Maavis@School

Managed Access to Audio, Visual and Information Services (Maavis) was launched as an open source beta release application in September 2008. Maavis was developed by the authors with the participation of older people using a prototype called ‘SIMWIN’ which showed proof of concept and indicated beneficial outcomes1-3. The concepts behind Maavis, which partially were guided by human computer interfacing for people with dementia4, were always recognised as beneficial to other populations5. During 2008 these concepts, summarised as use of IT without understanding it or extreme simplification of the interface, were evaluated with four school pupils with varying physical and learning impairments. Again this work indicated beneficial outcomes6. This lead to the authors adding features to Maavis to make it suitable for use in the special needs school environment, eg being network friendly and single switch scanning access. This was achieved through brainstorming and consultations with staff within three schools. These developments will be tested during the autumn term 2009 in the same three schools. The details of the developments and their success so far in the classroom will be reported. In June 2009 Maavis was adopted by JISC’s OSS Watch as a ‘strategic’ project that will significantly address accessibility issues of IT and the web for groups who struggle with standard IT and/or are e-isolated. The aim is to establish an active open development community by the first half of 2010. Links with others in the adult education field and with UK and international care providers are already initiated

Speech Driven Environmental Control System (SPECS) From Specification to Prototype

The SPECS project is designing a new speech driven environmental control to include use by people with dysathric speech. The project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research and is developing the device with a large UK assistive technology company. The aim is that the device will be designed in a user-centric way. The initial stage of the project involved performing detailed qualitative interviews of people currently using speech-driven environmental control systems and a focus group of professionals which discussed current speech-driven environmental control systems and ‘blue sky’ ideas. Data from these were rigorously analysed using a framework approach [1]. This enabled full specification of the proposed new device and the results of this stage have recently been published [2]. This paper will present the process undertaken to go from specification to prototype testing, how user involvement has been incorporated and will discuss the key findings to date. At the time of RAATE 2009 we will be nearing completion of the prototype testing

Information-sharing and evidence base within assistive technology: some current tools

Assistive technology is recognised as a specialism across the sectors (Department of Health, 2007; Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, 2005) and to this end it requires the acquisition and retention of specialist knowledge within a changing and progressive environment. A number of tools help practitioners and researchers to maintain and share this knowledge and these tools are growing and evolving with time. These can be divided into traditional tools, first generation ICT and second generation ICT. Traditional tools include journals (such as the one you are reading), conferences (such as the UK RAATE conference, www.raate.org.uk), paper-based literature searching and face-to-face meetings. First generation ICT tools include ‘static’ web pages, email lists and database-based literature searching. Second generation ICT tools include Web 2.0 style usergenerated content, including blogs, dynamic web, Wikis (peer-editable websites) and online and collaborative literature searching and publication

Spartan Daily, January 27, 1953

Volume 41, Issue 76https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/11823/thumbnail.jp

Use of partial load operating conditions for latent thermal energy storage management

A proper management of thermal energy storage (TES) charging and discharging processes allows the final users to optimize the performance of TES systems. In this paper, an experimental research is carried out to study how the percentage of charge in a latent heat TES system (partial load operating conditions) influences the discharge process. Several charging and discharging processes were performed at a constant heat transfer fluid (HTF) mass flow rate of 0.5 kg/s and temperature of 155 °C and 105 °C, respectively. High density polyethylene (HDPE) with a total mass of 99.5 kg was used as phase change material (PCM) in a 0.154m3 storage tank based on the shelland-tube heat exchanger concept. Five different percentages of charge have been studied: 58 %, 73 %, 83 %, 92 %, and 97 % (baseline test). Results showed that by modifying the percentage of charge, the time required for the charging process was reduced between 97.2% and 68.8% in comparison to the baseline case. However, the energy accumulated was only reduced a maximum of 35.1% and a minimum of 5.2%, while the heat transfer rates during the first 60 min of discharge were reduced a maximum of 45.8% and a minimum of 6%. Therefore, partially charging the TES system not lower than 85% of its maximum energy capacity becomes a good option if the final application accepts a maximum decrease of discharging heat transfer rates of 10% if compared to the fully charged system.The work was partially funded by the Spanish government (ENE2015-64117-C5-1-R (MINECO/FEDER), ENE2015-64117-C5-3-R (MINECO/FEDER), and ULLE10-4E-1305). The authors would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to their research group (2014 SGR 123). GREA is certified agent TECNIO in the category of technology developers from the Government of Catalonia. This project has received funding from the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013) under Grant agreement No. PIRSES-GA-2013-610692 (INNOSTORAGE) and from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 657466 (INPATH-TES). Jaume Gasia would like to thank the Departament d'Universitats, Recerca i Societat de la Informació de la Generalitat de Catalunya for his research fellowship (2017 FI_B1 00092). Alvaro de Gracia would like to thank Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad de España for Grant Juan de la Cierva, FJCI-2014-19940. Simone Arena would like to thank the Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering of the University of Cagliari for funding his research grant

Onkoloogiakeskuse 60 tegevusaastat

Tallinna Vabariiklik Onkoloogia Dispanser – Eesti Onkoloogiakeskuse eelkäija – avati 15. detsembril 1945. aastal. Selle kauaaegseks peaarstiks ja sisuliselt Eesti onkoloogilise abisüsteemi rajajaks oli dr Aleksander Gavrilov. 15. novembril 2001. aastal Eesti Onkoloogiakeskus iseseisva asutusena likvideeriti ja selle struktuuriüksused liideti Põhja-Eesti Regionaalhaigla koosseisu. Eesti Arst 2006; 85 (11): 783–78

Use of an agile bridge in the development of assistive technology

Engaging with end users in the development of assistive technologies remains one of the major challenges for researchers and developers in the field of accessibility and HCI. Developing usable software systems for people with complex disabilities is problematic, software developers are wary of using user-centred design, one of the main methods by which usability can be improved, due to concerns about how best to work with adults with complex disabilities, in particular Severe Speech and Physical Impairments (SSPI) and how to involve them in research. This paper reports on how the adoption of an adapted agile approach involving the incorporation of a user advocate on the research team helped in meeting this challenge in one software project and offers suggestions for how this could be used by other development teams

Südame isheemiatõve ravitulemused Eestis – 20 aastat muutusteta

Südame-veresoonkonnahaigused on Eesti inimeste peamine surmapõhjus, tingides 54% kõigist surmadest. Nii on see paljudes maades. Võrreldes arenenud Euroopa riikidega on meil suremus südame isheemiatõppe murettekitavalt suur: 336 juhtu 100 000 inimese kohta aastas, euroliidu 15 liikmesriigi (enne 1. maid 2004) keskmine näitaja on 97 juhtu 100 000 inimese kohta