Immersive Horizons: Exploring the Transformative Power of Virtual Reality Across Economic Sectors

open access articleThe scholarly discourse surrounding the manifold advantages, applications, and limitations of implementing Virtual Reality (VR) in the contemporary milieu has burgeoned over time. VR holds immense potential, attracting fervent interest from governmental and private entities alike. Nevertheless, the existing body of literature pertaining to the expanding utilization of VR in diverse economic sectors remains scant. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to furnish a comprehensive literature review encompassing VR applications across various economic domains while elucidating concerns surrounding its integration within engineering education. A total of 108 publications were extracted from prominent databases such as Scopus, Elsevier, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, with a subsequent review of 51 relevant works. These scrutinized journals were published between 2015 and 2022 and were predominantly authored in English. The reviewed publications encompassed VR applications in education, robotics, healthcare, transportation, sports, agriculture, governance, security, and media. The study’s findings unveiled significant advancements in VR implementation within engineering education, medical training, cognitive augmentation, aircraft assembly, governance, and diverse other spheres. Notwithstanding these achievements, impediments to VR deployment were identified, stemming from financial exigencies, cultural and conventional norms, with scant evidence of VR’s prevalence in underdeveloped nations, given that all the assessed research originated from developed economies. Additionally, the limitations of this review encompassed a small sample size and a narrowly focused demographic in the examined articles. Nevertheless, despite these constraints, the research highlights substantial progress in VR utilization over the preceding decade

Discrimination, Social Support and Assimilation Among Immigrant Youth in K-12: A Call for Research

The past decade there has been a surge in research investigating how and when immigrant children experience discrimination, and what the psychological and the educational consequences are (Spears Brown, 2015). Research has suggested that children who experience discrimination from their teachers and peers are not only more likely to have negative attitudes about school but also they may express lower academic motivation and performance (Spears Brown, 2015). The proposed research aims to fill in the gap in knowledge by addressing the impact of immigration on students at different age levels in the K-12 system and further explore the experiences of immigrants from Africa in U.S. education. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of African children in K-12 system using a qualitative, narrative methodology. A narrative methodology combined with a critical race theoretical framework will illuminate the experiences of these students. In this proposal, I will detail my research questions, extant literature, and my research methods to gain more insight into this population. This will illuminate the challenges African immigrant Research indicates that ethnic-racial discrimination is expected to increase during middle school due to the rapid physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development, as well as changes in relationships with peers and adults (Roeser, Eccles, & Sameroff,2000; Niwa, E. Y., Way, N., & Hughes, D. L. 2014). I hope that my research will shed light on the challenges African immigrant children face in navigating through a different and unfamiliar system of educational system

Evaluation of stored potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) for soft rot bacteria in Ibadan, Nigeria

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a tuberous crop from the Solanaceae family which is a source of starch and food to many in Nigeria, however, its production is being hampered in field and storage by bacterial pathogen which causes rot of the stored tubers. To this end, the study aimed at screening potatoes from different stores within Ibadan for the evaluation and diversity of bacteria pathogens responsible for rot in potatoes. Damaged stored potato samples were collected from different locations in Ibadan for studies, these samples were isolated for bacterial pathogen and characterized biochemically and observed under the microscope for identification. Three genera of bacteria were observed to be responsible for potato rot in the study and they include Pectobacterium carotovorum, Pseudomonas syringae and Ralstonia solanacearum. Of all the isolated bacteria, Pectobacterium carotovorum has the highest occurrence with a frequency of 60%, while Pseudomonas syringae has a frequency of 33% and Ralstonia solanacearum has a frequency of 27%. The pathogenicity of the isolates were tested and this revealed that Pectobacterium carotovorum is the most virulent with a severity score of 4.3, while Ralstonia solanacearum follows with a score of 3.3 and a score of 2.7 was recorded for Pseudomonas syringae, while the control had a score of 0. The diversity and differences shown in the isolated bacteria indicated that potato rot is a serious disease which is caused by different bacteria and need an integrated approach for its control from the field of harvesting to the storage house

Global Leadership

It is evident that with the growth and development of our world, global leadership is becoming more important and more relevant in a variety of organizational platforms and political agendas. The purpose of this study is to discover and review what it means to lead globally. How an individual becomes successful within this leadership role is predicted through researching the most important competencies and characteristics of effective global leaders. An original intervention was also constructed to prove that there are a variety of strategies that can be implemented to better educate, coach, and train future leaders to be more prepared to lead with a global mindset. Higher education programs are one of the most applicable intervention strategies for developing future global leaders because the programs can be guided through focused curriculums and training methods taught by trained and experienced individuals in the field of leadership. Global leadership programs need to value transparency, authenticity, collaboration, action, and integrity as leaders will be working closely with individuals of various cultures and backgrounds. A primary focus of the higher education global leadership programs will be to immerse the more senior students into a corporation that communicates directly with diverse populations so that they are gaining first-hand experience as they near the completion of the program. It is vital to the success of the programs that students are not only educating themselves about diverse cultures and leadership but that they also have the opportunity to practice these skills in a controlled environment – such as working alongside the leaders of global corporations through internship-like positions

CHAPERONg: A tool for automated GROMACS-based molecular dynamics simulations and trajectory analyses

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a powerful computational tool used in biomolecular studies to investigate the dynamics, energetics, and interactions of a wide range of biological systems at the atomic level. GROMACS is a widely used free and open-source biomolecular MD simulation software recognized for its efficiency, accuracy, and extensive range of simulation options. However, the complexity of setting up, running, and analyzing MD simulations for diverse systems often poses a significant challenge, requiring considerable time, effort, and expertise. Here, we introduce CHAPERONg, a tool that automates the GROMACS MD simulation pipelines for protein and protein-ligand systems. CHAPERONg also integrates seamlessly with GROMACS modules and third-party tools to provide comprehensive analyses of MD simulation trajectories, offering up to 20 post-simulation processing and trajectory analyses. It also streamlines and automates established pipelines for conducting and analyzing biased MD simulations via the steered MD-umbrella sampling workflow. Thus, CHAPERONg makes MD simulations more accessible to beginner GROMACS users whilst empowering experts to focus on data interpretation and other less programmable aspects of MD simulation workflows. CHAPERONg is written in Bash and Python, and the source code is freely available at https://github.com/abeebyekeen/CHAPERONg. Detailed documentation and tutorials are available online at dedicated web pages accessible via https://abeebyekeen.com/chaperong-online

Enhancing communication strategies in controlling neglected tropical diseases in Nigeria

Abstract Neglected tropical diseases (NTD), a broad set of infectious diseases prevalent in tropical and subtropical environments, are widely known to affect individuals with limited resources in underserved communities. Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest cases of NTD, with an estimated 100 million people in the country at risk for at least one NTD. In Nigeria, the NTD master plan recognizes behavioural change communication as an important part of its strategy for reducing the burden of NTDs. Behavioural change communication has been proven to be significant in preventing and reducing infection, spread and re‐infection of diseases. However, poor communication strategies, lack of funds and human resources and lack of training on how to deliver behavioural change interventions are major challenges. Enhancing communication strategies will significantly help increase attention towards NTD prevention methods and acceptance of treatment interventions. It is also important to ensure that healthcare professionals are provided with adequate skills in the delivery of behavioural change interventions in the communities. This article reviews the activities to enhance communication strategies in the context settings of Nigeria