Rafael R. Torrealba, G. Fernández‐López and Juan C. Grieco
The aim is to set a state‐of‐the‐art in scientific research towards the development of knee prostheses for transfemoral amputees, by reviewing the literature in the field and by…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim is to set a state‐of‐the‐art in scientific research towards the development of knee prostheses for transfemoral amputees, by reviewing the literature in the field and by identifying different scientific research lines that have brought out through the years. Also, to provide the information about possible outcomes in the near future, and their links to cybernetics, given the present trends in the field.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature related to scientific research carried out up‐to‐date in the field of knee prostheses, is reviewed in scientific articles, books and electronic sources. Then, different research lines are identified from the obtained information, and finally classified as presented in this work.
Findings
Three scientific research lines regarding the development of knee prostheses were found, each one dealing with: the design of knee prostheses; the performance assessment of these prostheses; and the creation of control strategies for these prostheses which use electronics to control their performance. Also, two new possible eras of prostheses were encountered: the cybernetic era, and the electromyographic one. Considering both options, it is concluded that the cybernetic era of prostheses is likely to become real soon.
Practical implications
A useful state‐of‐the‐art review for researchers likely to be introduced in the field of development of knee prostheses and prosthetic technology in general.
Originality/value
This literature review not only sets a state‐of‐the‐art of the development of knee prostheses, but also proposes a frame of references which allows to classify the different works done in the field, as well as a better understanding of these through a clear presentation.
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Rafael R. Torrealba, José Cappelletto, Leonardo Fermín, G. Fernández‐López and Juan C. Grieco
The purpose of this paper is to generate a virtual knee angle reference to be followed by a knee prosthesis control, using an adaptive central pattern generator (CPG). Also, to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to generate a virtual knee angle reference to be followed by a knee prosthesis control, using an adaptive central pattern generator (CPG). Also, to study the feasibility of this approach to implement a continuous control strategy on the prosthesis.
Design/methodology/approach
A CPG based on amplitude controlled phase oscillators (ACPOs) to track the current percentage of gait cycle on the prosthesis is proposed. Then, the virtual knee angle reference is generated along gait cycle, by interpolation with the corresponding angle of a sound knee. The structure and coupling of the CPG, as well as the control strategy are presented.
Findings
The coupling of the CPG with real gait on the prosthesis was proven, regardless of gait speed. Also, it was found that the maximum knee angle reached during walking is proportional to gait speed. Finally, generation of virtual knee angle reference to be followed by a prosthesis is demonstrated.
Research limitations/implications
As only one event detected along gait cycle was used to update the CPG phase, the response to gait speed changes might be slow. Updating the CPG with more events remains for a future work.
Practical implications
The coupling of the CPG with real gait on the prosthesis results in a continuous gait cycle tracker, useful for any control strategy to be applied.
Originality/value
It is the first time a bio‐inspired concept as CPGs is applied to the prosthetic field. This could mean the beginning of a new era of cybernetic prostheses, which reproduce the lost limb and also the control functions of it.
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Chelsea Phillips, Marc Becker, Gaby Odekerken-Schröder and Dominik Mahr
Service robots present a new frontier in the provision of services, with far-reaching implications for customers and managers alike. The purpose of this chapter is to examine how…
Abstract
Service robots present a new frontier in the provision of services, with far-reaching implications for customers and managers alike. The purpose of this chapter is to examine how service robots impact service providers' current marketing strategies. For this, the authors perform an integrative, nonsystematic review of international gray and academic literature to understand how both practitioners and academics perceive the impacts of the technology. Based on this analysis, the present work identifies three key themes that emerge from the current state of practitioner and academic research, namely (1) service robots demand new core business capabilities and competencies, (2) service robots offer new value propositions, and (3) service robots impact not only service providers' cost structures but also revenue streams. These insights are combined into the Service Robot Innovation Canvas, a visual tool for service providers to identify the impact of service robot implementations on a company's marketing strategy. In addition, based on the analyzed literature, the most pressing questions for researchers are laid out in a research agenda.
