Designing Auditory Cues to Enhance Spoken Mathematics for Visually Impaired Users

ABSTRACT Visual mathematic notation provides a succinct and unambiguous description of the structure of mathematical formulae in a manner that is difficult to replicate through the linear channels of synthesized speech and Braille. It is proposed that the use of auditory cues can enhance accessibility to mathematical material and reduce common ambiguities encountered through spoken mathematics. However, the use of additional complex hierarchies of non-speech sounds to represent the structure and scope of equations may be cognitively demanding to process. This can detract from the users' understanding of the mathematical content. In this paper, a new system is presented, which uses a mixture of non-speech auditory cues, modified speech (spearcons) and binaural spatialization to disambiguate the structure of mathematical formulae. A design study, involving an online survey with 56 users, was undertaken to evaluate an existing set of auditory cues and to brainstorm alternative ideas and solutions from users before implementing modified designs and conducting a separate controlled evaluation. It is proposed that by involving a wide number of users in the creative design process, intuitive auditory cues will be implemented with the potential to enhance spoken mathematics for visually impaired users

Extreme learning machine for business sales forecasts: a systematic review

Technology in business is vital, in recent decades technology has optimized the way they are managed making operations faster and more efficient, so we can say that companies need technology to stay in the market. This systematic review aims to determine to what extent an Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) system helps sales forecasts (SF) of companies, based on the scientific literature of the last 17 years. For the methodology, the systematic search for keywords began in the repositories of Google Scholar, Scielo, Redalyc, among others. Documents were collected between 2002 and 2019 and organized according to an eligibility protocol defined by the author. As an inclusion criteria, the sources in which their conclusions contributed to deepening the investigation were taken and those that did not contribute were excluded. Each of the results represented in graphs was discussed. The main limitation was the little information on the subject because it is a new topic. In conclusion, an ELM system makes use of both internal and external data to develop a more precise SF, which can be used not only by the sales and finance area but also to coordinate with the production area a more exact batch to be produced; this has a great impact on the communication and dynamism of companies to reduce costs and increase profits. KEYWORDS: business sales forecast, extreme learning machine, systematic revie

Experimental testing on the influence of shaft rotary lip seal misalignment for a marine hydro-kinetic turbine.

Tidal energy has received considerable attention over the past decade due to its predictability and high power density. The research in the tidal turbine area has concentrated primarily on the improvement of the energy conversion efficiency. In contrast, the testing of the tidal turbine’s mechanical components has received less attention. In particular, the reliable operation of rotary seals is crucial to prevent water ingress into mechanical and electrical components. This paper outlines an experimental test campaign to investigate the effect of shaft misalignment. Both instantaneous temperature and pressure measurements were recorded from two rotary seals. It was shown the temperature inside the aligned seal increased until the seal chamber pressure became equal with the inlet water pressure. The wear on the lip seal rings was examined and the difference found to be between 3.28% and 19.61%. Inspection of the seal liners, showed the presence of strong wiping effects for the misaligned seal with maximum track width differences of between 52.94% and 97.60% being noted. The misaligned seal liner experienced wider wear tracks but were not as deep as the aligned seal with differences of between 37.55% and 103.13% being recorded

Patient and public involvement (PPI) in preclinical research: a scoping review protocol[version 2; peer review: 2 approved]

