Design for Sustainable Behaviour to Design an Adaptive Climbing Wall

In recent years, Europe has been moving towards a concept of inclusivity as highlighted by the sixteenth goal of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda that promotes peaceful and inclusive societies. (UN Dept. of Global Communications, 2015). The increasing awareness of social diversity has attracted the attention of designers who started to adopt an inclusive design approach and design products or services to be usable by as many people as reasonably possible, without the need for specialised adaptions. The inclusive design approach has been largely applied in adaptive sports to improve levels of functioning and independence in daily living activities and increase physical capability, physiological capacity, social status, and sense of belonging. Adaptive sports can become a way to promote involvement as an active part of the rehabilitation exercise to stimulate neuromotor recovery, particularly in children with disabilities (Canina et al., 2020). Recent research has demonstrated that climbing could be an excellent rehabilitation tool that involves the child with disabilities in a natural way. This sport exploits the propensity to play, to sport, to compete, to stimulate the execution of specific exercises, can transform this effort into a game and multiply the effectiveness of the rehabilitation process (Reljin, V., 2019). An intensive rehabilitation from an early age guarantees the recovery of part of their neuromotor abilities. In order to achieve better results in rehabilitation, adaptive sports must adopt a holistic approach to the user considering both the physical and the psycho-perceptual aspects, i.e. the ability to do it but also the feeling of fulfilment in doing it. However, current climbing walls do not include these aspects of the adaptive sport. An adaptive climbing wall design requires identifying a methodology that could lead to a coherent and effective solution, using explicit attention for inclusiveness. The paper describes the Design for Sustainable Behaviour (DfSB) approach adopted to design an adaptive climbing wall as a tool for the rehabilitation of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) by identifying the sustainable, inclusive requirements that consider children’s diversity. The DfSb approach, as user- and use-centred design that create preconditions for a sustainable everyday life, considers the sustainability aspects from two essential points of view. The user's sustainable behaviour, in which inclusiveness is a fundamental part of these attitudes, and the product's sustainability that uses new recycled materials create a more natural environment (similar to climbing in natural environments). Indeed, the project considers first the sustainable behavioural aspects, spreading climbing as a tool to improve the health conditions of CP children, introducing them to climbing by making it accessible and inclusive, intending to help children with different abilities to build trust and awareness of their potentialities, and a sense of accomplishment while training problem-solving and decision-making skills. As a second point of DfSB, the climbing wall and holds are designed with sustainable materials (waste material content) that provide the feeling of natural stone considering the entire product lifecycle. This paper shows how the DfSB approach can support the definition of design requirements of a training tool introducing children with CP to climbing as a natural approach to rehabilitation, making it accessible and inclusive. The project brings children with disabilities closer to the adapted sport through an indoor and democratic recreational activity

Biases in Variance of Decomposed Portfolio Returns

Significant portfolio variance biases arise when contrasting multiperiod portfolio returns based on the assumption of fixed continuously rebalanced portfolio weights as opposed to buy‐and‐hold weights. Empirical evidence obtained using S&P 500 constituents from 2003 to 2011 demonstrates that, compared with a buy‐and‐hold assumption, applying fixed weights led to decreased estimates of portfolio volatilities during 2003, 2005 and 2010, but caused a significant increase in volatility estimates in the more turbulent 2008 and 2011. This discrepancy distorts assessments of portfolio risk‐adjusted performance when inappropriate weight assumptions are employed. Consequently, these variance biases have effect on statistical inference in factor models and may result in erroneous portfolio size recommendations for adequate diversification

Examining the Impact of STR Weekly RevPAR Announcements on Lodging Stock Returns

This study investigated whether or not there were abnormal stock market returns on the announcement date of weekly RevPAR (revenue per available room) data by the lodging industry research firm STR. Using event study methodology, the study found that there were not statistically significant abnormal returns on the weekly RevPAR announcement date for the period from 2004 to 2009. The implications of this study are important to the hotel investment community including lodging stock owners and investors, stock analysts, investment bankers, and consultants as it indicates that there is not advance trading in lodging stocks based on the STR weekly RevPAR announcements

Yes, implied volatilities are not informationally efficient: an empirical estimate using options on interest rate futures contracts

