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1 – 10 of 26Nolwenn Lapierre, Jean Meunier, Alain St-Arnaud and Jacqueline Rousseau
To face the challenges raised by the high incidence of falls among older adults, the intelligent video-monitoring system (IVS), a fall detection system that respects privacy, was…
Abstract
Purpose
To face the challenges raised by the high incidence of falls among older adults, the intelligent video-monitoring system (IVS), a fall detection system that respects privacy, was developed. Most fall detection systems are tested only in laboratories. The purpose of this paper is to test the IVS in a simulation context (apartment-laboratory), then at home.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is a proof of concept including two phases: a simulation study to test the IVS in an apartment-laboratory (29 scenarios of activities including falls); and a 28-day pre-test at home with two young occupants. The IVS’s sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), accuracy (A) and error rate (E) in the apartment-laboratory were calculated, and functioning at home was documented in a logbook.
Findings
For phase 1, results are: Se =91.67 per cent, Sp =99.02 per cent, A=98.25 per cent, E=1.75. For phase 2, the IVS triggered four false alarms and some technical dysfunctions appeared (e.g. computer screen never turning off) that are easily overcome.
Practical implications
Results show the IVS’s efficacy at automatically detecting falls at home. Potential issues related to future installation in older adults’ homes were identified. This proof of concept led to recommendations about the installation and calibration of a camera-based fall detection system.
Originality/value
This paper highlights the potentialities of a camera-based fall detection system in real-world contexts and supports the use of the IVS to help older adults age in place.
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Nolwenn Lapierre, Alain St-Arnaud, Jean Meunier and Jacqueline Rousseau
Older adults are at a high risk of falling. The consequences of falls are worse when the person is unable to get up afterward. Thus, an intelligent video monitoring system (IVS…
Abstract
Purpose
Older adults are at a high risk of falling. The consequences of falls are worse when the person is unable to get up afterward. Thus, an intelligent video monitoring system (IVS) was developed to detect falls and send alerts to a respondent. This study aims to explore the implementation of the IVS at home.
Design/methodology/approach
A multiple case study was conducted with four dyads: older adults and informal caregivers. The IVS was implemented for two months at home. Perceptions of the IVS and technical variables were documented. Interviews were thematically analyzed, and technical data were descriptively analyzed.
Findings
The rate of false alarms was 0.35 per day. Participants had positive opinions of the IVS and mentioned its ease of use. They also made suggestions for improvement.
Originality/value
This study showed the feasibility of a two-month implementation of this IVS. Its development should be continued and tested with a larger experimental group.
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Guenter Muehlberger, Louise Seaward, Melissa Terras, Sofia Ares Oliveira, Vicente Bosch, Maximilian Bryan, Sebastian Colutto, Hervé Déjean, Markus Diem, Stefan Fiel, Basilis Gatos, Albert Greinoecker, Tobias Grüning, Guenter Hackl, Vili Haukkovaara, Gerhard Heyer, Lauri Hirvonen, Tobias Hodel, Matti Jokinen, Philip Kahle, Mario Kallio, Frederic Kaplan, Florian Kleber, Roger Labahn, Eva Maria Lang, Sören Laube, Gundram Leifert, Georgios Louloudis, Rory McNicholl, Jean-Luc Meunier, Johannes Michael, Elena Mühlbauer, Nathanael Philipp, Ioannis Pratikakis, Joan Puigcerver Pérez, Hannelore Putz, George Retsinas, Verónica Romero, Robert Sablatnig, Joan Andreu Sánchez, Philip Schofield, Giorgos Sfikas, Christian Sieber, Nikolaos Stamatopoulos, Tobias Strauß, Tamara Terbul, Alejandro Héctor Toselli, Berthold Ulreich, Mauricio Villegas, Enrique Vidal, Johanna Walcher, Max Weidemann, Herbert Wurster and Konstantinos Zagoris
An overview of the current use of handwritten text recognition (HTR) on archival manuscript material, as provided by the EU H2020 funded Transkribus platform. It explains HTR…
Abstract
Purpose
An overview of the current use of handwritten text recognition (HTR) on archival manuscript material, as provided by the EU H2020 funded Transkribus platform. It explains HTR, demonstrates Transkribus, gives examples of use cases, highlights the affect HTR may have on scholarship, and evidences this turning point of the advanced use of digitised heritage content. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a case study approach, using the development and delivery of the one openly available HTR platform for manuscript material.
Findings
Transkribus has demonstrated that HTR is now a useable technology that can be employed in conjunction with mass digitisation to generate accurate transcripts of archival material. Use cases are demonstrated, and a cooperative model is suggested as a way to ensure sustainability and scaling of the platform. However, funding and resourcing issues are identified.
Research limitations/implications
The paper presents results from projects: further user studies could be undertaken involving interviews, surveys, etc.