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A continuum model helps us understand contemporary information politics. One end describes authority-centric approaches, including governments and digital corporations, while the…
Abstract
A continuum model helps us understand contemporary information politics. One end describes authority-centric approaches, including governments and digital corporations, while the other focuses on teaching individual skills and the understanding needed to grapple productively with the digital information ecosystem. The extremes represent opposed views of human agency, current information enterprises, and the nature of media. We apply this continuum to two examples, QAnon and COVID-19. Two instances attempt to connect the model's two poles. We conclude with a forecast of the continuum's viability and then project its application forward in education.
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María Carmen García-Cortijo, Juan Sebastián Castillo-Valero and Ana Pérez-Luño
This paper analyses the behaviour of wineries after an economic crisis depending on their interest in the environment.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper analyses the behaviour of wineries after an economic crisis depending on their interest in the environment.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was drawn up to collect quantitative data on Spanish wineries; a total of 230 firms participated in the study. Subsequently, a detailed statistical analysis was performed using the Mann–Whitney U test and rank sum.
Findings
The results show that the wineries that were most interested in sustainability exhibited proactive behaviour during the post-crisis period, choosing to innovate in their different areas in order to deal with the situation.
Practical implications
The paper develops a simple and effective method for wineries to gain confidence that their sustainable behaviour will be compatible with innovating and overcoming a crisis.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature because, to the authors' knowledge, no other study has investigated the concepts of sustainability, crisis and innovation simultaneously. The model is also applicable to international wineries as well as companies in other sectors and would help them to define their strategic and sustainability plans.
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Victor Adetunji Arowoiya, Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke, Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa and John Aliu
The purpose of this paper is to assess the adoption of internet of things (IoT) element with the view of increasing usage so that benefits of convenience, increased performance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the adoption of internet of things (IoT) element with the view of increasing usage so that benefits of convenience, increased performance and timely completion of work can be improved. This research was conducted so that there can be increase in the usage of IoT elements for construction performance and sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted survey design and various construction professionals were used to assessing the level of adoption of IoT elements. Convenience sample was used by distributing the structured questionnaire to registered professionals. Mean score, bar chart, Kruskal–Wallis H test, one-sample t-test and Shapiro–Wilk were used for analyzing the data gathered.
Findings
The findings revealed that wireless fidelity, visualization, wireless sensor networks, Bluetooth, electronic product code and internet protocol are the most adopted element of IoT in the industry. The study also shows that there are areas where there is no significance attached by construction professionals in the usage of IoT elements. These are data storage and analytics, barcode, Zigbee, gateway, near field communication and actuators. It is recommended that less significant areas can be improved through training and educating professionals about the whole concept of IoT and other design professionals. When the importance of IoT elements are understood it will help in the level of adoption.
Originality/value
This paper highlights the possible ways of increasing the adoption of IoT elements with a view to achieving better usage for convenience, high productivity of workers and easy access to information.
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Norita Ahmad and Arief M. Zulkifli
This study aims to provide a systematic review about the Internet of Things (IoT) and its impacts on happiness. It intends to serve as a platform for further research as it is…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide a systematic review about the Internet of Things (IoT) and its impacts on happiness. It intends to serve as a platform for further research as it is sparse in in-depth analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
This systematic review initially observed 2,501 literary articles through the ScienceDirect and WorldCat search engines before narrowing it down to 72 articles based on subject matter relevance in the abstract and keywords. Accounting for duplicates between search engines, the count was reduced to 66 articles. To finally narrow down all the literature used in this systematic review, 66 articles were given a critical readthrough. The count was finally reduced to 53 total articles used in this systematic review.
Findings
This paper necessitates the claim that IoT will likely impact many aspects of our everyday lives. Through the literature observed, it was found that IoT will have some significant and positive impacts on people's welfare and lives. The unprecedented nature of IoTs impacts on society should warrant further research moving forward.
