A finite element model in a form of structural dynamic equation for the transient analysis of pressure in pipelines

The finite element model of transient pressure pulse propagation in a pipeline is presented in the form of the standard structural dynamic equation, which combines steady flow analysis for obtaining the initial conditions of the flow in the form of pressures and flow rates and non-linear dynamic analysis by using explicit numerical integration techniques. Three options of simplification of governing equation set have been analyzed. At low values of steady flow speed many non-linear and convection terms could be omitted, while at the flow speeds comparable with the wave propagation speed the full equation system has been analyzed. The full equation system analysis involves the techniques ensuring corrections of the initial conditions and of the nodal flow rate balance. The investigated pipelines may contain large number of branches and loops. Parts of large pipelines are analyzed as separate sub-models by employing non-reflecting boundary conditions at the cut boundaries. Properties of pressure pulse front degradation as it propagates through branching points of the pipeline can be examined

A finite element model in a form of structural dynamic equation for the transient analysis of pressure in pipelines

The finite element model of transient pressure pulse propagation in a pipeline is presented in the form of the standard structural dynamic equation, which combines steady flow analysis for obtaining the initial conditions of the flow in the form of pressures and flow rates and non-linear dynamic analysis by using explicit numerical integration techniques. Three options of simplification of governing equation set have been analyzed. At low values of steady flow speed many non-linear and convection terms could be omitted, while at the flow speeds comparable with the wave propagation speed the full equation system has been analyzed. The full equation system analysis involves the techniques ensuring corrections of the initial conditions and of the nodal flow rate balance. The investigated pipelines may contain large number of branches and loops. Parts of large pipelines are analyzed as separate sub-models by employing non-reflecting boundary conditions at the cut boundaries. Properties of pressure pulse front degradation as it propagates through branching points of the pipeline can be examined

A Perspective Review on Integrating VR/AR with Haptics into STEM Education for Multi-Sensory Learning

As a result of several governments closing educational facilities in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, almost 80% of the world’s students were not in school for several weeks. Schools and universities are thus increasing their efforts to leverage educational resources and provide possibilities for remote learning. A variety of educational programs, platforms, and technologies are now accessible to support student learning; while these tools are important for society, they are primarily concerned with the dissemination of theoretical material. There is a lack of support for hands-on laboratory work and practical experience. This is particularly important for all disciplines related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), where labs and pedagogical assets must be continuously enhanced in order to provide effective study programs. In this study, we describe a unique perspective to achieving multi-sensory learning through the integration of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) with haptic wearables in STEM education. We address the implications of a novel viewpoint on established pedagogical notions. We want to encourage worldwide efforts to make fully immersive, open, and remote laboratory learning a reality.publishedVersio

Serious Games and Gamification in Healthcare: A Meta-Review

A serious game is a type of game that is designed for a primary purpose other than entertainment. Instead, serious games are intended to achieve specific goals, such as education, training, or health promotion. The goal of serious games is to engage players in a way that is both enjoyable and effective in achieving the intended learning or behavior change outcomes. Recently, several systematic reviews on the development and application of serious games and on the application of gamification techniques have been published, which indicate high activity and ongoing progress in this area of research. Such an extensive body of review papers raises the need to analyze and extract the current state and the prevailing trends of the serious games and gamification (SGG) domain by analyzing and summarizing the systematic review articles. This study presents a systematic meta-review, i.e., a review of the 53 survey papers on the domain of serious games and gamification. The systematic review follows the PRISMA guidelines, while constructive and cross-sectional methods are used to analyze and present the results. Finally, this study identifies the future trends and challenges for the domain. As a result, the meta-review helps the reader to quickly assess the present status of SGG and serves as a reference for finding further information on each technology utilized in SGG. Using the criterion of the citations, the meta-review analysis provides insight into the quantity and academic relevance of the published SGG articles. Moreover, 53 articles published in journals were selected as important surveys in the research field. The study found that serious games and gamification techniques are increasingly being used for a wide range of health conditions and the focus is shifting towards the use of mobile and digital platforms, virtual reality, and machine learning to personalize and adapt interventions. The existing research gaps include the lack of standardization in development and evaluation, insufficient understanding of underlying mechanisms of action, limited understanding of integration into existing healthcare systems, limited understanding of specific game mechanics and design elements for promoting health behaviors, and limited research on scalability, adoption, and long-term effects. These research gaps highlight the need for further research to fully understand the potential and limitations of serious games and gamification for health and how to effectively apply them

UAREI: A model for formal description and visual representation / software gamification

The paper presents the UAREI (User-Action-Rule-Entities-Interface) model for formal specification of software gamification, and the UAREI visual modelling language for graphical representation of game mechanics. A case of study in gamification of the Trogon project management system is presented. The proposed model and visual language is compared against the Machinations gamification framework using visual complexity metrics, game simulation and qualitative comparison.El artículo presenta el modelo UAREI (Usuario-Acción-Regla-Entidades-Interface) para la especificación formal de gamificacion software y el UAREI visual lenguaje de modelado para la representación gráfica de la mecánica del juego. Un estudio de caso en gamificacion del sistema de gestión de proyectos Trogon se presenta. El modelo y visual lenguaje propuesto se compara con las maquinaciones marco gamificacion utilizando métricas de complejidad visuales, juego de simulación y comparación cualitativa

Computer-Aided Depth Video Stream Masking Framework for Human Body Segmentation in Depth Sensor Images

The identification of human activities from videos is important for many applications. For such a task, three-dimensional (3D) depth images or image sequences (videos) can be used, which represent the positioning information of the objects in a 3D scene obtained from depth sensors. This paper presents a framework to create foreground–background masks from depth images for human body segmentation. The framework can be used to speed up the manual depth image annotation process with no semantics known beforehand and can apply segmentation using a performant algorithm while the user only adjusts the parameters, or corrects the automatic segmentation results, or gives it hints by drawing a boundary of the desired object. The approach has been tested using two different datasets with a human in a real-world closed environment. The solution has provided promising results in terms of reducing the manual segmentation time from the perspective of the processing time as well as the human input time