Practical implications
Only HTR provided via Transkribus is covered: however, this is the only publicly available platform for HTR on individual collections of historical documents at time of writing and it represents the current state-of-the-art in this field.
Social implications
The increased access to information contained within historical texts has the potential to be transformational for both institutions and individuals.
Originality/value
This is the first published overview of how HTR is used by a wide archival studies community, reporting and showcasing current application of handwriting technology in the cultural heritage sector.
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Gerard Meunier, Quang-Anh Phan, Olivier Chadebec, Jean-Michel Guichon, Bertrand Bannwarth and Riccardo Torchio
This paper aims to study unstructured-partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) method for modelling electromagnetic regions with surface impedance condition (SIBC) is proposed…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study unstructured-partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) method for modelling electromagnetic regions with surface impedance condition (SIBC) is proposed. Two coupled circuits representations are used for solving both electric and/or magnetic effects in thin regions discretized by a finite element surface mesh. The formulation is applied in the context of low frequency problems with volumic magnetic media and coils. Non simply connected regions are treated with fundamental branch independent loop matrices coming from the circuit representation.
Design/methodology/approach
Because of the use of Whitney face elements, two coupled circuits representations are used for solving both electric and/or magnetic effects in thin regions discretized by a finite element surface mesh. The air is not meshed.
Findings
The new surface impedance formulation enables the modeling of volume conductive regions to efficiently simulate various devices with only a surface mesh.
Research limitations/implications
The propagation effects are not taken into account in the proposed formulation.
Originality/value
The formulation is original and is efficient for modeling non simply connected conductive regions with the use of SIBC. The unstructured PEEC SIBC formulation has been validated in presence of volume magnetic nonconductive region and compared with a SIBC FEM approach. The computational effort is considerably reduced in comparison with volume approaches.
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Tung Le‐Duc, Olivier Chadebec, Jean‐Michel Guichon, Gérard Meunier and Yves Lembeey
The aim of this paper is to model time‐harmonic problems in unbounded domains with coils of complex geometry and ferromagnetic materials.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to model time‐harmonic problems in unbounded domains with coils of complex geometry and ferromagnetic materials.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach takes the form of a coupling between two integrals methods: the magnetic moment method (MMM) and the partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) method. The modeling of conductor system is achieved thanks to PEEC method while the MMM method is considered for the magnetic material.
Findings
The paper shows how to use the MMM/PEEC coupled method to model a problem comprising conductors and ferromagnetic materials and compare its results with the FEM and the FEM/PEEC coupling.
Originality/value
The two methods PEEC and MMM are well‐known. The innovation here is coupling these methods in order to take advantages from both methods. Moreover, the performances of this coupling are studied in comparison with others (FEM, FEM/PEEC coupling).
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Cédric Doucet, Isabelle Charpentier, Jean‐Louis Coulomb, Christophe Guérin, Yann Le Floch and Gerard Meunier
The aim of this paper is to accelerate the convergence of iterative methods on ill‐conditioned linear systems of equations.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to accelerate the convergence of iterative methods on ill‐conditioned linear systems of equations.
Design/methodology/approach
First a brief numerical analysis is given of left preconditioners on ill‐conditioned linear systems of equations. From this result, it is deduced that a double preconditioning approach may be better. Then, a double preconditioner based on an iterative diagonal scaling method and an incomplete factorization method is proposed. The efficiency of this approach is illustrated on two finite element models produced by computational electromagnetism.
Findings
The double preconditioning approach is efficient for 2D and 3D finite element problems. The bi‐conjugate gradient algorithm always converges when it is double preconditioned. This is not the case when a simple incomplete factorization method is applied. Furthermore, when the two preconditioning techniques lead to the convergence of the iterative solving method, the double preconditioner significantly reduces the number of iterations in comparison with the simple preconditioner. On the proposed 2D problem, the speed‐up is between 6 and 32. On the proposed 3D problem, the speed‐up is between 13 and 20. Finally, the approach seems to reduce the growth of the condition number when higher‐order finite elements are used.
Research limitations/implications
The paper proposes a particular double preconditioning approach which can be applied to any invertible linear system of equations. A numerical evaluation on a singular linear system is also provided but no proof or analysis of stability is given for this case.
Originality/value
The paper presents a new preconditioning technique based on the combination of two very simple and elementary methods: a diagonal scaling method and an incomplete factorization process. Acceleration obtained from this approach is quite impressive.
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Consuelo Vásquez, Boris H.J.M. Brummans and Carole Groleau
Shadowing is becoming an increasingly popular method in management and organization studies. While several scholars have reflected on this technique, comparatively few researchers…
Abstract
Purpose
Shadowing is becoming an increasingly popular method in management and organization studies. While several scholars have reflected on this technique, comparatively few researchers have explicated the specific practices that constitute this method and discussed their implications for research on processes of organizing. The purpose of this article is to address these issues by offering a conceptual toolbox that defines shadowing in terms of a set of framing practices and provides in‐depth insight into the methodological choices and challenges that organizational shadowers may encounter.
