisms associated with a decreased risk of severe dengue (Protective). The final analysis revealed that multiple polymorphisms in immune system genes were early markers of the progression of dengue in Latin Americans and found that polymorphisms of the TNF-alpha gene may have a critical role in dengue pathogenesis

Coaching through technology: a systematic review into efficacy and effectiveness for the ageing population

Background: Despite the evidence on the positive role of self-management, the adoption ofhealth coaching strategies for older people is still limited. To address these gaps, recent efforts havebeen made in the ICT sector in order to develop systems for delivering coaching and overcomingbarriers relating to scarcity of resources. The aim of this review is to examine the efficacy of personalhealth coaching systems for older adults using digital virtual agents.Methods: A systematic reviewof the literature was conducted in December 2019 analyzing manuscripts from four databases overthe last 10 years. Nine papers were included.Results: Despite the low number of studies, there wasevidence that technology-integrated interventions can deliver benefits for health over usual care.However, the review raises important questions about how to maintain benefits and permanence ofbehavior change produced by short-term interventions.Conclusion: These systems offer a potentialtool to reduce costs, minimize therapist burden and training, and expand the range of clients who canbenefit from them. It is desirable that in the future the number of studies will grow, considering otheraspects such as the role of the virtual coaches’ characteristics, social-presence, empathy, usability,and health literac

Systematic literature review on user logging in virtual reality

In this systematic literature review, we study the role of user logging in virtual reality research. By categorizing literature according to data collection methods and identifying reasons for data collection, we aim to find out how popular user logging is in virtual reality research. In addition, we identify publications with detailed descriptions about logging solutions. Our results suggest that virtual reality logging solutions are relatively seldom described in detail despite that many studies gather data by body tracking. Most of the papers gather data to witness something about a novel functionality or to compare different technologies without discussing logging details. The results can be used for scoping future virtual reality research.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Systematic review of determinants of sales performance: Verbeke et al.’s (2011) classification extended

Abstract Purpose Considering recent changes in sales practices, such as the sales role becoming more strategic, increased reliance on technology for sales activities, increased stress from adding technological responsibilities to the sales role and decreased avenues of social support (such as traditional forms of community) to cope with work-related stressors, there is a need to reconsider Verbeke et al.’s (2011) classification scheme of determinants of sales performance, which was based on literature published before these critical changes became apparent. This paper aims to conduct a systematic review of sales performance research published during 1983–2018 to propose an extension to Verbeke et al.’s (2011) classification. Design/methodology/approach This paper followed a systematic approach to the literature review in five sequential steps – search, selection, quality control, extraction and synthesis – as suggested by Tranfield et al. (2003). In total, 261 peer-reviewed journal papers from 36 different journals were selected for extraction and synthesis. Findings The findings make the following additions to the classification: strategic and nonstrategic activities as a new category, technological drivers of sales performance and job-related psychosocial factors as a broader category to replace role perceptions. Derived from the job demand–control–support model, three subcategories within the category of job-related psychosocial factors are psychological demands (encompasses role perceptions and digital-age stressors such as technostress creators), job control and work-related social support. Research limitations/implications This paper identifies that manager’s role in facilitating technology skills, providing informal social support to remote or virtual salespeople using technology, and encouraging strategic behaviors in salespeople are future research areas having good potential. Understanding and building positive psychology aspects in salespeople and their effect on sales performance is another promising area. Practical implications Newly added technological drivers draw the attention of sales firms toward the influence of technology and its skilful usage on salesperson performance. Newly added strategic activities makes a case for the importance of strategic participation in salesperson performance. Originality/value This review extends Verbeke et al.’s (2011) classification scheme to include recent changes that sales profession and literature have undergone

Language Teacher Quality Characteristics: What the Literature Shows

Information on quality teacher character is important and plays a role in the construction of training modules and teacher preparation. However, because few exploratory studies exist on the characteristics of quality teachers in the field of language education, this study aims to identify relevant past studies from various virtual sources through a hybrid literature review method, and to provide a comprehensive review in this field. The study sets out a research question and follows five systematic processes based on it. The results show a long list of language teacher characteristics that include (1) relationships, (2) knowledge and credibility, and (3) delivery. The analysis proves that the language of this list is still raw because it includes the universal characteristics of the teacher and a small number of characteristics that are influenced by external factors. A guide to identifying the true characteristics of a language teacher is essential. Further study should consider the aspects of identifying and differentiating the special characteristics of language teachers and universal characteristics

Timing of formative feedback in a virtual learning environment from an E-tutors perspective

One of the most important learning activities of a student at the university are collaborative activities which have a positive effect on the learning skills of students. In the last decades and especially in the last years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a huge increase in offers to learn in virtual environments. This increase led to the need for professional pedagogical support within the unique environment, which can be addressed by E-tutors. This learning facilitation role becomes increasingly important. Nevertheless, the number of concrete recommendations when interventions are needed is rare. The aim of this study is to fill the gap in the literature when the E-tutor needs to give feedback to students in higher education. The results are derived from a systematic literature review and a qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that feedback needs to be given in a close timeframe, at best within the first two hours after a question arises

Emerging Technologies in Hospitality and Tourism Education and Training: A Systematic Literature Review

Purpose: As technology continues to evolve and disrupt all aspects of the hospitality and tourism industry, it is important to explore the effectiveness of these technologies on the learner. Methodology The current study conducted a systematic literature review of 26 research articles focused on exploring the current and emerging technologies used in hospitality and tourism education and training between the years of 2015-2021. The majority of studies (n=20) focused on academic education, with the remainder on industry training. Findings: During this timeframe the predominant technology being used were simulations, virtual field trips, and general online training. Other technologies included clickers, video, wearable, social networks, virtual meeting, tablets, and games. The targeted studies implemented the technology in several ways; including in-person, remote, and as a replacement or hybrid option. Multiple research methods were used to assess the use of the various technologies used. Originality: There are tremendous changes occurring both in student expectations and instructional delivery in higher education classrooms and technology is playing a central role. Exploring the effectiveness of these technologies and determining gaps in research is critical in assisting academics to use the most effective technology in the classroom. This study is the first step in assessing current literature and determining gaps in research