scholarly journals ME3CA: A Cognitive Assistant for Physical Exercises that Monitors Emotions and the Environment

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 852
Author(s):  
Jaime A. Rincon ◽  
Angelo Costa ◽  
Paulo Novais ◽  
Vicente Julian ◽  
Carlos Carrascosa

Recent studies show that the elderly population has increased considerably in European society in recent years. This fact has led the European Union and many countries to propose new policies for caring services directed to this group. The current trend is to promote the care of the elderly in their own homes, thus avoiding inverting resources on residences. With this in mind, there are now new solutions in this direction, which try to make use of the continuous advances in computer science. This paper tries to advance in this area by proposing the use of a personal assistant to help older people at home while carrying out their daily activities. The proposed personal assistant is called ME3CA, and can be described as a cognitive assistant that offers users a personalised exercise plan for their rehabilitation. The system consists of a sensorisation platform along with decision-making algorithms paired with emotion detection models. ME3CA detects the users’ emotions, which are used in the decision-making process allowing for more precise suggestions and an accurate (and unbiased) knowledge about the users’ opinion towards each exercise.

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Bushra Mahadin

Purpose-This paper aims to investigate factors that affect customer switching from Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEV’s) to Hybrid Electrical Vehicles (HEV’s), in Jordan for the period of (2010-2014).Design/methodology/approach-A self-administered survey was hand-delivered to the targeted sample of car users in Jordan. The authors delivered 400 questionnaires to customers, from which 333 were deemed valid for the analysis, corresponding to the percentage of (83.25%) which indicates the validity of the study. Findings- There was no difference in switching behavior between (ICEV’s) and (HEV’s) based on gender in the Jordanian market. Fuel consumption efficiency was the number one variable that supports the switching behavior towards (HEV's), followed by Eco friendliness, lower taxes and technological features. Price and the current trend in the market were the least supporting factors. In addition to that the perception of the battery life of (HEV's), limited choices in the market, lack of information and fear of the relatively new technology were the major hindering factors of choosing an (HEV).Research limitations-Future research needs to investigate other factors that may affect customers’ behavior such as perceived image, trust, and subjective norms. Future research should investigate into the importance of environmental awareness and new technologies, and gender differences in behavior. From an international marketing standpoint, comparative studies between Jordanian and non-Jordanian customers are potential areas of future research for international marketing strategies and cross-cultural consumer behaviour analysis. Practical implications-The paper identifies the determinants of switching behavior. marketers should focus addressing customers concerns in terms of providing enough information and building awareness towards the technology and it's benefits towards the society and the environment.Originality/value-Our study is one of the few in Jordan that investigates the switching behavior towards vehicles technology. Our study is thought to have made a modest contribution to consumer behaviour literature and, specifically, for decision making process. It offers marketers insights into the determinants of switching behavior towards the hybrid vechicle technology and how this contribute to consumers’ decision making process and attitudes to achieve the intended behavioural outcomes


Author(s):  
Panos Koutrakos

A main feature of the European Union’s constitutional arrangements, as laid down in the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), is the organization of the rules governing external policies around the theme of integration. This is illustrated in different ways. First, the external policies of the Union are all part of what the Treaties describe as the Union’s ‘external action’. Terms such as ‘external policies’ or ‘actions’ are avoided. Instead, the choice of the reference to ‘external action’ signifies the design of the EU’s foreign affairs as a coherent whole.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 1243-1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lia Fernandes ◽  
Raimundo Mateos ◽  
Knut Engedal ◽  
Armin von Gunten ◽  
Max L. Stek ◽  
...  

With the increase in aging all over the world, and the elderly population nearly tripling from 524 million (8% of the world's population) in 2010 to 1.5 billion (16% of the world's population) in 2050, we will face new challenges and opportunities in providing healthcare. In 2050, it is estimated that Europe will see an increase of 70% in elderly population aged over 65 years, and 170% in those aged over 80 years (World Health Organization (WHO), 2011). It is vital to respond to the needs of this emerging population and the consequent rise in chronic diseases, especially dementia and mental health disorders, which will overload the healthcare system, as well as raise health and social costs, and demand new policies from national governments (World Health Organization, 2012). We urgently need to know how to organize healthcare for elderly people in the years to come.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gopal C. Kowdley ◽  
Nishant Merchant ◽  
James P. Richardson ◽  
Justin Somerville ◽  
Myriam Gorospe ◽  
...  