The accuracy of volatility forecast estimators has been assessed using daily overlapping and non overlapping observations on two major short-term interest rate futures contracts traded in London. The use of a panelized data set has eliminated some of the drawbacks usually associated with non overlapping data estimation, such as the lack of accuracy due to an insufficient number of observations or the arbitrariness of the choice of tenor. In the same way non stationarity and long memory characteristics of daily overlapping time series are disposed of. Information content estimation in levels associated with the Hansen (1982) variance covariance matrix estimator provides reasonably accurate estimates, broadly similar to the corresponding benchmark panel data ones

Industry agglomeration, sub-national institutions and the profitability of foreign subsidiaries

This study investigates the impact of agglomeration and its interaction with subnational institutions on the profitability of multinational enterprises (MNEs) subsidiaries operating in an emerging economy. We argue that in an emerging economy like China, competition in product and factor markets is more intense between foreign firms than between foreign and domestic firms owing to market segmentation. Consequently, agglomerating with other foreign firms has negative impact on the profitability of foreign subsidiaries. In contrast, foreign firms agglomerating with domestic firms may reap gains owing to less competition and improved access to local resources and knowledge. We find that these effects are more pronounced to domestic-market-oriented foreign firms. Furthermore, sub-national institutions moderate the above relationships. Our arguments are supported by the empirical analysis based on a comprehensive dataset of foreign firms operating in China over the period of 1999-2005

Digital creativity

Digital Creativity is a widespread and unclear realm in rapid evolution and constant redefinition. Multiple disciplines already investigate the influences and relationship between creativity and digital technology from several and fragmented perspectives. The emergence and development of digital applications, such as YouTube, Instagram, Kickstarter, Instructables, etc… and the rapid penetration, in almost all aspects of our everyday life, of ubiquitous communication devices, such as smartphones and laptops, and the burgeoning of disruptive technology are providing new opportunities for creative expression, also a means of self-expression (Lassig CJ, Perceiving and pursuing novelty: a grounded theory of adolescent creativity. Doctoral dissertation, Queensland University of Technology, 2012). Such tools enable people to express themselves in new ways, make original and valued contributions, and broaden possibilities for realizing their imagination (Loveless A, Curric J 14(1):5–21, 2003). In this context of digital evolution, with the rising of disruptive cognitive technologies, devices that connect us with people worldwide, and ubiquitous digital technologies increasingly within everyone’s reach, creativity is evolving, taking a new shape: Digital Creativity. The need to understand the digital impact on creativity has gained increased attention (Jackson et al. 2012; Schmitt et al. 2012; Zaman et al. 2010, as cited by Lee and Chen (Comput Hum Behav 42:12–19, 2015, p. 12)), giving birth to the fourth wave of creativity study called creativity 4.0 (Bruno C, Canina MR, Des J 22(1):2119–2131, 2019a; Creativity 4.0. Empowering creativity in the digital era. In: DS 95: Proceedings of the 21st international conference on engineering and product design education (E&PDE 2019), pp 1–6, 2019b). Here, multidisciplinary researchers are investigating how creativity is evolving and is influenced by the human, cultural, and technological evolution of the digital era. Therefore, conventional definitions of creativity need to be redefined and reinterpreted from the perspective of digital technology

Design and Creativity for Developing Digital Maturity Skills

The emerging technologies of our century - such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, IoT, Virtual Reality, etc.. - are transforming the industrial economy requiring companies to start a process of digitalisation and transformation toward Digital Maturity. One of the main obstacles to digital development initiatives is the company cultural level and the identification of adequate digital talent with the right skills to manage digital innovations. Design and Engineering education has a key role in the development of such skills. They urgently need to co-evolve with the human, technological, and cultural evolution of the digital era we are facing. The paper aims to present the theoretical DC4DM model that integrates the skills identified as in line with Digitally Mature companies' needs and, therefore, relevant for training cross-functional teams of future digital talents. Indeed, an important part of innovation success is the individual and team's creative abilities when designing for digital innovations. New teaching methods and practices should be developed in design and engineering education considering the evolving and emerging needs of students and industry, addressing the development of the new set of skills and training future "digital wise" professional that can drive the Digital Maturity

Innovative system for data measurement in movement disorders: quantitative analysis for Parkinson disease

J. of Neurological Sciences, Springer, Supplement-Volume 22, S37, September 200

Innovative system for data measurement in movement disorders: quantitative analysis for Parkinson disease

S37, September 200