Cell phone feature preferences among older adults: A paired comparison study

Conference Theme: Cultural and Social Diversity in GerontechnologyGerontechnology 2014;13(2):184; doi:10.4017/gt.2014.13.02.068.00 Purpose Product features can meet particular customer needs and are important sources of benefits received when a product is purchased and used1. Previous studies have found that cell phone feature preferences are different for gender and age groups2,3. Industrial designers and manufacturers need to consider individual differences in preferences when designing and marketing a product to a specific user group. Cell phone usage by seniors is increasing, but there has been little research concerning preferences among older people for cell phone features. The purpose of this study is to determine a ranking of importance of cell phone features among elderly users. Method Paired comparison was used to prioritize cell phone features. Administering this method is easy and fast, and it provides a straightforward way to compare choices and determine a preference order4,5. Eight cell phone features, identified from a pilot study6, were compared in pairs by 42 participants. All the participants were aged 60 to 80 years and with more than five years of experience in cell phone usage. Each participant was asked to make 28 pairwise comparisons and express a preference on a paper-format questionnaire, giving a total of 1,176 responses. Results & Discussion Mean orders of preference rating from lowest to highest are shown in Table 1. As expected, the most preferred feature for the elderly is the calling feature. These are followed in preference by the phone book feature, clock, emergency button, alarm, camera, and calculator. The least preferred feature is the short message service (SMS), which differs from the finding for young people3, for whom SMS is the favorite feature after calling. It is noted that features requiring less mental effort to perform are more appealing to the participants. Based on the results of this study, features desired by specific customer groups need to be given priority in product design and marketing in order to enhance product attractiveness and usability.published_or_final_versio

Vehicle-type identification through automated virtual loop assignment and block-based direction biased motion estimation

This paper presents the concept of automated virtual loop assignment and loop-based motion estimation in vehicle-type identification. A major departure of our method from previous approaches is that the loops are automatically assigned to each lane; the size of virtual loops is much smaller for estimation accuracy; and the number of virtual loops per lane is large. Comparing this with traditional ILD, there are a number of advantages. First, the size and number of virtual loops may be varied to fine-tune detection accuracy and fully utilize computing resources. Second, there is no failure rate associated with the virtual loops and installation and maintenance cost can be kept to a minimum. Third, virtual loops may be re-allocated anywhere on the frame, giving flexibility in detecting different parameters.published_or_final_versio

Assessing Graphical Robot Aids for Interactive Co-working

The shift towards more collaborative working between humans and robots increases the need for improved interfaces. Alongside robust measures to ensure safety and task performance, humans need to gain the confidence in robot co-operators to enable true collaboration. This research investigates how graphical signage can support human–robot co-working, with the intention of increased productivity. Participants are required to co-work with a KUKA iiwa lightweight manipulator on a manufacturing task. The three conditions in the experiment differ in the signage presented to the participants – signage relevant to the task, irrelevant to the task, or no signage. A change between three conditions is expected in anxiety and negative attitudes towards robots; error rate; response time; and participants’ complacency, suggested by facial expressions. In addition to understanding how graphical languages can support human–robot co-working, this study provides a basis for further collaborative research to explore human–robot co-working in more detail

Dynamic Graphical Signage Improves Response Time and Decreases Negative Attitudes towards Robots in Human-Robot Co-working

Collaborative robots, or ‘co-bots’, are a transformational technology that bridge traditionally segregated manual and automated manufacturing processes. However, to realize its full potential, human operators need confidence in robotic co-worker technologies and their capabilities. In this experiment we investigate the impact of screen-based dynamic instructional signage on 39 participants from a manufacturing assembly line. The results provide evidence that dynamic signage helps to improve response time for the experimental group with task-relevant signage compared to the control group with no signage. Furthermore, the experimental group’s negative attitudes towards robots decreased significantly with increasing accuracy on the task

Control and management of hospital indoor air quality

Background: The complex hospital environment requires special attention to ensure healthful indoor air quality (IAQ) to protect patients and healthcare workers against hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections and occupational diseases. The aim here is to recommend effective guidelines for the control and management of hospital IAQ. Material/Methods: The authors have done an extensive literature review and conducted comprehensive IAQ assessments in nine hospitals. It is noted that the IAQ measurements are not presented in this paper because of confidentiality. However, the IAQ analysis was studied carefully in the development of the recommendations given in this paper. Results: The airborne chemical and microbiological contaminants of concern for hospitals have been identified and the major emission sources, monitoring methods, and exposure limits have been well documented and are reviewed here. Proper engineering system designs and operations are also reviewed, with recommendations for effective dilution and removal of the contaminants. The control and mitigation measures cover mechanical ventilation, filtration, differential pressure control, directional airflow control, local exhaust ventilation, and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) disinfection. Their applications in critical environments, such as operating theatres, isolation rooms, and other typical units, such as outpatient departments and laboratories, are also considered. Conclusions: Effective IAQ monitoring methods and mitigation measures suitable for the hospital environment have been identified. Accordingly, strategies for the implementation of a hospital indoor air quality management system are recommended. Healthcare workers, hospital engineers, and administrative staff can use the above as guidelines to manage and run their hospitals with healthful indoor air quality. © Med Sci Monit, 2006.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Leptospirose Bovina

(Introdução): O presente relatório refere-se ao estágio curricular, de domínio fundamental, na área de clínica de espécies pecuárias, no âmbito da conclusão do mestrado integrado em medicina veterinária. Este foi realizado na Vet+ Serviços Veterinários Lda. (Vet+), em Montemor-o-Novo, sob a orientação do Dr. Manuel Evaristo Rodrigues da Silva. Decorreu no período compreendido entre 6 de Janeiro a 28 de Maio de 2010, com uma carga horária de cerca de 55 horas semanais. O estágio curricular de domínio fundamental assume especial importância no contacto com a realidade profissional, naqueles que são os principais objectivos associados. Assim sendo, pretende-se que este seja um complemento de formação académica, sedimentação e articulação prática de conhecimentos adquiridos ao longo do curso de medicina veterinária, assim como na aquisição de novos conhecimentos. Neste âmbito, o trabalho desenvolveu-se através do acompanhamento das actividades médico-veterinárias desenvolvidas pelos veterinários da Vet+, nomeadamente na colaboração activa em acções de saneamento, profilaxia, clínica e cirurgia em espécies pecuárias. Este relatório divide-se em duas partes principais. A primeira compreende a apresentação da casuística, detalhando as actividades médico-veterinárias desenvolvidas, bem como uma breve referência acerca das principais patologias observadas. A segunda parte consiste na revisão bibliográfica subordinada ao tema leptospirose bovina, onde são apresentados diversos casos, acompanhados durante o período de estágio