Introduction: Patient and public involvement (PPI) aims to improve the quality, relevance, and appropriateness of research and ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of those affected by particular conditions to the greatest possible degree. The evidence base for the positive impact of PPI on clinical research continues to grow, but the role of PPI in preclinical research (an umbrella term encompassing 'basic', 'fundamental', 'translational' or 'lab-based' research) remains limited. As funding bodies and policymakers continue to increase emphasis on the relevance of PPI to preclinical research, it is timely to map the PPI literature to support preclinical researchers involving the public, patients, or other service users in their research. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review is to explore the literature on patient and public involvement in preclinical research from any discipline. Methods: This scoping review will search the literature in Medline (PubMed), Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and OpenGrey.net to explore the application of PPI in preclinical research. This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines for scoping reviews. It will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Two reviewers will independently review articles for inclusion in the final review. Data extraction will be guided by the research questions. The PPI advisory panel will then collaboratively identify themes in the extracted data. Discussion: This scoping review will provide a map of current evidence surrounding preclinical PPI, and identify the body of literature on this topic, which has not been comprehensively reviewed to date. Findings will inform ongoing work of the research team, support the work of other preclinical researchers aiming to include PPI in their own research, and identify knowledge and practice gaps. Areas for future research will be identified.</p

Patient and public involvement (PPI) in preclinical research: A scoping review protocol [version 1; peer review: 1 approved, 1 approved with reservations]

Introduction: Patient and public involvement (PPI) aims to improve the quality, relevance, and appropriateness of research and ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of those affected by particular conditions to the greatest possible degree. The evidence base for the positive impact of PPI on clinical research continues to grow, but the role of PPI in preclinical research (an umbrella term encompassing 'basic', 'fundamental', 'translational' or 'lab-based' research) remains limited. As funding bodies and policymakers continue to increase emphasis on the relevance of PPI to preclinical research, it is timely to map the PPI literature to support preclinical researchers involving the public, patients, or other service users in their research. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review is to explore the literature on patient and public involvement in preclinical research from any discipline. Methods: This scoping review will search the literature in Medline (PubMed), Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and OpenGrey.net to explore the application of PPI in preclinical research. This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines for scoping reviews. It will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Two reviewers will independently review articles for inclusion in the final review. Data extraction will be guided by the research questions. The PPI advisory panel will then collaboratively identify themes in the extracted data. Discussion: This scoping review will provide a map of current evidence surrounding preclinical PPI, and identify the body of literature on this topic, which has not been comprehensively reviewed to date. Findings will inform ongoing work of the research team, support the work of other preclinical researchers aiming to include PPI in their own research, and identify knowledge and practice gaps. Areas for future research will be identified. </div

Applying patient and public involvement in preclinical research: a co‐created scoping review

Background: Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in research aims to improve the quality, relevance and appropriateness of research. PPI has an established role in clinical research where there is evidence of benefit, and where policymakers and funders place continued emphasis on its inclusion. However, for preclinical research, PPI has not yet achieved the same level of integration. As more researchers, including our team, aim to include PPI in preclinical research, the development of an evidence-based approach is important. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to identify and map studies where PPI has been used in preclinical research and develop principles that can be applied in other projects. Methods: A scoping review was conducted to search the literature in Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycInfo and Web of Science Core Collection to identify applied examples of preclinical PPI. Two independent reviewers conducted study selection and data extraction separately. Data were extracted relating to PPI in terms of (i) rationale and aims, (ii) approach used, (iii) benefits and challenges, (iv) impact and evaluation and (v) learning opportunities for preclinical PPI. Findings were reviewed collaboratively by PPI contributors and the research team to identify principles that could be applied to other projects. Results: Nine studies were included in the final review with the majority of included studies reporting PPI to improve the relevance of their research, using approaches such as PPI advisory panels and workshops. Researchers report several benefits and challenges, although evidence of formal evaluation is limited. Conclusion: Although currently there are few examples of preclinical research studies reporting empirical PPI activity, their findings may support those aiming to use PPI in preclinical research. Through collaborative analysis of the scoping review findings, several principles were developed that may be useful for other preclinical researchers. Patient or public contribution: This study was conducted as part of a broader project aiming to develop an evidence base for preclinical PPI that draws on a 5-year preclinical research programme focused on the development of advanced biomaterials for spinal cord repair as a case study. A PPI Advisory Panel comprising seriously injured rugby players, clinicians, preclinical researchers and PPI facilitators collaborated as co-authors on the conceptualization, execution and writing of this review, including refining the findings into the set of principles reported here.</p