Design/methodology/approach
In this article, the authors explicate the specific framing practices in which researchers engage when taking an intersubjective approach to organizational shadowing. To demonstrate the value of viewing shadowing as framing, the paper grounds the theoretical discussion in actual fieldwork experiences, taken from three different ethnographic studies.
Findings
Based on a systematic and critical analysis of fieldwork experiences, the paper argues that organizational shadowing is constituted by three interrelated framing practices: delineating the object of study; punctuating the process/flow of a given organizing process; and reflecting on the relationship between researcher and the object(s) or person(s) being observed. These analytical constructs highlight specific activities with which shadowers are confronted in the field, namely foregrounding and backgrounding particular aspects in defining a given object of study, trying to keep this object in focus as the fieldwork unfolds, and making decisions about the degree to which the relationship with shadowees should be taken into account in understanding this object.
Originality/value
This article provides an in‐depth reflection on the subtle practices that constitute organizational shadowing. It offers a useful conceptual toolbox for researchers who want to use this method and demonstrates its operational value to help them understand how knowledge construction is the outcome of a coconstructive process that depends on a series of decisions negotiated in ongoing interactions with the actors under study.
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Aysylu Valitova and Dominique Besson
Develop an integrated model to analyze conflicts at work and apply it to a case study. The core of the conceptual model is constituted by the interpersonal relationships…
Abstract
Purpose
Develop an integrated model to analyze conflicts at work and apply it to a case study. The core of the conceptual model is constituted by the interpersonal relationships modalities using the Palo Alto school theorization (symmetrical and complementary relations framework in people's relative positioning). This model also articulates inside this interpersonal relationships structure five other dimensions: Perception processes, Life dynamics, Habitus from Bourdieu and developed by Lahire, psychosociological processes and sociological factors (including cultural ones). We apply this model to the case study of a Community center in a French city where a serious conflict happens with the final consequence of the closure of the center.
Design/methodology/approach
In-depth case study by long conversations (more than interviews) with the main protagonists of the Community center and of the conflict. These talks have been completed by secondary sources and extended review of newspaper articles.
Findings
Our model revels to be pertinent to enlighten the multiple dimensions of the conflict. In particular, we show that the dynamics of interpersonal relationships is central in the conflict development and is embedded in multiple psychosociological processes (perceptions processes with deep perceptive divergences between people, personal construction of Social Identity by protagonists, group thinking, active minority construction, etc.). The sociological factors, as well of personal habitus, have an effect but are not determinants of people's behavior. People are partially conscious of the occurring phenomena but cannot be considered as omniscient, purely strategic actors.
Research limitations/implications
1-Application of the conceptual model is applied only on one case study. 2-More attention should be given to prospective dimension of stories and storying (antenarrative).
Practical implications
The case analysis based on our reactional model of conflicts leads to point out several mistakes in the management of the considered organization and more precisely in the management of the conflictual relationships. Change of level 2 has been misconducted by the top manager of the Community center and we show which alternative decisions could have been made in order to avoid the burst of the conflict. More general conflict management methods can be deduced from our analysis.
Originality/value
Articulation of these different concepts in an integrated model has never been previously made neither applied in a case study.
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– The purpose of this paper is: to measure school technical efficiency and to identify the determinants of primary school performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is: to measure school technical efficiency and to identify the determinants of primary school performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) of school efficiency is conducted. At the first stage, DEA is employed to calculate an individual efficiency score for each school. At the second stage, efficiency is regressed on school characteristics and environmental variables.
Findings
The mean technical efficiency of schools in the State of Geneva is equal to 93 per cent. By improving the operation of schools, 7 per cent (100−93) of inputs could be saved, representing 17,744,656 Swiss francs in 2010. School efficiency is negatively influenced by: operations being held on multiple sites, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils enroled at the school and the provision of special education, but positively influenced by school size (captured by the number of pupils).
Practical implications
Technically, the determinants of school efficiency are outside of the control of headteachers. However, it is still possible to either boost the positive impact or curb the negative impact. In the context of the State of Geneva, the policy-related implications of the current study could be summarized as follows. New schools or existing multi-site schools should be concentrated on common sites; if this is not possible, the use of information and communication technology in school management and teaching should be developed and encouraged. In order to correct the negative influence of disadvantaged pupils on school performance, policymakers should focus on related social policies, such as pre-school, health, housing and benefits policies, rather than on allocating additional resources to schools. Finally, with an average of 381 pupils per school, school size could be increased to maximize school efficiency.
Originality/value
Unlike most similar studies, the model in this study is tested for multicollinearity, heteroskedasticity and endogeneity. It is therefore robust. Moreover, one explanatory variable of school efficiency (operations being held on multiple sites) is a truly original variable as it has never been tested so far.
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