Research limitations/implications
While the literature presented in this systematic review shows that IoT can positively impact the perceived or explicit happiness of people, the amount of literature found to supplement this argument is still on the lower end. They also necessitate the need for both greater depth and variety in this field of research.
Practical implications
Since technology is already a pervasive element of most people’s contemporary lives, it stands to reason that the most important factors to consider will be in how we might benefit from IoT or, more notably, how IoT can enhance our levels of happiness. A significant implication is its ability to reduce the gap in happiness levels between urban and rural areas.
Originality/value
Currently, the literature directly tackling the quantification of IoTs perceived influence on happiness has yet to be truly discussed broadly. This systematic review serves as a starting point for further discussion in the subject matter. In addition, this paper may lead to a better understanding of the IoT technology and how we can best advance and adapt it to the benefits of the society.
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Information-centric networking (ICN) is an innovative paradigm for the future internet architecture. This paper aims to provide a view on how academic video lectures can exploit…
Abstract
Purpose
Information-centric networking (ICN) is an innovative paradigm for the future internet architecture. This paper aims to provide a view on how academic video lectures can exploit the ICN paradigm. It discusses the design of academic video lectures over named data networking (NDN) (an ICN architecture) and speculates their future development. To the best of author’s knowledge, a similar study has not been presented.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a visionary essay that introduces the background, elaborates the basic concepts and presents the author’s views and insights into academic video lectures that exploit the latest development of NDN approach and its applications.
Findings
The ICN paradigm is closely related to the levels of automation and large-scale uptake of multimedia applications that provide video lectures. Academic video lectures over NDN have: improved efficiency, better scalability with respect to information/bandwidth demand and better robustness in challenging communication scenarios. A framework of academic video lectures over NDN must take into account various key issues such as naming (name resolution), optimized routing, resource control, congestion control, security and privacy. The size of the network in which academic video lectures are distributed, the content location dynamics and the popularity of the stored video lectures will determine which routing scheme must be selected. If semantic information is included into academic video lectures, the network dynamically may assist video (streaming) lecture service by permitting the network to locate the proper version of the requested video lecture that can be better delivered to e-learners and/or select the appropriate network paths.
Practical implications
The paper helps researchers already working on video lectures in finding a direction for designing and deploying platforms that will provide content-centric academic video lectures.
Originality/value
The paper pioneers the investigation of academic video lecture distribution in ICN and presents an in-depth view to its potentials and research trends.
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George Ghassan Issa Kidess, Liam Browning, Nicole Oska, Liza Hinchey, Arwa Saleem, Sadie Knill, Malaak Elhage and Arash Javanbakht
Arab Americans experience higher rates of mental illness and lower rates of treatment compared to the general population. While some factors leading to this disparity have been…
Abstract
Purpose
Arab Americans experience higher rates of mental illness and lower rates of treatment compared to the general population. While some factors leading to this disparity have been proposed, data in the literature remains lacking. This study aims to explore the mental health perspectives of Arab Americans living in Southeastern Michigan regarding barriers to mental health treatment, treatment resource preferences and telemental health preferences.
Design/methodology/approach
Responses were collected through an anonymous bilingual Qualtrics survey from both Arab and non-Arab participants (n = 294, ages 18+) in Southeastern Michigan. Participants’ perceptions regarding mental health barriers, resource preferences and telemental health were assessed. Comparisons were performed between Arabs and non-Arabs, and among Arabs.
Findings
Compared to non-Arabs, Arabs were less likely to seek mental health treatment from a therapist or a primary care provider and were more likely to not seek treatment. Arabs were more likely than non-Arabs to list fear of being called crazy by others and cultural barriers. With regards to preferences on telemental health utilization, no significant differences between Arab and non-Arab participants were found.
Originality/value
The results provide insights into Arab-American mental health perspectives, especially pertaining to mental health barriers, resources and telemental health preferences, adding a novel perspective on the mental health preferences of Arab-American subgroups, especially regarding gender and age differences. This study highlights the Arab-American population as a nuanced and diverse group, emphasizing the importance of future studies to show a more complete picture of Arab-American mental health.