The proportions both of elderly patients in the world and of elderly patients with cancer are both increasing. In the evaluation of these patients, physiologic age, and not chronologic age, should be carefully considered in the decision-making process prior to both cancer screening and cancer treatment in an effort to avoid ageism. Many tools exist to help the practitioner determine the physiologic age of the patient, which allows for more appropriate and more individualized risk stratification, both in the pre- and postoperative periods as patients are evaluated for surgical treatments and monitored for surgical complications, respectively. During and after operations in the oncogeriatric populations, physiologic changes occuring that accompany aging include impaired stress response, increased senescence, and decreased immunity, all three of which impact the risk/benefit ratio associated with cancer surgery in the elderly.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 300-327
Author(s):  
Simone Penasa

This article is structured in three sections. In the first section, the theoretical framework of the analysis will be laid out, grounded on the need for a paradigm shift when classifying national regulations on assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). Instead of focusing directly on the specific content of each national regulation, it is more appropriate to move towards a focus on the characteristics of the decision-making process which drive political choices. In the second section, a comparative analysis will be provided of legal systems belonging to different legal families (civil law and common law families), such as Spain and the UK, France and Italy. The analysis will be conducted using a set of classificatory indexes covering both the decision-making process and the theory of law which is developed within specific but different regulatory regimes. According to these criteria, the legal systems analysed have been classified according to a threefold distinction: the ‘procedure-oriented’ model (UK and Spain); the ‘hybrid’ model (France); and the ‘value-oriented’ model (Italy). Comparison seems to show the need for new actors, sites and procedures of law-making in the field of ART. Accordingly, it seems advisable to devise new regulatory systems, in order to achieve, on the ground of comparative analysis, original mechanisms of law-making, starting from the assumption that sharing common deliberative methods proves to be more effective in view of a convergence of national policies. In the last section, a new regulatory mechanism will be proposed. It has been defined as ‘integration by specialisation’ of regulatory tools. This proposal stems from the assumption that, rather than harmonisation by imposing common regulatory content, harmonisation between national regulations (which is crucial in the light of both a uniform health care system and a common ‘market’ of biotechnological research in the European Union framework) can be effectively achieved by enforcing common regulatory mechanisms. These mechanisms can be based on the plurality of regulatory tools, each characterised by a specific (autonomous) normative function. 1


Author(s):  
Irina Ciacir ◽  
◽  
Ecaterina Subina ◽  

2020 is a year of global change. The spread of the COVID-19 virus was an impetus for transformation. The entire globe confronts impediments hard-to-anticipate, but who endangers people’s life. This article refers to the transparency of the decision-making process in the pandemic period. Also, it is explained the communication problems that can appear in complicated situations between the public administration and the citizen. Both the authorities of the European Union, in general, and of the Republic of Moldova, in particular, encounter social problems, which must be resolved in a very short period. Many decisions must be made promptly and unforeseen. It is important that this process does not affect the quality of public services provided and does not infringe on the rights of citizens. Thus, the decision-making process must be transparent and accessible to citizens


Author(s):  
Stoyko O. М.

The evolution of the referendum institutionalization in the constitutions of the EU states is considered. The peculiarities of its initiation, realization and implementation of results in the "old" and "new" members of the Union are highlighted and analyzed. It is concluded that young democracies are pioneering in using this tool of direct democracy both to legitimize government decisions and to involve citizens in the decision-making process. The history of the introduction of plebiscites into the practice of political processes in European countries shows, that they are closely linked to democratic transit: the later the constitution is adopted, the more opportunities for citizens to use referendums not only to control the legislative process in parliament (support or veto certain decisions, draft laws), but also to formulate an agenda - to propose their own initiatives for consideration by public authorities. Accordingly, there are obvious differences between the referendum practices of the "old" and "new" members of the European Union, since the latter are much more active in using them and give citizens real leverage on public policy by holding plebiscites on popular initiatives.


2008 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 863-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Ubachs-Moust ◽  
R Houtepen ◽  
R Vos ◽  
R ter Meulen

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